Welcome to 2012!

Hi All,

I thought I'd drop you a quick personal note to thank you for all your support in 2011, and to wish you a very Happy New Year. I hope that 2012 proves to be a prosperous and fun year for you.


If one of your New Year's resolutions is to invest in 2012, then let me know. I'm pleased to say the team were busy over the second part of December, which is traditionally a great time of year to pick up some brilliant bargains, if only because everyone else has switched off for Christmas! This year is no exception, and I'd be delighted to put you in the loop as to what is currently available.

I look forward to working with you in 2012.

Kind Regards,

Peter Grant
CEO
Grant Property Investment

For the latest update on our property portfolio, please visit our website.

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UK Property Buy to Let Bank Lending

We've had a number of clients ask us where the banks are with property lending.

By way of background, many banks pulled back their lending on property when the financial crisis hit in 2008. They reduced their LTV's and put up their rates. The volume of lending fell significantly. So how have things changed, since 2008?


The short answer is that things have changed, very much for the better.

A number of lenders are offering 75% LTV and even 80% LTV on investment property -  back to the levels pre 2008.

• Base rates are now at 0.5%, down from 5%. 

• They are forecast to remain low for some time to come

• The margins that banks are charging are once again falling, as more lending competition creeps back in.

• The number of B2L products rose by 26% last quarter

The amount of lending has risen significantly as a result. The last quarter showed an increase of 40% on the previous year, according to CML.

There has been a 'golden period' for investing these past few years, although many investors held off. Investors are now piling back in - demonstrated by increased bank lending, and the greater levels of competition we are noticing on the ground, when buying.

There is still good value to be had. Prices fell in 2008. They then rose again and have been pretty stable since. Prices overall are still around 10% down from their peak.

If we can help with any questions on lending and / or investing, we'd be only happy to help. For further information or just a general chat please contact us on +44 (0)131 247 3131. Alternatively please visit our website for more information and view our current featured property lists.

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