Property Investment Forums

Forums are a brilliant tool to assess the mood on any subject. They answer questions, offer advice and inform. However, recently in the property forum world some contributers are finding empathy difficult to source, with all the bile being thrown.

House and the economy forums are full of 'I told you so' posts, all topped off with glee at the predicament of anyone who has 'lost' on the value of their house or home. And God help you if you are a property developer,or TV location personality with particular venom being reserved for the celebrity property developer.They are only one down from Estate Agents.

There is a sense that the wages they are paid were not really 'earned' in the first place, and then "How dare they try to get a return on their investments through dabbling in property development/charging others for sticking an advert in a paper or putting a board up outside our house "

While Anthea Turner and Simon Cowell would never be my choice of friend or business partner I will defend their right to invest and lose their cash wherever they want. I will even defend their right to invest in numbers of off plan resort developments. Where else would you have them invest? Property is easy to understand. You can buy, sell, live in or let, and not so long ago, one could expect that the actual sale value of the property would go up year on year: there has been little indication from Government, mortgage and financial advisors or the banks that things would change dramatically, and the scale the crisis is still surprising some commentators- Not so for the property forum know all of course.

Such contributors to forums take delight in the misfortune of others . They combine their boasts of insider knowledge and foretelling of the economic crisis with gloating about how much they will save or make through the downfall of others. They manage to overlook the fact that they are simply trying to beat the market, just as everyone else is. And you dont have to be a celebrity to have most of your assets wrapped up in property.For most of us, the bricks and mortar we own after 25 years is actually our home.

They offer no solutions either.They scoff and sneer at anyone trying to offer any upbeat view. Those of us who are caught up in redundancy, negative equity and debt do not need a smug telling off. Confidence is the only solution and if we need a bright side to look on here it is for the majority of us; if you have not lost your job, are not planning to sell your home, your buy to let, your golf resort apartment in Dubai or even your Barbados villa, you have not really lost anything yet. If you have a buy to let the chances are the mortgage interest is so low you can cope with the longer vacancies and lower rents caused by the glut of rental property. Its all happened before and there will never be an end to boom and bust. But it would be good if we could get through it without the glee at other peoples misfortune.

Investment Property For Sale

Why You Should Buy Now; Overseas Property For Sale in the Credit Crunch

It is possible to make money whatever the state of the economy. In fact, some of the most lucrative deals have been achieved in a struggling economy; the opportunities are always there if you have the requisite knowledge.It must also be a buyers market; as the property and financial markets slow down at home and abroad, more people are putting their properties on the market and the developers are offering their 'special' deals and discounts. If you are prepared to be brave in negotiations now may be the time for you.
It could also be the time to be bolder in you outlook on destinations. Have a closer look at the less obvious choices; Cape Verde instead of The Canary Islands, Morocco instead of Spain, Dubai instead of Florida; the Gambia instead of the Carribean. In some of the emerging markets around the world, the property market is stable and even growing. Getting in at the very bottom, buying land or off-plan, means less outlay at the start and a better return on your investment in the end.

Even with the old favourites it is worth looking further afield than the usual options; new build leaseback property in Corsica instead of the Gite in Provence, land with plans in the Caymen Islands instead of the villa in Barbados, a beach house in Belize instead of the apartment in Cancun. Of course land only, off plan and leaseback are all going to be long term projects, though investments can be realised before the property is built, or at the end of the guarenteed rental income period.

When you are feeling the pinch at home it is often cheaper to be living abroad. The cost of fuel, heating and eating can be considerably cheaper in Europe, and yu can minimise the effeect of the strong Euro by taking a Euro mortgage, taking advantage of the lower interest rate and avoiding the problems of fluctuation in the currency market.

Property values abroad still represent excellent value for money in comparison to the UK market, even with falling property prices. For a first time buyer overseas property may be the best way to get your feet on the property ladder.