Property Blog [ Page 9 ]

Benefits Of Paying Your Mortgage Off Early

01 Oct 2007 / Mortgage Stuff / 0 Comments

A mortgage is probably the biggest financial expenditure for the average person. A mortgage can be a lifetime commitment. That’s a real bitter pill to swallow- knowing you’ll be paying off a single debt for the majority of your life. Have you ever thought what life would be like without having to make that monthly [...]

Mortgage Calculator

30 Sep 2007 / Mortgage Stuff / 3 Comments

Here’s a useful tool that calculates how much a monthly mortgage would cost if you enter real or hypothetical scenerios- useful for planning if you’re thinking of getting a mortgage or remortgaging. It takes into considering the amount you’re borrowing, and the life-span of your loan. This calculator is also particularly useful for those on [...]

How To Sue Your Landlord

28 Sep 2007 / Tenant Advice / 29 Comments

It occurred to me that I haven’t really given much support to tenants, but I’ve written a lot of articles for landlords. I guess that’s because I’m a landlord and have never experienced life as a tenant. However, I’m about to broaden my horizons. Here’s how to sue your mean little landlord… Most ‘tenant Vs [...]

Gazundering / Bid And Chip

26 Sep 2007 / Selling Property Tips / 0 Comments

Gazundering, or what the media is calling “bid and chip” is a method of purchasing property used by a breed of parasites that are polluting the already ignominious property industry. What is Gazundering/ Bid and chip? Gazundering is a practise whereby the purchaser of a property threatens to pull out just before exchange of contracts [...]

Flipping Property For A Flipping Fortune

25 Sep 2007 / Buying Property Tips / 1 Comment

Flipping properties is a highly lucrative, but risky way of making a quick fortune. Itâ€™s becoming increasingly popular amongst the public because a) it’s a relatively simple concept b) it’s the “in” thing right now c) as mentioned, it can be extremely lucrative. So, what is property flipping? Itâ€™s the name given to the act [...]

Landlord Rent Guarantee And Legal Expenses Insurance

21 Sep 2007 / Good & Bad Landlord Practices / 0 Comments

If you’re a landlord that’s letting complete strangers rent your property, I highly recommend getting rent guarantee and legal expenses insurance. They’re relatively inexpensive, and could potentially save you a heap of money. I’ve recently had to evict a tenant because she wasn’t coughing up her rent. She ended up missing out on 2 months [...]

Tax On Selling Property

19 Sep 2007 / Tax And Property / 2 Comments

Before I begin, let me make the primary message quick and painful- YES, you may have to make tax payments when selling your own property. Avoiding costs and expenditures when dealing with property is like trying to avoid bloodshed when going into battle with a hungry lion. Unfortunately, I imagine the pain of feeling an [...]

Make Sure Your Tenant Registers With Their Local Authority

18 Sep 2007 / Good & Bad Landlord Practices / 0 Comments

If your tenant is responsible for paying council tax on your property, it’s important that they register their new residential details with the local authority for taxation purposes. Ultimately, it is the tenants responsibility to do so. However, “tenants fresh out of the box” may not be aware of this process. It’s always best to [...]

Shit, I Have A Mortgage With Northern Rock!!!!

17 Sep 2007 / Mortgage Stuff / 11 Comments

A million fucking mortgage lenders out there, and I end up with the one that lands into financial difficulties; what are the chances? For those who have been living under a rock for the past few days, please allow me to give you a quick update. Northern Rock declared that they have been going through [...]

There’s No Point Using Letting Agents

13 Sep 2007 / Marketing & Finding Tenants / 9 Comments

When the rental market is booming, why use a letting agent? It makes no sense. They charge extortionate rates for doing very little work. So why not CUT OUT THE MIDDLE MAN? Currently, there’s been a lot of articles in the news about the serious drought of properties to rent. Supply simply isn’t meeting demand [...]

Time To Buy Property In America For Brits

12 Sep 2007 / Buying Property Tips / 3 Comments

If you’re looking to buy Property in America for either business or pleasure, ’round about now wouldn’t be a bad time to start making a move. Since 2000, America has seen a significantly sharp increase in property value; so big that it became “a mother of all bubbles” Sadly, the bubble has started to burst [...]

I Raised My 15k (Plus More)

10 Sep 2007 / Project 2- Reducing My Mortgage / 6 Comments

I know it’s been a while since I’ve touched on this subject, but to be honest, there hasn’t been much to report. For those who have been out of the loop, you can catch up and read about what my current property investment project is all about. My previous total was £8,478.23, and I managed [...]

What Are The Signs Of An Approaching Property Crash?

09 Sep 2007 / Property Investment Tips & Info / 0 Comments

Recently, there’s been a lot of talk about a property crash approaching. Granted, there’s always been a huge group of cynics waiting for a bust for the past 5 years or so, but over the previous months I’ve noticed a slow growth in numbers for “team cynic”. Please note, I’m not implying a property crash [...]

Reasons Why I Hate My Tenant

03 Sep 2007 / Ranting Landlord / 56 Comments

My tenant is finally out of my life after I evicted her incompetent arse. I’m definitely ready to close this chapter in my life right after I’ve documented a list of reasons why I want to skull fuck her with a blunt, rusty axe. I’ve wrote a few blog entries on this issue, and in [...]

Tracker Mortgages

31 Aug 2007 / Mortgage Stuff / 0 Comments

Trackers mortgages are also known as rate tracker mortgages, because essentially, they track the movement of a rate, usually the bank of England base rate. For example, you could get a tracker mortgage that will always be 0.25% above the UK base rate. So, if the base rate is 5.75%, you will pay 6% interest [...]

Offset Mortgages

29 Aug 2007 / Mortgage Stuff / 0 Comments

Offset mortgages are fairly new in the UK; the idea was launched in 1994 after they gained popularity in Australia. Theyâ€™ve been becoming increasingly popular to homeowners in the UK. The key feature of an offset mortgage is the ability to reduce the interest charged by offsetting a credit balance (such as savings account and [...]

Old Tenant Out, New Tenant In

22 Aug 2007 / Ranting Landlord / 2 Comments

I met up with my letting agent last night and signed the contracts for my new tenant. My new tenant has paid 1 year’s rent up front, which should be deposited into my account early next week. I can’t emphasise enough how lucky I feel to have a tenant which was willing to pay a [...]

Declaring A Buy-To-Let Property As Residential

15 Aug 2007 / Mortgage Stuff / 0 Comments

It’s common practice for landlords to let their property out without informing their mortgage lender. Basically, landlords declare their buy-to-let property as residential. Why do they do it? Generally because residential mortgages have a lower interest rate than buy-to-let mortgages, consequently there’s an opportunity to save thousands over the period of the mortgage. It’s a [...]

I Found A New Tenant

13 Aug 2007 / Ranting Landlord / 2 Comments

Right, so my scum-bag tenant is moving out on the 20th of august (can’t wait). And my new one is moving in on the 21st. Here’s the best part, though. My new tenant is a full-time career woman, and she wants to pay the 1 year rent up front (12 x £775 = £9300 + [...]

My Tenant Has Agreed To Get The Fuck Out Of My Property

02 Aug 2007 / Ranting Landlord / 4 Comments

HA! The scummy little benefit fraudster has buckled under the pressure and has agreed to move out and pay everything she owes me. I feel lucky. Why? No idea. Someone lucky wouldn’t have even had a shitty little tenant like that. But whatever, considering the circumstances, I am lucky. This could have gone to court, [...]

Landlord’s Right Of Entry

28 Jul 2007 / Landlord Legal Obligations/Issues / 44 Comments

It is in fact illegal for a landlord to enter his or her property without agreement from the tenant. The office of fair trading document oft356 reads as follows: 3.32 We would object to a provision giving the landlord an excessive right to enter the rented property. Under any kind of lease or tenancy, a [...]

Tenants Without A Written Contract

24 Jul 2007 / Landlord Legal Obligations/Issues / 16 Comments

I got a call earlier from a friend of mine; she explained to me that her landlord has requested for her to vacate his property by Saturday (4 days away). They had a dispute over the payment of rent. She was in a panic because finding a reasonably priced place to rent in London with [...]

The Bitch (My Tenant) Received Her Eviction Notice- She’s Not Happy

19 Jul 2007 / Ranting Landlord / 14 Comments

In my last blog entry (I’m evicting my tenant) I was talking about sticking my tenant’s head in the meat grinder because she was a few days away from falling 2 months in arrears. I was actually hoping she would fall into 2 months arrears so i had legal grounds to evict her dumb arse [...]

Be Careful Of Property Associations

11 Jul 2007 / Buying Property Tips / 54 Comments

Someone posted this in my forum and I found it rather interesting, so I thought I would write about it since there’s a lesson to be learned. I became a member of the Property Association in June 05 at a cost of £1600 plus VAT. The Property Association make deals with house builders and sell [...]

I’m Evicting My Tenant

09 Jul 2007 / Ranting Landlord / 227 Comments

On the 15th of July 2009 my tenant will have fallen 2 months in arrears and she will owe me £1.5k. Unfortunately I have no confidence in the parasite to come good with the money. She’s given me every damn excuse in the book so far, and to be honest, I don’t give a shit [...]

SEXY Property History Lesson

03 Jul 2007 / Ranting Landlord / 19 Comments

Welcome to the Property Investment Project’s very first History lesson. Learning has never been more enjoyable! Class is now in session. SHUT UP, TURN UP YOUR SPEAKERS AND LISTEN UP! (note: sorry, since youtube limits video dimensions, some of the writing is unclear- i’ve writen all the featured facts below) Seedy, tacky, not very informative, [...]

Facts About Interest Rates

14 Jun 2007 / Mortgage Stuff / 0 Comments

Who determines interest rates? The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decides the fate of interest rates. They meet up every month and decide what the rates will be in the foreseen future. Who forms the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)? The MPC is made up of the governor of the Bank, two deputy governors, [...]

I Got A Part-Time Job

10 Jun 2007 / Project 2- Reducing My Mortgage / 5 Comments

I was having one of my moments of reflection at work the other day, contemplating on ways I could raise more cash for my property investment project. I started thinking about how all the little costs in my life add up, and how it would be great to either lower or remove those costs. I’m [...]

Wicked Penthouses With Wicked Views

07 Jun 2007 / Architecture/Design / 0 Comments

We’ve all seen expensive houses with all the basic amenities like tennis courts, swimming pools, and panoramic landscape gardens. But even without all of those luxuries, there’s just something a tad more prestigious and classy about having a penthouse apartment. Penthouses are like the Maybachs of cars; they ooze out that extra bit of sophistication [...]

The Dangers Of Buying A House With An Extension

07 Jun 2007 / Buying Property Tips / 1 Comment

I was reading through the news yesterday, and I came across an interesting article about a mansion that is facing demolition because the luxury home has been vastly extended without proper planning permission. The previous owner, a builder, had more than doubled the living space without having permission to do so. He then sold it [...]

The $1 billion house

05 Jun 2007 / Architecture/Design / 68 Comments

Yeah, you read correctly, the $1 billion house, that’s not Rupee or Yen. MSN released news today (MSN has taken the article down for some reason) that India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, is in the process of building a new home in Mumbai that currently has an estimated value of $1 billion. Forbes estimated Ambani’s [...]

I Just Sold The Love Of My Life

01 Jun 2007 / Project 2- Reducing My Mortgage / 2 Comments

I’m feeling quite unsettled right now; I just had to part from the love of my life (Peugeot 206 1.4 GLX). It’s not uncommon for people to get attached to their first car; the sentimental relationship is sometimes unavoidable, unless it’s a complete piece of shit. However, my car was a little beauty, consequently I’m [...]

How To Increase The Value Of Your Property

30 May 2007 / Property Development / 3 Comments

Increasing the value of a property is all about spending wisely and focusing your effort in the right places. For example, there’s no point pumping high amounts of cash into a 3rd bathroom in a 2-bedroom property. It just wouldn’t make sense. In a lot of cases, it’s always a good idea to check with [...]

Prince William’s New Bachelor Pad

30 May 2007 / Celebrity Homes / 0 Comments

Oh yes, Price William has set to move into his very first bachelor pad. Our highness has chosen to move into an upscale (of course) apartment complex in the exclusive Dolphin Square. Dolphin Square is a block of private apartments built near the River Thames at Pimlico in London. I’m sure the prince will have [...]

The Basic Guide To DSS Tenants

28 May 2007 / DSS Tenants / 41 Comments

With so many properties available to rent these days, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for landlords to fill vacancies, consequently landlords are having to be more flexible than ever. A lot of landlords, especially when looking for tenancy through an agent, get offered to house a DSS tenant. There’s a lot of controversy when it comes [...]

Amazing Homes That Are Beautifully Odd

27 May 2007 / Architecture/Design / 10 Comments

Here’s a selection of truly amazing homes that are just plain odd. Unfortunately, I know very little detail about these properties, the few I know something about have been explained. Nonetheless, that doesn’t stop me from appreciating the visual beauty, nor should it stop you. Not only does it take a great mind to conjure [...]

50 Cent’s Crib

27 May 2007 / Celebrity Homes / 21 Comments

I present to you Mr 50 cent’s (the notorious rapper that infamously got shot 9 times) boudoir. Situated in Farmington, Connecticut, with an excess of 50,000 square feet of space, and overlooking a 1 acre Koi pond. I bet he could nearly squeeze in his entire entourage of followers into that space; that would be [...]

The Sarah Beeny Breast Phenomenon

22 May 2007 / Sarah Beeny / 5 Comments

I’m actually both amazed and worried about the online community. Soon after posting the article Sarah Beeny Huge Tits And Pokie Nipples (a blog entry about a crazy Sarah Beeny fan, taking his obsession with her breasts to the next level), I realised that there are in fact a lot more people infatuated with Sarah [...]

My Big Fat Property Fortune

20 May 2007 / Ranting Landlord / 0 Comments

I’ve just been glued to the TV for the past hour watching a documentary on people that have made ridiculous profits on property- ‘My big fat property fortune‘, on ITV (channel 3), at 2pm. Please tell me someone else watched this! I need to discuss the programme with someone else before I pop. It was [...]

Tips On How To Make Your Home ‘Green’

19 May 2007 / Property Investment Tips & Info / 1 Comment

Not only is being ‘green’ good for the environment, but also your bank balance. By making simple changes to your home, you can save both the environment and minimize your monthly outgoings. It’s a win-win situation. As property investors, we should be efficient at saving costs when it comes to our own properties, before trying [...]