UK Pubs Provide the Best Investment Deals: Unviable Pub buildings provide the best Pound Per Sq Foot on The Market

UK Pubs For Sale

As the UK is the new overseas property investment destination it seems right to comment on the best commercial investment property available;
Pubs and hotels are now prime targets for the savvy property investor as buying a pub is likely to work out cheaper on a pounds per sq ft basis than buying a house in the same street.

The UK licensed property market is being flooded with cheap empty pub and hotel sites as a combination of cheap beer in supermarkets, rising costs and the smoking ban have taken their toll on the pub trade.The coming months may see the acceleration of the pace of pub closures as pub landlords, breweries and pub companies have had to face up to the pressures of the credit crunch.

The British Beer & Pub Association estimates that four pubs are shutting down every day and that the rate of closures is 14 times faster than in 2005. There are just over 57,000 pubs in Britain today, compared with 69,000 in 1980.

Beer sales in pubs, relative to other outlets such as supermarkets, have been falling for 30 years and according to the BBPA, beer sales over the bar are at their lowest since the Great Depression.

Pub shares have suffered "extraordinary underperformance". Many have retreated 50 per cent from their 2007 highs. Several UK pub chains, embracing high-street names such as the Slug and Lettuce, Hogshead and Walkabout, have collapsed or been forced to sell.

Buying a Pub or Hotel Suitable for Redevelopment
Pubs have a flexible A4 planning 'use class' that normally can be changed to A1 use (say, for a newsagents), A2 (a delicatessen or a firm of solicitors or architects) or A3 (restaurants).

Alternatively, buyers can apply for planning permission to convert the pub or hotel into a residential property. Often pubs come with land, beer gardens or car parks that can be developed. Unless it's a village pub, where community issues come into play, planners are sympathetic to alternative uses. Pubs close because they are not successful businesses and redevelopment helps regenerate the area. In run-down areas, planners often want to keep a commercial use for the pub because this boosts local employment.

Before you buy a run down pub or hotel in need of refurbishment or redevelopment, explore different ways of achieving the best return on your property investment

Modernising a pub. A general decorative overhaul can push up the value of a run down pub or hotel without involving planners, architects and a big investment,.

Converting a pub. At its most simple you might take a large public house or hotel and turn it into flats, but this still involves complex investment budgeting and financing. There's often a large gap between the value of a pub and what it might fetch if redeveloped or converted to offices, shops or flats - but there are also a lot of costs involved, and often a lot of pitfalls. Sometimes it's more profitable to convert the pub into a single house. Planning consent will normally be required in both scenarios. Many Victorian pubs are listed, which can complicate conversion projects.

Change of use as a pub. The conversion of a building from one of business use into housing is a more complex proposition. For example, when converting a pub or hotel into flats, the big, initial risk is trying to buy the property without first applying for planning consent for 'change of use'. You should never buy an investmnet property on the assumption that 'change of use' is possible without serious research into the planning issues and a detailed conversation with local planning officers. Many hotel and pub sales like this are achieved only when they are 'subject to planning', that is, the deal will only be completed, and the full purchase price paid, when planning permission is granted. It is more likely that planning restrictions will be less stringent on a city pub than on a country pub.

Iceland Property Investment at Bargain Prices

As a result of the financial situation in Iceland, many attractive opportunities are presenting themselves and conditions for investors are highly favourable at this time. Because of the favorable exchange rate investors with foreigh currencies have far more purchasing power. In the last 12 months property prices in Iceland have gone down by 21% because of the crisis. There is a need for foreign currency and many interesting opportunities have surfaced because of bankruptcies. Land prices have plummeted and availability of prime sites at lower prices have increased. Prices in the construction industry have fallen increasing competition and bidding wars in the construction and service sectors.

In spite of all this, future prospects are good in the medium term, the International Monetary Fund and other financial institutions are predicting a full recovery within a number of years. If you have been waiting for a good investment opportunity to come you way then Property investment in Iceland will give you fantastic returns.

Investing in a foreign country is always a complex procedure. Buying a property in Iceland involves dealing with compexities and local idiosyncracies and you need a uniquely qualified local agency to handle. You need to contact an agency which has experience in handling transactions in an international context and which can act on behalf of overseas clients to make the whole process smooth, understandable and reliable. It is essential that their core business is estate agency and advisory in property purchases, and that they have experience in setting up property companies and holding companies, and related activities. They have to be legally qualified and chartered for handling sales of commercial and domestic property, ships and automobiles. They should be able to handle all or part of the purchase or sale of real estate.

If you are looking for something for sale in iceland then look for someone that can offer practical assistance in assessing, preparing and realising investments, particularly those involving property purchases. A company that offers comprehensive and flexible range of services will help you to identify and realise some of the many opportunities that are now becoming apparent.

Top Tips For Overseas Property Investment

Its All Been Said Before But Its Worth Reiterating

1.Do as much research as possible. If you Google 'Bulgaria property as an emerging market' you will find many positives sites - if you google 'collapse of Bulgarian property market' you will find just the same number.The truth will be different for different areas of Bulgaria and for different types of property. Read ALL of the bumph for the full view.
2. Do your own searches before you contact anyone, so that you know and agree what you want. There is no need to get involved in the inspection flight and hard sell route if you can spend a few free hours on the internet, and then in correspondance with the broker.
3.Off plan can provide a good investment but ensure you know what you are buying, the sq footage and style.
4. Buy a property you like, where you will want to visit often and that you wont mind funding in the leaner letting periods.
5. Try to search just beyond the already popular and top tourist areas. If you are looking at this as an investment property you need to get in at the start of an up and coming area, where you have an expectation of price increase in the future.
6. Buy a property in a place that is popular with locals as well as tourists, to ensure the widest audience for resale.
7. What are the local amenities? If you are going to let the property other holiday makers may not appreciate the solitary house at the top of the mountain you fell in love with.
8. Where is the nearest airport. Do the budget airlines fly there? Weigh it up.If it costs £1000 to plus jabs and malria tablets, you will have fewer enquiries but you may be charging more rent on a cheaper purchase.
9.View the property and surrounding areas out of season. Have you been to Barmouth in January? DO you know what the rainy season looks like?
10.Check planning laws before looking and especially before putting in an offer. It is pointless having the vision if you will not be able to make alterations.
11. Check the inheritance laws of the country where you are buying eg in France your property will pass straight to your children not your spouse.Invest in that extra will.
12. Always take independent advice.
13. Try to learn some of the language of the country you are moving to. It can make acceptance and all areas of life much simpler.

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