Is Now A Good Time To Invest In Property?
August 21, 2012
I was interviewed for a feature in the Mail on Sunday this week about whether now is a good time to invest in property. They interviewed a number of landlords and I was the one who struck a note of caution. I was amazed that Richard Dyson, the deputy finance editor actually quoted me saying that property is not an easy win and that providing homes for people is a serious responsibility. I’ve always been uncomfortable with terms like ‘property investor’ as […]
When I attended an NLA meeting in Newham in November 2011 and watched the Mayor, Sir Robin Wales talk about his proposed licensing scheme, it became patently obvious to me that he was absolutely determined to make it happen. The room was packed with around 100 landlords who were totally opposed, but as a very experienced politician he just bounced back, even seemed to be enjoying himself. It was a carefully staged appearance, he had brought a team of advisers and […]
I went to an auction last week and it was very busy. Interesting. We’ve just gone into the double dip of the recession, Spain is about to be bailed out by the IMF and EU and I think we’re about to see the break up of the eurozone, beginning of course with Greece after their next election. So why are there so many hungry buyers around? They were not just developers – there were some owner occupiers about too.
As a Spaniard who grew up in the UK, I have a strong connection with the motherland. I go back frequently and hope to buy a flat in the centre of Madrid in the next few years. But not now. Prices have fallen around 25% in Madrid since the peak in 2007 and much more along the coasts. There are nearly a million empty properties in Spain and only around a quarter of a million buyers. Just the opposite of the UK, especially London, where […]
Those of us running our property businesses in East London might be forgiven for feeling very frustrated with the recent onslaught of bureaucracy and control freakery. London Borough of Newham has all but introduced compulsory licensing for every privately rented property in the borough. Admittedly it is still undertaking statutory consultation, but this has more than a whiff of the perfunctory about it. Newham’s scheme was unveiled in October 2011 in a fanfare of excitement, seemingly the officials and politicians thought […]