A1. We will allocate one to you. The IPA will contact you by email and phone initially. Then work with you to formulate your plan. You can ask as many questions as you like and you can contact him or her when ever you like.

Q2.  Why do I need an IPA ?

A2.  You don’t have to use the IPA, you can use them as much or as little as you like. Having an expert on hand to answer all of your questions is vital. Actions taken without careful planning and advice are more likely to fail than ones which are based on research and proven methods.

Q3. Why should I use your service when I could use any one of the property shops or estate agents in the UK or abroad?

A3. Our service is totally unique. Every property we list comes from a strategic business partner or Property Developer. Before we publish any of their products on our site we have vetted each and every one of them. We do not want to be the next story on ‘Watch Dog’. We work for you not the developer.

Q4. Is my money secure?

A4. Buying property in the UK is about as safe as it gets, because it is easy for your solicitor to undertake the necessary checks in respect of the developer, the contract, title and planning.

Buying overseas can be very different. Depending upon which country you are dealing with, the transaction can range from very safe to quite risky.

Generally buying in an EC country and the USA is safer. For example, in Spain it is a legal requirement for a developer to have a bank guarantee in place which offers a guarantee for your monies should anything go wrong. You need to make sure what the position is in the country you are interested in before you part with any money.

Don't just accept the fact for example that there should be a bank guarantee because you are buying in Spain , not all developers are as legitimate as you might think. At DeMontfort we can provide you with the details of the bank guarantee (if one is available in that country) before you pay any deposit monies. We only deal with reputable developers.

Q5. How can I be sure that my development has planning permission?

A5. Ask the agent for a copy. If the development is legitimate and planning has been approved, there should be no reason why you shouldn't have a copy of the documentation.

Many developers will sell a site off plan before obtaining planning permission. Some investors think that this is OK as they have a bank guarantee if things go wrong. But don't forget, when house prices are rising rapidly, you will lose out, if you find out a year after you made your reservation that the development is not going ahead, it could cost you significantly more to buy the same type of property in the same location.

Q6. I have read about money laundering being a problem? What is it?

A6. Money laundering is a situation where money is made from illegal activities and the perpetrators try to turn “dirty” money into “clean” money. They do this by trying to create a series of complex transactions so that the authorities find it difficult to trace the source of the money.

It has been known for money launderers to buy investment property (and many other types of investments) and sell them quickly. They are not even looking for a profit necessarily just to create this complicated trail. The implication is that you might get caught up with a development where this has taken place, and it could have an effect on your potential purchase.

To minimize the risk of this happening to you, you must make sure you are dealing with a reputable company. Money laundering regulations are in place to make sure that anyone accepting money for an investment must check out the identity and residency of the person handing over the money. Therefore, you should be concerned if your agent or developer does not ask you for proof of your identity (passport etc) and is happy to accept large sums of cash. If they work on this basis for you as an honest investor, then it is likely that they will accept money from illegal sources without the proper checks.

Q7. How long can I rent my property for, and how much rent will I receive?

A7. To answer this question accurately, needs either hindsight or a crystal ball. Nothing is certain. However when purchasing for investment, this is often a crucial question, as it will determine how successful your investment is, and will have an effect on the value and viability of your investment.

If someone is making a claim about rental income and the number of weeks you can expect to let your property, you should ask them to substantiate those claims, and provide proof of how they obtained their figures. It is not uncommon for developers to claim that you can let your property on a beach resort for 40 weeks. Generally, we believe that these expectations are far too high. If in doubt, there are a number of web sites you can visit where people advertise their overseas properties for rent. They will show you an availability chart where you can see for yourself how successful they are at letting their property. It pays of course to compare like with like, in the same area as the purchase you are considering.

Generally speaking, if you are purchasing overseas and want to maximize your letting potential you should consider a property that has effectively 2 seasons, for example golf and beach, golf and skiing. This way you can extend your letting season by attracting holiday makers in the traditional times such as school holidays, as well as the golfers for example, who generally prefer to play when the weather is a little cooler.

Also you might consider letting your property all year round (as is more common in the UK ) rather than to holiday makers, as this will generally provide a greater yield and significantly less management.  There are always local's working in the area looking for long term lets or people wishing to get away from cold winters with a 3 or 4 month break.

Q8. Can I guarantee the rent?

A8. There are schemes around that will guarantee the rent, but you need to check the small print carefully. We have seen schemes that appear to provide good security for investors, but when you study the details, the guarantee is not really worth the additional cost involved. It may be better to be more selective about what and where you buy to make sure that, if you are purchasing for investment, you maximize your potential.