Product Description

Investment is not only for experts. Every adult at some point has talked to their friends about owning a second property, but most people never get round to buying any other house than the one they live in for lack of time, deposit and knowledge. But a second income from renting a property can have many advantages:No matter how much or how little you earn, you will always find it hard to keep up with everyday bills, expenses and debts. Wealth generates wealth and you need to make your savings count. Investing in a property to rent can be a solution to your financial problems, enabling you to feel financially secure and free. This book shows you how to generate cashflow with your investment.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #379385 in Books
• Published on: 2002-07-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Review

"A quintessential reference work by a remarkably diligent writer whose appreciation of the enormous personal satisfaction and financial security to be gained through private property investment has served to craft an enthralling read that every prospective or serial landlord will consider to be seminal."

- Peter Parfait, Editor, Property Auction News

 "Timing is crucial, but meaningless if you are not ready to grab the opportunity. This very readable book will help you prepare your thinking in the right direction."

- Ronnie Green, Managing Director - John D Wood & Co. Lettings

"In Buying To Rent, Nick Rampley-Sturgeon shows newcomers and existing buy-to-let investors how to make property a safe and profitable form of investment…this book shows how to build an investment portfolio, one house at a time."

Mortgage Matters Magazine

From the Author
In my work as a Speaker and as an Adviser to small businesses, I am presented every day with stories of business owners who have worked all their lives yet have nothing to sell on or to fund their retirement. The same is true for the salaried staff within many of the companies I consult with. They have a small company pension that is linked primarily to equities in a poor-performing market.

Looking at this, and at our own situation of being small landlords for many years, I began to write down the lessons we have learned and the experiences we have gone through since I first became a landlord more than thirteen years ago. Since then we have become more knowledgable and been better able to look after our tenants while enjoying the benefit of regular cashflow.

The book has deliberately been written to help you go from scratch to your first investment property within a short time of you learning that it is all about research and preparation. The contents help you to understand how to find value in the property you buy and how to attract tenants who will take care of the building.

About the Author

Nick Rampley-Sturgeon became a landlord almost by accident in 1989 when his experience of negative equity encouraged him to take a lodger and then to let out the whole house.  Since then he has bought and held other properties and gained a wealth of knowledge as a landlord during the process.  His work with individual entrepreneurs and family business owners has convinced him of the value and importance to his clients of developing personal financial strategies for investing in residential property.  He is a frequent contributor to magazines and websites.

A professional speaker on his topics of entreprise and entrepreneurship, buying-to-rent strategy, and communication through behaviour, Nick works with businesses and associations to help people recognise and achieve their greatest potential...for a more enterprising life.

Customer Reviews

Out of date... and overly simple.
I was really disappointed by this book for a number of reasons.

Firstly was that it was so out of date! Although it was first published in 2002, it hasn't been updated and the figures have change dramatically in that time.

The book describes buying UK properties for £10k - £20k and receiving rents of £400 - £600 per month.

Since 2002 the average UK property now costs nearly £200k and rents are still under £1000 per month... so the sums simply don't add up like they used to!

Also, the author suggests that it's only worth buying a rental property to generate immediate income. With todays high prices this is not possible unless you have VERY large deposits.

Most property investors will be looking for long-term asset growth, and a monthly income 15 - 25 years down the line (when the mortgage has been paid off).

These facts aside, I still wouldn't rate this book. The writing style is hard work, and there is very little real content.

Plenty other books available on this subject.

Buying to Rent
After reading the other reviews of this book, I decided to buy it, however I am under the impression I must have bought the wrong book.
This book is out of date, the figures in it bear no proximity to reality.
The first few chapters are all about financial budgetting and understanding your own reasons for wanting to enter the market and nothing really to do with actually buying to let.
The remaining chapters are simplistic, with only really one chapter being of any use.
Needless to say I am very disapointed.
I am sure there must be better books on the subject out there.

Good foundations for building your property empire.
This book is a great starter for anyone who is interested in buying properties to rent or those with several properties like myself. It covers all the basics including strategy, reasons why and why not, affording the investment, the buying process, the professionals involved, property management and borrowing. Although well presented, understandable and easy to read with enough information to go ahead and make the 'buy-to-rent' investments happen the real strength of this book is in the building of mental foundations required to take the leap of faith required to be a property investor.

The needs of different people are catered for as the reader is taken through a pathway and encouraged to think about the subject from good first principles. It reviews some of the mental aspects required such as how the reader treats money, their spending habits, and their prior role models around money. It also addresses how to get started if you have little money.

Describing how 'buy-to-rent' can be a viable alternative to a pension plan and shining light on 'buy-to-rent' as an escape route into the state of financial freedom, where one is not reliant on a job to pay bills. The book warns the reader not to become another 'buy-to-rent' trend victim and grounds in the fact that 'buy-to-rent' investments are mainly for the long term. It advocates a realistic and well-planned strategy encouraging the reader to plan before doing. It illustrates how a portfolio can be built.

Highly recommended, a great book for someone who is new to 'buy to rent' property investing and a good book for those that have a few 'buy to rent' investments and are near to or have just achieved financial freedom like myself.