A lot of people have asked me how I got started with investing in property and why I started the P.I.P.S course.

So here’s a brief biography, together with a few of
the events that shaped my life and my
learning that in turn shaped the creation of P.I.P.S.
I’ve always been an entrepreneur and came from an entrepreneurial family.
My parents
were in the retail trade and I recall standing in their shop selling jeans
more than 40 years
ago.

On leaving University I trained as a Chartered Accountant
with Touche Ross & Co
(now
Deloitte & Touche) in London. I never wanted to be an accountant, but felt
that an
Accountant’s qualifications would sustain me in my business career.

I left immediately after I qualified and started a retail
business. I built a chain of shops
through the 1980’s selling art and making picture frames. Even then I
was aware of
property investment – I purchased my first commercial freehold from being
a leaseholder
of one shop. And in the second half of the 1980’s I invested in property
with my brother
and I started developing property in London.

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Low Cost Airlines Drive Property Boom Abroad

When it comes to determining the next boom area in Europe, a good place to look is at the growth areas for low cost airlines. Transport is one of the vital deciders when it comes to cheap property prices. Take a look at the figures if you are not sure!

European market

Buying property across Europe has grown considerably, in recent years. This is down to many factors, including the willingness of the British to make investments abroad, greater need to secure individual pensions and the growth of the European Union. However, one factor that is often overlooked, but is fundamental to the growth of the property market, is the increase in the number of destinations served by low cost airlines. Read the full story

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Hotel Rooms as an Investment

A new idea in the field of property investment has recently hit London. Companies are now offering investors the opportunity to purchase a hotel room which can then be rented out to bring in a healthy regular income. Sounds good? But how exactly does this latest money making idea work?

A new buy to let option

Buy to let investors are always looking for a new way to increase their portfolio and to invest in a profitable project. One of the latest options is to buy a hotel room. No, this is not a rendition of a Monopoly game; this is truly the newest form of property investment. Read the full story

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Getting More for Your Money with Buy to Let

Most investors have worked out that the cheaper they buy a property for, the easier it is to achieve a good yield. However, it is a fine line between rentable and undesirable, a factor which must be taken into consideration by those looking to buy a very cheap investment property.

Less is more

Less is so often more, when it comes to buying a property for buy to let investment. The reasons for this are not as simple as it may seem and often a cheaper, smaller property can be a better investment with a higher rental yield. Read the full story

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Calculating your Buy to Let Property Profit

It’s one thing satisfying yourself about the level of profits that your buy-to-let investment is making, but when it comes to telling the taxman, it’s a totally different matter. Instead of sweating over the endless forms, have a look at this quick guide to help you on your way!

Tax return

All landlords will have to fill in a tax return to the Revenue to show just how much they have made out of their buy to let investments. This can be an extremely taxing task (no pun intended) and can send even the most savvy of investors into a spin! Read the full story

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The press is full of information, advice and even criticism of property as an investment class. One huge problem is that much of that information is written by journalists, who are not property investors. And that does you a disservice because at best you get a half-truth, and often the story bears little relation to the reality of what is actually happening.

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