A recent independent survey conducted by leading researcher OnePoll has found that property continues to be the investment category of choice for British investors. The survey, conducted on behalf of specialist investment company Select Property, has revealed that there is growing confidence amongst investors in the UK economy, which is causing investors to become increasingly active across all sectors.
UK Property Research
The research confirmed that 60 per cent of those quizzed were ‘confident’ or ‘very confident’ in the UK property market and when queried about which investment vehicle they would choose if given £100,000, more respondents chose real estate (40 per cent) than any other form of asset.
The most popular types of property are but-to-lets or rental properties (44 per cent) and family homes (43 per cent), although there was a surge of confidence in student accommodation, with 21 percent believing it is the way to go.
57 per cent of respondents are confident in the Uk economy, while over two thirds (64 per cent) consider the UK market to be amongst the safest place for investments, and 40 per cent think it is the most profitable market on a global scale.
Goverment Successes
These statistics back up the latest industry reports concerning the health of the UK economy from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). With less than 12 months until the next general election, these figures are a good indication of the effectiveness of recently introduced government measures.
The most popular classes of investments coveted by investors are ISAs, stocks and property, although around 7 per cent stated that they had previously invested in more unconventional assets such as wine, films and stamps.
The average investors budget usually consists of £30,200, whilst a sixth of respondents said they consistently spend over £60,000. A third (32 per cent) said that their budget had grown in the past 5 years.
As a continuation of the optimistic theme witnessed throughout the survey, 60 per cent of investors have stated that they are feeling ‘confident’ or ‘very confident’ about their investment portfolios, with 53 per cent believing that their investments will perform more consistently over the next half decade. A third of all respondents said that they are potentially looking to make further investments over the next year.
Is London Still Leading The Property Frontier
The statistics compiled by the survey have also revealed that the localised gap between London and the rest of the UK is still highly apparent, with Londoners taking centre stage as the most confident and active investors. Investors from the capital hold the highest average investment budget of £37,229, are more likely to have already invested in property than other regions and are also the most likely to enlarge their investment portfolio over the next 12 months. However, Londoners were also the group most heavily affected by the recent pension reforms, with 31 per cent of respondents stating that they had been forced to change retirement plans since the announcement, which suggests they they may be more reactive and more open to altering their investment strategies.
Bradley Shore is an experienced property and investment blogger, he writes for a number of clients such as innovo property investment UK. He focuses his writing mainly on the purpose to help knowledge people in those areas which they might not be too sure on, and to keep you up to date on the latest property information.