Property shows seem to be all the rage, and this weekend, 11^th-13^th April, it’s the turn of the Property Investor Show at the NEC in Birmingham.

The show opened its doors and kicked off business today, but as it’s running all weekend, there’s still time to get your skates on and attend. The event runs from 10am-6pm today (Friday), 10.30am-5.30pm on Saturday 12^th April and 10.30am-4.30pm on Sunday 13^th April. Admission is free and you can register online and obtain e-tickets if you wish.

The property show is aimed at anyone considering buying residential or commercial property abroad or in the UK. In fact, this year about 60% of the show is dedicated to buying property abroad and there are developers from across the world exhibiting. For example, some of the markets covered include Cyprus, Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Australia, Brazil, China, Dubai and the Caribbean.

Throughout each day there will be some fascinating and insightful seminars and debates to attend (see schedule). These have an additional cost of £5 each, but with many high profile speakers and experts present, are well worth taking the time to go to. As demand for these sessions is high, it’s worth booking online in advance to secure your place.

Some of the sessions on Saturday include: “Which property investments are right for you?” at 11.15am, by Kate Faulkner, author of the Which? Essential Guide Property Investor’s Handbook, “America on Sale - a US loss is the UK’s gain!” at 2.15pm with Graham Pyle and Allen Jackson, and “30 things you MUST known before investing in property abroad,” at 3.15pm, by John Howell from the International Law Partnership.

Many of the sessions are repeated each day, so you don’t need to worry if you miss them. On Sunday, some of the other seminar and debate options include, “Essential tips for novice investors,” at 1.15pm with David Ball, “Measuring risk and making returns, overseas,’ at 1.15pm with Jonty Crossick and “How to find the next emerging market before it becomes a hot spot,” at 2.15pm with Simon Zutshi.

So, if you’re already immersed in the property investing world, or are keen to get started, this is one event that could help you put ideas into action.

Technorati Tags: property show, property seminar, UK Property, UK real estate, real estate, real-estate, real estate news, off plan property, off plan, property investment, real estate investment, overseas property

A Hong Kong in the Persian Gulf - Dubai World Central (DWC)

Dubai seems intent upon becoming a 21^st Century Middle Eastern version of Hong Kong. Only such an aspiration could produce the grand project known as Dubai World Central (DWC), a 140-square kilometre urban aviation project which is billed as an effort to transform the region into a powerful global logistics, tourism and commerce hub. The massive development is built around the huge Al Maktoum International Airport, forecasted to become the world’s largest airport. This project, involving both commercial and residential real estate development, is being built incrementally in phases and ultimately will house and employ hundreds of thousands of people in a development built around Dubai’s burgeoning aviation industry. It is interesting how frequently the new media reports tout DWC as being twice the size of Hong Kong Island.

Second phase of DWC sold out to developers by invitation

The second phase of Dubai World Central - the mid-cost residential housing component of this project - sold out last month for a total of 1.6 Billion dollars. In a ‘by invitation’ land sale the 255 plots of land (183 Hectares in all) were bought by a variety of investors from major regional developers, to private individuals. More phases are ahead in the residential and commercial components of this project, which will be under construction for the next decade. Obviously, any time a modern urban development double the size of Hong Kong is being built from scratch, investors need to sit up and take notice.

A development wonder in the desert

The Dubai World Central project is billed as being a new benchmark in urban planning - a completely master-planned “city within a city” that intends to be a built-from-the-ground-up–state-of-the-art city in every respect. Further puncturing western stereotypes about the Middle East, it intends to be a green project, and to set new global standards for integrated and environmentally conscious urban design.
DWC’s Aviation City, a centrepiece of the project aspires to be a one stop shop for all aviation related activities. The project also contemplates a Logistics City designed to ultimately handle 12 million tons of air cargo annually in up to 16 air cargo terminals. DWC bills itself as an intelligent city exploiting state of the art technology aggressively to increase competitiveness and enhance quality of life in both the project’s residential and commercial aspects.
The ancillary Commercial City is planned to be constructed in phases to consist of more than 850 towers, ranging from six to 75 storeys. It is anticipated that the Commercial City will house a variety of businesses drawn by the economic gravity of the development; they are expected to employ about 130,000 people.

Apart from the mentioned two sold out phases of the Residential City, the project contemplates three more phases that will go on the market in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Each phase is to be constructed according to the Master Plan. There is also a Golf City which is billed as “enhancing Dubai’s status as an international golfing destination”.

Cashing in on the opportunity

Considering the size, magnitude and obvious importance of this project I found the information available about it online to be disappointing. DWC obviously presents some exciting investment opportunities, but exactly what opportunities are available for foreign investors and how they should go about pursuing those opportunities isn’t terribly clear from the project’s website.

While interested parties certainly should look ahead to the phases scheduled for the coming three years, more imminent are the property investment opportunities that should be arising soon out of Phase Two, now that the major developers have already been selected.

Technorati Tags: Dubai World Central, Dubai property, Dubai real estate, real estate, real-estate, off plan property, off plan, property investment, real estate investment, overseas property

According to a recent study from the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), the fourth quarter of 2007 revealed favorable conditions for the buy to let industry.

More specifically, Scotland and the North West area in the United Kingdom offered especially pleasing returns on “buy to let” investments.

In fact, the website, LandlordExpert.com, offered the following information on this important buy to let business report from the ARLA:

The North West recorded an average percentage (per annum) of 11.03, while Scotland’s rose to 11.07 per cent. This was particularly significant when compared to figures from across the country, which averaged 10.81 per cent per annum.

Scotland and the North West also topped the poll for gross annual rental yields. While the national average stood at 4.81 per cent, Scotland ARLA reported a figure of 5.23 per cent and 5.29 per cent in the North West.

Of those polled in the ARLA survey, nine out of 10 said they had no intention of selling their properties over the next 17 years, a statement which reflected reports that UK buy to let investors were in it for the long haul.

This information does look good for the UK buy to let industry!

Paragon reveals promising buy-to-let statistics

The Telegraph also recently reported that rents are in fact the highest they have been in seven years - according to a Paragon report.

Specifically, rents rose 2.4 percent between February and March alone, and since last quarter, rents rose an impressive 5.2 percent. Further, yields - rent as a percentage of the value of a property - rose from 6.0 percent three months ago to 6.3 percent.

Real world example - Canterbury

One example of a locale that is currently getting interest from buy to let investors, developers and first time home buyers alike is the Canterbury area in the United Kingdom. Simon Backhouse, from Strutt & Parker - a property consulting firm - recently stated in the Times Online that two bedroom seafront flats are selling for £150,000… or as he says “for peanuts”. In turn, buy to let investors recognize this “deal” and are seriously investing in properties in the Canterbury district.

All in all then, it appears that there may be some good opportunities in the UK buy to let investment sector for business savvy individuals and developers alike.

Technorati Tags: buy-to-let property, buy to let property, UK Property, UK real estate, real estate, real-estate, off plan property, off plan, property investment, real estate investment