Lean, Mean and Green

Even in an economic downturn, golf property tends to hold its value – and its rental potential. Roderick Easdale finds out why...

“Golf properties are always a good investment,” believes Ian Cunningham of escapes2.com. “In difficult times they hold their value better than other properties and in the longer term will always see a good return because a golf course ensures open views and low-density construction.” For this reason golf properties are also popular with non-golfers - James Wyatt of Barton Wyatt International says that 70% of the buyers of its golf properties aren’t golfers.

The non-golfer resident is also attracted by the ready-made sense of community a golf development brings, with focal points such as bars, restaurants and other leisure activities on site; and to the non-playing investor the allure is the rental opportunities - the golf season is normally longer than the holiday one. “We have examples where 40 weeks’ occupation and more, year in year out are possible. Portugal in particular is exceptionally strong in this respect,” says James Wyatt. Indeed many new-build golf properties now come with rental guarantees for the early years.

Key to renting your golf property is the attractiveness of the golf offering. For those who don’t play this can be tricky to gauge. One simple solution is to pick places where golfers are expected to go. Last November KPMG Golf Advisory Practice’s Golf Travel Insight Report declared that Portugal and Spain followed by Turkey and Dubai are golf tourism’s future hotspots.

Because of a change in Spanish law that stops residential property being built on new golf courses, Adam Gale, MD of Duchy Estates on the Costa del Sol, reckons that “when the market picks up again, Spanish golf property will ultimately be an endangered species. With the deals to be had on properties below one million euros, this really is the target area for the serious long-term investor.”

James Wyatt says this situation does not just apply to Spain: “In most markets, non golf property is very widely available and the second-hand market over saturated, so any exit strategy is likely to be difficult. Golf property is in more limited supply so it can offer a very good investment in terms of capital appreciation and rental returns.”

Barton Wyatt estate agents Surrey provide luxury golf villas in Florida and select golf villas in Spain.

James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt International based in Wentworth, Virginia Water. Tel: 01344 843000

Test

Letting Agents in Surrey

Riffa Views draws interest to Bahrain

The 13th to 15th November 2008 will see top golfing stars descend on the Middle East - as they head to Bahrain for the Riffa Views Invitational. Colin Montgomerie (winner of eight order of merit titles and 31 European Tour wins), Retief Goosen (twice US Open Champion), Michael Campbell (US Open Champion) and Camilo Villegas (twice victorious on the PGA Tour this year) will visit Riffa Views for this exciting Skins competition.

Riffa Views, known as 'the most distinguished residential address in Bahrain' and the first residential golf resort in the island Kingdom, features a Montgomerie-designed 18-hole championship golf course and it is the completion of this that the Invitational celebrates. Playing for a prize of $250,000 for their given charity, the golfers will go head to head to truly test the new course. Montgomerie is quietly confident, having said, "Although I will have some very stiff competition, I will be hoping that my 'local' knowledge of the course will give me a slight edge on the day!" Not only this, but the Invitational will also feature a pro-am with celebrities such as Boris Becker (who has a tennis academy on the site) and Sir Steve Redgrave taking part, adding to the anticipation of this three day event.

The Riffa Views Invitational is just another sign of Bahrain's growth as a desirable market of interest with one of the world's largest real estate advisors, DTZ, recently releasing findings that also adhere to this fact. Their 'Middle East Market Update: Bahrain' highlighted an increase in the number of real estate transactions taking place in the country, with 2008 turnover figures at BD 2,150 million, up 58% on the previous year. Quoted as saying that this is "being fuelled by strong indigenous demand, a relaxation of foreign ownership regulations in certain areas of the country, strong levels of liquidity in the regional market and improving financing options", Bahrain appears to be one Middle Eastern country where interest is still growing and this is being actively encouraged, with this reflected in the property market, unlike some neighbouring Emirates.

With the spotlight firmly on Bahrain, and foreign interest not abating, more and more people are looking to invest in the property market in this politically mild country, and Riffa Views itself offers an excellent opportunity for this. As James Wyatt, partner of Barton Wyatt, explains why a golf property of this kind can be a good investment,

"When looking to buy a second home or an investment property abroad, golf properties are always a secure investment choice. Not only is golf a growing sport with more and more people now looking to play at courses overseas, golf courses also often come with additional facilities that increase their appeal as excellent long term investments choices. Riffa Views, Bahrain's first development of this kind, is proving to be an exciting option for those looking to invest in the growing golf market and with events like the Riffa Views Invitational now taking place and a Colin Montgomerie-designed championship course, interest in the development is set to increase further still".

This exclusive residential development comprises of 870 luxury villas set around Colin Montgomerie's championship golf course, and a choice of 2 to 5 bedroom townhouses and villas are available. To play on the same course as the stars, Riffa Views property prices start at £260,000/ €342,200 through to £1,800,000/ €2,300,100.


Barton Wyatt provide luxury golf villas in Bahrain and select Overseas Property For Sale.

James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt International based in Wentworth, Virginia Water. Tel: 01344 843000

Barton Wyatt Win Awards again!

It was the turn of the best players in the UK property market to shine as the results of the world’s biggest property competition were announced on Friday night (October 31st).

It’s imperative that, to succeed in such a highly competitive industry, estate agents, developers and others involved in the property business are naturally competitive. This desire to be the best has been channelled by a large number of professionals entering the Daily Mail UK Property Awards in association with Yamaha.

As with all competitions there are only a select number of winners and these were revealed at a gala presentation dinner at The Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. The turn out was tremendous with 400 guests who had travelled from as far a field as Scotland and Northern Ireland and, indeed, from all corners of the UK. Presenter for the evening was the former BBC Royal Correspondent Jennie Bond.

Barton Wyatt – the renown Virginia Water Estate Agents won the title of Best Surrey Estate Agent for an unprecedented third year in a row. They also scooped the award for Best UK Estate Agents website.

James Wyatt commented “every team member at Barton Wyatt works so hard to service our clients in a way that none of our competitors could hope to emulate. This award is for my team really. We constantly innovate, we improve and we succeed. But at the end of the day, it all down to wonderful staff doing a truly great job and I am delighted that Barton Wyatt have again been recognised as one of the UK’s best Estate Agents”.

The Daily Mail UK Property Awards are part of the globally respected International Property Awards, which have been running for 14 years. Due to their continual growth in size and standing, a series of other programmes for specific countries have also been launched. The Daily Mail UK Awards were introduced four years ago and these were joined more recently by individual programmes for the Arabian, Asia Pacific, European, African and Americas Property Awards. The result is that a staggering 95 different countries are represented within this year’s entries – almost twice as many as in 2007.

Barton Wyatt provide luxury golf villas in Florida and select golf villas in Spain.

James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt International based in Wentworth, Virginia Water. Tel: 01344 843000

James Wyatt at the NAEA International Forum 2008

DRAGON BREATHES FIRE INTO THIS YEARS INTERNATIONAL FORUM
30 / Oct / 2008

James Caan, Sue Hayward and Michael Saunders were just some of the key speakers to attend this year’s highly acclaimed International Forum ‘Staying Profitable in a Challenging Market’ held by the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA), which was a show stopping success this year.
The main attraction of this exciting event was celebrity guest speaker James Caan, from BBC’s Dragon’s Den who discussed the ways to stay profitable in a challenging market.
James explained ways to make the most of a difficult market place using his personal experience as a successful businessman. He proved very popular with attendees as he provided an excellent insight into ways to improve their business in the current market.
The fifth in a series of international forums was held at the luxurious 5 star Renaissance Chancery Hotel in London. The event, which was sponsored solely by Foreign Currency Direct had over 100 leaders in international property attend, providing them with the opportunity to listen to a number of property experts give an insight on ‘Staying Profitable in a Challenging Market’.
Other guest speakers included; Sue Hayward, TV presenter and journalist, who discussed marketing properties within the media; Peter Bolton King, Chief Executive of the NAEA, gave a preview talk on the much anticipated Property Portal ‘Property Live’ and Michael Saunders, Top US property expert, flew especially from America to discuss how to expand ones horizons through effective networking. Other topics included staying on the right side of the law and the current Spanish initiative from the government to underpin the building industry. The day was split up with a buffet lunch and the forum was rounded off with a cocktail party, which provided opportunities for delegates and speakers to meet. Delegates received an action packed day allowing then to obtain useful information.

Delegate, James Wyatt of Barton Wyatt International, comments: “This was by far the best NAEA conference I have ever been to. There was a fantastic range of speakers, from different counties, who shared a lot of knowledge on the current market. With the present situation of the market, a number of property professionals are feeling the pinch, however this day was insightful and many left feeling positive.”

Peter Bolton King, Chief Executive of the NAEA, says: “The International Forum was an astounding success, with a great turn out and a well-informed picture of the international property market from a mix of property experts. The event provided the perfect opportunity for the NAEA to unveil its plans for Property Live, the Associations new Property Portal.”Stephan Hughes, Associate Director at Foreign Currency Direct, concludes: “It was a pleasure for us to be the sole sponsors this year. The day was a major success and everyone left content with the set up of the day and information provided. In this difficult market, it is useful to gain insider knowledge as this helps maintain sales and opens doors to other opportunities presented in the overseas market.”

Barton Wyatt provide luxury golf villas in Florida and select golf villas in Spain.

James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt International based in Wentworth, Virginia Water. Tel: 01344 843000

James Wyatt is the property millionaire in this interview with globaledge.com

This week we talk to James Wyatt, a partner at Barton Wyatt, an award-winning estate agent in Virginia Water, the UK’s most expensive postcode outside of London.
To help our readers come up with ideas for future projects, we gave James £25k, £100k and £1 million to invest anywhere in the world with the objective of maximizing return over a five-year period.
Ashley Rigg: Hi James, thanks for talking to me today. How’s business at the moment?
James Wyatt: It was good until the stock market fallout a few weeks ago. It’s like someone has turned the lights out. Having said that, we’ve still got clients on our books actively looking for £20-million to £40-million properties. Property stock is very tightly controlled around here so turnover is low.
AR: Well I’m afraid that the money I have to offer you today pales in comparison, and to make matters worse it’s fictional! Let’s start things off with £25k. Where would you invest it to maximize my return?
JW: I’m going to go for Portugal. We have lots of clients interested in buying there because of our golf connections (the Barton Wyatt office is near Wentworth).
AR: Why Portugal in particular?
JW: It’s convenient, there are lots of flights to Faro from the UK, it’s not had the same kind of boom-and-bust and over-construction issues as Spain and I think there are areas that still offer value. For £25k I’d buy something in the hills behind the Algarve, about 30 to 45 minutes’ drive from the golf courses towards the coast.
AR: What can you get for your money?
JW: I think you could get a dilapidated farm building for that price with maybe up to half an acre of land. You’d have to spend that again to re-furbish it, more if you want a pool. You could sell it for £100k-125k after a year or two. A very tidy profit.
AR: Thanks James. Let’s add another £75k into the mix. Where would you invest £100k?
JW: The Middle East looks very attractive at the moment, relative to the rest of the world. It’s somewhat out of the loop from the current financial troubles due to its natural wealth and resources.
AR: Would you invest the money in Dubai?
JW: Probably not. I think there is better value in the neighbouring Emirates of Sharjah and Ras Al-Khaimah. The traffic in Dubai is a nightmare and you can often get from Dubai airport to Sharjah and Ras Al-Khaimah quicker than you can to Jebel Ali or even Jumeirah. Both are on the coast and are a lot quieter. The shopping is not as good, but they are playing catch-up and the great thing is they are learning from Dubai’s mistakes.
AR: Is there a risk of over-supply in the UAE?
JW: I used to think that, but there is just so much demand. In Dubai over the last couple of years, rents have more than doubled and the government has had to cap rent increases. There seems to be more and more international companies relocating there all the time. I think the boom still has a few years to run yet.
AR: What would you get for your money?
JW: You’d be looking at a one-bed flat for £100k. A two-bed would cost around £140k if you wanted to gear your investment.
AR: Anywhere else you’d consider investing?
JW: I’d also put money into Bahrain. Dubai is the commercial centre of the Middle East for most industries but Bahrain is the financial centre. It’s managed to capture that niche and it’s a pretty good one to capture. It’s also stable politically and I believe it offers good long-term investment prospects.
AR: Right, let’s make it interesting. Let’s put £1 million in the pot.
JW: Ooh, with that amount of money, I’d be tempted to put it in the bank and wait for some good deals in the UK market. There are some good developers in financial trouble and there will be some great deals to be had if you have the money.
AR: Cash is king, isn’t it? What if you had to invest right now?
JW: I’d put the money into Florida. I think the market is at or around the bottom. I bought there recently when you could get two dollars to the pound but there are still some great deals to be done.
AR: Anywhere in particular take your fancy?
JW: It’s all about location. I know people that have been burnt in Florida, buying at the peak of the boom in less sought-after locations. Personally, I like West Palm Beach, just north of Miami. It’s a retirement market but it’s smart Florida. You can get some real bargains at the moment. For example, you can get a 5,000-square-foot apartment with a pool for US$700,000 (£406,000). In Virginia Water, it would cost you £2.5 million for something similar.
AR: What would you do with the rest of the money?
JW: I’d go for Florida again but probably invest in Sarasota. It’s very much the capital of culture, with great opera and theatre. Some developers there will sell at up to 50% discounts. Many of them just need the money coming through the door. For US$1 million (£580,000) you could you get a 3,500- to 4,000-square-foot house in a smart location such as the Founders Club which will appreciate significantly in the coming years. Alternatively, there are more central locations where key-ready homes are available for around $200,000 (£116,000). In both West Palm Beach and Sarasota there is good rental demand and over five years I believe that you can make a significant return on investment and, of course, enjoy the lifestyle of the Sunshine state.
AR: Thanks James. Great talking to you.
JW: You’re welcome. Hopefully speak to you again soon.
About Barton Wyatt. Barton Wyatt is a third generation business in Virginia Water, Surrey selling and letting property in the UK and selling new homes on golf resorts around the World.Awards in 2007 included CNBC World top 5 Real Estate Agent, Daily Mail UK’s Best Estate Agent and Best UK International Estate Agent.In 2008 Barton Wyatt are again a Daily Mail award winner.


James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt International based in Wentworth, Virginia Water. Tel: 01344 843000

Agent particulars: James Wyatt, Virginia Water, Surrey
Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 22/02/2003 - Daily Telegraph.
'I have had two new houses in the past five years, both built by the same developer, but this is the first I've had built for myself. It's the big move if you like: we're jumping up into a large, family house, although, by Virginia Water's standards, I'd say it's actually quite modest.

James Wyatt: he is building a large, family house
"We've one daughter, Victoria, who is two and Jane, my wife, is pregnant again, so it's the right time to do this. I knew exactly what sort of property I wanted. It's what is referred to as a railway carriage house, long and thin. The living-room, dining-room, kitchen, breakfast room and family room are all along the back with the view of the garden, and the other two reception rooms, which aren't quite so important - the study and the telly room - are on the front.
"The chap who developed Virginia Water from its humble beginnings was called W G Tarrant, a very brave developer, who was continually going bust. He started building houses in West Byfleet. Then he bought St George's Hill in Weybridge and developed that and then, in 1921, he developed the Wentworth Estate.
"As it happens, his office is where mine is now. His drawings are on the wall here and his typical Surrey vernacular, tile-hung house was often the railway-carriage design. These days people don't build weedy, thin houses, they prefer bigger houses on smaller plots, but I like them.
"I've never thought of any of the places we've lived in would be a home for very long. But I've a feeling this new house is going to be different because it's been a product of love and enormous involvement. From when we married, in 1994, we've kept moving, up until now, every two years. After we moved the first time I thought: well, this is a good way to get up the property ladder, buying the right thing and then fairly quickly moving on. And that's what we've done, though the actual business of moving is ghastly.
advertisement

"Put a price on this property? Let's say that to buy the plot and build the house was getting on for one and a half million. And I suppose you could now say it's worth one and three quarter million so, yes, I'm going to make a little bit out of it.
"Estate agency is not a game where you make lots of money. All we do is take a commission and at the end of the year there's a profit. But one of the ways you can build up your capital is through building your own house and it's tax free, and that's the angle."
James Wyatt is a partner with brother Rupert in Barton Wyatt, Station Approach, Virginia Water, Surrey.


James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt International based in Wentworth, Virginia Water. Tel: 01344 843000