UK property investors advised to look abroad

Assetz News, 26th January 2006

It is understandable that many people investing in property for the first time are tempted to limit their search to the UK, but experts have been highlighting the advantages of looking abroad for both residential and commercial investments.

The property market in the UK has admittedly returned to good health in recent months with buy-to-let investors expecting high yields and rising house prices meaning incisive investors are likely to make considerable returns on residential properties.

Investment returns on commercial property meanwhile finished the year at 2.7 per cent in December, which translates into a 12-month return of 18.8 per cent.

With this in mind, entirely abandoning the UK as a property investment location would be senseless. On the other hand, it seems many UK residents are still failing to even consider the potential benefits of investing abroad, with commercial property a good example.
In terms of residential property, a survey by Barclays in November last year found that the number of UK residents owning a property abroad was set to double to around 4.4 million in the near future.

Interestingly, a staggering 37 per cent of those questioned said that they were considering buying a property abroad, although it seems that many felt they needed more information before making the decision.

In eighth place in the list but gaining in popularity annually, Bulgaria is also an option to investors looking for a break from the norm, led by the popularity of Black Sea locations and a flourishing ski industry in resorts such as Bansko.

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