In this guide, we'll show you how to find a property to invest in that will suit your needs and help you make a profit. We'll cover the basics of investment properties, including what to look for and how to assess their potential. With our advice, you'll be able to confidently find an investment property that's right for you.

What is an investment property?

An investment property is a piece of real estate that is not your primary residence. You can purchase an investment property to generate rental income or for the purpose of selling it at a profit later. There are many types of investment properties, each with its own set of risks and rewards. Here are some of the most common:

1. Residential property - This includes single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes, and quadplexes. These can be rented out to tenants or used as vacation rentals.
2. Commercial property - This includes office buildings, retail stores, warehouses, and industrial buildings. These are usually leased to businesses.
3. Agricultural property - This includes farms, ranches, and other land used for agricultural purposes. These can be leased to farmers or used for personal use.
4. Recreational property - This includes campgrounds, RV parks, cabins, and timeshares. These are usually used for personal enjoyment or leased to others for their use.
5. Development property - This includes vacant land, raw land, and land with improvements such as roads and utilities. These are usually purchased with the intention of developing them into something else.

As discussed above, each type of investment property comes with its own set of risks and rewards. Residential properties, for example, tend to be less risky than commercial properties, but they also tend to have lower returns. Agricultural properties can be very risky, but they also have the potential for high returns. Development properties are generally the riskiest, but they also offer the greatest potential for profit.

What to look for in an investment property

When you're looking for an investment property, there are a few key factors to keep in mind. These include:

Location

The location of your investment property is important for a number of reasons. First, it will affect the value of the property and how easy it is to sell in the future. Second, it will impact the rental potential of the property. Properties in desirable locations are more likely to be in high demand from tenants, which can help you keep your rental vacancy rate low.

Price

The price of an investment property is obviously a major consideration. You'll want to find a property that is priced below market value so that you can make a profit when you sell. However, be careful not to overpay for a property just because it's cheap. Make sure to do your research and know the true market value of the property before making an offer.

Rental potential

If you're planning on renting out your investment property, then you'll need to make sure it has good rental potential. Look for properties in areas with high demand from renters, such as near universities or in popular neighbourhoods. Properties with features that are in high demand, such as multiple bedrooms or private outdoor space, will also be more likely to attract tenants.

Maintenance costs

It's important to factor in the cost of maintaining your investment property when you're assessing its potential profitability. Things like monthly utility bills, regular cleaning, and occasional repairs can all add up. Be sure to include these costs in your calculations to get an accurate picture of your expected return on investment.

How to assess the potential of an investment property

Once you've found a few properties that meet your criteria, it's time to assess their potential. Here are a few things to look at when evaluating an investment property:

The rental market

Research the local rental market to see what kind of prices properties are renting for. This will give you an idea of how much income you can expect to generate from your investment property.

The sales market

It's also a good idea to research the local sales market. This will give you an idea of how easy it will be to sell your investment property in the future and how much profit you can expect to make.

The economy

The state of the local economy can impact both the rental market and the sales market. If the economy is booming, then there will likely be high demand for both rentals and sales. However, if the economy is struggling, then demand may be lower.

The neighbourhood

Take some time to get to know the neighbourhood where your investment property is located. This will give you a better idea of the type of tenants that are likely to be interested in renting there. It can also help you assess the long-term potential for the area.

Conclusion

Once you've done your research, you should have a good idea of whether or not an investment property is a good fit for you. With our advice, you'll be able to confidently find an investment property that's right for you.

Below Christine Bailey, Chief Marketing Officer at international payment solutions company Valitor, explains for Finance Monthly the complexities of valuation and exactly how retailers can determine the value of their stores.

One look around our high streets or news website and you are met with empty stores and articles proclaiming the death of the high street. However, things are starting to change. So it’s time to reevaluate high street stores and put a new price on them.

Price wars with eCommerce 

The reality that has existed for some time is that with higher overheads and a smaller inventory, bricks and mortar stores are at too big a disadvantage to compete with eCommerce on price and choice. Smartphones in hand, consumers are quickly comparing online and in-store prices and buying whatever is cheapest and most convenient. Things only get worse with large scale events such as Black Friday. In fact, nine in ten Heads of Commerce believe these sale events have devalued products in the minds of consumers, to the extent that they’re less likely to shop during non-discounted periods.

In order for brands and retailers to effectively revalue their stores, we need to understand what physical stores can offer and online cannot. Firstly, bricks and mortar have a clear lead with personalising the customer experience. By blending their online and offline setups together, omni-channel retailers can dramatically improve the customer experience

By blending their online and offline setups together, omni-channel retailers can dramatically improve the customer experience.

Offering more than quick sales

For instance, physical stores can benefit an omnichannel retailer via its unique strengths, including in-person support, simple returns, and the ease of payments. In fact, recent research found that almost one in five (19%) retail executives think the top hidden strength of the high street is its people. Assets like in-person support then should not be overlooked. Together, these strengths contribute to a robust in-store customer experience, which may not translate into a sale being made at the store itself, but can support online sales, or reinforce the brand.

Taking this further, there are other elements that omni-channel retailers also need to take advantage of. Embracing an experiential approach and putting customers at the centre of a physical brand experience is key to revaluing physical stores. Through shifting their focus from selling products to the people purchasing them, brands can connect with consumers on another level and start building long term relationships.

One great example and leader in this area is Nespresso. By focusing on consumer needs, Nespresso’s stores showcase its products in an immersive way, creating a multisensory experience. Staff add to this with expert knowledge and can take customers from the physical point of sale all the way to a personalised subscription plan which is then facilitated via its app. So although purchases are made via the app, the physical store has a major driver in securing the sale in the first place and providing an experience centre to push new products and flavours.

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Nespresso’s customers now no longer see its stores as just a place to make purchases. Instead, they have become destinations that they want to go, all of which helps build a positive connection with the brand and support the development of a long term relationship. This type of store usage can be replicated quickly and easily by other brands too. What is crucial is having a physical presence that aligned to customer needs.

In the future we may see innovative technologies such as VR and AR also being used, shifting shoppers’ experiences from simply browsing, to immersing themselves in a brand’s offering. But, retailers need to understand it before they invest in it. Crucially, brands also need to identify whether their customers are actually interested in it and see benefit in using it, prioritising their wants and needs.

In this high-pressure era of retail, stores should not be valued purely on revenue anymore. Instead, they should be viewed as a way to complete true end-to-end experiences from first engagement through to the next purchase. Ultimately, this will increase customer retention and the value of each transaction too. While revenue is an ever-important consideration, the ways customers make purchases has changed. This does not mean the value of stores has disappeared. Instead, brands and retailers need to look at how a physical stores advantage can be used to improve the omni-channel experience.

Gold now moves at its highest price since almost seven years ago, while global equities slid among recent political tension involving Iran and the US. The price of Gold shot up as much as 2.3% this week to $1,580 a troy ounce, its highest level since April 2013.

This subsequently boosted shares for manufacturing firms, as Newmont Goldcorp scaled 1.1% and Polyus International advanced 2.3%.

Natasha Kaneva, commodities analyst at JPMorgan, said: “Markets tend to overreact to geopolitics when trading is thin, as it has been during the post-holiday period, but investors are right to fret about what is happening in the Middle East.”

Aditya Pethe, director of Waman Hari Pethe, also remarked however that: “Demand could slow down because of the sudden jump in price, but once it stabilises, people will resume buying.”

Goldman analysts currently believe that Gold may in fact be a better bet than oil at the moment, but it all depends on what happens next in regard to the political situation between Iran and the US.

Nigel Green, the chief executive and founder of deVere Group, explains that as Tehran threatens “revenge” on the US over the killing of Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force, who was in charge of the country’s regional security strategy.

It remains uncertain how, when, or if Iran will respond, but any retaliation is unlikely until after the end of three days of mourning.

Last week we saw the price of oil jump as a result of political tension. This week, Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency by market capitalisation, jumped 5% as news of the strikes broke around the world on Friday. Simultaneously, the price of gold – known as the ultimate safe-haven asset - also moved higher.

We’ve seen Bitcoin price surges before during times of heightened geopolitical tensions. For instance, in August it jumped as global stocks were rocked by the devaluation of China’s yuan during the trade war with the US.

According to Nigel Green, this latest Bitcoin price increase underscores a mounting consensus that Bitcoin is becoming a flight-to-safety asset.

“Bitcoin is living up to its reputation as ‘digital gold’. Bitcoin - which shares gold’s characteristics of being a store of value and scarcity and of being perceived as being resistant to inflation – could potentially dethrone gold in the future as the world becomes increasingly digitalised.”

He continues: “With an escalation in geopolitical turbulence, which typically unsettles traditional markets, it can be expected that a growing number of investors will decide to increase their exposure to decentralised, non-sovereign, secure currencies, such as Bitcoin, to help protect them from the turmoil.

“The serious concerns created by geopolitical issues, such as the US - Iran issue will likely prompt an increasing number of institutional and retail investors to diversify their portfolios and hedge against those risks by investing in crypto assets.

"This will push the price of Bitcoin higher. In turn, due to the market influence of Bitcoin, other major digital currencies will receive a price boost.”

The deVere CEO concludes: “Bitcoin was one of the best-performing assets of 2019 and we can expect to see its investment appeal further strengthen as it becomes known as a safe-haven asset during periods of heightened geopolitical tensions.”

The research claims that Bitcoin's dramatic price surge in 2017 that saw it reach record highs was caused by a single cryptocurrency trader.

Daniele Mensi, CEO of Nexthash Group, commented on the research: "Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have inherent volatility which means they are ideal for traders and investors who want to trade quickly and transparently through blockchain-enabled platforms. Despite the peaks and troughs of Bitcoin, the value has gradually increased over the last few years and is expected to keep rising as it is more intensively mined up to the limit of the currency. 

Because each transaction is logged and public, there is more transparency than traditional transactions, so traders should not be worried by studies like this, but should look at the market on a macro level rather than a short period in isolation. Of course, it depends on the type of investment people are looking to make, but on the whole, the blockchain technology that underpins cryptocurrencies is the tool that allows for greater transparency to everyone and in principle, shouldn't favour one group of investors over another." 

The company that owns Hong Kong's main stock exchange, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, has made a surprise £32bn bid to buy it’s London rival and counterpart, the London Stock Exchange.

The Hong Kong company said in a statement that it hoped combining the two exchanges would result in the creation of "the largest and most significant financial centres in Asia and Europe."

Shares in the London Stock Exchange Group rose by more than 11% as the news broke, but the initial flurry cooled and fell back as the financial world adjusted to the news.

The bid marks a bold move for Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, as it comes just after the LSE's £22 billion ($27 billion) deal to acquire financial data company Refinitiv; a deal the London Stock Exchange is hoping transforms it into a global markets and information powerhouse with the express aim of competing with rival Michael Bloomberg's financial data empire. However, the bid from HKXCF is reported to be dependent on the LSE scrapping its plans to buy Refinitiv.

Charles Li, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong company expressed his desire for the deal to come to fruition, and proclaimed the deal would "redefine global capital markets for decades to come. Together, we will connect East and West, be more diversified and we will be able to offer customers greater innovation, risk management and trading opportunities."

Following the bid, the London Stock Exchange confirmed it had received what it described as an "unsolicited, preliminary and highly conditional" offer from Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing and released a statement adding that "the board ... will consider this proposal and will make a further announcement in due course".

Analysts have described the deal as a potential “non-starter,” highlighting the London Stock Exchange share price staying well below the offer price as a sign that investors aren’t confident in the deals chances of success.

Some have noted that political factors may come into play in what will be seen as the first real test for a post-Brexit Britain and how, without the EU, it’s high value financial services industry could become fair game.  In the past the EU have blocked mergers between the LSE and it’s rivals including one in 2017 which would have resulted in a merger between the London Stock Exchange and Germany’s Deutsche Boerse.

As the political battleground in the UK is played out around the perceived independence Brexit is designed to deliver, this could be a huge reason for the bid to fail.  Neil Wilson, an analyst at Markets.com told the BBC: "The UK government may not wish to see such a vital symbol of UK financial services strength, and indeed a strategic asset, to be owned by foreigners. Effectively it would hand it over to the Chinese through the Hong Kong back door."

The London Stock Exchange seems to be committed to its original plan, stating it would be continuing with its own proposed acquisition of Refinitiv.

After spending a year and a half in the bear market, the price of Bitcoin has recently increased and the bull run is in full force. Although there are certain factors that may have a negative impact on the value of Bitcoin, it is likely that in the long term it will transform into a safe asset due to its rarity. However, the uncertainties of its future can make the price fluctuate daily.

Following a report that Gate.io’s research team launched looking at the fluctuation of the currency, Marie Tatibouet, CMO at Gate.io, teams up with Finance Monthly to take a look at a number of factors that can influence the price of Bitcoin.

User Adoption

One factor that can influence the price of Bitcoin is user adoption of the asset. Popularity of the currency can drive prices up, whereas if the demand for the currency is low, it can decrease the value. Individuals, governments, institutional investors and multinational corporations are adopting Bitcoin, therefore it is evident that the price will be pushed to a new high.

Findings from the report underlined that from 2012 and 2018, the number of Bitcoin addresses with 100 to 1000 BTC gradually increased, accounting for a considerable portion of the Bitcoin in circulation. Additionally, during 2012 and 2015, the price of Bitcoin fluctuated, with it becoming more affordable whist the mining difficulty decreased, and then increasing again. Between 2016 and 2017, Bitcoin became more expensive and the difficulty of mining increased, therefore the growth of Bitcoin slowed down considerably.

Bitcoin Reward Halving

In addition, Bitcoin reward halving is a contributor to the fluctuating price of the cryptocurrency. Bitcoin has a fixed amount of 21 million, unlike fiat money which can be inflated by the centralised authority. It is intended that when 210,000 blocks are generated, the reward from Bitcoin mining will half. Since this was introduced, it has happened twice where the reward has halved - resulting in a fall from 50 BTC to 12.5 BTC. On average this happens every four years.

As a result of Bitcoin reward halving, there is a significant impact on the mining industry. Following the first and second halving, the hash rate decreased, but recovered quickly. Throughout 2018, when the price of Bitcoin was falling, a number of miners decided to leave the practice as well as a few mining pools closing down. This highlights the effect the changing price of Bitcoin has on the industry. However, with this being said, there seems to be a wider acceptance of Bitcoin today. The hash rate began to stabilise at the beginning of 2019, suggesting an optimistic market.

Cryptocurrency Regulations

Cryptocurrency regulations is another factor that can affect the price of Bitcoin. As the cryptocurrency industry has experienced rapid acceleration, regulatory bodies have started to pay more attention to the industry. Governements are now taking note of money laundering, terrorism financing and other criminal activities that can be linked with cryptocurrencies. An example of this is in Canada where amendments to the ‘Proceeds of Crime and Terrorist Financing Act’ now require businesses dealing with virtual currencies to register with the Federal Financial Intelligence Unit.

The development of Bitcoin in most countries is unrestricted, with the report highlighting that among 126 countries, 67% of them consider Bitcoin as legal, whilst 19% of them remain neutral. On the other hand, only 8% the 126 countries deem Bitcoin illegal. The response from regulatory bodies can cause the value of Bitcoin to go up or down.

The Future

Although the future of individual cryptocurrencies are uncertain, the industry is growing as a whole. Predicting the price of individual cryptocurrencies is nearly impossible, but Bitcoin’s recent Strength Indicator shows clearly that Bitcoin is here to stay, at least for the next few years. With additional certainty, we should expect a price increase and stabilization. Bitcoin has created vast opportunities and possibilities and its full potential is yet to be reached. Bitcoin has come so far in the past 10 years, so it will be interesting to see where it will be in the next 10 years and the true value it will offer.

The cryptocurrency jumped nearly 200% since the beginning of April.

Michael Novogratz, CEO of Galaxy Digital, joins "Squawk Box" to discuss what might be behind the surge.

The comments from Nigel Green, chief executive of deVere Group, follow surging Bitcoin prices at the end of last week.  On Friday, the world’s largest and original digital currency jumped around 10% within 24 hours, pushing past $3,700 for the first time in three weeks.

He observes: “It was a relatively sudden jump, and, of course, positive news for those currently holding Bitcoin.

“However, the price only reached the top of the trading range and investors should not be popping champagne corks just yet.”

Mr Green continues: “There are three likely drivers of Bitcoin’s price spike.

“First, there are widely published reports that according to a leaked interview with a commissioner, a Bitcoin ETF could imminently secure approval from the US securities watchdog.

“Second, the development of the lightning network which will dramatically improve Bitcoin’s well-documented scalability issues, allowing it to move towards mass adoption.

“And third, the 2020 Bitcoin halving.  The code for mining Bitcoin halves around every four years and the next one is set for May 2020. When the code halves, miners receive 50 per cent fewer coins every few minutes.  History shows that there is typically a considerable Bitcoin surge resulting from halving events.”

The deVere CEO concludes: “Bitcoin is the flagship cryptocurrency and, as such, we can expect when its values climb, it will drive prices of other major digital currencies such as Ethereum and XRP.”

(Source: deVere Group)

Towards the end of July the price of gold steadied after US President Donald Trump who criticized the Federal Reserve's interest rate tightening policy. In more recent events, Trump doubled tariffs on Turkey’s steel and aluminium.

In the US gold prices have hit a 17-month low, falling down to the $1,200 mark and are increasingly trading lower. In other countries the price of gold continues to rise.

Daniel Marburger, Managing Director at Coininvest told Finance Monthly: “Gold prices soar in times of uncertainty, which is why many people expected gold price to fall once Trump was elected.

“Throughout his presidency, Trump has proved to be a controversial character and we’ve seen movement in gold price reflect this.

“He has had a positive impact on the value of the US dollar which usually lowers the gold price, however, current trade wars Trump has started with the EU, Canada and China are offsetting this, slowing the decline.  

“High interest rates make gold a less attractive investment, unlike other investments it doesn’t offer interest. It will be interesting to see how the US president’s decisions will impact the value of gold throughout the rest of his presidency – especially as we approach the mid-term elections in November.”

With holiday season in full swing, people will either be looking to book something last minute or counting the days until they set off. Aside from dreaming of stunning beaches or culture-rich city getaways, there’s a good chance many of you will be imagining the prospect a nice relaxing beer abroad. On top of that, the world cup calls for a few more pints.

For those who enjoy a tipple on their travels, it’s good to know how much you’re likely to spend – especially in an unfamiliar place. Price comparison experts Money Guru have looked at 29 of the world’s most popular city destinations to produce an essential holiday beer guide.

Their research has identified that the cheapest pint is available in Prague where you’ll only be shelling out £1.17 per beer. At the opposite end of the scale, to get yourself a pint in Dubai you’re looking at £9 each.

Here is the rundown of the top five priciest and cheapest pints you’ll find across the globe.

Top 5 – Priciest Pints

• Dubai, UAE - £9
• Oslo, Norway - £7
• Hong Kong - £6
• Singapore - £5.94
• New York, United States - £5.32

Top 5 – Cheapest Pints

• Prague, Czech Republic - £1.17
• Johannesburg, South Africa - £1.63
• Taipei, Taiwan - £1.77
• Krakow, Poland - £1.79
• Rio De Janeiro, Brazil - £2.21.

Iconic tourist destinations like London (£5.19), New York and Paris (both £5.32) seem to be taking full advantage of their popularity by bumping up the cost of beer. Nordic countries also demand higher prices for pints with Copenhagen (£4.81), Stockholm (£5.14) and Oslo (£7) all sitting in the more expensive half of the leaderboard.

An eclectic mixture of destinations populates the middle of the leaderboard with Toronto (£4.10), Barcelona (£4.18), Kuala Lumpur (£3.81) and Tokyo (£3.53) all providing beers at prices that aren’t likely to make people perform a double take.

However, for the more price conscious traveller there are plenty of options available, with a range of popular bucket list destinations including Johannesburg (£1.63) and Rio de Janeiro (£2.21) offering beer prices that won’t break the bank.

There are also some surprises to be found, cities that most would consider to be on the costly end of the spectrum such as Berlin (£2.72) and Seoul (£3.28) are actually relatively reasonable when it comes to beer.

Commenting on the findings, James MacDonald, Head of Digital at Money Guru said: “It’s eye-opening to uncover such a large difference in the price of a pint of beer across the globe. The disparity in cost turns what should be an enjoyable experience into a penny-pinching exercise. Luckily Money Guru’s research highlights the top cities to get more pint for your pound.”

So, whether you’re a beer aficionado, a social drinker or just like a couple every so often, it’s wise to factor alcohol into your holiday budget. For more information on their findings, you can see the entirety of Money Guru’s research here.

According to data supplied by industry website CoinDesk, last Sunday around 8pm London time, the bitcoin hit a record high of $8,101.91, surpassing nay previously recorded price on the prime cryptocoin.

This was a surprising turn of events, though expected in such a volatile market, as on Sunday November 12th the bitcoin had fallen back down to $5,500 following a huge sell-off.

The difference in a week represents more than a 47% price increase.

Nicholas Gregory, CEO of the cryptocurrency business enabler, CommerceBlock, told Finance Monthly: "Bitcoin hit a new high early Friday and has effectively besieged the psychological $8,000 mark in the process.

"Bitcoin surged on the suspension of the SegWit2x hard fork but the current momentum is less technical than systemic.

"The cryptocurrency's momentum is being driven by a growing sense among speculators that the banking industry is firmly in its cross hairs.

"Increasingly, traders and speculators are looking at banks as Blockbuster Video and Bitcoin as Netflix. 

"CME Group's futures launch, which has the potential to open the floodgates of institutional money, has compounded the fundamental narrative within bitcoin that it offers a frictionless and low- or zero-fee alternative to the global banking system.

"By announcing measures to contain the volatility of bitcoin, CME Group ironically boosted Bitcoin even further.

"Again, this represents accommodation rather than repudiation, and the cryptocurrency surged accordingly.

"The message being given to the markets is that while they're not perfect and will need to be treated with kid gloves, Bitcoin futures, and by default Bitcoin, can work."