Investing in cross border investment property has always been an area much loved by the rich and the famous. However, today individuals have started purchasing offshore real estate investment property as well. Rather than investing in some less regulated country, some US investors have decided to invest in the UK with its common law legal heritage so that their investments are more legally protected as compared to the emerging economies like Vietnam and Bulgaria. This article covers three more reasons why you might want to consider investing in a real estate investment property in the UK.
Firstly, investing in a UK investment property would act as a hedge against the falling US Dollar. This would mean that your monthly rental would allow you to take advantage of the falling USD against the British pound. This would result in more rental for you even if the monthly rental does not increase due to currency gains. A good idea for you would be to analyze your global investment property portfolio and do some portfolio analysis and examine how the currency movements might affect your returns on investment and make some corresponding changes in portfolio allocation.
Secondly, investing in the UK is good as there is a strong rental culture in the various parts of the city and other areas. This would mean that you will earn more for your buck as compared to investing in some other areas in the world. Not only that, but because the UK is a strong magnet for education like some parts of the US, you have lots of opportunity to rent out your investment property to overseas students. Other areas in the UK that are good for rental investment property are places like the Lake District where tourists can come and rent your investment property to stay. If you are so minded to migrate to the UK, running a Bread and Breakfast property or guesthouse might be something interesting for you to consider doing.
Thirdly, as with the rise of the European Union, the number of foreign professionals and banks moving into London is set to rise so as to facilitate an increase in UK based funding into the rest of Europe. Rental returns in London may continue to rise in tandem with such a trend since many of these foreign professionals are now working in London. With the rise in professionals renting properties who have large spending power, such a trend may continue into the immediate future and give you a good return on your investment property.
In conclusion, investing in an investment property in the UK may be a good move, as it would enable anyone from the USA to take advantage of the rising GBP against the USD, take advantage of strong rental yields and increased rental from areas such as London, the tourist areas and university towns. As with most investments, spend some time talking to as many real estate brokers and agents as possible and spend some time learning about the particular area you are intending to invest in and you will do better in your UK investment property.
By Joel Teo 2006 All Rights Reserved
Joel Teo runs the property investment article directory that can be found at The Property Investment Resource site.