Home to nearly a dozen Property Frontiers projects and visiting them frequently to check on progress and meet our developer partners, I am no stranger to the city of Liverpool.

I know my way around, which hotels to stay in, which restaurants to eat at and where the best local pub is to watch the football.

But on my most recent trip earlier this month, I put myself in the shoes of one of millions of domestic and international tourists who visit this great city each year. I took the train from my home in London to Liverpool for 24 hours to gain firsthand experience of our latest investment opportunity – the luxury served apartments of Signature Living Hatton Garden.

Brought to the market by the same trusted developer partners as our successful student accommodation projects in Liverpool, Signature Living capitalises on the highly lucrative serviced apartment sector, one which Savills heralds as offering “significant expansion opportunities and a steady income stream”.

The Signature Living serviced apartment model is already successfully up and running in three other prime locations in the city with full occupancy for every Friday and Saturday night until the end of August 2012.

I stayed at the Signature Living apartments on Bold Street, merely minutes from the bars, restaurants and nightlife of Liverpool city centre.

One of the appeals of the Signature Living apartments is their individuality and bespoke design and after years of bland magnolia hotel walls and institutional looking carpets I have endured, it was a refreshing change.

My apartment, one of three in the building, boasted individually designed bedrooms inspired by icons including Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Jim Morrison and of course, John Lennon. With capacity to sleep up to 20 people, the bedrooms themselves were spacious with comfortable furniture and tasteful decor and the shared living space relaxing and enjoyable.

All apartments are fitted with a state of the art kitchen leading to the practical open plan lounge / diner area, perfect for entertaining. All the mods cons of a luxury apartment were included with cinema screen to watch movies, electronic window blinds, fully adjustable mood lighting, flat screen TVs, illuminated fish tank and a whirlpool bath complete with flat screen TV in the bathroom. There was even a karaoke machine but to everyone’s relief, I resisted temptation to belt out some Beatles hits!

Thinking like a first time visitor, I was keen to utilise the onsite concierge services and was not disappointed. He swiftly recommended the best Chinese restaurant in town for dinner, just 5 minutes walk from the apartment as it turned out, as well as the local shop for essential midnight snacks and arranged a taxi for me to the train station the next day. Having this local knowledge really made a difference and gave a personal feel to my stay.

The next morning upon my departure I met our developer partner, a really down to earth, genuine guy with a passion for his craft and reiterated to him how impressed I had been not only with the quality of finish of the apartments but the location, attention to detail and concierge service. He told me that he had personally overseen the design for each of the apartments and was looking forward to getting stuck in at the new site at Hatton Garden, the iconic former MerseyRail building.

Sitting back at my desk in London, I am delighted with the response so far from our investors to Signature Living Hatton Garden.  I knew that a cash investment of £190,950 wouldn’t be for everyone but I am very pleased to see such a positive response with double digit dales already achieved within weeks of pre-launch. It just goes to show that our investors are a savvy bunch who know a good deal when they see it!

Have you visited a Signature Living serviced apartment? What did you think? Share your experiences with us here or email info@propertyfrontiers.com for more info on investing and how to enjoy 25% NET yields.

Following on from last week’s blog post about the Frontiers Foundation, I am delighted to be able to report that our first fundraising event, the Richmond Half Marathon was a huge success!

It was an early start as we drove down from Property Frontiers HQ in Oxford to Richmond, Surrey to meet my fellow runner and Frontiers Foundation Trustee, Charlotte.

Having just flown in from the US on a fact finding mission (more details on that to follow in later posts…) I wasn’t quite as bright eyed and bushy tailed as I had hoped but still determined to complete the grueling 13.2 mile course in a good time.

The race started at 8.30am and we set off with the other 700+ runners. The course followed the Thames snaking its way through Richmond, Hampton Wick, past the stunning Hampton Court, up to Kingston and back round to Richmond. It was fast and flat with a great atmosphere.

Charlotte completed the course, her first half marathon in a personal best time of 1 hour 55 minutes 55 seconds with me crossing the line not long after. The feeling of accomplishment and jubilation on finishing the race was overwhelming and after a brief stretch it was off for a pint to celebrate.

As our first Frontiers Foundation fundraising event I am delighted with the support we received before the event and on the day. Your donations have been very generous with every penny going towards the Water4Life project in southern Zambia.

If you would like to show your support, donations are still open and can be made to the below secure account:

Here at Property Frontiers we like to do things differently. Breaking boundaries and embracing new frontiers is not only at the heart of our investment opportunities; it is the way we do business and it is fundamental to our existence.

Working in the international property arena, we are acutely aware of the impact that our investments can have at the local level and so we have taken our commitment to corporate social responsibility one step further by founding the Frontiers Foundation.

Some of you may already be aware of the Frontiers Foundation if you read my past blog posting about our first project, the Ngwezi B Water for Life project in southern Zambia.

The Ngwezi B Water for Life Project needs to raise at least £7,500 to enable the drilling of a borehole for a local community in the Mazabuka District of Zambia – south west of the capital, Lusaka.  Currently the nearest water supply is 7km from the community and the water must also be paid for making it a costly exercise.  The new borehole, which myself and a fellow trustee of the Frontiers Foundation will be helping to dig this summer, will take a few weeks to complete and will provide clean water on demand for the community completely free of charge.

We have been working hard to raise funds for this initial project and will be running the Richmond Half Marathon next weekend, Sunday 6th May 2012. Running with fellow Frontiers Foundation Trustee, Charlotte Ashton, MD of AB Property Marketing, our PR company, we will not only be looking to get around the 13.2 mile course in one piece but set personal best times.

We shall be running for the Frontiers Foundation, looking to raise the final funds needed for the Ngwezi B Water for Life project. Support from friends and family has been overwhelming but we haven’t reached our goal quite yet and so any donations, big or small, would still be very gratefully received.

If you would like to show your support, a special account has been set up to hold the donations safely and direct payments / bank transfers can be made using these details:

With less than 7 days to go now until our first Frontiers Foundation fundraising event, anticipation and excitement is building. The entire Property Frontiers team is 100% behind this venture and are committed to really making a difference.

If you have any queries about the Frontiers Foundation or indeed the Ngwezi B Water for Life project or our half marathon please do let us know by leaving a comment below or emailing info@frontiersfoundation.org.uk.

It would seem that the the B2L market in the North of England can do no wrong with new figures from the B2L lender, Paragon, showing that landlords in the North West are making 6.6% annual return on their properties compared with 5.9% in Central London, 5.7% in the suburbs and merely 5.5% in Scotland.

Indeed gross rental yield in the North rose from 5.9% in Q4 2011 to this most recent high with the current demand for rental accommodation showing no signs of slowing.

These positive figures inspired even more investor confidence in the B2L market in Liverpool, one city where we at Property Frontiers have committed heavily to lucrative property investments, and coincided with the opening party of our superb B2L opportunity, Candia Tower.

With a number of their clients successful invested in Candia Tower, investment consultants Stuart Cowie and Bertie Cassels attended the opening party last Friday. Reporting on the well attended event, Stuart comments, “Liverpool is always an exciting city to visit, and my recent trip was no different to normal.

Bertie and I arrived into Lime Street Station in the early afternoon and there was an added buzz in the air with the build up to the Grand National at Aintree well underway. Also with the Semi-Final FA Cup clash between Liverpool and Everton on the weekend Liverpool was awash with Blue and Red Flags!

The purpose of our visit was to attend the opening party of Candia Tower just north of the city centre. This was a extremely ambitious project taken on by our trusted Liverpool developer partners as Candia and its sister tower, Crete, were left in a very sorry state after years of neglect.

The transformation of the 15 story buildings was nothing short of amazing and I was extremely happy to see the finished result as I know my clients who have invested here are going to do very well.

The opening party took place on the 7th Floor and the views from the spacious balconies were spectacular overlooking the city and across the Mersey.

The apartments themselves are extremely spacious, much bigger than a standard new build and they are fitted out to the highest standards.

The demand for quality rental accommodation in Liverpool is very strong with people moving into Candia Tower already which is a very encouraging sign. From experience I can see that the location and the space will be highly appealing to a wide cross section of tenants.

After speaking to some local estate agents at the event I was pleased to hear that the resale prices of these apartments is currently around 30% to 40% above the purchase price which again bodes well for my clients.

The next day as we returned to the office, I reflected on the success of Candia Tower and am already extremely excited about the future projects I will be able to bring my clients and investors through our developer partner in Liverpool. Watch this Space!”

For those of you who might have missed it, I want to draw your attention to a recent BBC article, Booming Bamboo: The next super-material? which echoes what we at Property Frontiers have been saying for the last 2 years, that bamboo truly is a super-material, the “timber of the 21st century”!

Heralding the multiple uses of bamboo as well as the wide-ranging positive social and environmental impacts that bamboo plantations have on the local areas in which they operate (such as the Rio Kama in Nicaragua), the BBC also highlighted the work of EcoPlanet Bamboo speaking with our co-founder and world-renowned agronomist John Vogel about the prospects for bamboo.

In addition to this unbiased article, fellow founders Camille Rebelo and Troy Wiseman were interviewed for an independent BBC Radio 4 programme which aired for the first time last night. Green Gold: The Bamboo Boom focused on not only the returns which investors in bamboo can enjoy but the significant social and environmental impacts that the plantations are having in Nicaragua.

As I discovered from one of my visits last year to the Rio Kama plantation in eastern Nicaragua, the establishment of the plantations in Rio Kama and Rio Sequia have had a profound impact upon the local communities. Not only do they provide employment for men and importantly women but also skills training, accommodation, health programs and literacy skills. As Camille says in her interview, it’s about “conscious capitalism”, pioneering a new way for bamboo to work for people and for profit.

It’s just this pioneering, forward-thinking approach which we are proud to be part of and reflects our own ethos here at Property Frontiers – one of the many reasons why we, and indeed our clients, have embraced bamboo investments with such gusto. One of our most successful and popular projects to date, we are now seeing investors receiving returns from their investment with many choosing to invest again in our new 8 year bamboo land lease.

In addition to the clearly positive social impacts of the bamboo plantations, the BBC Radio 4 programme also highlights the environmental benefits of bamboo. It combats deforestation which is a serious problem in Nicaragua and promotes sequestration of CO2 from the atmosphere assisting in the fight against global warming. Future plans are also afoot to create additional revenue derived from the carbon credits which will be obtained via the plantations.

With the world bamboo market standing at around $10bn today and the World Bamboo Organisation predicting that this will double in the next 5 years, bamboo is certainly a lucrative business to be in. But always looking to the future, we and EcoPlanet Bamboo are taking it one step further, building a 40 hectare factory to refine and prepare the bamboo for end uses including high tech laminated and strand woven timber products, a sure fire way of adding extra value.

Whilst the bamboo bond referred to in the radio programme (which will be broadcast again this Sunday 10th at 17.00 UK time on BBC Radio 4) has now closed, there is still opportunity to invest in the new 8 year land lease opportunity which will deliver from 145% ROI with an investment of only £11,100.

If you have any questions about this new opportunity or indeed feedback on the BBC article or Radio 4 programme please do leave your comments below.

I was proud as punch last Friday to see Property Frontiers’ knowledge, professionalism and service be recognized by the best in the international property industry for the third year running as we were named the Best Large Agent Multi Country in the prestigious 2012 AIPP Awards.

Attended by the industry’s leading movers and shakers, the independent awards, held at A Place in the Sun Live at Earl’s Court, London, focus on customer service, reward excellence and professionalism whilst setting new benchmarks for the international property market.

After an introduction to the AIPP and it’s role by Chief Executive Professor Mark Sharp, all ears turned to well-known A Place in the Sun TV presenter, Jonnie Irwin to hear the winners.

Described by the Judges as

“A very honest entry. Lots of strong detail with a disciplined analysis process should give clients a strong sense of quality and reassurance.  A good aftersales service and an impressive group of business partners.”

Property Frontiers was awarded, for an unprecedented third year running, the Best Large Agent Multi Country.

I would like to thank all our staff, partners and of course clients for helping us achieve this prestigious accolade once again. Breaking boundaries and embracing new frontiers is at our very core here at Property Frontiers and that extends not only to our investment products but the way we do business and I feel that this award is a true reflection of this achievement.

So, were we surprised with today’s budget announcement? I thought I’d summarise the key points from our perspective; particularly in regards to its effects on our clients and property investment prospects.

No major shocks as far as I see. I was particularly pleased to see some coherence with my last blog post about where we are hoping the UK economy is going. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) stated that the UK will avoid a technical recession with positive growth in first quarter of 2012 and that the economy has “carried a little more momentum into the new year than previously anticipated.” The revised growth forecast for this year estimates growth up to 0.8% from 0.7% previously and states that the government is on course to eliminate structural current deficit by 2016/17. All good news!

So, the main points as I see it:

1. Top rate of income tax. Will reduce to 45% from 50% in April 2013 for those earning more that £150,000. This may give our UK resident clients marginally more disposable income to invest, but more importantly it increases the UKs competitiveness. This may help attract entrepreneurs and job creators with a resulting positive affect on the economy and housing market

2. Corporation tax: This will be cut to 24% in April, having already been cut to 26% from 28% (will lower to 22% by 2014). This only applies to larger companies (small companies already pay the 20% rate), but is another boost for British competitiveness alongside the reduction in income tax.

3. Properties owned though companies – A big one here that will affect those who own or plan to own property through a company. Although we had hints of a clamp down on companies purchasing though off-shore companies, I was surprised to see that  Stamp Duty Land Tax would be charged at 15% for properties purchased in this manner. The government said they would also investigate retrospective stamp duty charges for residential properties already owned by companies.

4. Stamp duty for properties worth over £2m. From today, Stamp Duty will rise to 7%. Although it won’t affect most of our investments, it will be interesting to see how it affects foreign investments into areas such as London.

5. Personal tax allowance. The threshold at which workers start paying income tax will rise to £9,205 in April 2013, up £1,100 from £8,105 in 2012 . There have been mixed feelings on this but I hope this increased work incentive will help reduce benefit dependency and hence potentially boost consumption and therefore stimulate growth and further tax collection through NI, PAYE and VAT!

6. Planning permission. Next week the government will publish an overhaul of planning regulations that should make applications for planning permission far simpler. It should mean more freedom to refurbish, renovate and potentially build more in areas of low supply – http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2118137/BUDGET-2012-Planning-laws-scrapped-60-years.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

7. A cap on tax relief for high earners. This will be introduced in April 2013 and mean that anyone that claims upwards of £50,000 in tax relief will be limited to receive a maximum of 25% of their income or £50,000, whichever is the higher.

8. Affordable housing: The Get Britain Building scheme that extends funding to companies that build new houses will be upgraded to encourage affordable property development.

There was a couple of positive points raised supporting some of our current projects too:

London – Significant measures to boost the London economy – specifically there was mention of the Royal Docks Enterprise Zone – home of our Holiday Inn Hotel investment http://www.localgov.co.uk/index.cfm?method=news.detail&id=105254

Liverpool – Great news regarding the recent and significant Chinese investment in Liverpool which the chancellor also mentioned – further helping the market grow further where we have been successfully selling our student and residential developments – http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/28e9be50-72bb-11e1-ae73-00144feab49a.html#axzz1plFYyU8c

Finally, Some other points that are significant, but less relevant to our client base and market:

Enterprise Management Incentive: Subject to consultation and State Aid approval,  changes will be made to the Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) share incentive scheme so that gains made on shares acquired through exercising EMI options on or after 6 April 2012 will be eligible for capital gains tax entrepreneurs’ relief, thus reducing the capital gains tax bill to 10%

Child Benefit: More of a niggle from the chats with clients I have spoken to already, but Child benefit is to be partly removed from households where at least one person earns over £50,000 – softened from previous plans.

Personal tax statements. Annual  statements will be sent to all taxpayers which will set out your average tax rate for the year, how much tax and NI you’ve paid in total and how this has funded both public spending and public debt.

Private Sector development: Michael Heseltine is to conduct a review on how government can work better with private sector economic development. Please feel free to contact me Michael if you want some ideas!

So overall this seems like a pro-business and pro-growth budget to me. I am sure a lot will be politically unpopular, but the best medicine can often taste bitter. I think that there are a number of initiatives that will increase the competitiveness of the UK. That is good for the UK economy, jobs and the property market. Hopefully it also helps put the country back on the path to prosperity. The better off people are, the more they want to invest. For us, like everyone else, anything that helps achieve that gets a thumbs up from us!

What are your thoughts?

Whilst none of us can say for sure that it’s the end of the recession here in the UK, as we approach the end of the first quarter of 2012, I am very glad to see that not only are enquiry levels up on this time last year but sales are too. In fact, it’s shaping up to be one of the best quarters the Property Frontiers team have experienced this side of the dreaded “R” word. It’s pleasing to see that optimism about earnings and the US economy drove the Dow Jones to a post-crisis high above 13,000 and the FTSE 100 flirted above the benchmark 6,000 level. So could this be the turning point we have been longing for? I certainly hope so!

From the volume of sales emails, adverts and phone calls I receive personally, there seem to be no shortage of investment opportunities out there but whilst it’s wonderful to have so much choice, the problem is sifting through the trash to find the treasure – the main reason I co-founded Property Frontiers in the first place.

This is where it pays to be fussy. Our sourcing team here at Property Frontiers reject over 95% of the projects presented to us; of those that do interest us, less than 0.3% actually make it through basic due diligence (planning permissions, proof of title and country / market fundamentals). You would have thought that the only positive from the economic downturn would be to weed out the weaker projects and cowboy operators but it seems that there is still a lot of riff-raff out there. Even we, with 50 years of combined experience in the marketplace, still find it challenging to siphon through and find the right opportunities.

So what can investors do to make sure they get the best?

Well, there are some overseas property trade bodies in existence such as the Association of International Property Professionals (AIPP) of which I am a founder and board member, which is trying to bring some form of professionalism and self-regulation to the industry. Members, including Property Frontiers, must comply with a code of ethics, so it’s worth watching out for the logo.

I would also encourage investors to look at the track record of an agent or developer. Have their previous projects been successful? Do they have lots of happy clients? Have you ‘Googled’ them? Are they property market specialists? This is one area which sets us apart and where I think we lead the market. We have always been know as pioneers in the industry, fully embracing opportunities in emerging property markets such as China and Mongolia or identifying new, lucrative asset classes such as student accommodation in the UK whilst conducting research and due dilligence to minimise investment risk. As with any investment, I can’t say we have got it right 100% of the time, but as a testament to our approach and ethics, over half our clients are repeat investors.

Timing is also crucial for an investment to be successful. Following the “Sage of Omaha”‘s wise words, it’s imperative to buy at the right time, often at the bottom of a property cycle and not just when everyone else is. By that time you’ll have missed the boat. For example, we believe that now is the right time to buy in the US. As I explained to the Daily Telegraph earlier this week, property prices are back where they were around the turn of the millennium with prices in some states up to 70% below their 2006 peak, making it a great time to buy.

As we head towards Q2, our hunt for the best international investment opportunities will most definitely continue, and while we’re confident in our approach we’d be delighted to hear your thoughts. Do you think we’ve missed a trick? Overlooked a certain market? Could our products or service be improved? Drop us a line below with your feedback.

An octogenarian worth in excess of $39 billion, The “Sage of Omaha” must have done something right.

And when one of the world’s most successful stock market investors says that he would buy “a couple of hundred thousand” family homes in the US over shares because the market looks ripe for recovery – one would be wise to listen.

Many people have invested successfully by following Buffett’s innate skill in sniffing out the best opportunities but it’s not just the business magnate from Nebraska who has tipped the US are THE place to invest in 2012. Other well respected experts such as asset managers at Barclays Wealth, investment analysts Hargreaves Lansdown and our very own team here at Property Frontiers believe that the US has reached a turning point.

As reported in the Sunday Times last week, US property prices have fallen some 33% since their peak in April 2006, three times more than in Britain, however with the National Association of Realtors (NA) reporting a 4.3% increase in the sale of existing homes in January, there is cause for optimism of market recovery.

A rise in home sales coupled with an upturn in the US economy (Q4 2011 GDP growth was revised up from 2.8% to 3% last week) makes this the perfect time to enter the US property market. And whilst not everyone can buy thousands of homes Buffett style, there is a new way to tap into this lucrative market.

The new and exclusive US Property Bond from Property Frontiers uses the same trustees that administer our hugely successful bamboo bond, allowing investors to benefit from double digit yields available in the US property market without the risk or hassle of managing individual buy-to-let properties.

The innovative bond also allows you to benefit directly from buying at the lowest possible price, the right type of property and in the right locations, utilising experts on the ground who are continually assessing the best proeprties to invest in during the term of the investment.

With over $500,000 already raised in less than 2 weeks, response has been overwhelming. Mainly driven, no doubt, by the high yields and the security offered by the bond structure. We will be holding a seminar tomorrow evening at the Hilton Park Lane in London to explain how it works and why we believe this is one of the easiest ways to capitalise on the market so CLICK HERE TO JOIN US, you never know, the next “Sage of Omaha” might emerge!!

It wasn’t only my kids going to school last Thursday morning, I too, armed with some porridge and a hot chocolate, made the journey to Liverpool, home to our highly successful student accommodation projects.

With our tenth project from the same established developer partner launching this week, I took the opportunity to return to Liverpool to check on progress of the previous purpose built student accommodation and I was certainly not disappointed.

Two and half hours from London I arrived on the Pendalino train and was met by our partner. With the temperatures dipping below zero we hastily made our way to our first stop –  Victoria Court. It was wonderful to see this project come to life from the floor plans I had studied to tangible bricks and mortar. The standard of finish was as high as ever and the first set of student residents are set to move in very shortly.

From Victoria Court we went to Oliver House set within the thriving student hub of Bold Street. Now occupied and with investors receiving returns, the property has a new ground floor sports bar which from what I could see, was very popular!

Our next stop was to our newest project, The Papermill on Henry Street. Occupying the same superb prime location as Gradwell Street and Bold Street,  Henry Street is set between Chinatown and Liverpool One, just minutes from bars, restaurants and the shopping centre. The 19^th century former papermill was imposing in its design with a vast entrance door and vaulted atrium. Vast enough to accommodate 104 en-suite student rooms, The Papermill will be impressive for students and investors alike with 10% NET yield, assured in year 1 and payments starting from Jan 2013.

Finally, as my day drew to a close, we paid a visit to St Andrew’s on Rodney Street. I was ddlighted to see that construction was well underway on the iconic building which had been derelict for decades. Backing on to a campus of John Moore’s University, soon to be home to some 27,000 students in the 2012/13 academic year, and only 3 minutes walk to the main campus, the location could not have been better.

After being involved in eight student accommodation projects now in Liverpool over the past 2 years, it was really wonderful to see the developments coming to fruition and student tenants enjoying the rooms. Having witnessed the professionalism, dedicated and attention to detail of our developer partners in delivering each project on time and to such high standards I am confident that our latest offering, The Papermill, available with an investment of £48,000, will be no different.