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IS NOW THE RIGHT TIME TO BUY AN INVESTMENT PROPERTY?

YES…In my opinion now is a great time to buy Edinburgh property as an investment. There are fewer purchasers in the market yet a lot of property for sale. This situation has arisen for a number of reasons as we all know, but also the change of Government and ensuing spending review has made people extremely cautious about buying property because of concerns about jobs. Lenders whilst coming under increasing pressure to lend for reasons of their own profitability, for the time being are still only prepared to lend at low loan to value ratios. Accordingly, purchasers need to save up large deposits. If investors have a 30% to 40% deposit then funding is readily available which gives the opportunity to buy prime location property at or just under valuation whereas typically in a strong market Edinburgh property would sell for 20% above valuation. Each deal is unique particularly in this type of market and local knowledge is essential to negotiate the right price. My skill is to find the best opportunities that will let well and over a 10 year period will grow in value to give a good return at the exit of the investment.

If you are considering the purchase of an investment property in Edinburgh please contact me to discuss further.

Elspeth Rae  (elspeth.rae@brucerae.co.uk)

It’s Good 2 Give

Where to start?  Born 53 years ago in Edinburgh a city I absolutely adore.  I have lived here all my life and can’t imagine living anywhere else.  As I was approaching my 49th birthday something deep inside was telling me to do something different, something risky even.  I don’t know how I came to decide on fundraising – there was no lightbulb moment – but as soon as it popped into my head I knew this was the challenge I wanted to do.  I said I would raise £5000 in a year for a teenage cancer charity.   Ian, my husband,  said I could do better than that!   Why not make it £1000 for each year of your life?  So, I said ok then. and Lynneschallenge was created.  Please remember I had never fundraised before.  I started with an event in our home.  Persuaded manicurists to come along and arranged appointments.   We also had food and drink all day from 10am to 7pm – the raffle was amazing and the home baking table groaned under the weight of all it held!  It was a wonderful day – I thrived on the company, the networking and to my amazement we raised over £1000 that day alone.  It was a good start.  Quiz nights, garden events, bake sales followed.

Then I decided I was going to do a trek – in the Sahara.  This from the woman who is really fussy about hotels she stays in!  Ian was beside himself with laughter – me in a tent.  It just wasn’t going to happen.   I persuaded a new friend to join me and we trained hard for it.  In the Pentland Hills admittedly so it wasn’t too realistic.  We also hosted a major event.  230 women at bingo.  Another friend came up with the name Blingo – you had to get dressed up for it and one of the prizes was a half carat diamond!  It was a tremendous success so much so that this year is our fifth year and the event sold out in days – I didn’t even need to market it.

I learnt so many new skills that year – how to speak in public – how to make a website – how to organise events and so many more.  Lets not forget how to trek in the desert and sleep in a tiny tent.   I have so many stories I could tell about that trip – it was a memorable experience.

By my 50th birthday I had raised £54000 – it was a joyous day.   If in the beginning I had thought I would do this for a year then stop -that had all changed.   It started to change in August of that year when I met two teenagers with cancer.  Ross and Zoe blew me away with their outlook.  They had both just finished treatment for cancer and were so positive and fun.  They teased each other about who had the most scars.  I listened to their accounts of time in hospital.   I began then to really understand what I was fundraising for.

Over the coming months and years I met many families with young ones fighting cancer and many families who had lost a son or daughter  to cancer.  I knew then that this would become my life for the foreseeable future.  I want to make a difference to those families’ lives.  It is awful for the young person with cancer but it really affects the whole family.

I spoke at ladies guilds, rotary clubs, church groups spreading the word about the charity I was fundraising for. I had chosen it because it wasn’t that well known in the East of Scotland and it was rewarding to see it grow.  After the Sahara trek I went on to trek the following year in the Himalayas – one of my proudest achievements.  One of my biggest fears is of heights.  Almost had to get rescued from the first floor of the Scott monument once!  But when I was offered £10,000 donation to do a zipslide across the Clyde I accepted it with much trepidation.  It was quite honestly one of the most terrifying things I have ever done but I am glad I did it.  Just please don’t ask me again…..

In the four years I fundraised we – that is the community of the East of Scotland, raised over £650,000 enough to open the first age appropriate unit for teenagers at the Sick Kids hospital in Edinburgh in December 2009 – on my 53rd birthday.  Best present ever.    I was also awarded title of Institute of Fundraising Scotland’s Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year -  a complete surprise and much appreciated.

£400,000 (of that £650k) is ringfenced for the next age appropriate unit at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh -

In my opinion  this was community fundraising at its best.

I know a lot of young people now who have or have had cancer and I have got to know their families too – many are now good friends.  I have listened to the accounts of their experiences in hospital.   While the young person fighting cancer must remain the number one priority it is also important to consider the rest of the family.   There is a lot we can do to make their journey easier too.

And that is how It’s Good 2 Give! was born -   I wanted to broaden the range of people we could help.   It’s called It’s Good 2 Give because for me it has been very good to give – give of my time and skills and ideas and I want to encourage others to  give too – it doesn’t have to be money (although that would be most welcome!) it can be time, ideas or skills – if we  invest those wisely we will make money.

Our first major goal is to raise the money to build a family  retreat so families affected by cancer can spend some time together in a safe, specially designed environment. On a day-to-day basis, however, It’s Good 2 Give provides support of another kind – anything that can make the lives of those impacted by cancer in any way easier. Whether that’s a pampering kit, a specially designed mobile phone, or an experience a child has always wanted, we’ll find a way to make it happen. We also plan a calendar of workshops for young people, their siblings and parents

We’re little and local. Our fundraising has another aim – to involve the community and prove to everyone that giving shouldn’t be dutiful or a drag. It should be interesting, useful, sociable – and fun! What’s more, because we’re an entirely volunteer-run organisation, 100% of the money you donate will go to the cause. No rent, no wages, no waste. .      Donating their services too are our accountant, solicitor,  and IT specialist.  Businesses have donated stationery  and other office items.

Our initial target is £1m.   Hey I like a challenge…

Next week sees our biggest event yet – 45 models take to the catwalk to help us raise funds.  These are no ordinary models though – these are people aged from 3 to 50something who are affected by young person cancer – young cancer patients, their siblings and parents, parents of young people who have lost their fights and professional staff from the local childrens hospital.  I can hardly wait!

If you’d like to know more please do visit our website www.itsgood2give.co.uk

Lynn McNicoll

The Experience of a teen volunteer in Ghana

My name is Rebecca Cairns and this summer I spent two weeks in Ghana doing volunteer work in the community of Hohoe in the Volta Region with my friend Debbie.

We enrolled on the teen-volunteer programme (aimed at 15-17 year olds) with an organisation called Cross-Cultural Solutions (CCS) based in the USA. CCS is a charity which has sent over 25000 volunteers to locations world-wide ranging from South America, to Africa and Asia. They specialise in helping the local communities improve their area and self sufficiency, as well as cultural exchange.

As the programme is self-funded we had to raise approximately £2500 each – a huge task in the current economic climate. We used many methods to raise funds together, as well as individually. We raised sponsorship for taking part in South Queenferry’s New Year’s Day ‘Loony Dook’ into the Forth, and did bag packing at Tesco’s one Saturday. We canvassed local business’s for sponsorship too, which led to several donations and, in return for one, we carried out customer surveys over 2 weekends at a garden centre. As a final push, as I was in the middle of my Higher examinations, my dad put together a World Cup Quiz sheet, at a cost of £1 offering a £50 prize for the winner. Following generous donations from Bruce-Rae Property (who had heard about my trip through the school), and AMA Construction, I finally reached my target.

After the visa’s, vaccinations and malaria tablets were organised, we were finally ready to go.

We arrived on the 31^st July at Accra airport and were met by Dele, (‘Dela’), the travel coordinator for CCS in Ghana. All of the staff in-country for CCS were Ghanaian, so they knew the area, the people and the culture.

After a four hour drive, we arrived around the home base at 1am and were welcomed by George and Mary, our guardians for the duration of our stay. We were the last of our group to arrive, so went straight to bed.

The next day, we visited the church, and got used to the climate and local area, but it was all very bewildering.

Work started Monday morning, at HEPSS (Hohoe Evangelical Presbyterian Secondary School), planting mango trees. This was a project initiated by the school, which CCS were helping with. Ghana has a forestation problem because of trees being cut down and inappropriate farming methods, and this project hoped to combat this whilst providing fruit. We did this for eight mornings, and the physical work was exhausting in the humid climate.

Our second placement was at a local orphanage. Some afternoons we entertained the children, other days we painted a mural for them, to brighten up their home. It was eye-opening to see how little these children have, and made me so much more grateful for my life at home.

Our two placements provided the perfect balance for our time there – the planting will have a long term benefit, that is not instantly visible to us, whilst our work at the orphanage was instantly rewarding for both the children and us and made us feel as if we were making a difference.

As part of the cultural exchange, we also had excursions to tourist attractions – the Wli Waterfall, a trip to Sajuna Beach Club and the monkey sanctuary, and a hike up Afadzato, Ghana’s tallest mountain. We also had guest speakers teaching us Ewe (‘Ay-way’), and talking to us about education, traditional folk-stories, child labour and Ghana’s history. We had a trip to the local market, drumming and dancing lessons, and a batik lesson. The cultural activities helped us to better appreciate the local community, and Ghana as a whole. It helped me understand that volunteering is not about going into another country, and telling them what to do, or what they need, but asking them what they would like help with. Immersing yourself in their culture helps you to better understand that their needs may differ from ours, and our perception of what is important may well be different too.

Although I was sad to leave at the end of the two weeks, I missed my home comforts, my family and my friends.

Having been home a few weeks now, I miss Ghana, and envy their easy-going way of life, and sense of community which I feel we are missing in Britain. My experience in Ghana was an amazing, eye-opening two-weeks. I would recommend to anyone to volunteer abroad – though if it is your first time, I would look out for these shorter-length experiences. I have learned so much – about Ghanaian culture, about my own culture, and about myself, and I hope to volunteer abroad again so that I can learn more about the world we live in.

request call sidebar element – DO NOT REMOVE IT

Jill Buchanan, China

BruceRae: extremely competent and reliable. From selecting the right tenants for the property, ensuring the property is maintained during let, and through the management of the contracts and legislation; the BruceRae team have provided an excellent trouble free service and they ensured maximum return on my investment. Thanks for the past 5 years or great service!

Conor & Lesley Jennings, Caymen Islands

We have been with BruceRae for over ten years, and it has given us great peace of mind to know that our properties are in the hands of professionals who will always find suitable tenants. Over the years we have bought two new flats without having seen them, solely on Elspeth’s advice, knowing that she will have chosen the right properties for us, and we have been very pleased with them. We have recommended BruceRae to several friends, and would have no hesitation in doing so again.

Charlie Hall, Sydney

I have now used BruceRae for a period of over 10 years and during that time have utilised almost the full range of services provided by them. I have bought and sold an investment property in Edinburgh with the full assistance of BruceRae who facilitated both tasks and assisted with property inspection, valuation, survey, legals, and insurances during purchase process and then completed the furnishing and fitting out for the purpose of letting to a tenant selected and vetted by BruceRae.

Throughout the process the knowledge and current understanding of the Edinburgh property market by BruceRae was invaluable and allowed me at the other end of the world to feel comfortable that the transactions were carried out efficiently and economically to achieve the intended result.

In addition, they have rented what was my primary residence in Edinburgh for the entire period and during that time have undertaken two major refurbishments including an entire kitchen fit-out with associated services and structural alterations on my behalf whilst I remained resident in Sydney all with the minimum of inconvenience and interruption to tenancy letting.

I look forward to many more years of BruceRae looking after my Edinburgh property interests.

Graeme Scott-Dodd, Falkirk/Germany

Having been an Edinburgh (hands off) landlord for nearly 20 years, BruceRae have shown the greatest on-going care and attention to detail of all the agents I have dealt with. I now have peace of mind my properties, my interests and my investments are being looked after.

Bill Morrison, Bermuda

As a resident of Bermuda who owns a property in Edinburgh, it was important to me that the Agency letting the property were efficient, diligent and caring of the property. In choosing BruceRae several years ago I was fortunate to find just such an Agency. Not only has the property been let at least 90% of the time, but the attention and care given by Elspeth and her team has been both excellent and friendly.

Elspeth, I take this opportunity to thank you for the fabulous attention over the past years.

Ken Proud, The Philippines

As I work in South East Asia, having BruceRae manage my flat provides peace of mind that the property is being rented out and cared for. The fact the tenant keeps renewing the lease speaks for itself. Thank You BruceRae!

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