UK Landlords look to increase portfolios after a 47.9% increase in the Private Rented Sector according to latest figures

by Charlotte Ashton United Kingdom

According the latest market report from Jones Lang LaSalle, the UK private rented sector has grown by 47.9% since 2007. With high prices, unrealistic deposit requirements and mortgage constraints making homeownership unattainable, the expansion of the private rented sector (PRS) looks likely to accelerate with UK landlords looking to benefit from increasing rental demand.

 
James Davis, CEO of online lettings agent, Upad comments,
 
“The latest report from Jones Lang LaSalle suggests that 1.7 million additional privately rented homes will be needed over the next four years to meet demand. And, as a result of growing tenant demand, there is strong motivation for landlords to increase their portfolios and take advantage of the market.”
 
Meanwhile, according to a recent Private Rental Sector Trends survey from specialist buy-to-let lender Paragon Mortgages, 91% of landlords said they thought that demand was fixed or had increased between July and September this year while 68% of landlords said that their rental income had remained the same during Q3 2012 and 27% said that it had actually increased – another reason for landlords to feel positive about the performance of the PRS.
 
With this positive news in mind, it seems UK landlords plan to increase their portfolios with the survey research revealing that the average holding is set to increase from 12.5% to 12.9 properties within a year. Of those surveyed, 16% plan to buy more property to rent out over the next 12 months.
 
Davis explains,
 
“The UK’s private rented sector is not only stable, it is increasing. There is more incentive than ever for UK landlords to invest in rental properties with the likelihood that we will see a significant increase in the number of accidental landlord’s entering the market over the next year. As a result, it is important to highlight exactly what it takes to be successful in this game that’s why have provided our top five tips on how to be a better landlord.” 
 
For UK landlords looking to take advantage of the PRS, why not brush up on your landlord skills with Upad’s top tips.

1. Meet your tenants 
 
It is essential that you get to know your tenants and form a professional relationship with them.  If you make the effort to form a solid relationship this should make for a smoother tenancy with less hassle.

2. Reference your tenants
 
This might sound obvious but always make sure a tenant can afford the rent. It is also worth doing your research and checking that their rental history is free of any problems.
 
3. Professional photography
 
Getting professional photographs for your ads will get you up to 8 times as many tenant enquiries per day. At Upad, we recently had a property advertised with standard landlord photographs for 58 days which only received 10 tenant enquiries. When we advertised the same property with professional pictures for just 18 days tenant enquiries jumped to 27. The results speak for themselves.
 
4. Set up a standing order mandate 
 
Why not set up a standing order mandate which will mean that your tenants will never forget to pay the rent. Alternatively, why not let Upad do it?
 
5. Name drop
 
When advertising a property, mention you are a private landlord in your ads. Only 15% of tenants want to meet an agent for viewings, so this is a big selling point.
 
As one of the UKs largest and fastest growing letting agencies, Upad specialise in helping professional tenants rent properties from landlords directly by allowing landlords to manage their own viewings. As a result, Upad receive around 20,000 tenant enquiries per month. 
 
Upad offers a complete lettings service for a flat fee of only £299 (+ VAT) which includes professional photography and a floor plan, a ‘To Let’ board erected outside the property and advertising across all major UK lettings sites as well as comprehensive tenant referencing, drawing up of the tenancy agreement, deposit registration and crucially, rent collection. For more information please contact Upad, on 0333 240 1220 or visit www.upad.co.uk. 

With loneliness affecting 1 in 3 Britons aged 65 and over, retiring abroad offers the perfect solution

by Charlotte Ashton France

 

Loneliness is an issue that plagues many British pensioners with a recent study by Age UK and online young people’s charity YouthNet discovering that more than 1 in 3 people aged 65 and over in the UK feel lonely. However, in spite of this somewhat depressing news, hope is not lost with the perfect solution existing just a short hop across the channel.

 

Danny Silver, MD of ‘active living’ development for over 50s, The Villages Group, France comments,

 

“Indeed, it would appear that being a retiree in Britain doesn’t necessarily offer all the positive idealisations associated with “third age” particularly when millions are living in isolation. As well as this, continued pressure on energy and food bills mean that many older people are being forced to take a step closer towards the poverty line. Given these reasons its hardly surprising many over 60s are lured into downsizing, often swapping the family home for smaller accommodation in a retirement development which offers a social community and promises to manage all the chores.

 

“By stark contrast, France is one nation that delivers the exact opposite when it comes to caring for their elderly and that’s why we chose this nation as the location for our new active living resorts for over 50’s. These resorts will be focused around developing strong communities of like-minded individuals where they will never feel alone.”

 

And it’s not just loneliness that’s affecting British pensioners. According to one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory groups, deVere Group, those nearing retirement feel "betrayed" by the government´s economic policies, with an increasing number considering moving their retirement funds out of the UK.

 

Nigel Green, chief executive of the deVere Group explained,

 

"Since the notorious ´Granny Tax´ budget six months ago, an increasing number of our clients have told us that they feel betrayed by the government´s monetary and fiscal policies. The scrapping of age-related benefits, tax changes, quantitative easing and low interest rates have meant that pensioners and those retiring imminently have paid a disproportionately high price as a solution to the current economic crisis. Indeed, latest research demonstrates that the British pensioners will be a further £11.5 billion worse off by such policies by 2014.”

 

With this in mind, relocating to an ‘active living’ development in France could offer the perfect alternative to relieving loneliness and money woes thanks to less expensive housing, a relaxed pace of life and cheaper living costs.

 

Danny Silver remarks,

 

“As people get older loneliness can start to creep its way in but rather than choosing an expensive care home in the UK why not chose a sunshine resort that encourages physical and social activity? Right now, retirement developments in the UK have been grabbing a lot of attention – TV show Dispatches recently did an undercover feature on UK retirement homes which identified the pitfalls of buying a retirement property in the UK.

 

“I believe that our active living villages in France for over 50’s offer a far better option and a cheaper one too. In the UK maintenance such as gardening, swimming pools and window cleaning can cost around £600 per month where as ours which also includes French land taxes as well as full entertainment programme equates to approximately £100!”

 

For those considering a better quality of life, The Villages Group’s first ‘active living’ resort village for over 50s is available at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Canal du Midi, one of Europe’s longest and widest canal systems.

 

The development provides a village community of 107 villas and affords full on-site amenities including tennis courts, indoor pool, gymnasium and quality entertainment and cultural programmes, perfect for living an active and fulfilling life with friends.

 

For more information please contact The Villages Group on + 33 1 4007 8625, email info@thevillagesgroup.com or visit www.thevillagesgroup.com.

 

Spain fights back with impressive increase in foreign tourist spend and property sales this year according to figures

by Charlotte Ashton Spain

Figures provided by tourism expenditure survey Egatur prepared by the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism has revealed that spending by international tourists in Spain in the first eight months of 2012 reached 38 million euros, representing a 6.2% increase over the same period in 2011.

The results from Egatur show that average daily spending by foreign tourists increased by 7% to €107, with British tourists dipping into the wallets the most, spending 7.7 million euros, an increase of 6.7% over the first eight months in 2011. German tourists followed behind, spending just over 6 million euros, a 3.1% increase.

Looking back at figures for August 2012, Egatur’s results highlight that when it comes to location, the Balearics took the top spot, recording an 8.2% increase in spending over the same period last year, reaching just over 2 million euros and overtaking Catalonia.

Marc Pritchard, Sales and Marketing Manager at Taylor Wimpey España comments,

“It’s no surprise that foreign spending has increased in Spain this year particularly among British tourists who have been bagging more for their buck considering the strength on the pound over the euro.

“And it’s not just tourism spend that is on the up. We at Taylor Wimpey España have seen an 11% increase in September sales over the same month in 2011 while on the Costa Blanca for example, we’ve experienced a 76% in property sales this year compared to last.”

While there is no escaping the air of negativity surrounding Spain at the moment, the nation is still considered one of the best places to holiday with the Balearics often topping the list. And it’s about to get even easier for anyone wanting to visit during the winter months with British Airways, easyJet and Monarch expanding their winter schedules to Mallorca for 2012/13.

Pritchard further explains,

“In the face of economic doom and gloom and cold winter month’s people want to get away and providing more flight options is a great way to satisfy growing demand. Indeed, with more tourist arrivals to Mallorca this winter the property market could be set for a boost – the reduced 4% VAT rate before the end of 2012 is surely an incentive alone.”

For property hunters looking for high quality affordable property, Taylor Wimpey España has some excellent properties on offer in Mallorca at only 4% VAT until the end 2012.

El Puerto II situated in Cala d´Or, south east Mallorca has 2 bedroom apartments surrounded by generous gardens with native Balearic plants and 3 communal swimming pools.

Costing from €149,500 this sophisticated complex is within reach of the blue flag beach, Cala Mondrago and floodlit tennis courts in Cala Egos, 10 minutes from Cala d’Or.

Cala Estancia residential development located in the small bay of Cala Estancia, one of the quieter spots in the heart of the bay of Palma is the ideal place to relax.

Affording 3 bed/ 2 bath apartments next to the sea, near to Palma and walking distance to all amenities, these apartments have direct sea access as well as fully fitted kitchens, air conditioning, marble floors, double glazing, modern bathrooms, allocated underground parking space and storage rooms from just 265.200€ + 4% VAT.

For more information on buying in Spain contact Taylor Wimpey España today on 08000 121 020 or visit www.taylorwimpeyspain.com for more information. If you reside outside of the UK you will need to call 00 34 971 706 244.
 

Want to invest in property? Think inside the box! First genuine UK self-storage investment opportunity launched at Hampton Court

by Charlotte Ashton United Kingdom

Self-storage as a concept began in the US in the 1960s with an increasingly transient population taking advantage of dedicated units to store their belongings whilst working away from home. Over the past 50 years its popularity has grown so rapidly in fact that today 1 in 10 use one of the country’s 50,000 facilities.

Heralded as the best performing real estate investment in the US over the past decade according to the Bloomberg Riskless Return Ranking, America currently uses 7.5 sq ft of self-storage space per person compared to only 0.5 sq ft in the UK and even less in Europe but the market is growing – and rapidly!

According to the Self Storage Association UK (SSA UK) Annual Survey 2012 in association with Drivers Jonas Deloitte, there are an estimated 815 self-storage facilities in the UK equating to 29.6 million sq ft of storage space.

Well documented as an industry that has avoided the tough economic climate and seen real growth in hard times (an 8% increase in the number of UK stores in the last year alone), the estimated total annual turnover for the UK self-storage industry in 2011 was £355 million.

As Ray Withers, Chief Executive of award-winning property investment agency, Property Frontiers which is exclusively marketing the first genuine UK self-storage investment opportunity, Personal Storage, Hampton Court, comments,

“Indeed the recession and the need to downsize for those moving home or office has been a benefit to the storage industry. Approximately 60% of self-storage use is related to the housing market but commercial demand is also high especially from start-ups, e-Bay businesses and archiving. Business customers are in fact highly sought after as statistically they stay twice as long in units as domestic users.”

The demand for storage space is especially high in and around the Capital with only 8.1 million sq ft of rentable self-storage space currently available in London for a population of 8.3 million people equating to 0.98 sq ft per person.

High land and commercial property prices had resulted in a lack of new stores opening in London over the past 5 years, in fact only 28% of the total amount of self-storage in UK is in the Capital however established self-storage company, Personal Storage, has secured a prime site in the affluent area of Hampton Court for its latest store.

Located approximately 9 miles south west of London, this latest addition to the Personal Storage portfolio is perfectly situated to capitalize on the demand for additional storage from the 150,000 strong population located within 15 minutes’ drive including some 23,000 university students not to mention the thousands of businesses nearby.

With over 15,200 net sq ft of secure self-storage space available with a variety of unit sizes up to 90+ sq ft, ample space to store the contents of an average 2 or 3 bedroom house, Personal Storage Hampton Court offers plenty of opportunity for investment. With an investment of as little as £14,878 inclusive of VAT, investors can purchase a 999 leasehold title from the building owners and developers as well as a 15 year full, repairing and insuring commercial lease with Personal Storage who will manage the 45 sq ft unit and handle all operations. Returns equivalent to 8% Net in the first 2 years rising to over 10% are assured with an optional buy back from year 5 providing a credible and defined exit strategy makes Personal Storage Hampton Court a genuine property investment in today’s uncertain market.

For more information on how to think inside the box and invest in Personal Storage Hampton Court contact Property Frontiers today for your free interactive Investment Guide on +44 (0) 1865 202 700 or visit www.propertyfrontiers.com.

 

Bound for Bourne End – Home Counties Property Hotspot

by Charlotte Ashton United Kingdom

Bourne End, home to children’s novelist Enid Blyton and crime writer Edgar Wallace, is a quintessential English village in the heart of Buckinghamshire.

Just 3 miles from the highly acclaimed market town of Beaconsfield, Bourne End nestles alongside the junction where the River Wye meets the River Thames. The village has been the home of papermakers, lacemakers and brickmakers; today it is a thriving village easily accessible from London and even closer to the open countryside of the Chiltern Hills.
 

With an average property price of £1,283,385 (Zoopla, September 2012) Bourne End does attract a wealthy crowd, but hardly surprising with national gem Cliveden House less than two miles away there is a rightly deserved air of exclusivity to the area.

Premier homes developer, Millgate, had been involved for many years with the site and  were able to purchase one of the finest spots in Bourne End to build four stunning country mansions.  Sitting on an elevated spot on the much sought after Harvest Hill, these houses afford one of the finest addresses in the area with each home designed to maximise the incredible views across the Thames Valley. 

  
Buying the right piece of land is the key to success in building new homes says Nick Jackson, Land and Planning Director for Millgate. Nick’s invaluable vision sets Millgate apart and has established itself as a multi award-winning business who dedicates themselves to building the very finest houses.

Bourne End is also blessed with great schooling on its doorstep, a real factor when selecting the right family home. According to recent reports from Lloyds TSB, being close to a worthy grammar school seriously affects the price you pay for a house – and perhaps this is one of the factors pushing house prices in a positive direction in this area – with a 1.09% increase in property prices seen year on year.

Schools such as John Hampden, Beaconsfield High and Sir William Borleaeses Grammar are amongst the best grammar schools in the country and all fall within the catchment area of Harvest Hill.  According to the Lloyds TSB report “parents face parting with almost £34,000 extra to secure a home close to the country´s top performing state schools” but set against the cost of privately educating your offspring, this is a very small price to pay.

This area is also likely to see property prices rise as the completion of the long awaited Crossrail gets closer and closer. The Crossrail link starts in Maidenhead which is just 5 miles from Bourne End and with around 200 million passengers anticipated to travel each year the constructors are anticipating a 10% increase in rail capacity to the Capital.

New to market: Goring House, Harvest Hill – launching 22nd September 2012  
 
An elegant five bedroom country home located in an idyllic semi-rural location within 3 miles of Beaconsfield, recently described as one of the most desirable towns in the country.  This imposing house has an elevated position with commanding views across to Winter Hill and beyond. 
Goring House achieves a rare blend of timeless appeal and modern design. Laid out over three floors, the versatile living space flows from room to room to meet the demands of any lifestyle.

 
The substantial reception hall on the ground floor features two sets of double doors leading into the dining room and a large formal drawing room both of which feature doors opening onto the landscaped garden. Double doors also lead from the hall into an extensive kitchen/family room, also with doors leading to the garden.  The ground floor also features a library, utility room and cloakroom.

  
Over the next two floors there are five bedrooms, each with an en-suite shower or bathroom and three with their own dressing room. The master suite features a rooftop terrace, dressing room, sitting room and a palatial en-suite bathroom. There are extensive gallery areas on both the first and second floor and the latter features a substantial games and media room. 

The detached triple garage includes a first floor guest suite inclusive of kitchen and bathroom.

This is a unique opportunity to own a classically designed home, combining modern fittings with timeless external materials and beautifully landscaped gardens in an outstanding location.

Goring House is priced at £3,350,000.  For more information contact Millgate on 0118 934 3344 or visit www.millgatehomes.co.uk. 

 

Spot the difference: Would you rent property A or property B?

by Charlotte Ashton United Kingdom

Photography that effectively portrays the features and appeal of a property is a vital marketing tool for landlords wanting to attract tenants. The picture of the property is the first thing a prospective tenant sees when searching for a new home, yet many agents and private sellers still continue to use poor images. To highlight just how important professional photographs are to finding the right tenants fast, online lettings agent, Upad conducted their own little experiment.

Upad’s statistics show that professional photos considerably increase response rates and to prove this, they advertised the same property under separate adverts and compared them. One had the original photos taken by the landlord; the other had professional photos taken by one of Upad’s professional photographers.
Advert A

This advert was live for 58 days and had a total of 10 tenant enquiries

Advert B

This advert was live for just 18 days and had a total of 27 tenant enquiries.

 

James Davis, CEO of Upad and professional landlord of 14 years comments,

“I would hope that from looking at the photos, it’s pretty obvious which ones were professionally taken. Our experiment proves that professional photographs instantly improve response rates.  For instance, if a property’s target rent is £1,000 PCM and it goes vacant for 15 days, the lost income equates to around £500 for the landlord – that’s £33.33 per day.  The landlord in our case study had a 58 day vacancy, which meant a loss of nearly £2,000 in rental income!

“The most important part of the advertising process is the first 48 hours so having your property looking its best is vital if you want to ensure maximum interest and fast turnaround. Our professional photography service costs just £85 (+VAT) and when you get results like this, it’s obvious that the service is worth every penny.”

As one of the UKs largest and fastest growing letting agencies, Upad specialise in helping professional tenants rent properties from landlords directly by allowing landlords to manage their own viewings. As a result, Upad receive around 20,000 tenant enquiries per month.

Upad offers a complete lettings service for a flat fee of only £299 (+ VAT) which includes professional photography and a floor plan, a ‘To Let’ board erected outside the property and advertising across all major UK lettings sites as well as comprehensive tenant referencing, drawing up of the tenancy agreement, deposit registration and crucially, rent collection. For more information please contact Upad, on 0333 240 1220 or visit www.upad.co.uk.

96% of landlords recommend using an online lettings agent vs traditional high street agencies

by Charlotte Ashton United Kingdom

According to recent data, 96% of UK landlords would recommend using an online lettings agent over traditional high street agencies.

Surveying their database, revolutionary online lettings agent, Upad discovered that nearly all landlords preferred the online model once they had tried it with satisfaction levels sky high and the vast majority of respondents stating that they would recommend Upad to a friend.

James Davis, CEO of Upad and professional landlord of 14 years comments,

“Our focus is on making the lettings process as quick and painless for both landlords and tenants as it should be. We believe a successful tenancy requires landlords to know their tenants personally and our innovative business model which is based on bringing these people together whilst dealing with everything else professionally at a fair price is something that our landlords are clearly satisfied with.”

Davis continues,

“Whilst a large number of tenants still use traditional high street letting agents to find a home, around 92% of property searches initially begin online so we are confident that more and more prospective tenants and indeed landlords with properties to rent will move to the online agency world – we’ve already let over 4,000 properties in the last 12 months using our model!”

Further reinforcing just how satisfied landlords are with Upad’s service, one happy landlord explained:

“Upad is the best way to let a property. Their service enables private landlords to advertise on the major portals while handling the initial inbound enquiries and filtering out salesmen and timewasters. I was able to complete the referencing and contract drafting quickly and effectively while their customer service was great – always easy to get through to on the phone – complete with friendly staff. I´ll be using Upad again for my other properties.”

Meanwhile, it’s no wonder Upad’s retention rate is so high with another contented landlord explaining that their house was let the day after their advert went live.

“I have recently purchased a few properties to rent out. The first one I paid a high street agent to do the job and even though they found tenants after 3 weeks they charged me a considerable amount of money for the service. The second property I decided to try Upad. I paid my money (considerably less than for my first) and posted my advert. The advert went live Monday evening and by Tuesday morning I had three messages from Upad with three prospective tenants. The very first viewing resulted in a successful let with a deposit taken. Will I use them again? You bet!”

As one of the UKs largest and fastest growing letting agencies, Upad specialise in helping professional tenants rent properties from landlords directly by allowing landlords to manage their own viewings. As a result, Upad receive around 20,000 tenant enquiries per month.

Upad offers a complete lettings service for a flat fee of only £299 (+ VAT) which includes professional photography and a floor plan, a ‘To Let’ board erected outside the property and advertising across all major UK lettings sites as well as comprehensive tenant referencing, drawing up of the tenancy agreement, deposit registration and crucially, rent collection.

For more information please contact Upad, on 0333 240 1220 or visit www.upad.co.uk.
 

Beds in Bunkers! New Albanian tourism project sees communist concrete bunkers transformed into 21st century hostel hotspots

by Charlotte Ashton Albania

Last month, Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha stated that tourism had helped protect Albania from the economic crisis and as a result, Albanian tourism officials have been working hard this year to build and implement a national strategy that will drive tourism further.

With this in mind, forward thinking Albania has taken one reminder of its past life behind the Iron Curtain and turned it into something positive – converting an igloo-shaped concrete bunker into a backpacker hostel.

The joint German-Albanian tourism project, located in the coastal town of Tale, roughly 30 miles away from the Albanian capital of Tirana has a number of German and Albanian students working to convert the former bunker into a hostel that will house up to eight people.

Ravin Maharajah, one of the British partners of leading resort Lalzit Bay Resort,  comments,

“The real aim of this project is to turn the past into something positive and put ‘beds in bunkers’. It’s about doing something useful with a feature from Albania’s communist past that will help benefit the country in the future. The innovative idea will provide cheap accommodation for tourists priced at juts €8 per night and will include all the fixtures and amenities you would expect from a hostel including wood floors, mattresses, a shower and a kitchenette. If all goes well, the plan to renovate a single bunker could rapidly expand especially considering there are around 750,000 of them!”

Indeed, last month’s speech by the Albanian Prime Minister pointed out that for the most recent months of 2012, compared with the same period of 2011, the number of foreign tourists arriving in Albania increased by 277,000, and thanks to tourism 190,000 new jobs were created.

Ravin Maharajah continues,

“Albania is focussed on doing what it can to grow tourism. Whether it’s turning bunkers into hostels or developing 5* beach front resorts such as Lalzit Bay, we must ensure that we cater to the needs of Albania’s growing tourism industry. Many backpackers will enjoy making the bunker hostels their home but there is also a growing number who are looking for excellent rental investments or second homes in the nation. Buyers are looking for somewhere unique and different but distinctly Mediterranean. Lalzit Bay is a remarkable European buying opportunity because it is located on a stunning beach, just 30 minutes to the international airport and capital and when you see the unspoiled beach, you realise that you’re seeing something really special.”

For those thinking about tapping into Albania´s property market, Lalzit Bay Resort and Spa offers a premium, exclusive beachfront product to investors who want the benefits of villa ownership including private gardens and terraces, exclusive services and more privacy as well as a range of facilities including private swimming pools, a BBQ area, tennis courts and superb restaurants for as little as €30,000.

For more information on owning a stunning apartment or villa in one of the best performing growth markets in South Eastern Europe, please contact Lalzit Bay on +44 845 125 8600 or visit www.lalzitbay.com.

 

Investment Watch: Back to school for alternative investors

by Charlotte Ashton United Kingdom

August saw property investors go back to school, according to TheMoveChannel.com´s Investment Watch. As students were packing their bags and saying goodbye to their parents before term starts, investors were equally busy preparing for another year of academic success.

For the majority, that meant putting money into student housing. Indeed, one student accommodation listing in the UK, where occupancy rates are high, promised returns of 8 per cent, a strong enough yield to attract the second-highest number of enquiries on TheMoveChannel.com last month.

Demand for student accommodation pushed another student development into the Investment Watch Top 10 as well. The first purpose-built student housing project in Brighton, it offered returns of 8 per cent too, generating enough interest to become the fifth most popular listing on the site.

August also saw investors enrol in an alternative curriculum. A self-storage opportunity received more applications than Brighton´s student housing, making it the fourth most popular course of investment last month. Indeed, high-yield alternative products dominated TheMoveChannel.com´s summer league table, with a carbon credit programme predicting up to 50pc returns, a renewable bamboo plot and property investment scheme all passing thorough examination.

But even with four of the Investment Watch top 10 taken up by alternative opportunities, student housing proved the most popular class: together, the two university accommodation opportunities took more enquiries than all of the alternative products combined.

Director Dan Johnson comments: "La Manga´s Las Lomas Village remains the most popular listing on the site, thanks to its unrivalled combination of sporting facilities and Spanish tourist appeal, but the latest Investment Watch report confirms a continuing trend among the main players on TheMoveChannel.com, who are investing for profit rather than lifestyle appeal: all of the top 10 listings in August are designed for income, be it rental or speculative.

"When it comes to investment property, student housing is one of the strongest classes around at the moment. Due to a shortage in purpose-built university halls, consistent demand for accommodation means that tenants are pretty much guaranteed, as long as developments are in the right location – and these two clearly are.

"With the summer ending and the annual university tenant cycle starting up again, investors have learned the benefits of student property from previous years, so it´s only natural that they are just as excited as the students to go back to school for another 12 months."

The top 10 investment properties for August 2012 are as follows:

Notes to Editors

Founded in 1999, TheMoveChannel.com is the leading independent website for international property, with than 400,000 listings in over 100 countries around the world, marketed on behalf of agents, developers and private owners.

The website address is http://www.TheMoveChannel.com and the office address is 24 Jack´s Place, Corbet Place, Spitalfields, London, E1 6NN.

 

Want to reach UK journalists? Get tweeting!

by Charlotte Ashton United Kingdom

Social Media is undoubtedly an influencing factor in our lives. It has not only changed the way we interact with friends and family but also the way we do business. In fact, a new study by Cison has discovered that more than a quarter (28%) of UK journalists believe social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are essential to their job and therefore essential to PR’s jobs too.

2012’s Social Journalism Study highlighted that using social media tools have become part of a journalist’s daily work routine with the majority using two or three social media tools regularly for professional tasks according to the study.

As a result of social media’s popularity, Google is placing more and more emphasis on its power considering social “signals” account for five of the six most influential factors in Google’s search results, according to a June 2012 study from Searchmetrics.

On this note, results from a BrightEdge survey published early this year discovered that 84% of search marketers say social signals such as Facebook likes, Tweets, and Google +1s will be either more important (53%) or much more important (31%) to their SEO in 2012 compared to 2011.

Commenting on the importance of social media and which channels are most important, social media expert, Roy Bristow explains,

“The importance of social media platforms is the immediate ability to converse with potential and existing customers on a regular basis as well as the media. Because of this, it requires an "open all hours" approach that should allow you to provide a voice and a response. It also requires a professional approach to manage each and every channel you select.

“The channels you engage with, certainly from a property aspect need to amplify your existing marketing strategy and whilst the premiere channels such as Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn, should form the basis of your campaign you need to ensure that you only use the channels that you can constantly update with new content.”

Bristow continues,

“Think about what you want your audience to do with your content on the social channels you´re using. Are you trying to get them to read, share, reply, click, purchase or engage? Be selective, be visually rich in your outlook, and be responsive, but most important be accountable. Measure your social activities so that you can learn what´s successful, what isn´t and how you can improve.”

For more information on the power of social media, a service which AB Property Marketing offers exclusively for the property industry contact Charlotte Ashton on 0845 054 7542 via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or at http://www.abpropertymarketing.co.uk/