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Property Solvers are a below market value investment property sourcing and marketing company and forward thinking organisation aimed at the discerning UK investor. We take a realistic view on investing in property as a long-term wealth creation strategy and can offer investors the choice of our 'Hands on' or 'Hands off' services. We also operate as an information site for UK property investors who can join our 'News and Information' group for all the latest newsletters, videos, interviews, monthly fact-sheets, e-courses and more (to join, head to our website at www.psinvestors.co.uk and register your interest on the 'Join our Email list' box on the left hand side).

Gaining Real Property Investment Insights

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As part of the evolving Prop Tech industry, platforms such as Insight Residential are creating wider access to more detailed due diligence metrics by means of  some 160 datasets located in one centralised hub.  We spoke to CEO Gavriel Merkado (@insight_resi) on how property investors will be able utilise the platform to engage in more effective market research and, to quote the company´s slogan, “see the market, before the market”: Can you give readers who are not aware an outline of what Insight Residential is? A common problem for property investors and developers is understanding the market and the potential of their property. Most people spend hours trying to build an accurate picture of what is going on in the market, and try to estimate the value of their property or project. Often times mistakes are made, data is slow to gather and can be inaccurate,... [Read More]

“Rentr” – Automating Your Property Lettings Business

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Staying in line with the raft of legislation and increased regulatory control governing the lettings sector often means that landlords use private lettings agents to manage the entire process. Fees for such services can range from 7-12% depending on the property´s location and the level of management required. An app that sets out to lower or even eliminates such overheads whilst ensuring that both smaller and larger landlords can offer a professional service without the associated headaches is always likely to appeal. This blog post contains an interview with Adam Blaxter Paliwala (@the_rentr_app) from Rentr: [Read More]

Allsop on Post-Brexit London Property Auctions

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With 33 boroughs across the capital (59.9%) voting to remain in the EU, the result has sent some jitters amongst London investors – particularly in light of the ensuing political and economic uncertainty. Nonetheless, whilst the true effects of Brexit are hard to frame at the time of writing, investors may well be able to find interesting opportunities amongst a more subdued marketplace, the likely continuation of low interest borrowing, the possibility of lower Corporation Tax and (possibly) a more favourable operational environment for landlords.  On this very topic we were very pleased to be able to interview Gary Murphy (@GaryCMurphy) from prominent auction house Allsop: In your view, what are likely to be the predominant post-referendum shocks to the London auction market over the remainder of 2016?    Our commercial auction sale on 5 July was the first large post-Brexit auction. Despite movements in other markets, it was... [Read More]

PropTech – Growing Pains and Opportunities

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The “PropTech” industry continues to gain momentum as entrepreneurs and start-ups strive to develop innovative technologies that streamline everything from the research, funding and conveyancing processes through to assisting vendors / developers achieve optimal sales values and lettings management.  Others, such as Rayhan Omar (@RayhanRESI) – interviewed below – are tackling wider issues such as addressing the housing shortage and the lack of first time buyer affordability, particularly in London and the South East.  Rayhan has also been blogging on the PropTech space through his regular insights into emerging trends via his own publication – Real Estate Pundit – as well as guest posts in the Property Industry Eye and the Estates Gazette. Can you tell us a bit about your own background – what triggered your interest in prop tech initially and made you start writing the Real Estate Pundit blog? I was... [Read More]

The Property Investor´s Blog – Welcome Back

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After a long hiatus, we are relaunching this blog to complement the work of PS Investor Services – a company focused on sourcing quality property investment buy to let / buy to sell (“flip”) opportunities.  We look forward to addressing a range of topics that we hope will be of relevance to the residential investment sector and very much welcome your comments and suggestions (either below or via e-mail at: info@psinvestors.co.uk). A New Operational Environment for Buy to Let Investors In addition to the imminent tapering off of tax relief on mortgage interest for personally owned buy to let property, a series of other challenges such as the removal of the wear and tear allowance on Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and the 3% stamp duty surcharge (for second homes / buy to let acquisitions) have become instilled into the marketplace over the last year. Nonetheless, whilst these... [Read More]

Allsop Property Auctions Summer Update

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Please see an interview with Gary Murphy of Allsop – one of the leading auction houses in the country – where we discuss recent sales patterns; the popularity of auction buying; impending base rate rises; auction stock level predictions; getting the best deal possible in the current market; dealing with negative equity; placing the right guide price when selling; conditions of sale and recent emerging issues that investors should be aware of. [Read More]

Sarah Beeney on the Current State of Play…

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Needing very little introduction, Sarah Beeney’s reputation as a genuine expert in all aspects of property ownership is unquestionable. With a number of varied business interests – including a TV series, an award winning property portal and a popular dating website – her dedicated and strong work ethic has made her a household name and a positive figure representing the property industry as a whole. Please see an interview below where we talked about what Sarah has been up to; the future effects of base rate rises on the property market; protection against negative equity; acquisition strategies; buying at the right price in the current climate; buying to sell; lease options; the growth of the Tepilo brand and the online vs. offline estate agency debate... [Read More]

Interview with the UK Empty Homes Agency

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With a UK property market considered to be at one of its relative lowest points for decades, the hunger for investors to build their portfolios is ever-apparent. One potential acquisition strategy – that is often overlooked due to perceived misconceptions – is to look into properties that have been left empty by previous owners. Please see an interview below with David Ireland of the Empty Homes Agency with whom we discussed current levels of empty properties in the UK; the effects of the recession on the situation; the housing deficit; the government’s response; what steps can be taken to investigate an empty home; seeking legal advice; available grants for renovating empty properties; getting advice from local authorities; the organisations’ campaign for council tax relief as well as a very worthwhile conference worth attending on May 23rd. [Read More]

Rightmove Speak on Buy to Let and More…

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Now a household name, the Rightmove property portal has now become the first point of call for the large majority of the nation’s house buyers and sellers. Launched in 2000, the company is now listed on the London Stock Exchange and recently attracted attention as being one of the only sites on the planet that Google were afraid to compete with due to its well established presence. We were therefore very grateful to be able to ask some questions to Miles Shipside – the company’s commercial director – who has had an integral role in bringing the company to where it is today. We focus on how the company has grown over the last 10 years; maintaining its strong position; 2011 plans; searching for investment property; quality control; what makes a successful property advertisement; the overseas property market; the Rightmove property index; the role of the web in the future of buying / selling property and estate agency fees. [Read More]