Following the first in our series of buy-to-let blogs, the second instalment covers ‘what’ to look for in an investment property.

So you’re thinking about purchasing a buy-to-let property? The first in our series of buy-to-let blogs centres around ‘who’ you’ll need to enlist on your journey to becoming a landlord.

With lockdown measures easing substantially from the 19th of July, here at Orchards, there are some regulations that will remain, and some that we have phased out as the world reopens.

During 2020, and into 2021, our staff were set up to work from home. We can confirm that the team are now office-based again, poised and ready to greet you (socially distanced of course).

At Orchards, we are positioned in an area with a high volume of period properties, dating back centuries; even the local market has been around for 800 years. We are in a locality that combines its history with easy and convenient modern living. When we read about a show home in County Durham being fitted with second-hand items from the British Heart Foundation’s charity shops, we were inspired by this idea.

Last week, the first properties went onto the market in the East Midlands as the initial phase of the Government’s ‘First Homes’ scheme. This latest initiative has been designed to help local people onto the housing ladder. Coinciding with this is the launch of the ‘Own Your Home’ campaign, highlighting all the support available to purchasing your first home.

In a country where home ownership is a reality for nearly two-thirds of the population – higher than many European countries, including Germany, France, and Switzerland – it’s no wonder that a successful industry has been built around it since the early 1800s. Known as stewards in the beginnings, and estate agents later in the early 20th Century, there are now approximately 16,500 agencies in the UK, all here to assist with buying and selling homes.