The Complete Guide to Investing in Property

Copyright
......Page 5
Table of contents
......Page 14
Introduction......Page 26
1 Determining the market......Page 56
1. Investing in your own home......Page 66
2. Investing in buy-to-let......Page 67
3. Buying a second home or holiday cottage......Page 69
4. Buying abroad......Page 70
5. Buying off-plan, either home or abroad......Page 71
6. Buying a wreck and doing it up (developing)......Page 72
7. Buying commercial property......Page 74
9. Buying property to put into a SIPP or a REIT......Page 75
11. Buying ground rents and freeholds......Page 77
12. Buying at auction......Page 80
The important questions to ask yourself......Page 83
The ‘fatal flaw’......Page 87
2 Using your own home......Page 89
Buying a house together – advice for couples......Page 90
Finance......Page 92
Getting a mortgage......Page 95
New types of mortgage......Page 98
Jesus saves, Moses invests – but what about Mohammed?......Page 101
Freehold or leasehold?......Page 103
Buying a wreck in an up and coming area, doing it up and then selling on at a massive profit......Page 108
Building your own home and selling it on......Page 113
Renting out a room (or rooms)......Page 115
Using part of your home as a hotel or B&B......Page 117
Inheritance tax......Page 118
Letting out your home to film and TV crews......Page 119
Tax matters......Page 121
3 Buy-to-let......Page 123
Houses or flats?......Page 130
Local Housing Allowance (Housing Benefit)......Page 133
Working out the yield......Page 134
Guaranteed rentals......Page 137
How the different tenant markets work......Page 138
Leasing to the local authority or a housing association......Page 146
Being a social landlord......Page 147
Property clubs......Page 148
Doing it together......Page 150
Beware the leasehold trap......Page 151
Personal story......Page 156
4 Developing property......Page 162
Getting started......Page 163
Finance......Page 178
Which improvements add value?......Page 185
Buying land......Page 197
Buying at auction......Page 202
Conversions and change of use......Page 212
Listed buildings......Page 219
5 Holiday lets......Page 222
Purchasing and financing a holiday cottage......Page 225
Investment pointers......Page 228
Interior design......Page 230
Holiday lettings overseas......Page 236
Caravans, mobile homes and park homes......Page 237
VAT......Page 239
6 Commercial property......Page 241
Mortgages......Page 249
Tax implications......Page 250
Flats above shops......Page 252
Syndicated property purchase......Page 255
Property unit trusts......Page 256
7 Setting up a B&B......Page 259
The couple trap......Page 261
Markets and buyers......Page 262
Improving profitability......Page 263
Finance......Page 267
Legislation issues......Page 269
Fire safety......Page 270
Catering......Page 271
Liquor licensing......Page 272
Television licences......Page 273
Furniture and fittings......Page 274
Ratings......Page 275
And finally…......Page 276
8 Buying property abroad......Page 280
Finance and mortgages......Page 290
Profitability......Page 293
Existing markets......Page 296
Emerging markets......Page 297
Last word on buying abroad......Page 301
9 SIPPs and REITs......Page 303
REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts)......Page 310
Last word......Page 314
Appendix: Resources......Page 318
Index......Page 338
Index of advertisers......Page 351