Crystal Group

London has been chosen as a leading global city for foreign property investment. While the property market has struggled in several areas over recent years, the London property market continued to flourish in the recent recession and is set to see an increase in property prices and rental yields for the foreseeable future. Investing in property in London should be a cornerstone of your property investment portfolio. Below is a table of Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyor’s prediction for house prices up to 2020. The table puts London at the top of the table which is hardly a surprise considering the resilience of the London property market during the recession of 2008.

Investing outside London We have identified many great locations outside London which we feel will benefit our property investor clients. We have picked a few areas which are of particular interest to us as our property consultants have expertise and experience in these property markets. We are confident that we can source properties in this highlysought after areas with huge growth potential in capitail appreciation and acheieiving higher yields.

Ashford- Kent
Considered the ‘Gateway to Europe’, Ashford is the fastest growingcity between London and the continent. That sounds like a bigclaim, but the truth of it becomes immediately evident when youhave a look at how this scenic area of Kent has developed sincethe beginning of the 21st century. The office for National Statistics reports that from 1984-2009, Ashford was the fastest growing areain South East England, with a 29% increase in population. Ashford’s population is predicted to grow by a further 31% between 2008-2033.This is because Ashford has established itself as a terrific area for business. Approximately 5,000 businesses have workplaces in Ashford, employing around51,000 people. There are 16 business parks in Ashford that accommodate a wide variety of businesses from light industrial to commercial and retail companies. For city workers looking to for housing away from the hustle and bustle of London, trains from Ashton rail station travel to Kings Cross St Pancras in only 38 minutes,making Ashford an important link in London’s increasingly important commuter belt. To top it off, house prices in Ashford are 28% lower than London and 14% lower than the average for the South East. These attractive property prices and excellent employment opportunities are drawing people to Ashford, which is creating exceptionally strong rental demand in the area. As the area is seeing such impressive growth, it seems that now is the time for investors to claim their piece of this vibrant and exciting city. Ashford has been an important market town since around the 12thcentury. The town upholds its heritage of commercial significance with expansive business developments, buoyed by the Ashford International rail station and the High Speed 1 (HS1) trains that service it. High Speed 1 cut travel time between Ashford and London down to 38 minutes, less than half of the prior journey time. This super fast link between London and the continent puts Ashford in prime place to take advantage of businesses that need quick access to both markets. Councillor Gerry Clarkson, Leader of the Ashford Borough Council, has said that “HS1 is the most important economic boost to the South East in years and has strengthened Ashford’s reputation as the powerhouse economy of Kent.” Not only is HS1 of vital significance to the rapidly expanding number of business with operations in Ashford, but also to London commuters who are looking for a peaceful and scenic town where they can escape the crowds and bustle of the capital while keeping their commuting time low. Currently house prices in Ashford are 34% lower than Greater London, but with so many new reasons to live in Ashford being developed year after year, demand is growing, which will have an effect on property value in the near future.

Aylesbury-Buckinghamshire
Aylesbury town centre is a vibrant place with many pubs, bars and nightclubs. It’s also home to Queens Park Arts Centre, the UK’s largest independent arts centre. There are also a number of great pubs and restaurants covering a wide variety of cuisine. The Bourg Walk Bridge opened in March 2009 connecting Southcourt to Aylesbury town centre. The focus of the footbridge is a central concrete pillar with four suspension cables supporting the structure. This bridge forms a central part of the Aylesbury Hub project. Bourg Walk was nominated and won the Engineering Excellence Award 2009 awarded by the Institution of Civil Engineers (South East England branch).Buckinghamshire offers a wealth of historic houses, gardens and family friendly attractions as well as magnificent countryside.It is unique in the fact that it has the most National Trust properties in the country. It is home to ITV’s Midsomer Murders. Roald Dahl lived and wrote for over 30 years in the village of Great Missenden just outside Aylesbury. Today the popular children’s author is celebrated at two local museums. Aylesbury is known for the Aylesbury duck, particular breed local to the region, that marks the Buckinghamshire flag. In the early 19th century the ducks were walked to market in London. The arrival of the railway in 1839 made the journey a lot easier! So with its beautiful scenery, excellent commuter ability and high employment levels, Aylesbury is a very popular place to live. Three major industrial and commercial centres make sure council plan to revitalise the Waterside area.the town is a hub for distribution and has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. Arla Foods opened a state-of-the-art £150 million ‘megadairy’ in 2013. Situated just off the A41 in Aston Clinton, it is now a major employer in the Aylesbury area. Arla also paid for infrastructure improvements around Aylesbury to ensure the increased transportation in the vicinity did not cause congestion to the area. Being a highly filmed county another source of income is tourism. It supports over 6,800 jobs and creates a revenue of some £55 million per year in the Aylesbury Vale district. With great access to London, Aylesbury is also an excellent commuter town.

Camberley- Surrey
Camberley is a mere 31 miles south-west of central London in the far west of the county, close to the borders of Hampshire and Berkshire. Camberley town has its roots in The construction of the Royal Military College, which later became the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst (RMAS). Today it continues to pursue the highest standard’s of professional excellence in training future British Officers and many from overseas countries. Much of the Camberley area is within the Metropolitan Green Belt. Camberley’s suburbs include Crawley Hill, Yorktown, Heatherside and the Old Dean district. The total population of the Surrey Heath district according to the 2011 census is 86,144. This is an increase of 7.3% since 2001. After more than five years in planning stages the seven acre development The Atrium was built in 2008. Consisting of 217 mid-rise apartments split into residential courtyards, fourteen new retail units and leisure facilities including a nine screen cinema, bowling alley, health and fitness club, cafés and restaurants all set in a pedestrianised and landscaped area. The surrounding villages have an incredible history starting in the neolithic period, moving through to a royal hunting ground at Bagshot Park in the 14th century and notorious highway men in the 17th and 18th centuries. The military arrived in 1853 and the National Rifle Association came to Bisley in 1890. Property prices in the Camberley area (including Frimley, Frimley Green and Blackwater) are currently just over 47% above the national average. However they are still around 35.5% below the London average. They increased by around 12% over the last year. Camberley’s town centre hosts The Mall shopping centre added in the late 1980s. It houses around 100 stores and is anchored by stores such as House of Fraser. Camberley’s high street hasa number of shops as well as bars, restaurants and clubs, many of the latter being more recent additions. There are a number of secondary shopping streets including Park Street, Princess Way & parts of London Road, which leads to The Atrium.Major employers include Siemens, which moved its UK headquarters to the area in 2007, Burlington Group who moved into Watchmoor Park in 2009 and Sun Microsystems (nowOracle. Krispy Kreme UK are based in Albany Park, an industrial estate to the south of the town centre.

Sothampton
A town with a plan Let’s be clear on this; the city of Southampton is already beautiful and benefitting from millions of pounds of investment in development andregeneration. However, if we could just glimpse the future of Southampton we would see the benefits of a master plan that will bring £3 billion of investment into the city and provide5,000 new homes and 24,000 new jobs to the SO postcodes.This master plan includes several multimillion pound developments that will bring beautification and leisure facilities and willstrengthen Southampton as one of the best locations for finding the perfect life/work balanceon the South Coast. Seven key areas have been targeted fordevelopment over the next 20 years. The aimis to attract new business, more tourism and to develop new communities by providing thousands of homes as well as fantastic retail and business districts. Getting down to business Southampton’s local economy is worth £5 billion per year. More than 7,600 businesses operate in the area and employ around 120,000 people. The master plan for Southampton works toward building on a potential for strong and sustainable economic growth by developing areas on the coast and inland into vibrant business districts. Known as the `Cruise Capital of Northern Europe’, the docks of Southhampton house four cruise terminals. The holiday cruise industry brings £400 million to the local economy every year. Southampton and the Isle of Wight also house 7 out of the top 10 global aerospace companies including Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Astrium. At the forefront of technology Southampton is a city that has always been on the cutting edge. Southampton University is one of the top 5 research universities in the UK with a global reputation for engineering and computer sciences, oceanography, chemistry and cancer research. The research conducted here drives industry forward and adds significantly to the impressive growth happening in this exciting city. With so much going on in Southampton, there are plenty of reasons why the city is such a desirable place to live. The many developments popping up in the city, buoyed by the ambitious master plan for the city centre, mean that Southampton is providing a wealth of opportunity for property investors

Luton
Luton is a large town, situated alongside the M1 motorway in Bedfordshire. It has a current population of just under 260,000 people, and with a growth of around 21% over the last ten years. Luton has been tipped by Rightmove, a leading property website, as one of three hottest locations for future housing demands over the next five years. House price in Luton are currently around 27% below the national average and whilst asking prices across the country have risen by around 7.5% annually, in Luton they have increased by around 10% in the last year. It has been suggested that prices are rising faster in Luton than in London, partly because of the ripple made as Londoners move out of the capital seeking better value for their money. There is seen to be a real need for further housing in the district, and the town’s Housing Development and Enabling Team, as well as the Homes and Communities Agency and housing associations are all working together to develop new housing projects. Rightmove predicts Luton is the next property hotspot as the ripple effect spreads out from the capital The area surrounding Luton was dominated by agriculture, but that changed with the development of the brick making industry in the 16th Century. The hat making industry arrived in the 17th Century, which eventually dominated the town; even to this day, a small number of hats are produced there. In 1905 Vauxhall Motors opened their factory in the town it was the largest car plant in the UK. Car production ceased in 2002, but van and light commercial vehicle production continues, and the company still have their headquarters there.