FAQs
Why should I choose The Smarter Investor?
The people behind The Smarter Investor are property professionals with in excess of 20 years experience in the industry. They know the process of finding a good investment, what’s involved and how to spot a good opportunity.
What kind of discount could be achieved in purchasing a property introduced by The Smarter Investor?
In most cases we manage to negotiate a purchase price of approximately 10-15% below the market value. Often properties are marketed at an inflated price and most companies (especially new build off-plan companies) will promise a high discount from a value which is unrealistic to achieve in the current climate. We believe in transparency and honesty and therefore through our own research will give you an indication of the realistic actual value of the property and will then negotiate the discount below this. We are happy to disclose the source of our comparables for your information and you can obviously do further research to ascertain for yourself that you are getting a true discount.
What happens if the property market crashes?
There are never any guarantees in any market to say that it won’t ‘slow down’ or ‘crash’, however investors should be looking for a medium to long term investment and in such a case any short term ‘blip’ will recover and the investment will be unaffected.
Can I buy a ready tenanted property?
Some properties introduced by The Smarter Investor may be purchased at below market value with the former owner in place from the date of purchase. This is beneficial for investors as they can receive monthly rental income from day 1. This saves on a vacant period and the cost of sourcing tenants through an agent.
What type of properties do you source?
The majority of the opportunities we source are not new build properties but instead older properties with more potential. They are all over the UK and are sourced with or without tenants.
Can I purchase properties to refurbish?
Yes. Some of the properties we source may need some modernisation or refurbishment. We can indicate the value of the property in its current condition in the current market and negotiate a discount with the vendor below that price. By refurbishing the property you may add extra value to the property in addition to having benefited from purchasing it at below its former market value.
What happens if interest rates rise?
Unfortunately we are unable to comment on this as we are not FSA regulated. We would always suggest that you get financial advice
Do you have any opportunities abroad?
The Smarter Investor have investment property in Romania. The new development is just outside Bucharest and is very popular with ex-pats and foreign workers. Opportunities also come in throughout Europe and America.
What other costs would I incur?
You would need to budget for Solicitor and surveyor fee’s as well as the fee to The Smarter Investor which is payable on exchange of contracts.
How do I know if a discount is genuine as quoted by the Smarter Investor?
The negotiators working for The Smarter Investor always endeavor to give accurate guidelines as to the value of each property. We would always recommend that you do your own research and due diligence.
Can you give me advice on purchasing properties, property valuations and how to finance my investments?
The Smarter Investor is not providing financial advice under the regulations of the Financial Services Authority. We recommend that before making any decisions based on the information provided, that you should consult with any specialist advisors or take independent legal and financial advice. We also recommend that you do your own research so you are happy with the investment potential.
What is your fee?
Our fee is payable on the exchange of contracts when you purchase a property that we have introduced to you. Our fee is 2% of the purchase price on properties up to a value of £500,000, 1.5% on properties purchased at £500,000-£1,000,000 and 1% thereafter. Our minimum fee is £2000.00.