Archive for October 2017
If only…
Grant me just a single “if only” and I would probably be a billionaire by now. If only I had mortgaged myself to the hilt and bought more buy to let properties in the early 1990s when they were so cheap. If only I had bought all the estate agency and letting businesses that I…
Read MoreIs this the end for Tenant-find only?
One of my big clients has just dis-instructed themselves from 131 tenant-find only properties that used to bring in fee income of just over £50,000 per annum. They have been planning to do this for three years and they have finally done it. Are they mad? Well, let me try to explain their logic. Their…
Read MoreStudents are scum, aren’t they?
Every year, over 200,000 students rent a house for the first time. For most, it is their first experience of dealing with a letting agent and all too often their experience is a bad one. I speak from personal experience as both of my daughters have recently graduated from university. One of my daughters said…
Read MoreThe other credit crunch
A great deal has already been written about the new mortgage rules. Owner occupiers seem to have come to terms with the new lending criteria and have resigned themselves to the impact that they have had on the type of home that they can afford. The impact of the new lending rules for buy to…
Read MoreWhy tenant fees are not the only problem
Letting agents are understandably concerned about the impact of the tenant fee ban but unfortunately this is not the only threat to your future income. A far bigger threat is the financial impact of tenants staying in the same property for much longer periods. This is not a matter of opinion, it is a matter…
Read MoreFight back or perish
Imagine that you owned a Michelin-starred restaurant that served delicious food at £100 per head. How would you react if a new McDonald’s restaurant opened right opposite you? Would you start serving burgers and chips at £2.99 per portion or would you work still harder to serve even more delicious food at a premium price?…
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