• Belfast prices rise 21% in 12 months (Nationwide)
• Average Belfast house price now £188,240 (Nationwide)
• Leading buy-to-let investment from £108,100 (Property Frontiers)

London is used to sitting above the rest of the UK when it comes to house prices, but new data has revealed that Belfast is now giving the English capital a run for its money, at least so far as house price rises are concerned.

The past year has been a good one for the housing market across Northern Ireland, with Nationwide figures showing price rises of 10.2% during the year. Belfast was the area to perform most strongly, with 21% growth in prices over the past 12 months.

The figure puts Belfast on par with London when it comes to the rate at which property prices are rising. As property sale prices remain significantly lower than in the English capital – the average Belfast house price is now £188,240 according to the Nationwide House Price Index – many property investors have turned away from the more obvious choice of London in order to benefit from Belfast’s buoyant housing market. Ray Withers, Chief Executive of specialist property investment company Property Frontiers, explains,

“Belfast is one of the most dynamic markets in the UK right now for property investors. Buy-to-let apartments are leading the field, attracting investors from across the globe. Belfast’s business prowess continues to impress and young professionals are flocking to the city in search of employment, driving the need for high quality rental accommodation.”

Typical of the new kind of rental accommodation in demand by Belfast’s latest generation of professionals is The Sandford. Comprised of luxury one and two bedroom apartments that have been designed in the spirit of modern elegance, the development offers buy-to-let investors the opportunity to make a purchase from as little as £108,100. Available at 6% below RICS valuation, the apartments represent exceptional value for money, while an 8% expected yield adds to their attractions.

The Sandford is ideally located for access to Belfast’s iconic Titanic Quarter and the city centre, where one of the world’s largest and most exciting urban waterfront regeneration projects is underway. Demand for the apartments will be intense, thanks to the considerable amount of foreign direct investment currently flowing into Belfast, with companies from across the globe choosing the city as the location for their operations.

With tenant demand tipped to be so strong, investors have been snapping up the apartments at an impressive rate. Withers observes,

“The apartments at The Sandford offer that rare combination of the right investment opportunity at the right price, at the right time in the market’s fluctuations. As such, we’ve seen incredible interest in them from the very first day they were launched. We certainly don’t expect to have availability at The Sandford for much longer.”

For further details, contact Property Frontiers or call the team on +44 1865 202 700.

• Kings Dock to undergo £1.5 billion redevelopment (Liverpool City Council)
• 23.4% of households rent privately (Chief Executive’s Policy Team)
• Parker Street will see the refurbishment of former ballroom which hosted the wedding reception of Beatle John Lennon

When it comes to buy-to-let property investment in the UK, look no further than Liverpool for some of the most exciting opportunities on the market. That’s the message from Ray Withers, Chief Executive of specialist property investment company Property Frontiers and a leading voice in the UK’s buy-to-let sector.

“Liverpool is known across the world for being the birthplace of the Beatles and for its role in revolutionising the music scene. Beatles attractions still draw tourists to the city today – the 2012 Liverpool Digest of Tourism Statistics listed two Beatles attractions (Beatles Story and Beatles Magical Mystery Tour) in the top ten paid attractions in the city, bringing a combined total of more than ¼ of a million visitors to the city in a single year.

“Of course, Liverpool itself has moved on somewhat since the Beatles first focused the world’s attention on it. A modern, dynamic city, it is packed with young professionals seeking to make their fortune from the plentiful job opportunities available there.”

Most recently, Liverpool’s modernisation has included the announcement of plans for the Kings Dock area, which Liverpool City Council has confirmed is set to create thousands of jobs as the £1.5 billion redevelopment takes place. Just days ago, the first phase of the Anfield stadium redevelopment was also confirmed, with planning permission granted for work on the new £75 million main stand.

With a booming class of young professionals looking for high end, well located housing, Liverpool’s buy-to-let sector is attracting investors in their droves. Alan Bevan, Managing Director of City Residential, comments,

“With Liverpool’s lettings market performing strongly and continuing to expand, sales momentum “exploding” into life and new rental/sales developments springing up across the city and the forthcoming investment in PRS (Private Rented Sector), the future is indeed looking particularly bright!”

Those looking to be a part of Liverpool’s bright future by buying into the private rented sector see now as the perfect time to do so. Data from Liverpool City Council’s Chief Executive’s Policy Team in 2013 showed that some 23.4% of households rented from a private landlord, compared with a national average across England and Wales of 16.7%. The figure had increased from 13.1% in 2001, highlighting how rapid the growth of the Liverpool’s private rented sector has been.

Ever at the forefront of UK buy-to-let investment opportunities, Property Frontiers has launched a new project in the heart of Liverpool city centre, Parker Street. With an unrivalled city centre location, within minutes of Liverpool One and Lime Street, this brand new buy-to-let opportunity will see a fabulous 1930s Portland Stone building, the former ballroom which hosted the wedding reception of Beatle John Lennon, redeveloped into luxury studio suites and one bedroom apartments. Panoramic views from the upper floors will combine with high end design to provide the very latest in modern city living appeal.

The ambitious plans will see a 12 month build schedule in place, though the investment opportunity (available from just £64,950 with 6% net yield assured for 5 years) will sell out long before the paint has dried and the furniture packs have been delivered. With a buy-to-let market as demand-led as Liverpool’s, an investment opportunity like this won’t be around for long.

For further details, contact Property Frontiers or call the team on +44 1865 202 700.

• Rents reach record high of £761 pcm (Your Move and Reeds Rains)
• NI records strongest UK house price gains (RICS)
• £13,000 instant equity for those investing before 01/10/14 (Property Frontiers)

Northern Ireland’s housing market is leading the UK when it comes to price gains, according to the latest data from the RICS and Ulster Bank Residential Market Survey for Northern Ireland. The market is tied with East Anglia for the strongest price momentum and demand in the UK, while other areas are wobbling in the face of the speculation concerning a Bank of England base rate rise.

Successive success

“Northern Ireland’s leading position comes hot on the heels of the news that August was the 15^th successive month of price rises, according to data from local surveyors,” comments Ray Withers, Chief Executive of specialist property investment company Property Frontiers. “The market there is really showing itself as a robust, long-term prospect, particularly when it comes to residential property investment.

The commercial property is also thriving, with agents CBRE projecting that activity is expected to continue at a lively pace as winter approaches. The market’s buoyancy is accredited to a combination of banks clearing their property loan books and a number of high profile properties coming onto the market. Investor announcements such as the 250 jobs to be created by US legal firm Baker & McKenzie are also contributing to Northern Ireland’s progressive commercial property market.

Belfast buy-to-let

Within the residential market, buy-to-let is booming, particularly in urban centres such as Belfast, where young professionals have flocked to the cities for work and are demanding high end, long-term rental apartments in which to settle.

Property Frontiers’ elegantly designed one and two bedroom apartments and duplexes encapsulate the desires of this new generation of professionals. Within walking distance of Belfast city centre, they offer luxury accommodation with high end internal finishing. Available from £96,000 until 1 October 2014 (after when a price increase will ensure those buying now benefit from £13,000 instant equity), the apartments offer the potential for strong returns to investors. Withers explains,

“Prices in many parts of Northern Ireland are still as much as 50% below their 2007 peak. As prices are now on the move, it’s the perfect time for investors to buy, before the market really turns around and prices shoot up again.”

Rising rents

The most recent Buy-to-Let Index from Your Move and Reeds Rains has given investors even more reason to look closely at buy-to-let property. The figures reveal that rents are now at an all-time high, with an average of £761 per month across England and Wales, beating the previous record of £758, which occurred during October 2013.

Certainly Property Frontiers have found that their buy-to-let properties in leading UK cities are much in demand. No doubt this latest confirmation of record rents will encourage even more investors to discover the benefits of buy-to-let, with Belfast’s strong price growth and excellent potential continues to turn heads around the globe.

For further details, contact Property Frontiers or call the team on +44 1865 202 700.

• Furnished flats command 8.1% premium (Countrywide)
• Young professionals demand accommodation furnished to high standards (Property Frontiers)
• UK rents up 3.7% year on year in July (Countrywide)

Buy-to-let is the cornerstone of many investors’ portfolios these days, as the allure of capital gains combined with rental yields tempts ever-increasing numbers of individuals to become investor landlords.

Gaining an income through buy-to-let is about more than just buying a property, as Ray Withers, Chief Executive of property investment specialists Property Frontiers, comments,

“Becoming a successful investor landlord means paying attention to a wide range of factors. There is of course the financial aspect of calculating yield accurately and buying at the right time in terms of the housing market, but other elements are equally important. Buying in the right or wrong area, for example, can be the difference between a successful investment that generates excellent returns and a disaster that sucks in more capital than it generates.”

Even seemingly minor factors such as furniture can make a big difference when it comes to renting out a buy-to-let investment property. New research from lettings agency Countrywide has shown that furnished flats command an 8.1% premium over their unfurnished counterparts.

The Countrywide research shows that overall the best rental returns are to be had from flats in towns and cities, due to their appeal to young, mobile tenants. As many of these tenants have minimal or no furniture of their own, a furniture pack can mean the difference between attracting a tenant and not.

Withers’ own experience backs up the finding. He explains,

“Town and city centre locations are much in demand by young professionals when it comes to accommodation. They want to be near work, within walking distance of the shops and close to the local nightlife. They also demand accommodation that is furnished to a high standard, which is why Property Frontiers has taken the time to ensure that many of its leading buy-to-let properties in UK cities offer investors the option to buy furniture packs.”

Furniture packs provide landlords with a quick and easy way to furnish a new property in a modern, appealing style designed to maximise its chances of attracting tenants quickly. At Property Frontiers’ Birmingham buy-to-let development, furniture packs start at £2,250 – a bargain when one considers that the purchase not only impacts on the rent charged, but also on the time taken to rent the property in the first place. After all, the last thing an investor landlord wants is a property that is sitting empty.

With Countrywide also reporting an increase in UK rents of 3.7% year on year for July, the tide of investor landlords doesn’t look likely to turn anytime soon and the more there are, the greater the competition to attract tenants – so that furniture pack really could make all the difference!

For further details, contact Property Frontiers or call the team on +44 1865 202 700.

• House price rises of 4% predicted for Northern Ireland in 2014 (RICS)
• Rental transactions up 6.4% (Northern Ireland Housing Executive)
• Returns of more than 250% in just five years on Belfast property (Property Frontiers)

“The trajectory of house prices in Northern Ireland is continuing to broadly align with the wider economic picture, as a range of indicators are pointing to positive growth.

“The evidence is that overall transaction levels are also picking up, something that we expect to see continuing into the spring and summer months, when the market is traditionally busier.”

So speaks Samuel Dickey, spokesperson for RICS, about Northern Ireland’s blossoming property market. Having been hit hard by the global recession, the market has taken some time to truly establish its recovery, but now it seems that prices have finally bottomed out and begun to rise again.

The news has drawn the attention of global investors looking to benefit from the country’s lowered prices to expand their property portfolios. At the same time as Northern Ireland’s property prices are offering excellent value for money, its private rented sector is expanding hugely, creating the perfect environment for buy-to-let landlords. Ray Withers, Chief Executive of specialist property investment company Property Frontiers, comments,

“RICS has predicted house price rises of 4% for Northern Ireland during 2014, providing strong potential for investors to grow their capital through the country’s property sector. Rental yields also look promising for buy-to-let properties, with Census data showing an increase in the private rented sector of 128% in the decade to 2011.

“In the first six months of 2014 alone, this trend can be seen continuing, with an increase in rental transactions of 6.4% over the first half of the year, according to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. There has rarely been a more encouraging set of circumstances, so far as buy-to-let investment has been concerned.”

According to Withers, Belfast is the place to focus on when it comes to property investment at present. Prices there reduced by 45% between July 2008 and June 2014, according to Home.co.uk. However, figures from Zoopla show that the city has finally turned a corner, with an average property price rise of 8.7% in Belfast over the past 12 months.

Ever responsive to such incredible opportunities, Property Frontiers has just launched its latest set of exclusive buy-to-let apartments, close to Belfast’s popular Titanic Quarter and within walking distance of the city centre. The 56 elegant, spacious apartments at the Sandford are available at 16% below RICS valuation, from the discounted price of £96,000 for a one bedroom apartment, rising to £117,000 for a two bedroom penthouse.

Expected yields of 9%, back up by a recent valuation, mean that as a long-term prospect, investment in the Sandford could deliver up to an exceptional 253% over the next five years. The incredible opportunity is described in more detail in the new downloadable Insight Guide from Property Frontiers.

For further details contact Property Frontiers or call +44 1865 202 700 to request a copy of the Insight Guide.

Voted a ‘Destination of the Future’ by fDi Intelligence (The Financial Times), Birmingham is one of the highest performing cities in all of Europe and the third most globally influential city in the UK (after London and Manchester).

A hub of international investment and industry, Birmingham is undergoing massive regeneration and offers a high quality of life at an affordable price. It is no wonder that over a million people choose Birmingham as their home and a further 150,000 are expected to join the burgeoning population by 2031.

Deutsche Bank’s “new centre of excellence”

Now banking giant Deutsche Bank has announced it will move into a large new office at Five Brindleyplace, the multi-million pound flagship development in the desirable Brindleyplace estate. This move will deliver one of the biggest ever employment boosts in the city’s finance sector, as one thousand new employees join the bank’s existing one thousand strong Birmingham workforce.

These local employment figures show a massive growth considering Deutsche Bank started out with just thirty staff when it moved to Birmingham under a decade ago and the bank says the Brindleyplace office will become “a new centre of excellence” for the firm.

Richard McCarthy, managing director and site head for Deutsche Bank in Birmingham, tells us: “Five Brindleyplace is an excellent building in an outstanding location on the estate and will be an aspirational place in which to work. Brindleyplace has a real sense of community and its connection to the main transport hubs enables us to both attract and retain the very best talent.”

Housing demand soars by two-thirds in one year

The financial sector in Birmingham is certainly strong, being the second largest in the UK outside of London and expected to grow on average by 3.5 per cent per year for the next five years. The move by Deutsche Bank is another great reflection of the city’s international and commercial status and impressive talent pool.

That talent pool needs somewhere to live though and the city’s increasing popularity is causing a massive imbalance between supply and demand. Demand for homes in Birmingham has soared by two-thirds in a year – six times greater than the growth in supply. The city is also outstripping the region in rising house prices too, with an 11 per cent annual rise compared to an average of 8 per cent across the West Midlands.

Ian Simmonds, area director at local estate agent Shipways, explains: “Supply is increasing, up 11 per cent year on year, but it is not keeping up with the increase in demand. There are now over five potential buyers for every available property and it is this imbalance which keeps pushing prices up by 8 per cent annually.”

52 per cent rise in direct foreign investment means 4,000 new jobs

Certainly, the opening of flagship offices from Deutsche Bank and other international industry activity have boosted foreign direct investment. In fact, Birmingham has seen a 52 per cent rise in direct foreign investment in 2012 and 2013, opening up more than 4,000 local jobs.

Residential regeneration of landmark buildings

In addition to commercial developments like Brindleyplace, residential development is also on the up in Birmingham – partly to try and assist supply and partly thanks to citywide regeneration schemes. The historical 20 storey Metropolitan House, also known as No 1 Hagley Road, is one such project.

Designed by renowned local architect John Madin, this 1970s modernist building is being converted into high spec residential apartments as part of the £100 million redevelopment of the Five Ways area.

Set in a prime location on one of the main arterial routes into the city, this landmark building will become an iconic part of Birmingham’s skyline.

Property Frontiers are able to offer apartments at No 1 Hagley Road for as little as £104,500 with guaranteed returns of 7%; get in touch today on +44 1865 202 700 to find out more or visit www.propertyfrontiers.com.

Globally renowned architect, Richard George Rogers (Baron Rogers of Riverside), brings his vision of “urban renaissance” to the emerging Greater London hotspot of Deptford.

Deptford, SE8 is fast overtaking the popularity of its neighbouring Greenwich, SE10, to become the lifestyle and cultural Mecca of south east London.

The British architect is noted for his work on the Pompidou Centre in Paris, the Lloyd’s building and Millennium Dome in London, the Senedd in Cardiff and the European Court of Human Rights building in Strasbourg. He is winner of the RIBA Gold Medal, the Thomas Jefferson Medal, the RIBA Stirling Prize, the Minerva Medal and the Pritzker Prize.

£1 billion plus regeneration schemes for “the new Shoreditch”

The RISE residential development from Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners (RSHP) is just one of many regeneration projects totalling over £1 billion in Deptford. Designed over eight floors, the development is a mixture of studios, one-and-two bedroom apartments, executive suites and penthouse suites. The building will follow a high spec, with modern communal areas, state-of-the-art kitchens, contemporary bathrooms and high tech security systems.

Located in the heart of Deptford, with a one minute walk to the overground station, the RISE development is in an excellent location for the influx of City and Canary Wharf professionals who are moving into the area.

A £1 billion riverside regeneration scheme, swish new accommodation projects and a flagship Waitrose look set to turn Deptford into “the new Shoreditch.” The New Capital Quay development will feature an art gallery, museum, crèche, design studios, bars and restaurants; and even Deptford train station and its surrounding areas are benefitting from a £42 million mixed used development with apartments, town houses, workshops and retail outlets.

Sustainable development designed to attract people

Rogers says: “Cities are the physical framework of our society, the generator of civil values, the engine of our economy and the heart of our culture. In England, one of the three most densely populated countries in the world, 90% of the population live in cities, but many of our urban areas are not sustainable. Compact polycentric cities are the only sustainable form of development and should be designed to attract people. If we don’t get urban regeneration right then all our work on cities – buildings and public spaces, education, health, employment, social inclusion and economic growth – will be undermined.”

He continues: “The structure of buildings set the scale, form and rhythm of the architectural environment, within which change and improvisation can take place. Scale is given as much by the design of the details as the building as a whole. Lightness of structure, transparency and layering are dominant design factors in the work of the practice. Colour is used for a variety of reasons, including to affect the mood of the building and to humanise and change the apparent nature of materials.”

A social vision for one of the most desirable London postcodes

Rogers concludes: “Over the last thirty years, it has become clear that the risk associated with climate change will pose serious challenges to society. Architects are constantly presented with the challenge of creating durable buildings that respond to a changing environment.Buildings, neighbourhoods and cities should be designed to minimise pollution and carbon emissions. Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners believe that a strong social vision is the driving force which is critical for the development of a sustainable civil society.”

The off-plan RISE development is already attracting British investors with entry levels from £430,000 for a 2 bedroom apartment and yields delivering up to 4.75% yields (higher than the London average of 3.42%).

Ray Withers, CEO of Property Frontiers, comments:

“It was excellent to discover the great Richard Rogers is one of the architects behind the RISE development. Adding this level of acclaim and expertise to Deptford’s booming regeneration just proves SE8 is one of the most desirable London postcodes right now. As with all emerging areas, though, the optimum time to get involved is right at the start of the boom. Now is that time in Deptford and the RISE development is a superb example of a sustainable investment which will deliver now and in the future.”

To find out more get in touch with Property Frontiers today on +44 1865 202 700 or visit www.propertyfrontiers.com.