We’re seeing a lot of house-buying FOMO (fear of missing out, parents etc.), with clients asking to cash in investments to secure what is unlikely to turn out to be a bargain property purchase. Call me Mr World Weary Seen it all Before, but this really is the classic sign that it’s the wrong time to buy. And, although I would say that, wouldn’t I, property as an investment can go down as well as up, is illiquid (you can’t make a withdrawal) and can be an expensive nightmare if you get the wrong tenants. Don’t say I didn’t tell you.
“John Lewis foray into BTR could result in losses of £57m”
I did predict a while ago that Waitrose Homes rather than Waitrose Home Deliveries could be the future. John Lewis were probably the most benign big business to decide to go into the housing rental market, a move which could swing things away from the unpredictability of the mass of private landlords who dominate the sector.