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Atkinson McLeod - May Newsletter 18/05/2012 Make no mistake about it, the buy-to-let market is gaining some serious momentum right now. As seen in our first article this month, loan levels are soaring and it seems like everyone wants a piece of the action. As an investment proposition, buy-to-let, quite clearly, is back. Our second article focuses on a shock decline in London house prices during March. Prices fell by 1.8% in the capital according to data from definitive house price index, the Land Registry. Why did this happen and is it the beginning of a downward trend? Finally, any landlords thinking about ousting their long-term tenants to cash in on the Olympics — as has been reported in the news in recent weeks — are a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic. Take it from us: short-termism like that will only ever result in long-term pain. As ever, if you’ve got any questions or feedback, please call us or drop us a line. Alternatively, just drop into your local branch of Atkinson McLeod. Best regards, Giles Atkinson and Dan McLeod Atkinson McLeod - April Newsletter 17/04/2012 The idea that there is a UK property market is pure codswallop. Talk of nationwide house price or rent trends is an unnecessary — and misleading — abstraction. Or that’s what we like to think here at Atkinson McLeod, anyway. To find out why, check out our first article. Our second article this month takes a look at some of the buy-to-let mortgages available right now. And what we’re seeing isn’t bad at all. The number of b2l loans is growing by the day while the rates remain very competitive — if you have a decent deposit, anyway. Finally, we ponder the crazy story that has been the past five years in buy-to-let. The same lender conservatism that decimated the sector in 2008 and 2009 was responsible for its resurgence in 2011. The rebirth of buy-to-let — from hero to zero and back again — is worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster, it really is. As ever, if you’ve got any questions or feedback, please call us or drop us a line. Alternatively, just drop into your local branch of Atkinson McLeod. Best regards, Giles Atkinson and Dan McLeod Atkinson McLeod - March Newsletter 14/03/2012 Life, it’s all about getting the balance right. Most of us rarely do, but then there you have it. We’re human after all — all too human. Existential pontification aside, as landlords, one area you do need to strike the right balance is in the level of rent you charge. Too little, and you’re doing yourself a disservice. Too much, and you could haemorrhage tenants — even in this market. This is the subject of our first article. Our second article focuses on the Budget coming up later this month, specifically the submission by ARLA (the Association of Residential Letting Agents) to the Chancellor. What does ARLA think is best for the rentals sector — and is it likely to happen? Our third article asks how on earth prices in the capital, according to the Land Registry, shot up by a logic-defying 2.5% in January. That’s one hell of a leap — so what’s causing prices to rise like that? As ever, if you’ve got any questions or feedback, please call us or drop us a line. Alternatively, just drop into your local branch of Atkinson McLeod. Best regards, Giles Atkinson and Dan McLeod Atkinson McLeod - February Newsletter 13/02/2012 Ok, first the bad news. The UK economy slowed sharply towards the end of 2011, falling from +0.6% in the third quarter to -0.2% in the fourth. Now the good news. Yields, according to specialist buy-to-let lender, Paragon Group, rose faster than an Italian skipper can jump into a lifeboat. That’s the subject of our first article. Our second article addresses something that’s as certain as death, taxes and ministers dodging speed fines (allegedly – ed): the fact that each month the Nationwide and Halifax house price indices will contradict each other. We explain why you should forget the pair of them. In our third article, we highlight how what’s happening in Europe right now will affect the property market back in the UK. If Greece defaults, a domino effect could ensue and the ‘wholesale’ lending markets could grind to a halt, making borrowing far harder. But is this necessarily a bad thing for landlords? As ever, if you’ve got any questions or feedback, please call us or drop us a line. Alternatively, just drop into your local branch of Atkinson McLeod. Best regards, Giles Atkinson and Dan McLeod Atkinson McLeod - January Newsletter 18/01/2012 If you’d strapped two 16lb shot putts to Daley Thompson’s ankles during the 110 metre hurdles, his chances of making gold in the decathlon would have been slim. That’s why we’re not holding out too much hope for house prices during 2012, the year of the Games. Now we’re not saying we expect house prices to collapse, but we do think the twin weights of the European and UK economy will hold them back in 2012. As our first article highlights, the capital’s property market is likely to put in a Bronze rather than Gold medal performance this year. Not that this should worry landlords. For them, 2012, as our second article shows, will be a year of real opportunity and could see yields soar as the rental market continues to strengthen. Landlords are also being supported by a new batch of decent buy-to-let mortgages, which are the subject of our third article. All in all, the Olympic year could see landlords reach truly Olympian heights. As ever, if you’ve got any questions or feedback, please call us or drop us a line. Alternatively, just drop into your local branch of Atkinson McLeod. Best regards, Giles Atkinson and Dan McLeod Atkinson McLeod - December Newsletter 15/12/2011 In this month's festive newsletter, we reveal how only a tiny percentage of landlords are looking to sell at the end of a tenancy. With the rentals market so strong, this is hardly surprising. Landlords, quite clearly, are filling their stockings while they can. Ho ho ho. In our second article, we look at how rising rents can in fact be a double-edged sword. After all, the higher the rent, the greater the chance the tenant will struggle to meet it, especially in such a dire economic environment. Here, we give landlords some tips on reducing the chances of this happening to them. With the Nationwide and Halifax at complete odds over what happened to house prices in November, the utter pointlessness of property price predictions is the subject of our third article. You'd be better off calling in celebrity astrologer, Russell Grant, than trying to forecast the direction of house prices. As ever, if you’ve got any questions or feedback, please call us or drop us a line. Alternatively, just drop into your local branch of Atkinson McLeod for a mince pie and a natter. Best regards, Giles Atkinson and Dan McLeod Atkinson McLeod - November Newsletter 15/11/2011 If you have a smartphone, then you may finally have a use for the stopwatch function in it. New research from property company, Countrywide, shows that demand for rental properties is so strong that homes are being let in record time. This mad dash for rentals will be music to the ears of every landlord and is the subject of our first article. With strong achievable rents and properties being snapped up in no time, it’s no surprise more and more landlords are going bananas for buy-to-let. New research out from the Council of Mortgage Lenders last week showed that the number of buy-to-let loans increased by 16% in the third quarter of this year. We take a closer look at the numbers in our second article. In our third article, we ask why London house prices, at a time when Rome is burning and Athens has barbarians at the gate, are managing to defy market conditions and are continuing to rise. Will prices in the capital soon come crashing back down to earth or is this a sustainable trend? As ever, if you’ve got any questions or feedback, please call us or drop us a line. Alternatively, just drop into your local branch of Atkinson McLeod. Best regards, Dan McLeod and Giles Atkinson Atkinson McLeod - October Newsletter 14/10/2011 There’s no need for X-Ray specs at Atkinson McLeod. No, we’re not saying we all sit around at our desks stark naked (now there’s a thought). What we mean is we’re transparency personified. You see, all our customers, whether buyers, sellers, tenants or landlords can rate us in full public view via the agent-rating website, allagents.co.uk — and we actively encourage them to do so. Check out our first article to learn more about why we do this and what it means for you. Our second article focuses on yet more research showing London rents continue to soar, reaching record highs in August. Landlords: if you’re feeling down today, this article will quickly put a smile on your face. Finally, if you’re struggling to secure a mortgage, or have any kind of financial issue relating to your property or portfolio, we look at a relatively new type of mortgage that could be the answer to your problems: the medium-term loan. As ever, if you’ve got any questions or feedback, please call us or drop us a line – or, of course, visit allagents.co.uk. Alternatively, just drop into your local branch of Atkinson McLeod. We promise we’ll have our clothes on. Best regards, Dan McLeod and Giles Atkinson Atkinson McLeod - September Newsletter 14/09/2011 For more and more people, it’s hasta la vista, home ownership. This, at least, is the conclusion of a recent report by the National Housing Federation, which we look at below. Landlords will naturally be well placed to benefit from this trend. Our second article looks at an interesting development within the rental sector: more and more landlords are buying family-sized properties. Why is this and what might it mean for the rentals sector moving forward? In our third article, we focus on how the mortgage market is continuing to improve for landlords. It’s now possible to fix below 5% for five years, which will go down well with all landlords who like the peace of mind that comes with stable mortgage payments. As ever, if you’ve got any questions or feedback, please call us or drop us a line. Alternatively, just drop into your local branch of Atkinson McLeod. Best regards, Dan McLeod and Giles Atkinson Atkinson McLeod - August Newsletter 17/08/2011 Welcome to our latest newsletter, where we start by explaining why some landlords are, how can we put this, total fruitcakes. Our second article will be music to the ears of all landlords, however, as it explains why more and more tenants are opting for that holy grail, the long-term let. Last but by no means least, we wrap up with a quasi-philosophical analysis of the paradigm shift that has occurred within the UK property market — and why landlords are the winners. Now you’d be really crazy not to read this. As ever, if you’ve got any questions or feedback, feel free to call or drop us a line. Alternatively, just drop into your local branch of Atkinson McLeod. Best regards, Dan McLeod and Giles Atkinson Atkinson McLeod - July Newsletter 14/07/2011 Welcome to Atkinson McLeod's July newsletter where we’ve addressed some of the property matters that matter to you. This month, we focus on three issues that are highly relevant to London’s landlords. Firstly, when a tenancy comes to an end, should you simply renew or consider putting your property back on the open market? What are the rewards and risks of each option? Secondly, with rental demand so strong and supply so weak at present, should landlords look to add to their portfolios? Finally, we all know that a new tube station will bolster prices and drive up rents, but did you know that a Cycle Superhighway can have the same effect? As ever, if you’ve got any questions or feedback, feel free to call or drop us a line. Alternatively, just drop into your local branch of Atkinson McLeod. Best regards Dan McLeod and Giles Atkinson Atkinson McLeod - June Newsletter 14/06/2011 Welcome to Atkinson McLeod's inaugural newsletter where, each month from now on, we’ll be addressing some of the property matters that matter to you. Our aim is to provide short and sweet articles relaying what's happening to the property market in your area and also to offer tips and insights we’ve picked up over the years. Hopefully you’ll find it useful, informative and even a little fun. If you’ve got any questions or feedback, feel free to call or drop us a line. Alternatively, just drop into your local branch of Atkinson McLeod. Best regards Dan McLeod and Giles Atkinson About our Newsletter 15/03/2011 Find out more about how our "Smart Newsletter" works and how it will benefit you.