Land is a tangible investment – you can see what you are getting – but in addition you have the chance to enjoy it for its own sake, with the potential for considerable returns. Land as real estate investment property has risen in value by nearly 30% in the last 12 months and is up by 130% since the early 1990s.Land compares favourably as an investment when compared with high risk stock market picks, making it an excellent real estate investment property opportunity.Land which can be bought affordably can be turned into a real money-spinner if you get the right permissions subsequently. As an example, a plot of land in the South East, bought for £15,000, could gain planning permission for a four bedroom detached house. A builder could buy this land for £200,000 to sell a £600,000 house. This represents an excellent real estate investment property investment.Land has some great advantages:1. There is a finite amount of land2. Land can increase in value in two ways * By increasing property values, as demand outstrips supply * By gaining planning permissions3. There are strong possibilities of exceptional short to medium term returns4. Any nationality can buy UK landRecent government activity with regard to housing has made this a good time to own land. The government wants more green belt land to be built upon to increase the house-building programme over the next ten years. As other investment markets are feeling the squeeze, it is inevitable that land prices will continue to rise in the coming years. Real estate investment property such as land will shoot up in value.The price of land has gone up by a multiple of eight in the last 20 years, with the most expensive land to be found in London and the South East. Prices here have been forced up by a shortage of residential land and an increased need for more housing.In the medium to long term land can be a good investment, but you can make really big money if you buy land without planning permission and subsequently get permissions for that land.So far, since it came to power, this Labour Government has approved 162 different schemes of development of green belt land. Still the shortage of housing continues to increase, with the shortfall predicted to be one million homes by 2022, unless there is a dramatic pick up in development. There is also a shortage of land suitable for development. A recent report said that an additional 70,000 to 120,000 houses per year would have to be built to keep pace with demands. These facts make land an attractive investment, and prices for land are expected to keep rising as demand for new housing continues to increase.The largest gains can be made when buying land without planning permission, as the land can be purchased at relatively low cost and if the land is later granted planning permission large profits can be made.There are obviously some things to look out for when buying land and such things as access rights, road infrastructure and many other things need to be checked out.Land as real estate investment property has the potential to make big money if you do you homework, and it is also recommended that you use a solicitor when investing in land, to ensure that everything is in order.
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The global recession has without doubt hit everyone, Panama is not an exception however the full impact of the recession has not been felt hard in Panama as of yet. During the Christmas shopping season, malls in Panama City are swarmed with thousands and thousands of people shopping; the economy felt vibrant, good times are still rolling. A layer below what seems like a booming economy still in full force up swing of the good times a breeze of the coming storm can be felt as businesses begin to prepare for what could be one of the toughest years in the last decade. The highs and booming growths in the last 6 years have been steep and steady so now the pendulum will swing downward with this upward impulse -The Panama real estate market is preparing for the shock of first wave of hundreds of new City condominiums units that will be coming into the market. Occupancy permits to be issued and the buyers mostly, speculators that purchased two years ago with as little as 10% down are now responsible for meeting the full impact of the remainder of their debt on these units. The economic outlook for most of these buyers has changed; they face a different economic reality than they expected 2 years ago. Now, they do not have many options and the clock is running, their options are either to re-sell those units quickly at cost with little or no capital gains, or losing the units back to the developer for defaulting on the promise to purchase agreement.These “distressed Sellers” – and this scenario are likely to be abundant in 2009. This scenario will affect the economies of supply and demand mostly the City condo market will shift from what has been up to now a seller’s market with prices rising steadily in period of months to by up to 100% without rhyme or reason to a BUYERS MARKET. This will create a price adjustment that will bring another wave of buyers seeking deals in Panama City. This price adjustment will also allow for younger local buyers to be able to afford the price of City condos that up to now had been out of their reach and exclusively for foreign investors. This possible surplus in condo units can create a shift to lowering pricing strategies and many developers may have to re-consider their pricing strategies to compete, this may bring about the cancelling of several residential developments in the city.
This negative spin offset by several phenomenons.
Panama stands out as one of the most globalized countries in Latin America and a leader in attracting foreign investment and several key projects guaranteed to be moving forward in 2009. The Panama Canal expansion, the Howard- London Regional residential and commercial development zone, and the cinta costera road expansion, along with sustained growth in tourism, business travel, telecommunications, and other key sectors and commercial activities will serve to absorb some of the economic impact, allowing Panama to deliver a solid 3% to 4% economic growth in 2009I am confident that in 2009 Panama blessed with its prime location, two oceans (Pacific and Atlantic oceans), beautiful nature and landscapes, and the globalized city ideal for international business will compensate the slowdown of a few sectors, construction, real estate, transportation, and offset with small-sustained growth in others to deliver balanced growth in 2009. Panama is still a very HOT place to invest in 2009- Now more than ever with prices going down the market conditions are favorable for finding Excellent DEALS & Great BUYS in oceanfront real estate property. Check out PANAMA properties listings at ThinkPanama.com, search properties by lifestyle: city condo, beaches, land, or contact me at dchoy@ThinkPanama.com
London is the real estate hot spot for high net worth individuals today even though it is the world’s most expensive place to buy property for residential purpose. Price of properties is as high as over two thousand pounds or over four thousand dollars a square foot! The hike in prices can be attributed to the purchasing capacity of high net worth individuals as clearly indicated by the steep rise in central London properties. Property industry is flourishing, with landmark buildings being sold at premium rates. One such building is the HSBC head office at Canary Wharf which fetched the highest ever price in Britain.
London being the global financial capital, the demand for office spaces is on the rise and attracting buyers from all over the world. Such properties have been fetching high returns for their commercial worth. The rental yields of such property are extremely high. With commercial property prices escalating, residential prices too are on the rise, making the luxury property prices go through the roof. Flats in London cost as high as over four thousand pounds per square foot. The really high prices of luxury apartments in Knightsbridge have turned London’s penthouses into the most expensive residential properties. Another prize address is the Hyde Park area where costs of smart homes have shot up by about fifty percent.
Some of the prize residential places would be featuring bullet proof windows, purified air and even “panic rooms” to take care of security. A squash court and spa would be added attractions in the much luxurious and prestige residences now being made available in central London. The London hot spot real estates for high net worth individuals are a class of their own.
Clients are making a grab for these very prestigious places in the heart of London city, without even viewing the showcased property. Such places are being identified by Russian oligarchs and Arab princes and the prices are booming. The rise in interest rates along with the rise in prices have not deterred the high net worth individuals who seem even more determined to buy such prize property knowing its value in tomorrow’s world.
Considering the rise in prices, it is predicted that home prices in the capital will escalate still further as the demand is outstripping the supply. The only thing about this excessively high range of prices is cordoning off areas as being areas of the ‘rich’ and the high net worth individuals and the other more affordable houses as the ‘poor’. People love the mix of the affordable and the very rich lifestyle.
All said and done, London has become the most prized and expensive place in the world to buy luxury property at the new price record of four thousand pounds a square foot. It is attracting buyers from Russia, India and Asia because of the attractive tax structure which enables them to reside in another country without paying taxes on the money kept there. Bonuses earned by those working in the financial service industry are ploughed in to buy larger and more luxurious homes.
