The advertising experts call it our tag line; to us it's our mission.

Not just your private residence Property ownership has always been available to the rich. At the beginning of the twentieth century it spread to the middle classes; then the Thatcher years of the 1980s gave working people the opportunity to buy their council houses at a large discount. That takes care of your private residence, but what about investing in a second, third and fourth property with the rent from tenants effectively buying it for you, giving you long term security and capital growth? [more]

No... not abracadabra hocus pocus! But they are so easy to put into effect they might just as well be magic words. They apply to Inheritance Tax.

You've spent your life working hard to earn your money, and paid a ton of tax on it, so why on earth should the government have it when you die? This tax used to be only for the rich, but nowadays it seems they're the only ones NOT paying it! [more]

At its last few monthly meetings, the monetary policy committee (the group of people who set interest rates) has not been unanimous in voting for "no change". Until August, one member has consistently recommended an increase from its 4.5% level then, suddenly, all except one voted to increase rates to 4.75% in August. And I'm sure there's at least one more increase in 2006. [more]

We prepared the newsletter and the web-brochure. The deal had looked great on paper and we trusted the developer, with whom we had previously done good business. We felt the site visit was just a formality: an essential one, but a foregone conclusion nevertheless.

The 15 one-bed flats will form a nice little development; I was intending to buy one for my own portfolio. There are good things happening in the town, both now and well into the future, and the prices represent a good discount off RICS verified values. But when we got there we had to change our mind. [more]

Have you heard of this rule? It's a smart little device used by big-time investors, devotees of compound interest, to calculate the time it takes for your money to double, using different interest rates or growth rates. Though not 100% accurate for short periods of time or high rates of growth, it is good enough for quick "top of the head" estimates where you can use a calculator or even mental arithmetic rather than having to resort to a spreadsheet formula. [more]

Leverage used to be called gearing. Then gearing became a dirty word and the Americans started to call it leverage. Sadly, in US English, "leverage" is a verb as well as a noun, so you get the rather ugly-sounding exhortation to "leverage your deposit to make great percentage returns". It's not good English but you can sort of understand what they're trying to say. [more]

I hope you've enjoyed reading this first edition as much as I've enjoyed writing it. It is, after all, for you.

In the next issue, due in a month's time, we will have one or two important announcements; we'll also bring you an update on SIPPs and comment on any news items affecting you as investors. There will be the regular feature on Market Rates as well as a couple of surprise items.

But since this magazine is for you, I would love to hear about any subjects you would like covered in future editions. They don't have to be strictly about property investment, though it would be nice if they were, but should certainly be the sort of topic which would interest property investors in general. I can't promise to cover them all, unfortunately, but I'll certainly do my best. Just send me an email to marketing@viceroyinvest.co.uk

I regret I am unable to answer any individual questions, but I will certainly try to cover as many topics as possible in future editions.

See you again soon,

Martin Helm
Marketing Director

Viceroy Invest Ltd.
Tel: 0121 609 7095
Fax: 0121 609 7094