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Article: How
to Buy to Let
by Jennifer Tweed
Find out everything
you need to know about buy to let. Learn what to buy, where to buy
and what not to buy. All this information about buy to let won’t
cost you a penny.
Buying
• If the
area is full of buy to let property investors, the supply of property
to let might outweigh tenant demand and create pressure to reduce
rents. • Consider established areas with good communications
links • Research tenant demand as your highest priority. Find
a letting agent to discuss this. • Consider ongoing costs,
e.g. maintenance, service charges etc. • Be prepared to buy
tired investment properties and refurbish them. • Build a
team of reliable tradesmen so that you can react quickly. •
Find a good buy to let mortgage provider. Finding the correct buy
to let mortgage is crucial to your success when you are buying and
selling investment property.
To Buy or Not to Buy
an investment property for sale?
• As soon as you
find a property you would like to buy, run a To Let advert in the
local press. If the phone rings a lot buy it. If not walk away.
• A variation on the theme would be to run a display advert
“Seeking long term tenants” I am a portfolio landlord.
You find your perfect property and I will consider buying it and
letting it back to you”
Demand and professional
guidance
Find a letting agent
and discuss the demand for properties in the areas you are interested
in. They should also be able to indicate the level of rent you could
expect to achieve and what type of tenancy is more suitable for
the property and area.
University Lettings
Talk to Student letting
officers – build rapport so they promote your property above
others. They too can give you good advice on demand, i.e. where,
why, how much etc.
Buying Privately
? With more and more
people turning to the internet to source suitable investment property
for sale and for sellers looking to save on selling agent fees,
more people are having the opportunity to buy and sell privately.
The main difference being that you will liaise directly with the
seller of the property. This may be via email or telephone. Viewings
will be arranged directly between the buyer and seller and the negotiations
regarding the price will be dealt with directly between the buyer
and seller. However, you will still need to both appoint a solicitor
to act on your behalves.
Buy to Let Mortgages
Finding the right buy
to let mortgage is crucial to your success as a property investor.
Unlike other forms of property investment, a lot of the capital
you invest into a buy to let investment property is likely to be
borrowed. Over the last few years, the buy to let mortgage market
has boomed, with more and more lenders bringing out products making
borrowing money to invest in this way even simpler than before.
There are a number of different buy to let mortgage products available
from fixed rates, discounted variable rates, base rate trackers
to name a few. It is worth remembering that different products may
be suitable for different investment properties.
However it is very important
that you get the correct guidance with your finance. Questions that
are worth considering when finding a suitable buy to let mortgage:
1. Do they have access
to lots of different buy to let products in the market place? 2.
Do they have the ability to create a long term investment property
strategy for you? 3. Are they able to secure exclusive buy to let
products? 4. Are they able to arrange buy to let mortgages within
10 working days?
Most lenders will offer
a maximum loan of 85% requiring you to fund at least a 15% deposit.
The buy to let mortgage industry is very competitive with new products
being launched on a very regular basis.
Some brokers may charge
a brokerage fee up to 2% to arrange the buy to let finance for you
but don’t let this put you off because if they do have the
ability to secure exclusive buy to let products for you, it could
be very beneficial to your cashflow as a landlord. Plus, if they
are able to reach formal mortgage offer stage in a very short space
of time, this could result in you being able to secure investment
property at very competitive prices if you have the ability to tell
the vendor that you can have the deal completed within a matter
of a few weeks. Find out more about buy to let mortgages and see
how you can start your investment property portfolio.
There are a few simple steps to remember:
• Make sure you
have done your research
• Source a good
buy to let mortgage provider and make sure that your own personal
credit file is clean.
• If you are unsure,
then you can request a copy of your personal credit file on a number
of different websites which allow you to download a copy instantly.
• Once you have
agreed an offer for the buy to let investment property for sale
with the vendor, you will need to appoint a solicitor and exchange
solicitor details with each other.
• At this point
your respective solicitors will then begin the necessary legal work
on your behalves to arrange the legal ownership of the investment
property to transfer to the new investor.
• Contact your
buy to let mortgage provider and confirm the purchase price and
loan amounts required.
• A surveyor will
then need to visit the investment property for sale to carry out
a valuation of the property and a rental assessment. Some buy to
let mortgage brokers can arrange this on your behalf. Other buy
to let mortgage companies will advise you when this will take place.
However, it is worth bearing in mind that if a buy to let mortgage
provider is a fully packaging company then they may be able to reduce
the timescales that it takes for your formal buy to let mortgage
offer to be issued.
• Whilst waiting
for the valuation report on the investment property for sale to
be returned, use this time to complete all the legal paperwork that
your solicitor will forward to you for completion and the application
forms which will be forwarded to you from your buy to let mortgage
provider.
• If the valuation
report comes back and is satisfactory, you should then receive your
buy to let mortgage offer shortly afterwards. On occasions, you
may be requested to obtain specialist reports which may include
a structural engineers report, damp and timber report and coal mining
report.
• A copy of the
buy to let mortgage offer should go directly to you and your solicitor.
• Your solicitors
will then liaise with each other regarding suitable exchange and
completion dates and will arrange to do the necessary completion
paperwork for you on your new buy to let property.
Find out more
about buy
to let and how you can start.
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