International Property Investment » Property Investment

UK Property Investment – What is going on in the market?

Mark Knowles — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:43:40 +0000

Mixed sentiments and news snippets at the moment are causing uncertainty in most markets.

The United Kingdom

British Banker’s Association mortgage approvals increased once again in November rising a further 5.1% to 44,713 units from an upwardly revised 42,552 in October (originally reported as 42,238). At this level approvals are up 152% year on year from the cycle low last November of 17,738. More significantly at these levels they are 0.7% above the November 2007 level when re-mortgaging was rife, as opposed to almost non-existent today. This is at best a recovery based on the stamp duty holiday and we will probably see another fall in January.

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Property Investment – The Credit Crisis and – The Future Part One

Mark Knowles — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 06:48:44 +0000

I don’t usually print other people’s articles, but as we all start looking towards the future (hopefully having learned something from the past) I thought it appropriate to do so. This is a letter by Prudential’s COO Bernard Winograd and worth reading. I will be seeking out other opinions in the future to republish.

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Investment property loans

Mark Knowles — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 07:45:16 +0000

Whatever happened to getting a loan to buy an investment property with? They went out of the window with the world’s financial health when Lehman brothers bit the dust, that is what. The continuing devaluation of real estate around the world is continuing to put pressure on the loan markets and the credit crunch is still affecting property investment markets. The banks are well aware of the likely losses in the commercial property sector that are – as we speak – being announced. So, they are hoarding their money for the time when they must announce more losses and write off more outstanding debts.

Investment Property in Dubai – Rents fall again

Mark Knowles — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:51:28 +0000

Property investors are continuing to take a bath in Dubai as rents fell once again in August. According to a survey by the Khajeel Times and property management firm Asteco. Some of the more upmarket developments are beginning to stabilize, but with the outflux of ex-pats during the summer, falling property prices and a serious over-supply in most markets, rental prices continued their decline, and in many instances, renters are simply choosing to walk away from a new lease. The requirements in Dubai are a little different in that Islamic law does not allow for credit and renters are often required to pay a full years rent in the form of 4 post-dated cheques. This is an excerpt from the report.

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Property Prices in France – No Soft Landing says FNAIM

Mark Knowles — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:48:55 +0000

French property prices have come down to earth with a bang, according a number of professional bodies, including the French National Federation of Real Estate Agents (Fédération Nationale de l’Immobilier or FNAIM)

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Property Investment Rumors – Burj Dubai Will sit Empty for a Year

Mark Knowles — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:28:30 +0000

The Burj Dubai reached it’s final height of 818 meters recently, but we are hearing an interesting rumor that, the Burj Dubai is now wholly owned by the Abu Dhabi government (see the recent Dubai bond issue) and as “punishment,” for their vaulted ambitions, the building will be left empty for at least one year after it is finished being fitted out.

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Property Crash Hot Spots – London Dubai and Hong Kong

Mark Knowles — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 10:33:28 +0000

The Citi Private Bank report commissioned by Knight Frank shows that the largest drops in residential property prices were in Hong Kong (-26.8%), the Home Counties (-19.4%), London (-16.9%) and Dubai (-19.1%).

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British Property Prices could fall another 55 percent

Mark Knowles — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:50:18 +0000

Numis Securities, a City investment bank, expects amateur buy-to-let landlords to begin “panic selling,” their investment properties as house values continue to decline in the UK, causing the average home value to fall below £100,000. Their recent report stated:

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Investment Properties in Dubai? Wait and See

Mark Knowles — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:04:14 +0000

Thinking of buying an investment property in Dubai? Wait and see is our best advice right now. The credit crunch is having a big impact in the UAE, and particularly in Dubai, where many ex-pats went to work in the construction and real estate sector, only to discover they had 30 days to find another job or get out of the country when their job vanished along with the rest of the credit market.

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Using Celebrities To Fool Smaller Investors – David and Victoria Beckham to Buy More Property in Dubai

Mark Knowles — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 12:13:04 +0000

With property values tanking in Dubai, Nakheel have now gone to the trouble of suggesting that David and Victoria Beckham “have shown interest in increasing their property portfolio in the UAE.”

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