Development and Management

1. Manage Endless Paperwork Quickly Paperwork is one of the most tiresome aspects of real estate investment, especially for new real estate investors who are still learning about space and the processes required to succeed in it. Paperwork is also one of the most crucial aspects of real estate investment. Because investors receive most of their returns from rent income, documenting the contracts, tenant information, property management, and compliance with industry standards are essential for collecting rent. 2. Two-Way Communication with Tenants The best real estate investment software solutions also allow you to communicate with tenants and maintain communication records if you hold rental properties. This is important because tenants can report issues, and you need to know about them as soon as possible. 3. Automate Tasks and Processes Real estate investor software solutions such as SyndicationPro are designed to help you automate tasks, track critical data points, and make better decisions using data analytics. Real estate investment software allows you to create and manage workflow for team members and clients. You can also use this software to collect payments, send invoices, and manage customer relationships. 4. Visibility into Critical Data Points In real estate investments, many factors can impact the profitability of your investments. For example, you have to consider the type of real estate asset you’re investing in, the location of the property, the market conditions, and macro-economic factors. 5. Track Your ROI Real estate investments can be a lucrative business. You can make a lot of money from investing in properties, but only if you follow a tried-and-true strategy that consistently generates profits. To achieve this, you must first find the right real estate assets, communicate with property owners to invest in and then perform due diligence to ensure you’re comfortable with the investment.

As a multimillionaire property investor and founder of one of the largest property-training companies, I know there are a few things that people starting out in the U.K. property market often ask or need to know. So, whether you are an overseas investor looking to enter the U.K. market or a British citizen getting started in property for the first time, this article will help you begin the process of buying your first investment property in the U.K. 1. Double the price doesn't mean double the rent Sometimes, people will come to me and say that it is impossible to get high returns on investment from renting out rooms in an HMO (house in multiple occupation), for example. In some cases, these people are even landlords themselves who have properties in high-end and upmarket areas. What people don't realize is that just because a house is in a more expensive area, it doesn't mean it will command that much higher rent per room. A simple exercise you can do is to look up property prices in an area via a property portal, such as Rightmove or Zoopla, and find out what price suitable houses are selling for. Then go to a site that advertises rooms to rent, such as SpareRoom and look at the "room wanted" advertisements to see the level of demand and the prices people are willing to pay. Do this for an expensive city in the U.K. and then do it with a cheaper city. You will soon see that investing in more upmarket areas will significantly eat into your potential returns. 2. The North and South divide While there are great areas to invest in all over the U.K., as a general rule of thumb, it often makes sense to look towards the north and the midlands, which has cheaper property with higher rental returns. Many people like to invest in London because of the rate of capital appreciation, but I believe it is never sensible to rely on this. I prefer to invest for cash flow; that way, if the market turns against me, I can happily hold on to the property while it generates profits. Even if capital appreciation is your main concern, however, it is better to buy somewhere that has bottomed out and is trending upwards rather than somewhere that has already boomed and at some point will be heading back the other way. Find the hidden gems that are seeing new employers open up or that are in the process of being regenerated. That way you can benefit from both cash flow and rising prices. 3. You don't need to live where you invest It makes sense to find a "patch," an area that you can get to know and understand the property market in. But that doesn't have to be where you live. The area you live in may not have the high-return properties you are looking for, or be otherwise unsuitable. You simply need to find somewhere close enough that you can drive to and spend some time there getting to know the place. If you are an overseas investor, it makes sense to joint venture with someone who knows the local market, especially if you are unable to come to the U.K. to do the initial research yourself.

As a property investment company dealing with plenty of new and experienced investors, we are well aware that research, due diligence and general knowledge surrounding an investment class, or any one particular property is essential. However, also having a wider understanding of property, in general, is vital, enabling you to make informed decisions. Whilst us and many other investment brokers try and get across the benefits of investing in a softer market, we are also fully aware some investors simply want to remain liquid and conduct research, so when their confidence does return, they are fully prepared and able to move forward. 1. Home.co.uk Whilst the appearance of this website is quite dated, it’s a fantastic resource to view data/performance of any specific postcode in the UK. If you select, the ‘Prices & Rents’ tab and then type in a postcode, for example, M5, it will bring up further options to narrow down the data. Then go to ‘Selling Price Reports for M5’ rather than Asking Price, you can then select the option to view the performance over the last year. It will then bring up 3 graphs and you can change the timeframe at the bottom (the longer the better for more accurate info), then view the best performing property types, sales volumes etc – a great snapshot of any location. 2. The Property Hub Podcast Whilst these guys are effectively our competitors (although we charge no fees to investors), for years now they have been delivering amazing educational property content and value via their podcast, so we wanted to give them a shout-out.If you click the link above you will be taken through to their podcast list, it’s worth going through the archives as most of the information is still applicable, they’ve also got some interesting insights on the current market conditions. 3. Property Development Book by Lloyd Girardi This one will mean you have to fork out a bit of money but it’s well worth the small investment. As an investor, in our opinion, it really helps to understand the property development process as a whole, how sites are financed, acquired, the professionals involved and ultimately how a site is built out. If you’re interested in off-plan investment or loan note/property bonds, it goes a long way to explaining the security and general process. For those advanced developers it may come across as basic but for most property investors it’s a useful introduction to the property development world. 4. Hometrack As a commercial service, Hometrack provides market intelligence to companies like ours enabling detailed market analysis. Starting in 1999 and now owned by Zoopla Group, they also produce a City Price Index Report which tracks house pricing trends, this a great way for investors to keep an eye on the best performing cities in the UK in terms of capital growth. 5. PropertyTribes.com If you wanted something a bit more interactive, this forum is a good place to start. They describe themselves as the #1 Property Forum for Private Landlords. So, if you have a burning question, want to get an understanding of what other landlords are going through or just generally fancy browsing a variety of subjects in one place, take a look here. A word of warning though, as per any forum, take responses from other members with a pinch of salt and always do your own checks and due diligence, especially if it relates to a buying decision. 6. PropertyData.co.uk Comprehensive research should be at the heart of any property investment decision, and tools like PropertyData are key to that research. The platform can help you identify where to invest, review local market performance, compare areas you’re interested in, and even benchmark rental prices. There is a subscription cost, but for the price (starts from £14 a month) it’s one of the best tools available given the level of detail and range of data available. Plus, there’s a trial period so you can get a feel for the platform before committing. If you’re serious about investing, it’s well worth a go.