Financial Freedom For Doctors

Property Investing helping the Homeless

My buddies at The Moneygym have organised a great property day on 21st march, to help us all to keep up with the changing face of property investment while supporting the homeless. They are hoping to donate £4500 (the total ticket sales) to The Big Issue.

My Wealth and business Coach, Judith Morgan, is an accountant (ex-) with a mission - to help as many people as possible find financial freedom by breaking out of tradditional and now out of date methods of living/ investing. I love her to bits!

The methods they are discussing on 21st are varied, including Rent to Own, Homes under th Hammer expert Martin Roberts, and investing in the Caribbean with Harlequin.

Take a look at judith's blog here:

http://judithmorgan.com/2009/03/11/money-gym-property-investors-hope-to-raise-4500-for-the-big-issue

& more info here:

http://viralurl.com/HolisticDoctor/MoneyGym/ - just click on live events!

Take care, and if you go - see you there!

KR
Alison

Dr Alison Grimston

Owner - Occupiers - a changing trend in property ownership

The current climate of renting versus owning property is in a huge state of flux at present.

Savills have sent out a great assessment of the current reduction in owner-occupation levels. Do contact them if you would like to be Emailed a PDF copy of the report.

This is great for buy to let property investors, as it will mean increased people wishing to rent. however, at the same time there will be more properties on the rental market.

Their key findings are:

	Although most households are still owner-occupiers, the number of them has actually been falling in recent years. They were 71% of all households in 2003 but 68% in 2008.
	The main reason behind this move away from owner-occupation was an increase in private sector renting at the expense of owner occupiers buying with a mortgage. They expect the rates of owner-occupation will continue to fall before stabilising at lower levels within the decade.
	Only 37% of all households are buying with a mortgage which means that 46% of owner occupied households own outright, with no mortgage. Owner-occupation is increasingly dominated by those with equity in their property rather than borrowing.
	The private rented sector has been expanding at an unprecedented rate since 1988, growing by an average annual rate of 3% per annum. By 2008, 14% of all English homes were privately rented (compared with 7% in 1989).

The property sector is ever changing, as with all investment sectors, but over time it will recover. Getting into property remains a high priority for me, and now is a perfect time to invest. Just waiting for my equity to be released to invest in another!

More news soon!

KR
Alison

Dr Alison Grimston

Financial Freedom for Doctors Ltd is UK & Wales registered Company.

Registered Office: Wellingham Vane, Wellingham Lane, Ringmer, Lewes, East Sussex BN8 5SN

Company Reg N°: 6470674

 

True Health starts from Within

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Dr Alison Grimston is a holistic doctor who works with complementary therapies and nutritional supplements. She only recommends the best, pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements, such as those on www.holisticdoctor.usana.com.

Disclaimer

The content, projections, figures and indications contained in this website are based on opinion and cannot be relied upon when making investment decisions. As with any investment, property values can fall as well as rise.

Financial Freedom for Doctors Ltd gives this information as a guide only and this can not be considered as financial advice in any way. Please refer to your independent financial advisor who is qualified to give you complete advice based on your circumstances. The author, Dr Alison Grimston, is not qualified to give mortgage, legal or financial advice.

Please seek legal and financial advice from a qualified advisor before making commitments. Neither the author nor ‘Financial Freedom for Doctors Ltd’ accept liability for decisions made based on the content of this document.

 

Blog: www.alisongrimston.co.uk

 

Pet Website: www.thenaturallyhealthypet.com

 

Usana Website: www.holisticdoctor.usana.com

 

Ebooks www.holisticdoctoronline.com

 
  

Subprime Crisis

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the temporary lapse in blogging- I have been busy working on my internet marketing & fre*edom site.

But thanks to my sister who put this my way - watch this great Youtube video for a laugh...

A new take on the credit crunch and the subprime mortgage crisis.

Have fun,

KR
Alison

PS More about the internet marketing soon!

Financial Freedom for Doctors can help you to work out how soon you can be financially free, enabling you to work part time, take better holidays or plan for an earlier retirement. Find financial freedom through property investment, the stock market and the internet.

Wealth through property!

Looking forward to a great talk tomorrow evening!

Wouldn't we all like financial fre*edom, even if it is to release more time to do good in the world?

Life has been so hectic recently that it made a change to make it to my healing group last night.  Unusually I gave but did not receive healing, but no matter, as connecting to the energy helps our own....

I gave and received great healing hugs from my patients today, too - but as ever in NHS general practice it was rushed.

I had my eyes opened in February 2007 when I attended a talk on property investment.  I had never had any aspirations to be a property investor - no way, no interest whatsoever. But when the figures are set out for you, they don't half talk! I now know I will be financially fr*ee in 5 years time - to do more of the things I love, like healing and hugging. People in the know can always find below market value properties, and deals are good now - always a long term investment of course.

So when the opportunity arose for the same property investor to give a teleseminar for me, I jumped at the chance...

If you want to:

Invest in property for great returns

Set yourself and your loved ones up for life

Not put the time and groundwork into sourcing your own below market value properties

Delegate to others the job of being first on the phone when the pipes are leaking at 2 am at your rental property

then you MUST be there tomorrow!

 

Sign up on our sign up box on the home page, and I will send you the link to the fre*e teleseminar, which you can listen to on the web or by telephone. Don't forget click the link on the folow up Email that you receive, as by (US) law I can't Email you unless you do!

8pm (British Summer Time) tomorrow (Wednesday 16th July) is the time - hope to speak to you there!

KR

Alison

Buy to Let Teleseminar!

Hi there!

The teleseminar on Thursday was interesting.

Mark Homer came up with the goods, 20 minutes discussing buy to lets, focussing on reasons why now is a good time to invest.

The long term growth of property is approximately 10% per annum, although most people use a conservative 8.5% when estimating future gains/ losses. Currently it is easier than usual to source below market value property deals, as motivated sellers (those who need to sell rather than wait for the market to recover, which it inevitably will) are getting more edgy. 

Mortgages are available, although on less good terms, which makes it even more important to source good BMV deals, as a lot of the gains in property are made in the inital deal.

There are currently fewer investors trying to buy, which may mean less competition for the good deals, but also may mean that some investors are put off by the current climate.

Mark does not seem to have had any problem with rentals at the moment, with rents rising faster than usual (usual rate 5% per annum, currently increasing at 10% pa), although we have to question whether this is sustainable when the cost of living is increasing so rapidly with the oil prices.

The next teleseminar is on 18th June when Marcus de Maria will be talking on an introduction to stocks and shares.

See the teleseminar page for details!

http://www.financialfreedomfordoctors.com/teleseminars.html

Regards,

Alison

Financial Freedom for Doctors can help you to work out how soon you can be financially free, enabling you to work part time, take better holidays or plan for an earlier retirement. Find financial freedom through property investment, the stock market and the internet.

Property Investing DVD set

Hi there!

Just a quick post to say that my friends Andy Shaw and Greg Ballard have now produced a fantastic DVD set to take you through the steps of property investment.

This is an amazing opportunity to find out how to do it yourself, if you do not want to let them do all the work for you.

If you are *serious* about wanting to create wealth in your life, just take a look at this page. Soon.

Andy & Greg are multimillionaires, and they have created this product to help others follow in their footsteps. It is amazing how rapidly they came to be owning £300 million worth of property. They are helping me with mine, too.

If you are interested then I very strongly suggest you stop what you are doing right now and visit this page.

(Visit it NOW because it just went live, and may not be online much longer... you'll understand why when you click on the link now).

Regards,

Alison

Financial Freedom for Doctors can help you to work out how soon you can be financially free, enabling you to work part time, take better holidays or plan for an earlier retirement. Find financial freedom through property investment, the stock market and the internet.

Fr*ee Video on Buy to Let Property Investment

Hi there, soon to be free doctors!

You may remember that I have invested in buy to let property?

The idea is that you buy one per year for five years, and then keep refinancing them, one per year, to release the equity.

While it is natural to be a bit wary of the mortgage situation right now, the 2 UK multi-millionaires - Andy Shaw and Greg Ballard, (who are the guys who are buying my buy to lets in the South East) have produced a 10 step to property investing DVD series.

As an introduction to that, and to remind us why now is actually THE BEST time to be investing in property (where previously we would try to pay 15% below market value, now it is possible to get way lower!), they are giving away their biggest wealth secret in a free video (which you can view online instantly).

This video is creating some very serious feedback, like this:

"This extraordinary video could be worth literally hundreds of thousands of pounds to anyone who watches it..." Robert Barrett - Success & Wealth Publications, April 12, 2008

I very strongly recommend you take a look at the video (better do it quick in case they decide to remove it) and see the reason *WHY* they are sharing this incredible information...

...I'll give you a clue: it has to do with a very ill 6 year old girl who has been "abandoned" by the government

I've watched the video myself, and can safely say that right now in these days of the economic crash and credit crunch, this video is truly amazing.

I have never seen wealth creation explained so easily, and appear so achievable for ANYONE.

Here's the link, take a look yourself: Click Here

10 Tips for investing in property - en route to financial fr*eedom!

In thinking how to blog for the financial freedom for doctors site today, I thought an introduction to property investment may strike a chord. Don't forget that you always have the option of investing passively through Progressive Property...(Please excuse the aggressive marketing - it works for lesser mortals but not for us analysis paralysis freaks, but believe me, the product is worth it...)

Anyway, here are some tasters...

1. Don't read the papers!

You know how honest and truthful the  media is in portraying GPs and the NHS! Why believe their assessment of the property market?

Newspapers are in one business - the business of selling papers. Television media are there to increase viewing figures. If there was no bad news, papers wouldn't sell and folks wouldn't bother to watch the news so often - I know that I was glued to the television after the events of 9/11 and during the foot and mouth crisis! Don't believe everything they tell you! There are other ways to perform your due diligence!

2. Take one step.

You can procrastinate all you like - meanwhile, other peoples' property will have appreciated in value! Professionals like us are particularly subject to "analysis paralysis" - we have been taught to analyse every scrap of evidence that we can get our hands on. It has been drummed into us. To take any step without doing so goes against the grain - it feels wrong, and risky. But analysis paralysis doesn't make you rich...and risk aversion won't make you into a millionaire (don't forget, you're nearly there - in dollars a million is only £700,000 - how much is YOUR house worth?)

3. Get to know an area well.

If you are thinking of buying into property (unless you plan to do so passively...) - get to know your chosen area really, really well. Jog, cycle or walk the dog in the area every day. Get to know one square mile infinitely. Know which properties came up for sale and how much they make. Know how much local rental is. Spot the planners applications. Notice any scaffolding. Know it well so that you spot before anyone else when something is below market value (BMV) as this is the fundamental step to making money from property.

4. Talk to letting agents.

Go into the letting agents in your chosen area. Ask them the question - "If I were to offer you a property that you could let out right now, what would it be?" Find out what is letting locally. Find out market rents, and any local trends. Get them on your side, part of your network, quickly.

5. Establish a network.

Get to know property investors, mortgage brokers, estate agents, letting agents locally. Establish a wealth network. Networking is how you get (and give) good deals.  Enjoy talking to them!

6. Look out for BMV (below market value) deals.

Some people who may be looking to sell at below market values include:

Banks after repossession
Householders before repossession
Families after bereavement
The elderly when they are planning to go into care or warden controlled accommodation
Couples going through relationship breakups.

If you can offer people a quick sale with no housing ladder, you will be doing them a service. Help them (and yourself) out.

7. Rid yourself of negative beliefs around money.

This was a tricky one for me! I grew up with the traditional Christian ethos that money is bad and we don't want to be rich. Working my way through the 101 financial tips and Nicola Cairncross's book has helped me no end. All the while that you feel that you don't deserve to have money (and in my experience we females are more prone to this than the guys) you will do something, usually subconsciously, to prevent you from doing so.  I will be focussing on this in a future blog post!

8. Put the rent up every year.

Be business-like about this. If you aren't pro-active on this count, you will be losing money. Put it up by a small amount, enough to keep you in business, and you won't go far wrong. Sure, there is a problem if rents all around you are actually falling, and you need to keep an eye on the market, but don't forget how much it costs nowadays to move house!

9. Respond promptly to queries.

If you have made an effort to trace BMV deals, you must follow up every lead. Work to establish yourself as a reliable individual, who the agencies can rely on. As a landlord, respond to information about problems - or ensure that your agent, if you use one, does so. Work to keep your tenants - they are important to you.

10. If you are doing up your own buy to let property, don't do it up to your own standards.

Don't choose that luxury and very expensive bathroom that you have always wanted - you need reliable but inexpensive fixtures and fittings in your B2L property. Don't forget that few tenants look after property as well as if they owned it, and you may well be replacing it more frequently than you would in your own home.

I hope that this is a useful taster for all you budding property investors -  food for thought for starters!

KR
Alison

Investing in the States!

Well, I've taken the plunge!

Having invested in UK property, with my first buy to let just completed and being done up to boost the rental and re-mortgage value, I have turned my mind to the exciting opportunities abroad.

I was present when Ayshe Kadir gave a group of 20 moneygym members a talk on Investing in Property in the United States. It was mind-blowing.  In fact, as we all agreed afterwards, a "no-brainer".

Investing in America offers several advantages at present.

While property prices have gone down in the UK, those in America are ahead of us due to the sub-prime foreclosures. Although they may not be completely at the bottom of the cycle (who knows?) they are likely to be nearer to it than in the UK.

Ayshe kindly explained all about the events leading up to the current credit crunch in the US.  Basically house buyers were offered a very low (unrealistic) introductory mortgage rate, to be hiked up to market rates after 2-3 years, but were assessed for mortgage repayments at the lower rate. Consequently many of them are now unable to keep up repayments. Thi does sound familiar, doesn't it?

This is leading to multiple houses being repossessed ("foreclosure" in the States). In fact, it is estimated that 1 in 20 US homes are being repossessed.

Opportunities abound in the US for buying property at record low prices.

There are three particularly good ways to make money out of property in the US at present. These are:

Tax Liens
Tax Deeds
Pre-Foreclosure

Tax-liens occur if a householder is "delinquent" - in arrears with his/ her property tax (council tax, if you like). If they do not pay the due amount by the 1st May, the court places a lien (legal charge) against the property, disabling your ability to refinance or sell it. At the time of going to court there is a penalty attached, which varies according to the state concerned.  The tax lien certificates are sold to investors. The lien holder (investor) then takes the interest on the tax and the investment, giving a ROI of 8-80% depending on which state you are in.  The redemption period (the time span for the property owner to pay the tax) can be up to 3 years, so it is not a quick turn around investment. Most property owners pay up at some time in that 3 years.

If you have some money to invest in the medium term, this is a reliable focus as it it guaranteed by the state.

In some states Tax deeds exist rather than tax liens. In these, the county will sell the house if the property owner does not keep up with taxes. The quirk here is - the property is sold for the value of the tax owed, not that of the property - here you can buy houses worth $200,000 for $10,000.

Pre-foreclosure purchases occur "on the court-room steps" or in the weeks leading up to a court hearing. Property owners would far rather get a good price for their houses than  they will get in court. It is possible to help people out here by buying during this time.

The way to make money in property, whether at home or abroad, is to buy "below market value". This may mean buying poor-looking houses & doing them up, or finding "motivated sellers". With pre-foreclosure deals we have access to 90 motivated sellers per day in one state alone!

Of course, there is far more to investing in the states than this, and in all cases due diligence is needed.

So I've signed up with Ayshe, and we wait to see what evolves - at the moment it is forms to fill in, companies to create, & notaries to meet up with...

Enjoy life - I am !

Alison

Financial Freedom for Doctors can help you to work out how soon you can be financially free, enabling you to work part time, take better holidays or plan for an earlier retirement. Find financial freedom through property investment, the stock market and the internet.

Property Woman of the Year Awards

Last weekend's Mail on Sunday had a summary of the finalists of the Property Woman of the Year Awards for the first year that it has been run. It was amazing how negative the journalist reporting the piece was - it would appear that he hadn't cottoned on to the fact that these women were making a success of property, like so many others.

I wonder when I'll be on the shortlist!

Here is a summary concocted by my friend and property/ business coach, Judith Morgan...

NORTH – Helen Currie – Profit £359,000

Helen, aged 43, former police inspector, left job due to depression – has 8 properties worth £1.065m compared to purchase price of £706k.

SOUTH EAST – Hasmita Reardon – from homeless immigrant to 75 properties – Profit £2.9 million

Owns 75 houses and flats in Sittingbourne, Kent.   Over the last 10 years, Hasmita, aged 44, has housed the homeless and single mothers whom nobody else wants.   Her husband wasn’t keen but her portfolio is now worth £8.4m at a cost of £5.5m – last week she bought 5 properties.   Husband Steve has now given up his day job laying driveways.   (Judith: You don’t say!)

LONDON – Sylvana Young – “I bought 650 flats in a month – turnover £50m

Last October, Sylvana bought all 644 apartments in two of Europe’s biggest residential towers now being built in Canary Wharf in London’s Docklands.   Sylvana, aged 36, now personally owns 20 flats and houses in London worth £8m.   Her personal portfolio has generated profits of £3m and she has bought 1700 flats for clients. 

SOUTH WEST – Fiona Macaskill – Profit £3.4m

Operates in a small niche, providing the very best accommodation to students in the Fishponds area of Bristol.   Buys three or four houses a year, and likes to fully refurbish Victorian terrace houses and convent them from 3-bed family homes to six-bed student houses with 4 en suites.   Fiona has amassed a portfolio of 35 houses worth a total of just under £8m compared to a purchase price of £4.6m.   AFTER ALL HER MORTGAGES ARE PAID, SHE IS LEFT WITH A MONTHLY INCOME OF £15,000.   

MIDLANDS – Sue Wordsworth – Profit £162,000

Sue, 47, has no ambition to give up her day jobs as a military aerospace engineer and regards property investment as a hobby.     Loves it when her potential tenants come to view her properties and say “wow, this is lovely” (Judith – me too, I LOVE that).   Five properties worth £395k compared to purchase price of £233k.

WALES – Sandra Cook – Profit £30,000

Sandra, 50 bought her first property last June from a friend who was having trouble selling his one-bedroom flat.   She now owns three within 300 yards of her own home in Cwmbran, Gwent.   Sandra specialises in accommodation for divorced and single people locally and says “as soon as there is enough equity in my properties, I will re-mortgage and buy more”.   One of the properties is a rent-back, i.e the person who sold it to Sandra rents it back from her.

YORKSHIRE – Teresa Galley – Profit £454k

As a young single mother working in London in 2001, Teresa could only afford to buy a run-down flat in Ilford, Essex, and do it up herself.   “Money was tight and I learnt how to tile a bathroom from a B & Q fact sheet” says Teresa, 44.   She doubled her money and bought a house in Leytonstone. She realised she had a knack for this and decided in 2004 to re-mortgage the house and get into BTL in her native Doncaster. She bought 4 tenanted flats and a house she converted into five flats. She paid £124.5k for it and spent £42k on it and it was then valued at £325k. Teresa gave up her job in 2006 to set up a property company. Today she owns 15 houses and flats which cost her £816k and are now worth £1.27m.

SCOTLAND – Jacqueline Welsh – Profit £750k

“I wanted buy-to-lets, my husband didn’t. We split.”   Jacqueline aged 45, started this in 2001. Today she owns 18 properties which cost her £1.5m but have risen in value by £750k. She now manages her own property portfolio and runs a letting agency with more than 100 houses and flats on its books.   “When my husband left I thought I’d never be able to retire, but now I plan to stop work at 50”.   (Judith: Oh look, she got a second business out of it too!)

Inspirational food for thought, eh?

My first buy to let completed last week.....Onwards & upwards!

Alison

Financial Freedom for Doctors can help you to work out how soon you can be financially free, enabling you to work part time, take better holidays or plan for an earlier retirement. Find financial freedom through property investment, the stock market and the internet.