Capital Appreciation vs Rental Yield
It’s an age-old debate: do
I buy something “nice” and hope for long-term capital appreciation, or do I buy
something a bit less easy on the eye and get a brilliant rental yield?
Take this property as an
example:
At first glance it
appears to be a spacious three bedroom property with private garden. On a second look we realise it’s a usually
avoided high-rise tower block. But wait,
we have 3 double bedrooms in zone 2 with excellent transport links to the City,
and just a stone’s throw from Battersea Park.
So what makes this such a
wise investment? Surely investing in a Victorian property is a more
attractive proposition? Let’s look at this in more depth, comparing with
a 3 bedroom Victorian mansion block flat on Prince of Wales drive, just around
the corner.
Bought for £470,000 in
2001 and sold for £790,000 in 2010 the Victorian flat has seen price growth of
5.7% a year. Average rents at the time of purchase would give a yield of
5% a year. How does that compare with our ex-local flat? Bought in
2001 for £82,500 and sold in 2011 for £144,000 it’s seen 5.7% a year price
growth as well. And the rental yield? At the time of purchase you’d
be enjoying a 15% return on your investment.
With identical price
growth and a far superior rental yield, it’s easy to see why investing in
ex-local authority properties is the thing to do. Once you factor in the
running costs associated with period properties (endless repairs, high service
charges – for mansion blocks that is - , costly lease extensions etc.)
investing in ex-local authority flats becomes an even more attractive proposition.
For ultimate peace of
mind and a truly hassle-free investment I’d suggest asking your lettings agent
to look after your property for you. Naturally XanderMatthew offers a
full management service. To find out what we can do to make your life
easier, just give us a call on 020 3397 2099.
If you have any
investments you’d like to run by me to see what they’d yield long term, do get
in touch.
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