Is Property Still The Best Place To Invest?

We love the thought of owning our own home in Britain. While the rest of Europe is happy with the flexibility of renting we’re told we MUST save thousands of pounds for a deposit and then spend thousands more doing our home up to live in it to use as a nice little investment for the future.

Property developers, whether a one man band or a larger venture such as First Urban Group, would definitely agree with this mantra. After all, it’s their means of income but they also understand just how lucrative the market is and how property should still be considered the ultimate investment.

Gold, wine, diamonds… all of these are suggested when considering investing money but it could take decades for any payout to occur. However, with property, you could potentially turn around an investment within a year after completing renovations and either enjoy the profit from a sale or regular income via renting.

Property prices have come down in recent months, which might make one nervous about investing their money but if a renovation is done properly profit can still be made quite easily. Brexit, of course, has had an impact on the property market and the changes to stamp duty for buy-to-let investors is taking its toll.

Potential changes in the pipeline, such as the tougher checks by lenders on landlords, could deter investors looking to rent out property as an income, so perhaps investing in property to sell for profit might be the best way forward in 2016.  

Other investments already noted include gold, which is seeing a boost in popularity this year as it enjoyed a resurgence in value to $1,300 per ounce and according to data service FE Trustnet it falls into one of the eight best performing funds for the past year with a 107pc return in six months. 

Wine is another popular investment, but it isn’t a cheap one to dabble in with experts suggesting you ‘set aside upwards of £10,000’ and only buy what you can afford to lose because the market is one that can vary dramatically when it comes to what is valuable. Wine investment also requires an extensive amount of research to ensure you are purchasing the right bottle at the right time. It appears property is still a safer bet.

Follow what successful property developers (such as First Urban Group mentioned before)are getting up to, watch what they’re doing right and follow in their footsteps or consider investing in upcoming projects to see a positive return on your money.