With ‘Blue Monday’ set to hit Britain today it’s likely that you might be feeling the post-Christmas blues at their worst.

According to Dr Cliff Arnall, who first coined the term ‘Blue Monday’ back in 2005, it’s possible to apply a mathematic equation to predict the most depressing day of the year. The equation takes into account weather conditions, post-Christmas finances, failed new year’s resolutions and lack of motivation. According to Dr Arnall, the day calculated as being the most depressing is the third Monday of January – today.

It’s usually at this time of year that many people start thinking about booking their summer holiday, as a way to combat the winter blues, but with growing global uncertainty and a weak pound on people’s minds, it’s estimated that two-thirds of Brits will be looking to stay close to home this summer.

Quick Move Properties’ Patrick Chambers comments: “It’s not unusual for people to try to escape the winter blues by planning their summer holiday, but with so much international uncertainty it’s little wonder that so many people are planning ‘staycations’ this year, instead of holidaying abroad.

“With the UK tourism industry predicted to almost double in value to £257 billion by 2025, now is a great time to not just holiday in the UK, but also to invest in a UK holiday property. With growing work stress, many UK workers are keen to make the most of every weekends and day of annual leave, and investing in your own UK holiday home is a fantastic way to do this.

“Enabling you to create a home-from-home, that can also be rented out to generate extra income when you or your family are not using it if you choose, a UK holiday home is a fantastic investment. Many luxury lodge developments throughout the UK offer a guaranteed return of around eight percent if you choose to rent your lodge out, and because they’re exempt from stamp duty you won’t have to worry about the stamp duty increases that were recently applied to the purchase of a second property.

“A holiday lodge offers the perfect UK holiday home solution; an attractive and spacious property that offers low-maintenance and hassle-free holidays whenever you wish.”

For more information about buying a UK holiday lodge, contact Quick Move Properties today on: 01793 840917 or email: info@quickmoveproperties.co.uk

The future looks bright for the park home industry, as experts are predicting a seventh consecutive year of growth in 2017.

Strong end of year sales indicate strong demand for both residential park homes and UK holiday lodges moving into the new year.

Worrying affordability levels in the traditional property market are driving more enquiries to the park home sector as homeowners strive to cut their living costs, live mortgage-free and utilise the equity tied up in their traditional bricks and mortar property.

Interest in UK holiday lodges is, of course, being largely driven by growing global security concerns and a weak pound. The UK is experiencing a huge growth in the number of British people choosing to holiday closer to home, which is driving sales for both personal use and as holiday let investment opportunities.

Quick Move Properties’ sales director commented: “We’ve seen a healthy and steady increase in the number of customers looking to purchase a residential park home or UK holiday lodge moving into 2017. There are many factors at play that look set to create sustainable and long-term demand for the UK park home industry.

“Homeowners are becoming disheartened by a lack of affordable property in the traditional housing market, and a park homes are becoming an increasingly desirable yet affordable alternative to a traditional bricks and mortar property. Of course, UK holiday lodges are also proving incredibly popular as a personal purchase and as a great investment opportunity, with many sites offering guaranteed annual returns of over 8% – a figure that many traditional investments simply can’t compete with in the current financial climate.”

If you’d like more information on purchasing a residential park home or UK holiday lodge, Quick Move Properties range of services could help you find your perfect home. Contact the team today on: 01793 840917 or email: px@quickmoveproperties.co.uk

A buy-to-let can be a great financial investment, but there are several common mistakes buy-to-let investors make that stop their investment being as profitable as it might be. Here are 5 common mistakes buy-to-let investors make that should be avoided.

Not researching the area
If you don’t research the area you’re considering investing in thoroughly enough, you’re unlikely to know what type of property you should be investing in. Vacant periods are costly, and can make a buy-to-let investment completely unprofitable, so it’s important to ensure your property has broad appeal and will be in high demand.

Not researching the target market
The easiest way to ensure your property is in high demand is to understand your prospective renter. If you’re targeting family renters you’ll want to ensure any outdoor space is family-friendly, if you’re property is in a popular student area you don’t want to spend lots of money on a high-end finish. Know your audience and pitch your property accordingly.

Not keeping up to date with legislative changes
Recently there have been several changes that have impacted the buy-to-let industry. A 3% stamp duty hike, tax relief changes and new wear and tear rulings have all had an impact on buy-to-let investors’ profit margins. If you don’t keep up to date with legislative changes, you could well be landed with an unexpectedly high tax bill that could cripple your investment.

Not considering expenses when calculating your annual yield
When calculating your annual yield, it’s likely you’ll take into account any monthly mortgage payments, but there are several other expenses that should also be considered when working out how profitable an investment is likely to be.

Expenses may include:

• Income tax on rental income
• Administrative costs – this will include reference checks, inventories and drafting contracts and tenancy agreements
• Appliance safety checks and servicing/maintenance
• Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) and property marketing costs
• Letting agent/management costs
• Any vacant period when rental income will not be generated – as a rule of thumb, you should anticipate at least month a year vacancy to allow for tenant changeover etc.
• Monthly mortgage payments
• Insurance
• Additional 3% stamp duty when purchasing an investment property
• You’ll also need to factor in Capital Gains Tax if/when you decide to sell the property.

Not researching alternative investment opportunities

A buy-to-let investment doesn’t necessarily mean a traditional residential property. Did you know that the average residential buy-to-let offers an annual return on investment of just 4.17% before expenses*? By contrast, some UK holiday lets could provide a guaranteed return of 8%**! The most profitable investment is not always the most obvious investment, so it’s important to explore all of the options available to you and think carefully about the profitability of any investment.

If you have a former buy-to-let property and like the idea of trading it in for a UK holiday let property, speak to Quick Move Properties today about their property part exchange service. If you’re interested in buying a UK holiday let as a new investment, Quick Move Properties have UK holiday-let properties available at sites throughout the UK. For more information, contact the team on: 01793 840917 or email: px@quickmoveproperties.co.uk

*Average residential buy-to-let annual return data taken from The Telegraph

**www.theretreatdevon.co.uk

It’s widely accepted that Britain is in the midst of a housing crisis. According to the UK Housing Crisis Report, there are currently almost 1.7 million people waiting for social housing in England alone. And it seems the impact of the crisis may not just be personal and social, it also has the potential to cause significant instability to the UK’s financial wellbeing.

In a previous interview Mark Carney, the governor or the Bank of England, said: “When we look at domestic risk, the biggest risk to financial stability and therefore to the durability of the expansion [of the economy]; those risks centre in the housing market…There are not sufficient houses built in the UK.”

The government has openly admitted the level of crisis and estimated that an extra 250,000 need to be built each year in order to meet demand. Now, in a step to help them reach their target of one million new homes by 2020, they have announced that pre-fabricated homes will make up a bulk of the supply.

Housing and planning minister, Gavin Barwell, explains: “Offsite construction could provide a huge opportunity to increase housing supply and we want to see more innovation like this emulated across the housebuilding sector.”

Commenting on the government’s announcement Patrick Chambers, Quick Move Properties’ sales director, said: “This announcement from the government offers a fantastic opportunity for the park home industry.

“We’ve long suggested that park homes offer an affordable way to address the UK’s housing shortage, and now the government has announced that pre-fabricated housing will be key to meeting its targets, the park homes industry has a great opportunity to be part of the conversation.”

The cost of selling a property is on the rise, according to figures from Lloyds Bank. The average cost of moving house is now just under £11,000; a rise of 9% in the last year. Those in London are even more affected, with a £4,732 increase– the equivalent of 18%.

With many estate agents charging a percentage of the final property selling price, rising house prices has been blamed for a large proportion of the increase in costs. Rising house prices also have an impact on conveyancing fees and stamp duty land tax charges. With London house prices rising 14.5% over the last year it’s no wonder that London home owners have experienced a steep hike in the cost of moving. The average cost of moving house in London now stands at more than £31,000; with an average £15,000 going on stamp duty and a further £11,000 on estate agency fees.

Quick Move Properties’ sales director commented: “The cost of moving house has been on the rise in recent years, and with the figure now standing at just under £11,000, moving is not a small financial commitment.

“With the cost of moving rising, property part exchange becomes an increasingly attractive option. The price you’re quoted for your property is exactly the figure you’ll receive, you have no estate agency fees to pay and can move in a timescale that suits you. What’s more, with nearly one in three traditional house sales now falling through before completion, property part exchange offers a certainty and peace of mind that the open market simply cannot provide.”

If you’d like to find out more about how property part exchange could work for you, contact Quick Move Properties today on: 01793 840917 or email: px@quickmoveproperties.co.uk