How do you like to spend your Sunday afternoons?

How do you like to spend your Sunday afternoons? Take a nap or walk the dog? Serious brunching or more serious biking? Window shopping or online browsing?

We recently were driving on a Sunday afternoon and saw a sign for an open house so we stopped to have a look around, as we weren’t in much of a hurry to get to where we were going. We spent maybe half an hour walking around this place purely for our entertainment. When we got back on the road, we noticed more and more of these open house signs and we wondered if we had stopped too early and if we had chosen the most interesting house to judge.

This is the thing about Sunday afternoons. I think even people who have to work have a different attitude about Sunday than about any other day of the week. It’s a day to be relaxed and refreshed, exercised and entertained. Of course this concept does not carry through to Israel where we lived recently. There, Shabbat is over on Saturday evening and everyone is back to work and school on a Sunday morning, the equivalent of Monday in the rest of the world.

Another thing Sunday afternoons are great for is big ideas. You’ve had a great weekend but now you start thinking about your routine starting up again the next day. You’re one of the lucky ones if this gets you more excited than disappointed. So maybe you have a dream to do something different – travel, set up your own business, start a movement, or buy a dilapidated property to renovate. This could be why Sunday is the busiest day for propertyunder20k.com: a combination of time off and escapism. We aim to cater to all these Sunday afternoon dreams.

Real estate boom: How small investors can benefit

One word: Crowdinvesting.

Crowdinvesting already allows small amounts to be invested in the lucrative real estate market.

The Austrian and German property market for example is very popular with investors because all big cities are growing steadily.

That’s due to the fact that more and more people are moving to big cities. In Vienna as an example, it is estimated that in 2029, more than two million inhabitants will live there. However, this is associated with major logistical challenges, most important of all: new housing is needed urgently.

This has triggered a real estate boom in the Austrian capital in recent years. The only problem with this was that without a large sum of money in your hands, participation in this lucrative market was impossible.

Now, however, small investors also have the opportunity to earn money from the real estate boom through crowdinvesting.

The idea behind it: The necessary amount for a housing project is not raised by a single large investor. Rather many investors provide the capital through smaller amounts. In return, the small investors receive high returns.

In order to keep track as an investor, several websites provide a good overview and this as a good source for developments and trends, including for the real estate market. The crowdfunding platforms provide clues and ideas for future investment decisions without spending much time on research and analysis.

This could be interesting for those who want to invest in this market for the first time and have not yet had the overview or the necessary capital.

Passive income through crowdinvesting

Crowdinvesting means that smaller investments in the real estate market can also be made. With some Austrian and German platforms one can already invest  small amounts of 100 to 1000 euro.

Here are 2 examples:

Austia – www.rendity.com
Germany – www.exporo.de

In Austria there is no limit for individual investments and in Germany, you can invest up to € 10,000 in a project according to law.
What sounds very simple in theory is not child’s play in practice. The Internet offers a sheer infinite choice of possible investment platforms.

Only a few mouse clicks to the first investment

Once you find an exciting project, it usually only takes a few mouse clicks to complete the investment.

Even though initially only little capital is available, this increases rapidly due to the compounding effect, so you can save a decent amount in just a few years. Also, due to the short maturities, the money still remains available at short notice.

Include total failure of a project

Most crowdinvesting investment properties have a short maturity and carry an annual payout.

At the same time, however, it must also be clear that in the worst case, a total failure of a project can occur. You lost your investment. To avoid this it pays to scatter, so to invest in several objects at the same time.

However, crowdfunding platforms seek to minimize investor risk when complying with the Small Investor Protection Act or Alternative Financing Act (“AltFG”).

Still wanting to prefer to invest in your very own project? Why not start with a small project abroad? Here you can find properties for less than 20,000 EUR: www.propertyunder20k.com

How to register my short-term Spanish property let?

This is a follow-up to our last article which examined the new requirements for short-term holiday lets in Spain.

In brief there are new regulations coming into place in Spain. This requires properties being let for less than 2-month period to be registered with the authorities. Here we will briefly discuss the process for register the property:

The first thing to note is that, in typical Spanish fashion, it is not the same for the whole country. Regional differences apply. Already each region have different laws and guidelines regarding tourist rentals. Check what laws are specific to your region.

Continue reading How to register my short-term Spanish property let?

If you let short-term Spanish properties then it’s time to register for taxes

In an effort to raise taxes (and apparently the quality of short-terms lets) the Spanish authorities are now going to begin inspecting unlicensed short-term rental properties.

This applies to Spanish properties that are let out for a period of less than two consecutive months. It does not apply to longer-term rentals.

It has all the appearances of a simple revenue-raising venture. But the authorities are also attempting to improve the quality of rentals. This means inspections will begin; likely in the upcoming busy summer season. As is expected the inspections will be unannounced. Continue reading If you let short-term Spanish properties then it’s time to register for taxes

New Website Release: Ready to take off!

Our new and improved website is going online tonight (15.05.2018)!

We are excited to announce the release of our new and improved property website.

Therefore, if you’re a regular visitor to our website, you will notice not only that it looks better, but new features will be there as well. Continue reading New Website Release: Ready to take off!

Buying a property in a different currency – when to make the jump!

A good friend of mine recently bought a property in the US. He lives in Ireland and the property was as an investment. The property value was $360,000 US Dollars. He began the process of buying the property in question 6 months ago. At this time it was expected to cost him €310,000. This was based on the currency exchange rates at that time.

He closed the property 2 weeks ago (it took very long to complete the transaction due to it being a foreclosure property) and the actual cost was €288,000; a saving of €22,000 based on the exchange rate movement.

Whilst this worked out strongly in his favour I can’t help feel someone from the US who was buying a property in Europe and ended up paying far more than initially expected. It raises an interesting question though. Continue reading Buying a property in a different currency – when to make the jump!

Property prices react badly to wars – even a trade war

The big world news story at the moment appears to be regarding a trade war that has broken out between the US and China (although it could be argued that it is between the US and the rest of the world). Of course such a war will have an effect on many key elements of each world’s economy.

Being who we are, let’s talk about how it might affect property prices.

Generally speaking property growth relies on a stable local and world economy.

Continue reading Property prices react badly to wars – even a trade war

JLL ‘City Momentum Index’ expects short-term growth in Indian cities

The index ranks based on urban economies and real estate markets. As well as indexes in order of those experiencing the most rapid growth.

Indian cities dominate the ‘short term momentum ranking’ in JLL’s latest annual global report ‘City Momentum Index’ (CMI) 2018. Hyderabad and Bangalore are occupying the top two positions. Pune ranks at fourth.

It is followed by Kolkata (5th) and Delhi (8th) in the top 10 cities out of the 30 top global short-term growth cities. Continue reading JLL ‘City Momentum Index’ expects short-term growth in Indian cities

The ‘Buy to Let’ Mortgage makes it comeback to Ireland

During the recession the term ‘Buy to Let’ mortgage was almost comparable to using an expletive such was the disgust of many to the contribution such mortgages made to the property crash. But they are making a comeback.

ICS Mortgages is offering its customers an interest free mortgage for up to 15 years.

Politicians were first to jump in with their concerns. Fianna Fáil finance spokesperson Michael McGrath said “Some might say that a ‘Buy to Let’ mortgage is being offered to landlords for investment purposes. But because of full recourse lending here, these loans could result in judgments against individuals and will be registered against family homes. Continue reading The ‘Buy to Let’ Mortgage makes it comeback to Ireland

Update on the Brexit effect on UK House prices

A prounced Brexit effect on UK house prices was unclear up to now but recently  released figures indicate we are now seeing a trend. It appears that the very wealthy areas of London are seeing strong downward pressure on prices.

One report indicates the areas such as Balham and Putney are seeing a fall in prices of 12-14% with others reporting falls of greater than 15%. London city centre areas were at the centre of the UK property boom. Many felt a correction may have been needed here.

In any case other areas of the UK are not seeing the same pattern.

Continue reading Update on the Brexit effect on UK House prices