First Choice is our all-inclusive Acquisition Service

The concept of 'First Choice' is that any one of our properties will be the preferred choice of a prospective tenant, when compared with any other similar properties available for rent at that time, and also the preferred choice of a prospective buyer as and when the decision is taken to sell.

First Choice is achieved by ensuring that every property meets very strict criteria regarding Location and neighbourhood, followed by a fixed, high quality Refit and furnishing, whilst being offered to let at a 'market' rent.

First Choice has been developed for armchair investors who want all aspects of their investment looked after by a highly experienced team, most of whom are investors with a high degree of local knowledge and practical know-how.

First Choice can be tailored to meet the objectives of most investors, whether the aim is to realise a high level of capital gain or income, or a mixture of both.

First Choice Properties are bought in Locations throughout the UK, from County Durham, in the north, through the Midlands, South Wales, the South East & West plus a number of selected London Boroughs through a network of freelance Investor Consultants trained by Buy-To-Let Ltd.

In each Location we specialise in buying distressed/derelict properties either through Estate Agents or at Auction (see Buy-to-Let at Auction ) that, following a comprehensive refit, will mortgage at between 75% & 85% LTV resulting in an investment that provides the best return on the cash sum invested, or heavily discounted New-Build, where the yields allow for mortgaging at 85% LTV.

By buying distressed properties we are able to force up the value by virtue of our minimum Refit Specification .

Our aim is to achieve a value for mortgage purposes that results in a mortgage that will cover 85% of all the costs associated with the purchase & refit resulting in a cash spend of 15% of valuation.

In many cases, particularly when buying at auction, we are able to achieve mortgage valuations that result in the actual cash spend as low as 5% of valuation and sometimes even zero.

To understand the relevance of this policy see, The Financial Dynamics of Buy-to-Let.

Gross yields vary dependent on location from circa 6% in London rising to 15% in other parts of the country, as do projected gain rates.

First Choice Properties

We buy a wide range of properties from two/three-bedroom terraced & detached houses costing as little as 35k through properties suitable for conversion to ex-local authority & private flats & houses in London starting from around 150k for a 1 bedroom flat and HMO's in selected locations across the UK.

All are carefully selected by location and must be ideal for both the prospective tenant and a first-time buyer (HMO's excepted), should the investor need or want to sell.

We tend to cap the purchase price of the property at 250k for Stamp Duty reasons unless there are good financial reasons for exceeding this figure.

Locations

•  London - Wandsworth, Walthamstow, Dagenham, Docklands, Croydon.

•  South East - Medway Towns, Hastings, Brighton, Dorking, Redhill.

•  South West - Portsmouth, Southampton, Plymouth

•  Wales - Bridgend, Cardiff, Swansea, The Valleys

•  Midlands - Milton Keynes, Luton, Aylesbury, Coventry, Walsall, Nottingham, Halifax

•  North East - Newcastle, Sunderland, Darlington, Hull, Grimsby

The number of locations will increase, as we recruit & train new consultants.

See Location Reports