The Complete Guide to Investing in Property

Introduction 1 Determining the market Investing in your own home; Investing in buy-to-let; Buying a second home or holiday cottage; Buying abroad; Buying off-plan, either home or abroad; Buying a wreck and doing it up (developing); Buying commercial property; Buying a business such as a hotel or B&B; Buying property to put into a SIPP or a REIT; Selling your main home and pocketing the proceeds; Buying ground rents and freeholds; Buying at auction; The important questions to ask yourself 2 Using your own home Buying a house together - advice for couples; Finance; Getting a mortgage; Jesus saves, Moses invests - but what about Mohammed?; Freehold or leasehold?; Buying a wreck in an up and coming area, doing it up and then selling on at a massive profit; Building your own home and selling it on; Renting out a room (or rooms); Renting out your home to holidaymakers and overseas visitors; Using part of your home as a hotel or B&B; Renting out a self-contained flat within your home; Inheritance tax; Letting out your home to film and TV crews; Tax matters 3 Buy-to-let Working out the yield; Guaranteed rentals; How the different tenant markets work; Leasing to the local authority or a housing association; Being a social landlord; Property clubs; Would you enjoy being a landlord?; Doing it together; Beware the leasehold trap; Personal story 4 Developing property Getting started; Finance; Which improvements add value?; Buying land; Buying at auction; Conversions and change of use; Listed buildings 5 Holiday lets Purchasing and financing a holiday cottage; Investment pointers; Interior design; Holiday lettings overseas; Caravans, mobile homes and park homes; VAT 6 Commercial property Mortgages; Tax implications; Lease premiums; Flats above shops; Commercial premises abroad; Syndicated property purchase; Property unit trusts 7 Setting up a B&B The couple trap; Markets and buyers; Research; Improving profitability; Finance; VAT; Legislation issues; Business rates; Fire safety; Catering; Liquor licensing; Television licences; Disabled access; Furniture and fittings; Starting from scratch; Ratings 23; And finally... 8 Buying property abroad Finance and mortgages; Tax matters; Profitability; Existing markets; Emerging markets; Putting foreign property into a SIPP; Last word on buying abroad 9 SIPPs and REITs REITS (Real Estate Investment Trusts)