Introducing a fantastic new service for property investors

We are excited to be able to tell you about our new service for property investors.

Crown Property Investments provides property investors with a one stop online portal where they can access all the advice, support, ideas, products and services required to build and maintain a profitable property portfolio. As a resource for Property Investment we have found no better site on the internet.

Crown’s core service is sourcing high quality investment property for our customers. We find and negotiate discounted deals, on properties throughout the UK and overseas, that offer great yields and excellent prospects for capital growth.

However, at Crown our service doesn’t stop there. We work hard to find you the very best resources to support you in achieving your property investment goals.

We’d love you to join our community by signing up to receive our newsletter. You can do this by entering your details in the box to the left hand side of the home page. We’re sure you’ll also enjoy reading our analysis of the property market in our regularly updated blog.

We’re fully committed to delivering a fantastic service to our customers and, as a result, updates from here will now be less frequent. So please do come and join us over at Crown. Be sure to check out the fantastic Property Investment Blog at Crown Property Investments which is update almost daily with incisive analysis of the lateast issues facing the property investment community.

Off Plan Property



When a property is bought before the completion of its building area, it is known as an off plan property. The term “off plan property” is used because the property is bought only by looking at its structural drawings and the plans.

The trend of buying off plan properties has become popular over the years. The prime reason behind this is that the purchase generally involves hassle free procedures. As they are newly built, investors are sure that their maintenance requirement will be minimal. UK property investors see off plan property as a potential lucrative part of the property market.

In fact, investors are benefiting by buying off plan properties over the years. Important points to consider are;

1) Certainly there are advantages as well as disadvantages of buying off plan properties. The first and the foremost of the advantages is that one can secure a property worth a good fortune with very little investment. Sometimes the layout may be just a few hundred pounds. It is one of the best ways to make use of every penny that one has saved over the years.

2) By buying off plan property one can purchase a property that can have great potential in the future at today’s property prices. You can take the advantage of the capital growth potential if you are careful about the forward pricing. The property can even be sold before its completion for a profit making thousands of pounds.

3) Another advantage of buying an off plan property is that you can make changes in it that meet your own requirements. Though the amounts of changes that can be made depend on the development and the developer, it surely makes the property different from the others in the same development.

4) Before buying an off plan property one should also be aware of its disadvantages as well. As the prices of properties tend to fluctuate the prices of the property may go down.

5) One should also be aware of the fact that the new builds are often overpriced. There are very few real comparisons to ascertain the real price to the property. The mortgage may not be the worth it is believed to be.

6) It is extremely important to make sure that the developer you are dealing with is reputable and financially sound. The most important of all is to make sure there are plenty of owner / occupiers in the development. Otherwise buying in a development where everyone wants to sell or rent out the property saturates the situation that may lead to a status quo. The only way out of this quagmire is to lower the asking price or the rental price, which is a potential loss.

7) There are number of ads on the radio saying that how people who bought off plan property and now are owner of a property, which is worth a million pounds. Be careful, the companies offer 15-20% discount because they get special discount from the developers for bulk purchase. If all the properties in a development are completed at the same time, the buyer can pick and choose and you have to compete with the others to get through the situation. Even if you try to rent the property, which is identical to the other properties, the rent goes notoriously low.

Good research is needed before buying an off plan property. Don’t skip this step!



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Off Plan Property

Investing in Off Plan Overseas Property Abroad



An off-plan property signifies the buying of a property that is not yet complete. The construction may be at any stage – even at the pre-licensing stage, if you are buying a property that has not yet fully completed in all regards, then it is said to be an off plan property. The demand for pre-construction overseas property, or off-plan property, has seen a steady rise over the past decade as more investors turn to the overseas property market for bigger capital growths. On the face of it, investing in property abroad seems a good proposition, but it’s always advisable to acquaint yourself, as far as possible, about the pros and cons of an unfinished property.

Advantages Of Investing In Off Plan Property Abroad

An off-plan property investment abroad entails a whole lot of advantages to the investor. Some of these include -

The foremost advantage is the price factor. You can avail strikingly lower prices for the undeveloped property. The builders offer these discounts because they need to raise immediate capital for construction purposes. Moreover, it’s always the endeavour of a builder to sell the property during construction to offset any probability of failure to gain from selling it in future. Another reason for builders to offer off-plan property at discounted rates is to obtain better interest rates on their development loans from banks and investors. The price obviously has to be on a lower side for an unfinished construction as the builders have hardly anything to show except for a floor plan and an artist’s impressions of the finished development.

Moreover, even this discounted price is not paid immediately. Normally, the builders ask for 20%-30% deposit at the time of the Sale Agreement, and the balance normally becomes payable on completion of the property. You can easily finance the balance on a 70% mortgage in most countries.

Investment in an off-plan property overseas will, most certainly and drastically, mitigate your capital gains tax liability.

If all the payments you make to a builder are covered by a bank guarantee, it means that anything paid is returned to you should the builder defaults. So, your investment is largely secured by a bank guarantee.

An off-plan property investment gives you a chance to supervise your returns on the property during the construction period as well, which is generally 1-3 years. This way you can realize the profit during the construction period as well, should you require immediate money. This benefit is particularly significant if one considers the small amount invested in the form of deposit at the time of Agreement.

The overseas property should be alluring enough to invest. In other words, the builder must, at least, promise to employ state-of-the-art construction materials and install modern gadgetry to make the finished product an exciting proposition to reap maximum rewards, if resold. Some builders also allow the investor to choose the fixtures and fittings to be installed during the construction.

Disadvantages Of Investing In Off Plan Property Abroad

Though off-plan property investment abroad may seem quite a cheap proposition, it has some pitfalls too. Here are some of the disadvantages you might face in an off-plan investment -

The apparent negative feature of off-plan property investment is the chances of the developer disappearing or going bust. Therefore, it’s extremely vital that you do your homework and research thoroughly the credentials of the developer. If the developer is a well known entity in that particular region, chances are that the deal will be good, but if he is a new entrant in the business, you must be extra vigilant in ensuring that your money won’t go down the drain.

Another risk you will be undertaking by investing in off-plan property is its possible sudden fall in value within the real estate sector. You can never predict the tilt of market forces, and can incur losses if the demand for that kind of property has hit a low during construction.

There is a wide gulf between the projected and the actual product. The overseas builder can easily take you for a ride if he uses inferior or different materials during construction than promised. However, if the developer has a good reputation, chances are that such cheap tricks won’t see the light of the day.

If you are planning to move into your newly acquired possession, then ensure you are flexible with your moving dates. You can never be sure about the precise date by which the construction will be completed. There may be any number of hurdles in the construction process, and during this period, you just cannot pack your bags and hop in your dream home or apartment.

Legally speaking, you are not the actual owner of the off-plan property until it is completed. So, you don’t enjoy all the rights against the property as enjoyed by an owner. Without ownership, the banks may not lend against the property, and therefore, any money required before completion may have to be raised from personal resources. However, these cases are few and far between, most banks will lend the remaining monies in the form of a mortgage secured on the finnished product.

After getting yourself acquainted with the ins and outs of off plan property investment, it’s time to make a decision on investment. If you’ve decided to invest in an off-plan overseas property in Europe, then check out our off plan developments in Spain, Bulgaria, Turkey, Portugal, and Italy. Visit our Off Plan Developments page for a full list of current off plan properties for sale abroad.



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Investing in Off Plan Overseas Property Abroad

Foreign Ownership Rule for Land and Property in Thailand



Purchasing a land or property in Thailand is regarded as a great option for investment as well as for residence and retirement purposes. Due to its infancy and strong potential for a profitable future, Thai land and property is becoming popular and attract all categories of property buyers.

Further, since the tourism sector in the country has grown from an established position into an even more productive economy, Thailand, acknowledged as ‘the Spain of the East’ provides superb opportunities for property investment. Above all, Thailand boasts of some excellent land or property development and that too for astonishingly cheap prices.

No wonder why many expats including Americans and Europeans invest in Thai property such as villas, condos, and other housing options. But, investing in a Thai property is based on your requirements, location ie whether near supermarket or beach, and lifestyle, ie, whether you prefer a Thai or a mixed neighborhood.

For retired foreigners seeking tranquility and solace, a best option would be to invest in property located in destinations like Koh Samui, Chiang Mai, and Phuket. If you want to have an easy accessibility to almost all facilities, then it would be better to invest in cities including Bangkok, al though prices would be exceptionally high compared to other parts of the country.

However, certain restrictions have been imposed on foreign investors in order to own a land or property in the country. In other words, the property law in Thailand does not allow foreigners or non Thais to have a freehold land in the country. But, there are certain exceptions in the law with regard to this issue. Al though a foreigner cannot purchase land or property in his own name, he has been given some alternatives to acquire a property in Thailand according to the Section 86 of the Thai Land Law, which are as follows:

Buying a property through Thai spouse – Thai property law allows a foreigner with a Thai spouse to invest in a property or land in the country. But, the land or property must be registered under the name of the Thai. It is also important for the foreigner to specify that the funds used for the purchase of a property are of a Thai spouse. However, this option may sometimes become a problem in a divorce case, since a foreigner may find difficult to prove that it was a marital property.

Buying a property in the name of a Thai company – As per the property law, a non Thai can own a property in Thailand through a Thai company, provided 51% of the company’s share is Thai and 49% is foreign.

Buying a property through Investment (BOI) – A foreigner can acquire a limited amount of land or property with considerable investment of fund. Under the Thai Property Law, a non Thai citizen investing 40 million baht for not less than five years can purchase up to 1500 square meters of land and that too for only residential property. But, a prior permission should be obtained from the Ministry of Interiors. Likewise, this option cannot be availed by foreigners who are looking to invest in his second house or retirement homes.

Structure Ownership – In this case, a foreigner may be granted a Right of Superficies by a Thai spouse or a Thai company. This in turn provides foreigners to have rights over all kinds of constructions on the land. The Right of Superficies usually last for a period of ten years with options to renew it again for 30 years, if required.

Leasing – This is perhaps the least complicated option for a foreigner to acquire a property or land in Thailand. Mostly, the land is leased to a non Thai for a period of 30 years, which can be again renewed for a period of 30 years. Leasing a land in Thailand is quite simple and does not require much maintenance.

Despite these options, it is important to make a thorough analysis of title deeds prior to investing in Thai property. Title deeds usually include three main types such as Chanot (Nor Sor 4), the Nor Sor 3 Gor, and the Nor Sor 3.

But, there is not any restriction for a foreigner to own or purchase a condominium in the country except for that he should bring in the whole money for buying a condominium in foreign currencies. Further, a foreigner could own only up to 49% of units of a condominium block.

With a myriad of real estate agents and property builders in the scenario, it is not at all a chaotic process to own a land or property in Thailand. Majority of them provide assistance to deal with complicated Thai law for acquiring a property in the country. Some of them even provide legal advice and conduct investigation and consultation in order to acquire a property. There are also firms providing management, project planning, and development in connection with a property.



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Foreign Ownership Rule for Land and Property in Thailand

Property Appraisal for Investors

Property appraisal or property valuation is the process of determining the value of the property on the basis of the highest and the best use of real property (which basically translates into determining the fair market value of the property). The person who performs this property appraisal exercise is called the property appraiser or property valuation surveyor. The value as determined by property appraisal is the fair market value. The property appraisal is done using various methods and the property appraisal values the property as different for difference purposes e.g. the property appraisal might assign 2 different values to the same property (Improved value and vacant value) and again the same/similar property might be assigned different values in a residential zone and a commercial zone. However, the value assigned as a result of property appraisal might not be the value that a property investor would consider when evaluating the property for investment. In fact, a property investor might completely ignore the value that comes out of property appraisal process.

A good property investor would evaluate the property on the basis of the developments going on in the region. So property appraisal as done by a property investor would come up with the value that the property investor can get out of the property by buying it at a low price and selling it at a much higher price (as in the present). Similarly, property investor could do his own property appraisal for the expected value of the property in, say 2 years time or in 5 years time. Again, a property investor might conduct his property appraisal based on what value he/she can create by investing some amount of money in the property i.e. a property investor might decide on buying a dirty/scary kind of property (which no one likes) and get some minor repairs, painting etc done in order to increase the value of the property (the value that the property investor would get by selling it in the market). So, here the meaning of property appraisal changes completely (and can be very different from the value that property appraiser would come out with if the property appraiser conducted a property appraisal).

A property investor will generally base his investment decision on this property appraisal that he does by himself (or gets done through someone).



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Property Appraisal for Investors