Platinum Portfolio Builder have won yet another award as recognition for their market leading property investment product. The prestigious Compare the Financial Markets Most Innovative UK Property Investment 2012 award was received by Nick Carlile the Founder and MD.

“It’s great to be recognised in this way and I’d like to thank the entire PPB team that have worked so hard during 2011. We look forward to 2012 and to delivering more great deals to both new and existing clients.”

Platinum Portfolio Builder is a business that builds and manages property portfolios for people who want to invest in property but who don’t have the time, knowledge or skill to do it themselves.

PPB only buy properties where they can achieve a minimum discount of 25% below an independent RICS valuation. Last year an average discount of 26% was achieved for the benefit of clients.

PPB work with clients who have between 75k and £1m to invest and can offer them market leading returns.

The company has in-house teams of expert buyers, project managers, builders and letting agents and buys discounted property using an extensive knowledge and contacts that secure an instant profit for clients. The properties are then let and managed for clients on an ongoing basis until they want to sell them and cash in their profits.

PPB recognise that many people are unhappy with the poor returns, high fees and uncertainty from traditional investments and pensions.

The proven models of property investment achieve market leading returns and security through intelligent property investment.
PPB has also been recognised with 2 nominations for the Business Excellence Awards 2012. The nominations are in the categories of Most Innovative Company and Entrepreneur of the Year.

This is in addition to the OPP Award for Excellence which was awarded in 2011 to the company.

Platinum Portfolio Builder investor and Chairman, Philip Easter who is also the Chairman of Aegon also added his comment saying ‘the team work extremely hard in building profitable portfolios for our clients, and it’s great to receive such recognition’

To find out more about PPB simply call 01226 732606 where you will be able to request a copy of their bestselling book The 7 Biggest Mistakes made by Property Investors and How to Avoid Them

Platinum Portfolio Builder investigates just how thriving the buy to let mortgage market is right now.

We’ve all heard of a baby boom but it seems that we could be on the verge of a buy-to-let boom according to Yorkshire based mortgage broker Meridian. With house prices creeping up it is possible that the buy-to-let market will be buoyant in 2012.

With expectations increasingly not been met on their investments and pensions, people today are using savings or equity in their main homes to start their buy-to-let portfolio – a popular tactic amongst serial investors. Mortgage brokers are finding that more independent investors are adopting this tactic due to the better rent yields available and the lower interest rates available from the banks.

Co-founder of Meridian Mortgages, Mr Derry Walton said,” Depending on where the money is invested, a yield of between five and seven per cent can be achieved, which is very attractive when compared to most other options.”

“More and more people are securing mortgages as lenders relax the criteria, for example, Woolwich has recently increased the amount it is prepared to loan on a buy-to-let mortgage from 60 to 75 per cent of value.”

It is becoming more apparent to potential investors that there are a number of schemes available, all of which are encouraging investors back to a now prosperous buy to let market that struggled 3 years ago.If you need proof that this is more than speculation, independent financial research company Defaqto found that the number of buy to let mortgage products on the market has grown by 104% over the last three years.

Whether a passive or hands on investor, many are regarding buy to let as a potential growth area.

Growth is exactly what lenders and investors alike are anticipating, as wide spread uncertainty regarding the wider housing market is fuelling rental demand. Despite the drop in house prices since the recession, first time buyers are struggling to secure a foothold on the property ladder, so now is the time to utilise the surplus of tenants looking to rent.

The result therefore, is that rental yields are generating better returns than many cash investments making it an increasingly attractive prospect for those lucky enough, at this crucial time, who can afford to invest.

John Heron , managing director of Paragon Mortgages explains, ”2012 seems set to be a more successful and challenging time for the buy to let and general mortgage market as the impact of Eurozone crisis and wider economic factors hit us. “However, it’s positive to see the level of optimism among intermediaries and the fact that more than half expect to increase their level of buy-to-let business throughout the course of the year.”

The result is that rental yields are generating better returns than many cash or equity investments, making it an increasingly attractive prospect for those who can afford to invest.”

From the view of an investor it is always useful that you consider expert advice prior to making cash intensive decisions with your savings, if you are a first time investor.

Choosing the right property, in the right location, at a good price where the rental demand is high is important in managing expectations of the possible yield achievable, to ensure your money is working hard for you.

Now that we have welcomed in the New Year, its time to take action on those New Year’s resolutions before the momentum starts to slip and ‘life takes over’. According to a recent survey by Skipton Building Society, one promise that most Brits claim they won’t be breaking is to better manage their finances.

Financial resolutions count for just under half of the survey, with over 40% of people planning to make positive changes to how they manage and invest their money. As expected some find it easier to stick to those resolutions than others with 66% of people confident that they can deliver on their good intentions. With a brand new year upon us, it seems all options should be assessed regarding where your money will go this year.

The option of leaving your money to lay stagnant in a low interest account is less and less appealing to more and more people. The ongoing volatility in the stock market, pensions uncertainty and the increased risks of investing in overseas property is leading more and more people to look at UK buy to let investing again as a way to secure additional income and long term gains.

As the challenging economic climate continues to bite, many are choosing to profit in a more long term and secure way, by investing their money in property and starting to build their very own property investment portfolio.
Many people have carefully considered strategies and clear goals to see their resolutions out, with more and more choosing to reconsider their longer term strategies for wealth creation and pension security.

Having a clear goal of what you want to achieve is always a great place to start.

Being clear about whether you are investing for short term cashflow or longer term security is critical. Most will say that they want both and in our opinion property is one of the safest and most lucrative ways to achieve this.

Now is a great time to reassess whether you are investing in the right asset classes and if you don’t have property then now is a great time to start. If you already invest in property then expanding your portfolio during 2012 could be the best decision you make to secure your financial future.With the market having fallen significantly in recent years, the lack of competition for deals and a strengthening rental market, buy to let is becoming more and more profitable. Add in a long term view, introduce some smart leverage and secure a significant discount on purchase and you have a winning combination which no other asset class can compete with.

Buy to let lender Paragon seem to agree, with their research saying that more than half of landlords expect tenant demand to remain high in 2012.

Nigel Terrington, chief executive of Paragon Group, said: “2011 was certainly a good year for the buy-to-let market, with not only increasing tenant demand but landlords investing in their portfolios, low levels of arrears and more available finance. We should look to 2012 with optimism as it is sure to bring further opportunities.”

Data from the quarterly survey showed that 56 per cent of the landlords surveyed expect tenant demand to either “grow or boom” in the New Year, compared to 45 per cent who were asked the same question at the end of 2010.

The current market is a volatile terrain and identifying viable investment opportunities is arduous. However, according to Nick Carlile, Founding Partner of Platinum Portfolio Builder, bricks and mortar, unlike other investment options, not only offers an appreciating asset, but is currently providing returns above and beyond a 5% return.  Few other if any investment strategies can match this and this is now attracting investors back to the buy-to-let market. Read the rest of this entry »

Over the last 12 months we have seen an increase in the number of investors looking to move their capital into the property market as other more traditional forms of investment have been affected by adverse market conditions. Here we look at some of the reasons why so many would be investors are now starting to look excitedly at the property market as their number one investment stream.

• Increased Property Prices
• Low interest rates
• High rental yields
• Buoyant rental market

Here at Platinum Portfolio Builder we already have many clients investing with us but over the last few months we have seen an 18% increase in the numbers of people enquiring about our investment products. If we look at the figures, it’s not hard to see why.

Over the last 12 months average property asking prices have risen by £4,617, roughly in line with CPI inflation at 2.2% and therefore outperforming other investments including instant access savings accounts and the FTSE 100. As we are all too aware, interest rates have remained at rock bottom throughout 2011 meaning that savings accounts have not been performing well either – the average instant access account now offers returns of just 1.04% which means that the motivation to save is just not there at this present time.

Naturally, investors are always looking for their money to be working. Therefore, if you have a sizeable amount of capital sitting in a bank and it is not working, much better to move that money into profitable investments.

Paul Harrison, who is operations director at Platinum Portfolio Builder, also sees evidence of the move to property investment, “Since the beginning of 2011, property prices have performed well, which is obviously great news for homeowners. Current prices may still be below the peaks we saw in 2007 and have some work to do before experiencing pre credit crunch growth rates, but with all things considered and in light of the economic challenges of the past few months, home ownership is clearly shaping up as a good and viable option for those looking to invest their savings.”

In the property investment market, prospective clients are always keen to know how quickly any investment will start working for them and with the current UK rental market really booming property investors are experiencing no problem in filling their properties.

The average rental property in the UK now has up to 5 rental applicants each and these properties are now filled within an average of 13.5 days. Further to this, recent data index from FindaProperty.com showed that rental yields this past quarter averaged 4.75% which is significantly better growth than either equities or cash are currently experiencing.

Here at Platinum Portfolio Builder, we firmly believe that investors are still out there looking for deals and in the last 12 months these investors have become much more willing to consider property as an investment opportunity that with the right guidance can become a profitable way to increase income streams during this current economic downturn.

We are receiving more and more enquiries from potential investors, both UK based and overseas as we strive to offer the best alternative to traditional investments and pensions.  Our model is tried, tested and proven to offer market leading returns in this secure and profitable ‘asset class’. We firmly believe that the UK property market is still vibrant, perhaps just not in the way many expected it to be.

London has been well documented as experiencing a boom in buy-to-let, but as strong demand from foreign investors pushes London property prices higher, even those investors with a healthy amount of capital are locked out of making a purchase. Experienced investors are now looking elsewhere to capitalize on the current market and according to Platinum Portfolio Builder; the North on England is now gaining greater interest. Read the rest of this entry »

Last month, a surge of interest in Platinum Partners’ book ‘The 7 Biggest Mistakes Made by Property Investors and How to Avoid them’ saw sales on Amazon at the half year point, already up 51% on the total annual sales of 2010.  Founders of Platinum Partners, Steve Bolton and Nick Carlile who co-authored the book, believe that a shift in investor attitude has led to growing interest in the book. Read the rest of this entry »

Platinum Portfolio Builder say that despite growing concern over pension prospects, a massive 67% of those who have opted to invest in property with them are aged between 45-55, suggesting that those looking to diversify into property as an alternative or supplement to traditional pension provisions and poor returns from other investments, are leaving it later and later to take action to ensure financial security in retirement. Read the rest of this entry »

Savers tired of waiting for interest rates to rise should be taking advantage of reduced house prices and low interest rates which make optimum investment conditions, says Nick Carlile, Founding Partner of Platinum Portfolio Builder. Read the rest of this entry »

Recently the consumer price inflation in Britain has fallen to 4.0 percent in the year to March, down from 4.4 percent in February. As the first decline in eight months, Nick Carlile of Platinum Portfolio Builder, reveals what impact inflation rise and falls have on buy-to-let property investors. Read the rest of this entry »