Affordability remains an issue in terms of the housing market.

 

Mortgage lenders are now a lot more careful in terms of lending.

 

Unemployment and a high competition for jobs, with the threat of loss

 

remain critical.

 

For example, the average deposit on a home has increased from 10% of the

property’s value to 21%. An  average worker would need about eight years to accumulate

 

a sufficient deposit for an average house.

 

However, the basci issue is that housing is more

expensive on a number of areas, which is keeping furture

buyers on the sidelines. House prices are currently around five

times average incomes, in comparison to the average of

four. A buyer will typically spend about thirty percent of his salary on a mortgage.

 

 

First time buyers

First time buyers are finding themselves under pressure

First time buyers play a critical role in the housing market,

 

counting for between thirty and forty percent of annual sales

With the supply of housing fixed in the short term,

the entry of new buyers into the market has a considerable effect on

current prices and sales in the sector.

This fact will affect the market as a whole.

 

In this particular period, unemployment, job loss, rising prices and the effect

 

on oil prices of theunrest  in the Middle East are all contributing to an overal period of uncertainty.

Who do you think you are?

With Who Do You Think You Are? continuing to be such a huge hit, tracing your family history has never been more popular. Yet the skills learned in researching your roots can also be applied to your property. And there's more to gain than just knowledge.

According to estate agents Strutt & Parker, finding a notable previous owner of your home can add around 10% to the value of the property - nearly £17,000 for the average house.

 

http://www.upmystreet.com/properties/article/trace-property-history.html

Debt

During the month of February, 46,967 mortgages approved for house purchases, an increase of  over 800 from January.

Remortgaging rose to a 26-month high as people looked to secure cheap deals.

Unsecured debt rose by £768m in February, driven by an increase in personal loans and overdrafts.

The average cost of a home in England and Wales dropped by 0.8pc to £162,215 during February

House prices continue to fall, says Land Registry

House prices fell for the fifth time in six months during February as activity in the property market remained subdued, according to figures from the Land Registry.

 

The average cost of a home in England and Wales dropped by 0.8pc to £162,215 during the month, to stand 1.7pc lower than in February 2010, the registry said.

It was the ninth consecutive month during which the annual rate of house price inflation has fallen, and the second month in a row during which it was negative, while the drop was the largest since October 2009.

The number of homes changing hands also fell to a seven-month low in December, the latest month for which figures are available, with 54,812 transactions taking place – 30pc below the level for February last year, although the decline may in part reflect the severe winter weather during the month.

Positive Cashflow Returns Through Property Investment | PropertyInvesting.com

Making Money In Property

There are three possible outcomes from property investing:

1. You make money
2. You lose money
3. You break even

And in the world of property investing you can only make money in two ways - either capital appreciation and/or positive income returns.

Capital appreciation is straightforward enough. Over time your property increases in value so that it becomes worth more later than what you initially paid for it (this is also known as an increase in equity).

The only trick with capital appreciation is to remember that the amount you pay for a property is the contract price plus closing costs, and the amount you receive when you sell is the sales price less agent's commission, your loan payout and other selling costs.

You can only turn your capital appreciation into positive cashflow by redeeming your equity through refinancing or by selling your property.

The second way you can make money in property is by securing a positive income return.

(Please note that the word rental is deliberately avoided here because some real estate investing techniques - such as wraps - generate positive income returns that have nothing to do with tenants.)

Positive income returns occur when your investment income is higher than your investment expenses.

This concept is different from 'negative gearing' which focuses on capital appreciation at the expense of a positive income return. In fact, negative gearing is all about creating an income loss so you can claim a tax deduction.

---

What Is It You Want From Your Investment?

Assuming that you're investing in property to make money, does it really matter whether you focus on capital appreciation or positive cashflow returns?

This question has been the centre of a lot of debate recently and the property gurus seem divided. Some swear that capital appreciation is the way to go whereas others strongly advocate positive cashflow income returns.

The truth is that there's probably no absolute right answer. In other words, the best anyone can say is "it depends".

Depends on what? Well, the reason why you want to make a profit in the first place.

You need to clarify your investing purpose so that you can decide what type of property you should buy to obtain an outcome that is consistent with your investing objective.

For example, if you want to buy a property that's likely to appreciate in value, then you'd be wise to focus primarily on location. However if you want a positive income return, then a property's location isn't as important as the likely income and expenses.

Financial Independence and Passive Income

Financial independence is an investing outcome that is becoming increasingly more popular as disgruntled employees look for a better quality of life.

Financial independence means the freedom or release from the need to have to work.

It can occur in varying degrees from partial independence (when you get to take a few hours off work a week) to complete financial freedom (where you no longer need to work at all).

The way to attain financial independence is through acquiring passive income.

Passive income is something that flows to you and is largely independent of the number of hours worked in a job.

It needs to be pointed out that there is really no such thing as completely passive income because every dollar of passive income must flow from some kind of work or effort in the first place.

For example, while rental income might seem to be passive income, the task of finding and investing in property, together with managing the tenant, filling in tax returns etc. is anything but passive!

A good example of passive income is royalty payments paid to musicians. They write a song once and are potentially paid a royalty each time the song is played. The initial act of writing and recording the song wasn't passive, but the ongoing payments when it is included on music CDs (sometimes many years later) is. Just think of the Beatles!

The word 'passive' really means avoiding being paid by the hour.

Instead you seek to do some work today and leverage off it tomorrow. This leverage is in the form of receiving multiple payments without the need to work again.

For example, if you invest in a positive cashflow property then you hope that the work involved in finding and acquiring the property will create a positive income stream that will last until you sell the property. One days work now for a lifetime of return later.

It's like an extended form of delayed gratification.

Time And Money

A myth about financial independence is that it's all about money. It's not. It's all about time.

As we age we begin to realise that we're getting older, we begin to see that time is quickly running out. Sooner or later we even realise that time is actually more valuable than money. For example, if you knew the exact moment that you were going to pass away, what price would you put on your last hour alive?

Time is finite - money isn't.

Yet money in the form of regular and constant passive income can buy us freedom to spend time (that we would otherwise allocate to working in a job) doing the things that we really love. That is, money can buy us control of our time that we would normally otherwise sell to an employer in exchange for money to fund our lifestyle.

Now for some people the freedom from having to work means little because they love their job to begin with. That's fine... but it would be even better if you were the one calling the shots and not your boss!

But the reality is that most of us have other things that we'd rather be doing, such as giving time to the kids, exploring spiritual matters, making the world a better place or maybe even playing more golf.

And all this would be possible, if only we didn't have to work in the first place! After all, electricity isn't free and neither are the groceries.

If you want to work less but don't want to take a cut in your lifestyle then you're going to need to focus on finding some sort of passive income to replace the salary you'll forgo when you cut back your hours.

Look at it this way... if you were paid $40,000 per annum in a standard 9 to 5 job, how much passive income would you need per week in order to take every Friday off without suffering a drop in lifestyle? [Hint: go grab a calculator!]

Your answer	$		Check Answer
Answer response			Show Solution

Annual salary = $40,000 Weekly salary ($40,000 / 52 weeks) = $769.23 Daily salary ($769.23 / 5 days) = $153.85 Therefore, you would have to earn $153.85 per week in passive income to be able to take every Friday off without a drop in lifestyle.

The outcome to this discussion is that unless you plan to work until compulsory retirement age, you're going to need to start building some passive income that will substitute your wages as you gradually work less and less in your normal day job.

Use the calculator below to determine how much you are paid per day and week based on your annual salary and assuming you take four weeks annual leave per year.

Your annual salary	$		Calculate
Your Pay

 

---

Passive Income and Property Investing

Let's just do a quick review of the discussion so far.

There are two ways to make money in property investing; your property can increase in value and / or you can earn positive cashflow if your investment income is higher than your property and finance expenses.

Both are valuable and can occur independently to the other. That is, you can have capital appreciation and no positive income returns (this is negative gearing), or you can have a positive income return and no or negative capital appreciation, or you can have no capital appreciation and no positive income too (or both).

Is capital appreciation better than a positive income return? Perhaps, perhaps not.

But if you're looking to retire from you job without necessarily taking a lifestyle or pay cut, then you're going to need to source some kind of passive income to replace the wages you lose from cutting back at work.

Now you can do this by converting your capital appreciation into a series of payments - but once you've spent the gain then it's gone forever. Your financial independence becomes dependent on further capital appreciation which is by no means certain.

Positive income returns on the other hand regenerate, which means they may continue on indefinitely. Sure, tenants will come and go and there may be times when your property will be vacant, but generally speaking your passive income stream is not limited or capped.

---

Conclusion

If the reason why you want to make money in real estate is to try and attain some degree of financial independence to gain the freedom from having to work, then it makes sense that you should focus on positive income returns rather than capital appreciation.

This is because you can't use your 'capital appreciation debit card' to fund your weekly grocery bill, but you can pay for it out of a property income surplus.

The ideal situation would be to have both capital appreciation and positive income. But opportunities offering this can be quite rare.

It's fair to say that different property investments offer the potential for different types of returns. Some are specifically designed for capital appreciation and focus on location irrespective of cashflow returns (such as inner city apartments).

At the other end of the spectrum are investments that offer high cashflow returns but no/low prospect for capital gains (such as regional or country properties).

You can only determine what property you should buy after you've clarified what outcome you're working towards.

If that's working less then you wouldn't buy a negatively geared property that was designed to lose money which meant you had to work harder to pay for the loss.

Instead you'd focus on properties that delivered ongoing positive cashflow returns, since that's what you'd need to replace your salary and fund the lifestyle you deserve.

PropertyInvesting.com is a website designed to help you discover more about how you can profit from positive cashflow real estate investing.

We don't sell properties. Our philosophy is to help you to learn how to source, buy and harvest your own deals.

Be sure to sign up for our free newsletter, read and post on our free forum board and also look at the resources we have available to help you boost your real estate returns.

---

via propertyinvesting.com

Please rate this article here

          

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Top 5 Up and Coming Alternative Investment Strategies

Tuesday 04 May 2010

“Diversification is the key to protection” – A phrase often heard in the investment world when it comes to spreading risk. We take a look at some of the more diverse property based investments and explain a little more about alternative property investment strategies.

REITS (Real Estate Investment Trusts)

Companies established as trusts that invest in real estate, mortgages, or a combination of each. A REIT is a tax designation for a corporation investing in real estate that reduces or eliminates corporate income taxes. In return, REITs are required to distribute 90% of their income, which may be taxable, into the hands of the investors. The REIT structure was designed to provide a similar structure for investment in real estate as mutual funds provide for investment in stocks. Although only recently introduced into the UK, REITs have been available in the USA since the 1960’s. Entry levels are variable, as are returns, which are not guaranteed. In a down trending market not the most profitable, but long term certainly a worthy investment.

Property Mutual Funds

Sometimes confused with REITS, Property Mutual Funds have the ability to be a little more diversified than REITS being funds of property companies and companies supplying services to the real estate market and real estate investment trusts.

Property funds jumped to No. 4 out of 34 in the rankings of the most popular vehicles for individual investors in 2009.  They were in second-to-last place in 2008, when net withdrawals, including sales to professional investors, totaled 1.16 billion pounds.

Entry levels are again variable, sometimes as low as a $2000 USD, returns again are rarely guaranteed, but given the wider ability to diversify, they arguably encumber slightly less risk than REIT’s.

Car Parks

A bit out there, but anyone who has tried parking in a major city around the world will understand the need and value of spaces. Can be done by simply looking around in most major cities, or through management and sometimes direct from developers at the near completion stage of a new building. It’s not unusual in the case of apartment blocks to see apartment owners offering their spaces for sale privately, back through the developer themselves, or through a separate management companies specialising in car park investments.

Without doubt speculative, but certainly something the amateur can “have a bash at” after doing some simple calculations with respect to costs, supply and demand.

Marina Berths

Probably the most speculative. Whilst marina berths in general would appear to have gone up in value in recent times, the buyer or renter of said marina does need to have invested a pretty hefty lump of cash into a boat in the first place. Boat owners aren’t 10 a penny to say the least, but you can be sure when you find one, they will need somewhere to park. Marinas on the whole tend to be well maintained and kept presentable on the account they act as the key attraction to an entire area (For example Puerto Banus near Marbella, Spain, or indeed Monaco)

With the high speculation nature a given, one also has to consider the commonly high initial outlay, as well as lack of available finance on such an investment. (Mortgage companies are not known to issue finance on a patch of water!) Having said that, there are brokerages out there that specialise in just berths around the world, and prices appear to continue to rise.

Student Accommodation

Very new to the scene in some respects. There has always been the local landlord with a few knocked through semis of course, but with the tightening of regulation this has forced many of the “do it yourself” landlords out of the business, opening up the doors to companies buying and redeveloping swathes of run down housing specifically for use by students, often encouraged by local authorities, universities and student unions.

Whilst many might recoil sharply from the very idea of dealing with students directly, it is possible to invest through fully encompassing management companies. Students themselves are a known entity as far as income and the like are concerned, and payment by them is virtually guaranteed to the company allowing the management company to structure and budget the investment accordingly.

What else?

Well, at IPIN we have our own unique SES (Secure Exit Strategy) applied investments. Whilst not really fitting neatly into any of the traditional categories, SES does take advantage of most of the beneficial sides to investment, whilst at the same time removing or at least reducing the risk aspects and still offering comparable returns with those above. The Secure Exit Strategy application takes advantage of current market conditions, leverage, deposits bonded by insurance, and underwritten profit guarantees when applied to investment property projects.

- Author: Peter Mindenhall

via ipinglobal.com

Top 5 Up and Coming Alternative Investment Strategies

via ipinglobal.com

The Texas budget: A blow to the model | The Economist

via economist.com

WHILE campaigning for re-election as governor of Texas last year, Rick Perry often said that he was not too worried about the state’s projected budget shortfall. Bean-counters in Austin, the state capital, had come up with sobering projections, but none of these were official estimates. But now the numbers are in. The comptroller, Susan Combs, recently totted up the receipts and handed down her verdict: $27 billion short for the 2012-2013 two-year budget period, with $72.2 billion available in general revenue funds, against a projected outlay of $99 billion. The state has only an estimated $9.4 billion in its “rainy day” fund.

The Economist - World News, Politics, Economics, Business & Finance

Japan looks ahead

Come back in ten years' time

A heroic public spirit, but a weak state(8)

• The catastrophe points to deeper-seated problems in governing Japan(21)
• The economic impact of natural disasters is often short-lived. Will this be the case in Japan?(20)
• Invited experts debate the outlook for Japan and the world economy
• Portraits from Japan's disaster(18)

More in Asia »

via economist.com

Ladies knitwear - Ladies cardigans & ladies jumpers | New Look

via newlook.com

Is the economy picking up?

Shortage of new homes attracts attention - Times Online

A spat between two politicians — both with very nice houses and both unlikely to sell off chunks of their gardens to developers — has excited public interest in the supply of new homes for everyone else. This is an excellent turn of events, even if you do not like adversarial politics.

The new planning rules will allow communities to make many more decisions about what is built in their areas. But if all homeowners do not inform themselves about these deliberations, there is a risk that even fewer new homes will be built — construction is at its lowest since 1924 — or that dwellings arise that are a design blight on the neighbourhood.

But back to that fracas. On the Today programme on Radio 4 Zac Goldsmith, MP for Richmond Park, clashed with John Prescott over garden grabbing, the disposal of a slice of a surburban plot to a developer. Prescott was a believer, thinking it provided more homes in cities. Goldsmith, meanwhile, said that former commercial sites should be used instead.

The end of garden grabbing is part of a wider reform: central Government will no longer dictate how many homes should be put up in a city or a village. This will be a matter for locals. But the effect of this announcement has been the downing of tools on some sites because housebuilders are apprehensive about other aspects of the new planning rules. These give much more scope for homeowners — and even rival developers — to object to schemes. Some construction bosses fear that the cost of dealing with such disputes could reduce housebuilding further. Why? The developers claim that this extra expense will slim their margins. As a result, they will want to pay less for land, so deterring owners from selling. This reluctance could even affect the Government itself, which controls 45 per cent of the former hospital and other such sites deemed suitable for development.

I could elaborate on the consequences of the new planning regime. But the set-to between Prescott and Goldmsith should already have set you thinking that you need to get involved if you care about your area, the value of your house and the ability of first-time buyers to climb on to the housing ladder.

Damned statistics

House-price surveys: bad statistics or useful guides to the market’s direction? Yes, the argument is raging again. But for the moment, at least, its focus is not the survey from the Your Move estate agency, indicating that there will be a surge in activity after the World Cup. This analysis is based on past transaction figures from HMRC, which show an average rise of 8 per cent in home sales in the month after the tournament.

Will fans rise from their sofas to play a blinder in the property game? Or will the austerity Budget persuade them to stay put? Some commentators say that Halifax’s May index — prices down by 0.4 per cent — suggests that the slowdown is already here. Others, such as Stuart Law, of Assetz, the property investment company, are sceptical. “Halifax and Nationwide lend to customers with incomes at the lower end,” he says. “They buy the sorts of homes whose values are still languishing.”

Mr Law forecasts that the market will grow by 5 per cent this year, thanks to the recovery in prices of homes being bought by better-off southerners. As we report on page 4, in many parts of the South East, prices are 8 per cent below their peak in 2007. In parts of the North they stand at about 18 per cent below this level. Some locations defy this trend. Prices in the borough of Trafford, near Manchester, are 7.4 per cent lower than in the summer of 2007, but this area takes in “Gold Trafford”, the enclaves of Altrincham and Hale — popular with footballers.

This example illustrates the inadequacies of the Halifax and Nationwide indices, which are both compiled from their customers’ mortgage valuations. Despite these imperfections, we cannot afford to ignore either index. For footballers — and others in the high-earnings league — the pursuit of houses will continue to be the beautiful game, however tough the Budget. Halifax’s index sends a message that workers on average earnings suspect they should play it safe.

Shopping al desko

The ladies who lunch are one retail demographic. Far more numerous, however, are the ladies who never lunch because they have no time to leave their offices, though they do shop al desko.

Now these women are cited as the reason for the boom in online decor and furniture sites, such as Achica.com, a new entrant to the sector. Thinking of home, it seems, is a cushion against reality, even when you are not there.

via property.timesonline.co.uk

Property investment clubs return - Times Online

Become a property millionaire!” screamed the advertisements, inviting investors to seminars to “find out how you too can retire early”. Fast-forward two years and those ads have disappeared, vanishing as house prices fell.

The property investment clubs and their founders have kept a low profile since then, but renewed confidence in the housing market and the prospect of future returns has brought some out of the woodwork. Among those who have reappeared are Jim Moore and Tony McKay, the founders of Inside Track — the most high profile of the property investment clubs, which met an ignominious end in 2008 as the buy-to-let market crashed. They recently set up IAP Global, a new company that promises to “secure the best distressed property deals” with discounts of 25 per cent on offer.

They are not alone. Encouraged by signs that the bottom of the market has been reached and evidence that there are bargains in repossessed and distressed property sales to be had, investment clubs are making a comeback.

The sales patter has changed, but the claims are as bold as ever, according to experts, with some even offering free DVDs to entice prospective landlords to their seminars. But the approach is now more low-key, with most opting for a more targeted marketing strategy.

Related Links

• aa Low interest rates are keeping armchair investors in the buy-to-let race

“The clubs are trying to restore credibility and at the same time, thanks to the market recovery, gullibility is returning. They are targeting the already converted — people already on property investment databases, rather than advertising to everyone,” says Kate Faulkner, of Designs on Property, the property advice business. “The seminars used to be £200; now they are free. The marketing has changed, but the product is the same.”

Before the downturn, “no money down” deals were used to lure investors. These involved someone buying a property with a 100 per cent mortgage, for example, for £100,000, remortgaging for £120,000 several months later following a rise in prices, taking £20,000 in cash and buying another property.

Sales pitches now are more likely to be tailored to the post-downturn bargain-hunters, with the most popular offer being “below-market-value deals”. This assumes that there will be desperate sellers — people trying to avoid repossession, who will sell their home for less than it is worth.

“The problem here,” Faulkner says, “is that the amount of stock for sale has fallen and so has the number of repossessions, but prices are rising, so these so-called ‘BMV’ deals have not materialised.

“There is also a difficulty in a market where there is so little for sale that it is impossible to know what the value really is, and, therefore, you won’t know if you are really getting it below market value.”

The damage done by these deals is already in evidence. Landlord Action, a buy-to-let investor support network, says that inquiries relating to debt recovery of sourcing fees rose by 50 per cent last year. “Investors ran out of patience, recession hit, funding ran out and people became more desperate to reclaim deposits and funds,” Paul Shamplina, the group’s director, says.

Sensing the danger of a return to ill-advised property speculation, calls are growing louder for the property investment industry to be regulated, like financial services. The Council of Mortgage Lenders has suggested that this would be a better mechanism to protect homebuyers and sellers than the Financial Services Authority’s proposed regulation of buy-to-let lending.

In the meantime, there are ways to tell if a club is bona fide. “There are actually some good property companies that share the risk, do well, and have figures to back up,” Faulkner says. “The problem is that because there is no regulation, they sit alongside the dodgier companies at the investor shows.”

First, be alert to any company that quotes the wisdom of celebrity property experts or well-known economists — “the chances are they do not have their permission”, says Shamplina. IAP Global has been criticised for using comments made by Phil Spencer, from the Channel 4 programme Location, Location, Location, that “now is the best time to buy since 1991” — a quotation that Spencer reportedly does not recall making.

You should also be alert to advice not to seek advice. “Some will tell you not to speak to an adviser and will not allow you to use your own solicitor or mortgage broker,” Faulkner says. “If anyone says this, walk away immediately. They should be telling you that you should seek independent advice.” Clubs should also encourage investors to see the property they are buying on their behalf, and should refund deposits if they cannot find a suitable property. “Some take money for non-existent property,” Faulkner says.

“If you want to invest, now could indeed be a great time, but forget the ‘no money down’ or ‘properties for £1’ — you need a decent pot of money to afford a deposit of at least 25 per cent to get a decent mortgage rate,” he says. “And the rental income must stack up now or in the future. You need a yield of between 5 and 10 per cent to cope with potential interest-rate rises and increased taxation in future.”

via property.timesonline.co.uk

Property Book Reveals 44 Secrets on Investing

via progressiveproperty.co.uk

Rob Moore

via progressiveproperty.co.uk

Mark & Rob - The Hosts; Professional Duo - MC, Presenter, Host, Compere and DJ for corporate events, awards nights, charity dinners and fundraising events

via markandrob.co.uk

Property Letting, Property Investment Advice, Buy to Let Expert & Landlords Information - Letting Focus

Welcome to LettingFocus.com - home of unbiased, independent property investment consultancy and advice. We help organisations and landlords make a success of their business in the private rented sector.

Click Here for Our Blog - the blog is the part of our site that changes weekly. At the blog, you can select Categories such as "Housing Benefit and Local Housing Allowance" for more information on a topic.

I'm David Lawrenson, author of the UK's top selling book on property and an expert on buy to let. I'm also a speaker and media commentator on property as an investment, as well as being a blogger and consultant on all landlord, property letting and buy to let issues in the private rented sector.

At LettingFocus we work mainly with corporate clients from a range of sectors - helping with their private rented sector and landlord facing products.

 

SERVICES FOR ORGANISATIONS

For financial service companies we help with the marketing, product design and training issues around buy to let mortgages, landlord insurance and other landlord facing products.

In the public sector we help housing associations and local authorities with Choice Based Lettings, Local Letting Agency Models and Private Rented Sector Access Schemes. We show them how they can meet the requirements of the Rugg Review, understand the private rented sector and procure property from landlords in a far more cost effective way.

We also work for city investors and property portals. In fact we help any business which sells products to the private rented sector and to private landlords. Please click on Consulting for more information on what we do.

 

SERVICES FOR PRIVATE LANDLORDS

We also still find a little spare time to give personal advice on a consultancy basis to landlords.

So, whether you are an "accidental landlord", more experienced or even just looking to buy property for yourself to live in, we help with a one to one property mentoring service - giving information, advice and ongoing coaching on any aspect of property investing, including where to get the best mortgages, what area to buy property in, what type of property to buy, the truth about Below Market Value and No Money Down Deals and property letting issues.

Read the past client testimonials and send me an email (this opens an email in separate browser window) or call on 020 8690 3138.

 

NEWSLETTER OPT IN & OFFERS

Our Property Investing and Landlords Information & Advice Newsletters for our corporate and personal customers and for journalists are still free - full of commentary and information for private landlords, news about our seminar events as well as useful insights for our corporate clients. To get it just click here to send me an email and tell us you would like to go on our email list. (We do not send spam or unsolicited advertising.)

To find out about offers we have negotiated for landlords on tenant finding and management services, property inventories, landlords insurance, buy to let mortgages and more, visit our landlords' links page.

 

BUY "SUCCESSFUL PROPERTY LETTING - HOW TO MAKE MONEY IN BUY TO LET"

Our property book - "Successful Property Letting - How to Make Money in Buy to Let"  - has been the top selling UK property book for 4 years and has sold 26,000 copies, easily outselling all the "TV Property Celebrities" titles. You can buy it directly from here - click here to buy from Amazon.

 

ARTICLES

Excerpts from some of my articles that have appeared in the national press appear on our landords' articles pages. Plus there is lots more material, tips and up to the minute media comment at the landlords' blog.

Recent blogs have looked at HMO and multi let properties, housing benefit, buy to let mortgages, where to buy investment property, unfair letting agent fees, the Rugg Review, "Build to Let", tenancy deposits, property lease options, buying property at auctions, property inventories, letting agents, landlord insurance for let property, and the FSA proposals for the buy to let mortgage market. Read more at the landlords' blog. 

To find out more about my book, my work as a property author and how we can work for you please email me direct.

 

IN THE MEDIA

I'm a frequent and outspoken property commentator and speaker on property in the press, on TV and for companies and trade associations. Recognised as a scourge of the "black hats" operating in the mainly unregulated buy to let and property investing business, I first warned of the problems that oversupplied new build flats experienced in 1998. I have criticised past government policy towards the letting sector and the poor lending activities of some mortgage companies in the buy to let sector.

If you are from the media and you would like a comment from me, please feel free to contact me by email or call on 020 8690 3138. 

Follow us at Twitter.

If you have a web site for landlords, buy to let or investment property you can link to us here or to the landlords' blog.

via lettingfocus.com

www.Property-Expert.com Your Property Investment & Homefinder Expert

NEW QUALITY HOMES NEW PROPERTY DEVELOPMENTS OFF - PLAN PROPERTIES PROPERTY INVESTMENTS

Bulgaria Off-Plan Property Search Cyprus Off-Plan Property Search Dubai Off-Plan Property Search       Florida Off-Plan Property Search Morocco Off-Plan Property Search Turkey Off-Plan Property Search

When it comes to new quality homes, new property developments, off-plan properties and property investments, we as professional property developers and property investors with a proven track record of over 30 Years, know all the best value for money developments in Marbella, Puerto Banus and the Costa Del Sol, Costa Almeria and Costa Blanca, Spain, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Dubai, Florida, Morocco & Turkey."What We Don't Know Is Not Worth Knowing". So for sound professional advice on your off-plan properties, quality homes, new property developments and property investments, whether for your main residence, holiday home or purely as an off-plan investment:

WE ARE YOUR PROPERTY INVESTMENT AND HOMEFINDER-EXPERT FOR NEW QUALITY HOMES NEW PROPERTY DEVELOPMENTS OFF - PLAN PROPERTIES PROPERTY INVESTMENTS

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Pensions and retirement planning : Directgov

Changes to the default retirement age

Find out more about recent changes to the default retirement age

• Requesting to work past retirement

via direct.gov.uk

Investing in property : Directgov - Money, tax and benefits

Direct property investment

Buying your home or a property to let out is a way of investing directly in property. However, although the Financial Services Authority (FSA) regulates most mortgage sales, it doesn't regulate most buy-to-let mortgages. If you're thinking of investing directly in property as a way of making money it's important to be aware of the risks. In particular, beware of 'get-rich-quick' promotions.

• Information on buying property to let Opens new window

• Example 'get-rich-quick' property investment schemes that failed Opens new window

via direct.gov.uk

Lease Options - How to Do a Lease Option or Lease Purchase Sale

Lease option sales were popular financing instruments in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were primarily used as a way to circumvent alienation clauses in mortgages. Proponents claimed the sale was not really a sale because it was a lease; however, courts argued otherwise.

Today, options to purchase, lease options and lease purchase agreements are three different financing documents. The variances are state specific and not all states have identical laws. Before entering into an agreement with a seller, buyers should obtain the advice of a real estate lawyer. The information below is an overview and is not meant to be construed as legal advice.

Basics of an Option

• Buyer pays the seller option money for the right to later purchase the property. This option money may be substantial or as little as $1.

• Buyer and seller may agree to a purchase price now or the buyer may agree to pay market value at the time the option is exercised. It is negotiable. However, most buyers want to lock in the future purchase price upon inception of the option.

• The term of the option agreement is negotiable, but the common length is generally from one year to three years.

• Option money is rarely refundable.

• Nobody else can buy the property during the option period.

• The buyer can sell the option to somebody else.

• If the buyer does not exercise the option and purchase the property at the end of the option, the option expires.

• The buyer is not obligated to buy the property.

Basics of a Lease Option

• Buyer pays the seller option money for the right to later purchase the property. The lease option money may be substantial.

• Buyer and seller may agree to a purchase price now or the buyer may agree to pay market value at the time the option is exercised. It is negotiable. However, most buyers want to lock in the future purchase price upon inception of the lease option.

• During the term of the lease option, the buyer agrees to lease the property from the seller for a predetermined rental amount.

• The term of the lease option agreement is negotiable, but the common length is generally from one year to three years.

• The option money generally does not apply toward the down payment.

• A portion of the monthly rental payment typically applies toward the purchase price.

• Option money is rarely refundable.

• Nobody else can buy the property during the lease option period.

• The buyer generally cannot assign the lease option without seller approval.

• If the buyer does not exercise the lease option and purchase the property at the end of the lease option, the option expires.

• The buyer is not obligated to buy the property.

Basics of a Lease Purchase

• Buyer pays the seller option money for the right to later purchase the property. This option money may be substantial.

• Buyer and seller agree on a purchase price, often at or a bit higher than market value.

• During the term of the option, the buyer agrees to lease the property from the seller for a predetermined rental amount.

• The term of the lease purchase agreement is negotiable, but the common length is generally from one year to three years, at which time the buyer applies for bank financing and pays the seller in full.

• The option money generally does not apply toward the down payment.

• A portion of the monthly lease payment typically applies toward the purchase price.

• Option money is nonrefundable.

• Nobody else can buy the property unless the buyer defaults.

• The buyer typically cannot assign the lease purchase agreement without seller approval.

• Buyers are often responsible for maintaining the property and paying all expenses associated with its upkeep, including taxes and insurance.

• The buyer is obligated to buy the property.

Doing a Lease Option / Lease Purchase

Hire a real estate lawyer to draw the documents and explain your rights, including those of possession and default consequences. The property might be encumbered by underlying loans that contain alienation clauses, giving the lender the right to accelerate the loans upon sale.

Sometimes sellers give the option money to their real estate agent as full payment of commission. Agents are not always involved in the exercise of lease options or fulfillment of lease purchase agreements and, even if you have retained real estate agent representation, you still need a real estate lawyer. Agents are not lawyers and cannot give legal advice.

In the event of a lease purchase, obtain all the disclosures and do your due diligence just like you would on a regular sale. This means:

• Get a home inspection.
• Examine the title policy.
• Obtain an appraisal.
• Read seller disclosures.
• Consider obtaining pest inspections, a roof certification, home warranty plan and hiring other qualified inspectors.

Lease Purchase Benefits for Sellers and Buyers

Lease purchase agreements are commonly offered by sellers of hard-to-sell properties. Think about it, if the property was easy to sell, the seller would sell it to a conventional buyer who would pay the seller cash.

• Sellers generally get market value at today's prices and relief from paying a mortgage on a vacant property.

• Although the lease payments may exceed market rent, the buyer is building a down payment and banking that the property will appreciate beyond the agreed upon purchase price.

• Buyers generally make a small down payment, with little or no qualifying, making a lease purchase an attractive way to ease into the benefits of home ownership.

• Buyers also receive a forced savings plan since part of the lease payment is credited toward the purchase price at the end of the lease option agreement.

• If the buyer defaults, sellers do not refund any portion of the lease payments nor the option money and may retain the right to sue for specific performance.

For more information, contact a real estate lawyer.

_{At the time of writing, Elizabeth Weintraub, DRE # 00697006, is a Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate in Sacramento, California.}

via homebuying.about.com

Lease Options, Property Investment, Property Lease Options, Property Investment, Below Market Value

via learnleaseoptions.co.uk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU3HwRJt3NY

James Caan (entrepreneur) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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James Caan
Born	Nazim Khan[1][2] Urdu: جيمس خان 28 December 1960 (1960-12-28) (age 50) Lahore, Punjab, West Pakistan
Residence	London, United Kingdom
Ethnicity	British Pakistani
Occupation	Entrepreneur
Known for	Business, Recruitment, Dragons' Den
Net worth	£70 million[3]
Spouse	Aisha Caan
Children	2
Website
www.james-caan.com

James Caan (born Nazim Khan on 28 December 1960) is a British Pakistani entrepreneur, investor, television personality, philanthropist and Jenkins expert. He is the founder and CEO of Hamilton Bradshaw, a UK-based but Virgin Island owned private equity company. He also founded Alexander Mann, a multinational recruitment company, and co-founded Humana International, a multinational headhunting firm. Caan joined the fifth series of BBC2’s Dragons' Den in 2007.^[4]

Contents [hide] 1 Early life 2 Business 2.1 Alexander Mann (1985–2002) 2.2 Further business (1993–2006) 2.3 Hamilton Bradshaw (2003 – present) 2.4 The Big Issue (2009–present) 2.5 The EBA (2010–present) 3 Media 3.1 Dragons’ Den 3.2 TV Appearances (2007-Present) 3.3 Autobiography 4 Government 4.1 Ethnic Minority Business Taskforce (2007-Present) 4.2 The Department for International Development (DFID) 4.3 Business Link 4.4 Enterprise UK 4.5 Rolands Growth Capital Review 4.6 iawards (2009) 5 Personal life 5.1 Education 5.2 Philanthropy 5.3 Name change 6 Awards 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Early life

James Caan was born in Lahore, Pakistan. His father was Abdul Rashid Caan, a leather worker; he was born into a household of three brothers and three sisters. His father brought the family to the East End of London in 1962.^[1] The family settled in a home just off Brick Lane, and Abdul started a business making leather jackets.

In his youth, Caan worked for his father, but he left school without qualifications at the age of 16, and left home shortly afterwards to pursue his ambitions of founding a business. He says his father took a while to offer his full support.

My father never understood why I didn't join the family business. When I opened the 100th global office of my company he said it maybe was the right thing for me to do.

Caan got his first job in the recruitment industry at the age of 18, when he joined Holborn-based Premier Personnel as a trainee interviewer. Within the year he moved to the larger City Centre Staff Bureau as a branch manager, before being headhunted by Alfred Marks, where he became manager of their Oxford Street branch. Finally, Caan settled down in the recruitment department of Reid Trevena, an incentive-driven financial services company.

[edit] Business

[edit] Alexander Mann (1985–2002)

In 1985, after several years investing in his wife's chain of boutiques, Caan decided to found his own recruitment company, Alexander Mann with his close friend Ghufran Ullah Tahir who has done his MSc from Bradford School Management in 2009. In 1992, he appointed Jonathan Wright to run the business and stepped back to develop other business interests. In 1999, he sold a minority stake in Alexander Mann Group for £25m. The business was then valued at £60m by Advent International. In 2002, he sold his majority stake for an unknown amount. At the time Alexander Mann was turning over £130m a year and operating across Australia, Africa, Nigeria, Europe, and Asia.

[edit] Further business (1993–2006)

In 1989, Caan co-founded executive headhunting firm Humana International with Doug Bugie, eventually growing the business to over 147 offices in 30 countries, and launched the trade magazine Recruitment International, with David Head. In 1996, he set up business process outsourcing company Alexander Mann Solutions with Rosaleen Blair. Caan sold Humana International to CDI International in 1999, his stake in Recruitment International to co-founder and editor David Head in 2000, and Alexander Mann Solutions in 2002.

[edit] Hamilton Bradshaw (2003 – present)

In 2003, Caan set up London-based Hamilton Bradshaw, a mid-market private equity company. The Company’s portfolio contains firms in all sectors of industry, although it lists its interests as buyouts, development capital, and turnarounds. In 2006 it bought sandwich shop chain Benjys, which collapsed 9months later into liquidation.^[5] In 2007 it bought public and private sector recruitment specialist Eden Brown with revenues at over £180m. The company has already increased profits by 70% through a combination of investment and greater efficiency in the first six months of ownership. The umbrella of Hamilton Bradshaw also includes an executive recruitment company attenti which specialises in recruitment for public and non-profit organisations.^[6] At present, Hamilton Bradshaw manages 41 companies, with a combined yearly turnover of £400m, and a real estate portfolio valued at £35m.

[edit] The Big Issue (2009–present)

On 1 December 2009, Caan was invited to become the Chairman of The Big Issue Magazine. This move is hoped to inject the magazine with some entrepreneurial expertise, particularly with a view to bring it into the digital age and launching it in Pakistan.^[7]

[edit] The EBA (2010–present)

In March 2010, Caan launched The Entrepreneurs' Business Academy with Bev James. The Entrepreneurs' Business Academy is a unique and highly practical one stop resource for business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs, providing a range of courses, events and materials that give step-by-step guidance for entrepreneurs on their business journey.

[edit] Media

[edit] Dragons’ Den

In October 2007, James Caan joined the panel of BBC Two's Dragons' Den; to date he has starred in three series. Caan has been characterized in the British media as both the calmest and most sincere of all the Dragons.^[8]

In his first series Caan was slow to invest, but after some time he decided to invest in the next product to come into the Den, whatever that would be. The product was a brand of treadmills for dogs called FitFurLife.

I had a feeling the time had come...I decided that I was going to invest in the first thing that came into the Den that day.

As of 2010, Caan invested in 14 companies, spanning multiple sectors; however, he and Duncan Bannatyne have become best known for their investments in the hardware industry, after building successful companies from four Dragon investments, Chocbox, Goldgenie (formerly Midas Touch), Rapstrap, and MagnaMole. Both ChocBox and Rapstrap made £30m international deals within a month of investment.

Shortly before the filming of series 8 Caan was involved in a bitter row with fellow judge Duncan Bannatyne regarding Caan having non-domiciled tax status, which Bannatyne claimed was an unfair advantage.^[9] Caan stated in early 2011 that Bannatyne had not spoken to him in 9 months, since the row.^[10] Later in the year, Caan hit more controversy regarding his offer to buy a baby from a family in Pakistan.^[11]

In January 2011 the BBC confirmed that James Caan had quit the panel.^[12] The BBC announced regret over his departure and thanked him for his efforts over this 4 seasons on the show.^[12] Clive Morgan of The Daily Telegraph criticised his departure, stating it was 'the show's loss' and that the den 'would not be the same without him.' ^[13]

[edit] TV Appearances (2007-Present)

Since James Caan's appearance on Dragons' Den in 2007 he has continued to take part in various TV programmes (offering his insight into many different subjects). These programmes include The Money Programme, Daily Politics, Question Time, The Wright Stuff, Bloomberg, GMTV, Comic Relief, Football Focus, The Apprentice, Virgin TV, ITV The Tonight Programme, Richard and Judy, Five News, This Week, Sky News, BBC Saturday Kitchen, CNBC News, BBC Frost All Over The World, BBC Breakfast, and The One Show

[edit] Autobiography

Caan published his autobiography, The Real Deal: My Story from Brick Lane to Dragons’ Den, in November, 2008. The title received generally positive reviews and subsequently became a British bestseller. In early 2009 Caan released an audiobook version which received a positive review in New Media Age magazine in May 2009.^[14] This coincided with the relaunch of his new official website.

[edit] Government

[edit] Ethnic Minority Business Taskforce (2007-Present)

James was appointed Co-Chair of the Department of Business’ Ethnic Minority Task Force (EMBTF)in June 2007. EMBTF supports over 280,000 businesses, contributing in excess of £20 billion a year to the UK economy Task Force. James is excited about his role as Co-Chair of the Department of Business' Ethnic Minority Task Force. Throughout his career, James has had great success working with entrepreneurial start-ups, and enjoys this sector the most. He relishes in the chance to provide something tangible on this scale, working alongside the Government. As Chair of The Ethnic Minority Business Task Force, Caan presented a report to government outlining the Economic Case for Investment in Ethnic Minority Business.

[edit] The Department for International Development (DFID)

Caan has ongoing dialogue with DFID, addressing the development of education in Pakistan. As part of his work with DFID, Caan travelled to Pakistan in late February 2010 to explore ways in which he can apply his extensive business experience to improve Pakistan’s education system. Whilst in Pakistan, Caan had discussions with representatives from the UK Department for International Development (DFID) to learn more about how its £250 million UK aid programme is supporting and addressing education in the country. The programme looks to help five million more children attend school and give 500,000 young people the skills they need to get jobs.

[edit] Business Link

Caan has worked closely with Business Link in an advisory capacity as well as having attended and spoken at a number of Business Link events. Caans’ advisory capacity sees him focussing on how he can draw upon his private sector experience by understanding what the SME community needs to ensure that the deliverables of a project are both achievable and realistic.

[edit] Enterprise UK

Caan continues to champion entrepreneurship in the UK and recent activity has seen him working closely with Enterprise UK. Caan was honoured to open the parliamentary reception of the Government funded campaign ‘Global Entrepreneurship Week’ run by Enterprise UK during the week of 16 – 22 November 2009, organisations in over 80 countries ran thousands of events to inspire people to embrace innovation, imagination and creativity. Caan also joined the ‘Flying Start Rally’ and talked to young entrepreneurs about his journey, successes and failures, and how to make it in big in business.

[edit] Rolands Growth Capital Review

In 2009 Caan provided recommendations to The Rowlands Growth Capital Review. The review was to examine whether Government will need to intervene to help Small and Medium businesses (SMEs) access capital for business growth and was led by venture capital expert Christopher Rowlands.

[edit] iawards (2009)

James and Lord Drayson are involved with the iawards, a Government initiative to recognise and celebrate the best British achievements in science, technology and innovation. They are the first awards of their kind to be backed by the British Government, working in partnership with leading entrepreneur James Caan. The inaugural iawards took place at place at The Science Museum on 16 November 2009.

[edit] Personal life

Caan lives in North West London with his wife, Aisha Caan, and two daughters Hanah Caan and Jemma-Lia Caan and owns homes in La Croisette in Cannes, France and a home in Lahore, Pakistan which featured in the May 2009 issue of overseas property title A Place in the Sun magazine.

[edit] Education

James Caan dropped out of school at the age of 16. In 2003 Caan participated in the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School. As of July 2009, James was awarded an honorary doctorate (in business administration) from the Leeds Metropolitan University. James was also awarded an honorary degree from the University of East London in November 2009.^[15] James will soon receive an honorary doctorate from York St John University later this year.^[16]

[edit] Philanthropy

Caan operates his own charity, the James Caan Foundation, which lends aid to the needy in the UK and Pakistan. Caan’s current and past schemes have focussed on helping disadvantaged children get a quality education. Caan is a member of the Prince's Trust Enterprise Team, he actively supported the NSPCC Full Stop charity campaign, and he adopted a school on behalf of the Care Foundation.

It is rumoured that Caan is in discussions with the British Government to launch a multi-million pound project to aid Pakistan’s struggling education system.^[17]

Caan originally visited Pakistan on a humanitarian aid trip in 2005, when he built his first independent school in partnership with The Citizens Foundation (TCF) in Lahore. The school currently educates 420 disadvantaged children between the ages of 5 and 11 for free. The Foundation continues to fund the institution and operates a teacher training programme in its premises. Through his role on Dragons’ Den, Caan has worked with the organisation Children in Need. In 2008, CiN filmed a ‘Youth Dragons Den’ in which youngster James Buckley pitched his idea to the Dragons. ‘Look for Loneliness’ was his initiative to help reduce bullying and get children to understand what it is like to feel isolated. Caan went on to work with CiN in 2009, helping to renovate a Community Centre for young people to visit before and after school.

Caan has been working with The Prince’s Trust for several years, supporting them as an ‘Enterprise Fellow’. This involves acting as a role model for younger generations, attending fund-raising events and galas, and involvement in projects which provide support to those with disadvantaged backgrounds.

Caan is a senior advisor to Marie Curie Cancer Care. Caan is also supporting their Daffodil Schools Challenge – Marie Curie Cancer Care’s new active citizenship project.

Caan supports the Mosaic Enterprise Challenge acting as mentor and adviser to the competition’s young hopefuls. The Enterprise Challenge is a national schools competition sponsored by Apax Partners to foster entrepreneurship amongst students through the use of leading enterprise game software and Mosaic’s inspirational business mentors.

In 2008, in aid of Comic Relief, Caan teamed up with his fellow Dragons for a special edition of ‘Victorians Dragons’ Den’. In 2010 Caan joined the Sport Relief team on a four-day philanthropic trip to Kenya in December 2009.

Caan is a supporter of the Chairwoman of Care Foundation. Caan has adopted one of the CARE Foundation’s schools and financially supports the educational needs of over 1000 children every month.

Caan remains a supporter of the work of the NSPCC and, in particular, its FULL STOP campaign. Caans’ personal pledge contributed to the NSPCC reaching its target of £250 million in March 2007.

In March 2010, Caan became chairman of the British Pakistan Foundation (BPF), set up to facilitate public-private partnerships between businesses, state departments, NGO’s and communities in both the UK and Pakistan. These partnerships aim to harness the resources and intellectual capacity of these groups to deliver efficiently and effectively development initiatives for the improvement of socioeconomic conditions in Pakistan.

In July 2010, Caan flew out to Pakistan immediately after the worst flooding in the country's history. His frustration and horror at the scale of the destruction compelled him to physically purchase, prepare and deliver emergency food parcels to starving families in the village of Nowshera.^[18] Caan spent over £40,000 of his own personal finances during this four-day trip alone.

On his return and together with the BPF, Caan partnered with UNICEF to provide urgent food, medical supplies and water and hygiene kits to 1000 desperate families. Whilst UNICEF delivered on the ground, Caan undertook an extensive media outreach campaign, speaking on the BBC news, The One Show, CNBC, ITV news and GMTV. His trip was also documented in newspapers all around the country. After just two weeks, Caan had raised £100,000 for UNICEF. The impact of Caan’s coverage was immense and whilst most disaster appeals witness a peak in donations after their first week, Caan was able to generate enough awareness that saw an unprecedented rise in donations in their second week of campaigning. Caan’s work in the media also hugely contributed to the Disaster Emergency Committee's appeal which was running in tandem.

Caan drew criticism when he was caught on camera offering to buy a baby from a family that was a victim of the floods. He offered the family 100,000 rupees (£725) for the baby. He later regretted making the offer, calling it "clearly not the right thing to do".^[19]

In the aftermath of the destruction in Pakistan, Caan decided that he, as an individual, wanted to do more.^[20] With the James Caan Foundation, he is now undertaking a reconstruction project, where he wants to rebuild an entire village in Pakistan, including schools, hospitals, homes and all infrastructure and water supplies. The project is being endorsed by Prince Charles and the prince’s charities and is supported by the UK government. Aid agencies including UNICEF, Oxfam, Islamic Relief, Muslim Hands and Mosaic amongst many others, are also heavily involved in delivering each facet of the project.

The reconstruction costs around £180,000-£250,000 and will be underwritten entirely by Caan’s Foundation. At present, Caan has committed £100,000 to this project and is also securing sponsorship from large donors and businesses around the country. Passionate media icons including Jemima Khan and Bob Geldof are also actively involved in supporting the project.^[20]

In October 2010, Caan will return to Pakistan, meeting with agencies, to identify a village and assess the damage costs, taking the project forwards to the next stage of the reconstruction.

[edit] Name change

In a 2008 BBC documentary, Caan described how going to see the movie 'Godfather', starring the actor James Caan, inspired him to change his name. He believed 'James Caan' better suited the business environment.^{[citation needed]}

I was called Nazim Khan, and it suddenly struck me that I could spell my surname in a different way. I mentioned this to my friends and they started calling me James Caan as a joke. Then I had some business cards printed with my 'new' name on for fun - and somehow the name stuck. Presenting myself as James Caan was a great opener with potential clients, so I used it all the time, eventually changing my name by deed poll some years later, much to my father's disapproval.^[1]

[edit] Awards

• Shortlist for PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Entrepreneur of the Year (2000)^{[citation needed]}
• BT Enterprise of the Year (2001)^{[citation needed]}
• PricewaterhouseCoopers Entrepreneur of the Year (2003)^{[citation needed]}
• Asian Jewel Entrepreneur of the Year (2003)^{[citation needed]}
• GG2 Leadership and Diversity Man of the Year (2008)^{[citation needed]}
• GG2 Leadership and Diversity Asian Businessman of the Year (2009)^{[citation needed]}
• Star of Pakistan Award by Pakistani Achievement Awards London (2009)
• Honorary Degree from Leeds Metropolitan University (2009)^{[citation needed]}
• Honorary Degree from the University of East London (2009)^{[citation needed]}

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b c} James Caan, Daily Mail, 20 September 2008, "Why Dragons' Den star James Caan took out a £30k bank loan to win his wife"
2. ^ Although some sources erroneously give "Nazim Khant" - eg The Independent, 30 August 2009, James Caan: A dragon in his den
3. ^ Evening Standard, 19 November 2008, "Meet the Asian dragons"
4. ^ "New Dragon to join the Den". BBC Press Office. 2007-06-15. http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2007/06_june/15/caan.shtml. Retrieved 2008-11-18. 
5. ^ http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2007/02/06/311382/benjys-collapses-into-administration.html
6. ^ http://www.attenti.co.uk
7. ^ Bell, Matthew (13 December 2009). "Enter the Dragon, carrying 'The Big Issue' for Pakistan - Press, Media - The Independent". London. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/enter-the-dragon-carrying-the-big-issue-for-pakistan-1839160.html. Retrieved 2010-09-23. 
8. ^ Bell, Matthew (13 December 2009). "Enter the Dragon, carrying 'The Big Issue' for Pakistan". The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/enter-the-dragon-carrying-the-big-issue-for-pakistan-1839160.html. Retrieved 5 May 2010. 
9. ^ Tyler, Richard (12 April 2010). "Dragons' Den row erupts as Duncan Bannatyne refuses to invest with James Caan". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/7579134/Dragons-Den-row-erupts-as-Duncan-Bannatyne-refuses-to-invest-with-James-Caan.html. 
10. ^ Kay, Richard (7 January 2011). "‘I'm out,' says Dragons' Den tycoon James Caan". Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1344790/Dragons-Den-tycoon-James-Caan-says-Im-out.html. 
11. ^ "Dragons' Den James Caan 'regrets offer to buy baby'". BBC News. 22 October 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11605927. 
12. ^ ^{a b} "James Caan to leave Dragons' Den". BBC News. 7 January 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12137331. 
13. ^ "Dragons' Den won't be the same without James Caan". The Daily Telegraph (London). 7 January 2011. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8246048/Dragons-Den-wont-be-the-same-without-James-Caan.html. 
14. ^ http://www.nma.co.uk/home/site-inspection/james-caan/3000765.article(subscription required)
15. ^ "James Caan, Sir Gulam Noon MBE and West Ham United celebrate Business School graduates success". http://www.uel.ac.uk/news/stories/business-grad-09.htm. 
16. ^ http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/8440437.Dragon___s_Den_star_James_Caan_to_receive_honorary_degree/
17. ^ http://www.daily.pk/james-caan-the-pakistani-dragon-12773/
18. ^ "James Caan: the Dragon humbled by Pakistan floods disaster". The Daily Telegraph (London). 27 August 2010. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/7968856/James-Caan-the-Dragon-humbled-by-Pakistan-floods-disaster.html. 
19. ^ "BBC News - Dragon James Caan 'regrets offer to buy baby'". 22 October 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11605927. Retrieved 2010-10-22. 
20. ^ ^{a b} http://www.hellomagazine.com/magazine/

[edit] External links

• James Caan's Official Website
• James Caan Foundation Official Website
• Hamilton Bradshaw Website
• Bio at BBC2's Dragons' Den
• Interview with James in CEO Magazine
• Interview with James in Business Matters
• Silksoundbooks
• James Caan - Chairman of Fresh Egg
• James Caan - Chairman of webrecruit
• Daily Telegraph, 8 October 2008, The Daily Telegraph, How money stopped mattering for Dragons' Den mogul James Caan
• James on BBC London Evening- Pakistan Flood Appeal
• James on CNBC- Pakistan Flood Appeal
• James on BBC Breakfast- Pakistan Flood Appeal
• James on BBC News Channel- Pakistan Flood Appeal
• James Caan- Personal Diary from Pakistan

[hide]v · d · eDragons' Den (UK) Presenter Evan Davis Dragons Current Duncan Bannatyne (from series 1) • Peter Jones (from series 1) • Theo Paphitis (from series 2) • Deborah Meaden (from series 3) Former Simon Woodroffe (series 1) • Rachel Elnaugh (series 1–2) • Doug Richard (series 1–2) • Richard Farleigh (series 3–4) • James Caan (series 5-8) Notable investments Reggae Reggae Sauce • Chocbox • Rapstrap • Hamfatter • Goldgenie Related programmes Dragons' Den (worldwide) • American Inventor • Tycoon • Shark Tank

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Name	Caan, James
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	28 December 1960
Place of birth	Lahore, Punjab, West Pakistan
Date of death
Place of death

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Caan_(entrepreneur)"

Categories: Harvard Business School alumni | British businesspeople | British Muslims | English people of Pakistani descent | Private equity and venture capital investors | Pakistani immigrants to the United Kingdom | People from Lahore | 1960 births | Living people

Hidden categories: Articles needing additional references from January 2011 | All articles needing additional references | Articles with hCards | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from September 2009 | Articles with unsourced statements from December 2010

via en.wikipedia.org

Saw him today at the EBA event in london, very impressive, a bit guarded with his energy, not too much time for Q and A, and at these events, they always have to leave, like this was not planned a long time ago, and it is last minute and they are just about able to fit it in. Same thing with Alan Sugar a few weeks back. The compere steps in, I know you need to move on, just a few minutes for questions.Good content though