Expat property research & report facility
Expatriates.co.uk are delighted to be able to offer a bespoke property reporting service where from the comfort of your own home you can have a detailed report that is full of information to allow you to make informed decisions when making a new property purchase. You will be able to see how your intended new property has performed in relation to other similar properties in the area as well as having a wealth of other information about the property and its location.
What’s in your report
The standard research package usually runs to at least 40-60 pages although in some cases it can run to 100 pages. For example, a recent client wanted to compare the different scenarios for her potential investment of 1 bed and 2 bed units, compared with the same number of units within a 9-bed house of multiple occupancy (HMO). The HMO would retain a commercial unit on the ground floor and develop the upper floors into residential units. This report ran to 109 pages.
This type of tailored service is available on any UK property including commercial properties and there is the potential for similar reports to be conducted on non-UK based property, however this will be country dependent.
With reports normally being made available in under 72 hours of your enquiry being received and if urgent in under 24 hours, the report team will ensure you have all the information to hand in time for you to make your decision regarding the properties investment potential.
The report is Ideally suited to expat and overseas investors as the service provides full analytical analysis of the property or properties that you are intending to purchase. Examples are
- Private rental properties – Purchased in your own name as BTLs or HMOs.
- Limited company BTLs – Purchased under a limited company for rental purposes.
- Redevelopment properties – Purchased for conversion and upgrading to sell on or rent out as BTLs or HMOs or for other commercial purposes.
- Buy and flip – Purchasing to very quickly renovate and sell on.
- Commercial businesses – purchasing businesses large and small for all types of applications.
- Residential property – Purchasing as a main residence.
Comprehensive Property valuation
Whether you are purchasing a residential property or an investment property such as a BTL or HMO, the first thing an expat purchaser is going to want to know will be its potential value and will it make a good investment.
Your report should cover the following.
- Market values and performance – Being able to see what has been happening in the area where you intend to invest will be very important to an expat or indeed anyone who is contemplating purchasing property that is not local to where they live.
- Market comparisons – value comparisons will be made with other property in the area.
- BTL popularity – check how popular your chosen area is with other Landlords.
- Property price growth – see how property prices have changed over the last few years.
- Time to buy – determine the best time of year to buy your property.
- Time in the market – find out how long property for sale sits on the market.
- Making an offer – know how properties are selling in relation to their asking prices.
Once you have studied the report and are comfortable that the property is indeed a good buy, you will be in a good position to decide if you should proceed. If you intend purchasing the property via a mortgage, you should be aware that most mortgage lenders will usually instruct their own valuation using a surveyor from their own panel. This is usually a very basic document which will probably not be made available to you. Below are some of the other types of survey you may want to consider.
- Homebuy report – applies only in Scotland and is the responsibility of the seller to provide to the buyer. This report includes energy performance information along with a seller questionnaire and an overall high level of detail.
- Full structural survey – this is usually the most expensive type of report which goes into great detail about the structure of the property, often requiring samples to be taken of any suspect areas
- Standard valuation – Has similar information to the homebuy report in Scotland, but without the energy performance information and the seller questionnaire.
- Mortgage valuation – basic report usually contained in a single sheet of paper and intended for mortgage lenders to assess if the property is suitable security for offering a mortgage.
Market trends analysis
Once you have decided on an area and chosen a property which looks good value for money you will want to compare its advantages against other property in the area. Your report should give you information on some of the following.
- Best property types – the report will provide information on the property types in the area that are appreciating more than others and can look specifically at.
- HMOs and BTLs – the report can compare houses of multiple occupancy (HMO) versus buy to let (BTL)
- Flats and houses – the report can compare the benefits between Flats and houses for investment returns.
- Property size – where property is intended as an investment the report will look at the types of tenants in the area to establish what number of bedrooms are in most demand through looking at the following.
- Flat types – Are one bedroom buy to let (BTL) flats more popular than multiple roomed flats.
- People – What type of person, student or family or professional frequently locate in the area where the property is located.
- Rental returns – do more rooms equal a higher return versus initial property purchase
- Rental returns – The report should provide you with information that will let you see what to expect in rental return on your chosen property.
- Property market – How is the property market moving overall?
- Unoccupied property – Is there a raft of unoccupied property in the area?
- Buy or rent – Do people prefer to buy or rent
- Employment – Is employment or lack of it driving the buy to let (BTL) or residential market
Find out about Local amenities
It is Important to know when buying any investment property be it a buy to let (BTL) or a house of multiple occupancy (HMO) or a student let or even a residential property, what type of amenities are close by. Places with good amenities will attract more people and usually provide a stronger rental and sales market coupled to stronger growth. Some of the things that the report will look at are.
- Good schools – people will move to areas that have good quality schools for their children as education is an important consideration for anyone buying property or renting it.
- Universities and colleges – Having universities and colleges nearby is good for investment purchases such as buy to lets (BTLs) and houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs) as these will be popular with students.
- Transport links – Good transport links will boost the popularity of the area and can help improve property values.
- Hospitals doctors and dentists – these facilities are important, especially for elderly people or those planning to start a family.
- Leisure and shopping facilities – Having good facilities nearby is good for everyone and good to have if buying an investment property.
General information for Property Investors
The following provides some information that you may find useful while contemplating which type of property to purchase and how best to set it up. These are not topics that are included in the report but are mentioned for information only.
- limited company buy to let investors – Placing BTL portfolios within a limited company is becoming more common and has certain tax advantages over personal ownership. Where once it was only specialist lenders and packagers who would offer limited company buy to let mortgages more and more mainstream lenders are coming on board with some very attractive rates. If you would like help to set up a limited company to hold your BTL portfolio or require mortgage assistance to finance a property, simply click on the link and complete the form.
- Property for development – A popular investment route has been the purchase and redevelopment of properties, particularly single buildings which are then split into multiple units and either sold individually or rented for maximum profit. Property development can be a highly lucrative way of making money and with the various bridging loans, self-build mortgages and development finance being available to expat investors, this is an area which could be open to anyone with the right skills and determination.
- Buy and flip opportunities – This is the classic scenario of buying a tired property then renovating it and reselling it quickly. These properties are often purchased via auctions using short term bridging finance.
Many buy and flip clients then sell these properties to their limited company which will use it for rental income and value appreciation without being burdened by tax on interest payments or capital gains or inheritance tax issues.
How Do I get a Property Market Research Report?
To buy a report for a property please complete the report request form at the top of this page with your requirements and our property expert will call you back to get your exact requirements for the report. The standard price for a full research package is £295 + VAT although for most expats VAT may not apply. The final cost will be confirmed to you once your enquiry has been processed and prior to the report being started.To view a sample of a typical report click here