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Property investors in profit 80% of time in last 50 years

Paloma Kubiak
Written By:
Paloma Kubiak
Posted:
Updated:
16/08/2018

Property investors holding their portfolio for five years would on average have been in profit more than 80% of the time during the last fifty years.

Landlords and other investors would only have suffered a loss in eight five-year periods since April 1968, according to research from British Pearl.

The only periods in which house prices fell were those starting in 1989, 1990, 1991 when Britain was grappling with the recession of the early 90s, and 2007 and 2008 following the fallout from the global financial crisis.

The analysis also considered costs of stamp duty and conservative estimates for mortgage payments, legal fees and interest, which brought in the terms beginning in 1988, 1992 and 2006.

A landlord buying in 1969 would have enjoyed the best profit on average gaining £4,589 — a return of 148.6% as prices rose from £3,818 to £8,936.

In contrast, those entering the property investment industry in 2007 suffered the worst loss, losing £32,111 — 17.6% of the original purchase price of £182,243.

This coincided with the sharpest fall in house prices which occurred between 2007 and 2012 when average UK values slumped by 7.9% on average.

The firm said this should act as a warning to investors who might be considering second-guessing the market by exiting with the intention of buying back in at lower prices.

British Pearl investment manager, James Newbery, said: “This research shows investors who play their cards right and hold their nerve in the midst of economic or political upheaval are still likely to come out on top.

“While our analysis shows housing has been a solid investment over time, we know returns can be bolstered with careful property selection, identifying regional trends and areas of rental yield strength.

“The message, not just for investors but homeowners, too, is to play the long game. UK property has a track record of returns and, no matter how tempting it is to think prices are unsustainable, the level of demand for housing in Britain makes property one of the most attractive asset classes on an ongoing basis.”