As a property investment company dealing with plenty of new and experienced investors, we are well aware that research, due diligence and general knowledge surrounding an investment class, or any one particular property is essential.
However, also having a wider understanding of property, in general, is vital, enabling you to make informed decisions. Whilst us and many other investment brokers try and get across the benefits of investing in a softer market, we are also fully aware some investors simply want to remain liquid and conduct research, so when their confidence does return, they are fully prepared and able to move forward.
1. Home.co.uk
Whilst the appearance of this website is quite dated, it’s a fantastic resource to view data/performance of any specific postcode in the UK. If you select, the ‘Prices & Rents’ tab and then type in a postcode, for example, M5, it will bring up further options to narrow down the data. Then go to ‘Selling Price Reports for M5’ rather than Asking Price, you can then select the option to view the performance over the last year. It will then bring up 3 graphs and you can change the timeframe at the bottom (the longer the better for more accurate info), then view the best performing property types, sales volumes etc – a great snapshot of any location.
2. The Property Hub Podcast
Whilst these guys are effectively our competitors (although we charge no fees to investors), for years now they have been delivering amazing educational property content and value via their podcast, so we wanted to give them a shout-out.If you click the link above you will be taken through to their podcast list, it’s worth going through the archives as most of the information is still applicable, they’ve also got some interesting insights on the current market conditions.
3. Property Development Book by Lloyd Girardi
This one will mean you have to fork out a bit of money but it’s well worth the small investment. As an investor, in our opinion, it really helps to understand the property development process as a whole, how sites are financed, acquired, the professionals involved and ultimately how a site is built out. If you’re interested in off-plan investment or loan note/property bonds, it goes a long way to explaining the security and general process. For those advanced developers it may come across as basic but for most property investors it’s a useful introduction to the property development world.
4. Hometrack
As a commercial service, Hometrack provides market intelligence to companies like ours enabling detailed market analysis. Starting in 1999 and now owned by Zoopla Group, they also produce a City Price Index Report which tracks house pricing trends, this a great way for investors to keep an eye on the best performing cities in the UK in terms of capital growth.
5. PropertyTribes.com
If you wanted something a bit more interactive, this forum is a good place to start. They describe themselves as the #1 Property Forum for Private Landlords. So, if you have a burning question, want to get an understanding of what other landlords are going through or just generally fancy browsing a variety of subjects in one place, take a look here. A word of warning though, as per any forum, take responses from other members with a pinch of salt and always do your own checks and due diligence, especially if it relates to a buying decision.
6. PropertyData.co.uk
Comprehensive research should be at the heart of any property investment decision, and tools like PropertyData are key to that research. The platform can help you identify where to invest, review local market performance, compare areas you’re interested in, and even benchmark rental prices. There is a subscription cost, but for the price (starts from £14 a month) it’s one of the best tools available given the level of detail and range of data available. Plus, there’s a trial period so you can get a feel for the platform before committing. If you’re serious about investing, it’s well worth a go.