The ten best property development YouTube channels to watch

There is a lot of information online when you are looking at how to sell land to a developer or want a land valuation. Some of it is available in written form, some on podcasts, and others on YouTube.

YouTube can be a surprisingly useful source of information for a variety of different topics, and property development is no exception. There are plenty of great YouTubers who can help you get the most from your land when you want to sell it to a developer.

So, in no particular order, here are the ten best property development YouTube channels you can watch.

1. John Howard

John Howard is a property developer and investor who shares his advice and tips within the property market. He is the author of a top investment book, ‘Inside Guide to Property Development and Investment for Newcomers’.

He publishes about 6 to 8 videos a month. These videos vary in length from 1-20 minutes.

2. Your First Four Houses

The host of ‘Your First Four Houses’ is a property developer and investor. He helps those who want to earn money from property or land they want to sell and offers a lot of investment property tips.

He has over 58,000 subscribers and publishes at least one video every week, with an average runtime of 5-10 minutes per video.

3. Property Tribes

Property Tribes offers a high-quality YouTube channel that regularly brings the latest news stories, articles, discussions, and more to you. On some weeks, there can be three or more videos giving you the latest insider news that you need to make the most of your land.

With 13,000 subscribers, they have a strong following and have other content around the internet.

4. Martin Roberts' Property Titbits

Martin Roberts - best known for his role as the presenter of Homes under the Hammer - provides videos regularly to his 5,000 subscribers. Each video has a host of tips and tricks to help you with your property career.

Topics he covers include investment, land selling, and DIY for kids and adults. This channel is a good watch both for those who are experienced within the property market and those who are just starting out.

5. Phil Pustejovsky

Phil Pustejovsky is a global real estate investment YouTuber. The content he produces includes real estate tips for those looking to invest or sell property across the world.

His topics cover a variety of different factors beyond just selling land, such as personal finances, real estate investing, and more.

With more than 300,000 subscribers on YouTube, his channel has new content on it every couple of weeks. There is also a vast library of old videos to catch up on.

6. The Good Property Company / Susannah Cole

This video channel posts new content regularly for all those interested in selling property and land. The host provides lots of advice about how to increase the value of your property.

She has more than 12,000 subscribers to her channel, and her subscriber count continues to grow. Her videos are generally shorter than others on this list, with the longest of her videos lasting for around 5 minutes.

7. The Restoration Couple

The Restoration Couple is a large, UK-based YouTube channel that regularly posts new content for subscribers, with runtime ranging from anywhere between 2 minutes and 30 minutes.

Their videos often feature tips and tricks to improve land and home valuations through DIY. This channel is perfect for anyone who would like to increase the value of their land without heavy investing.

8. Samuel Leeds

Samuel Leeds offers you tips and tricks on how you can improve your real estate career, whether you are just selling a piece of land once or investing in future property growth. With just under 200,000 subscribers on YouTube, he has a good reputation.

He posts content on his Youtube channel nearly every day, so there are plenty of videos to watch. His videos are longer than most, with some lasting for over an hour.

9. Arsh Ellahi

Arsh Ellahi hosts videos on his channel about once a week. His videos cover a wide range of subjects for those interested in the property market.

With videos that are around 15-20 minutes long, Arsh demonstrates his extensive knowledge within the property industry and can help viewers to think about their property careers.

10. Ranjan Bhattacharya - Succeed In Property

Ranjan Bhattacharya is potentially the YouTuber to watch if you want to know more about land valuations and how to improve them. He has numerous videos already on that subject on his channel.

Videos on his channel are professionally created and are approximately 10-20 minutes long on average. He adds a new video to his channel about once a week and with 43,000 subscribers, he has a good following.

Talk to NFC Homes

Even if you don't want to make selling land into a career, watching these videos can help you think like developers and see what they may want from your land.

Getting this insight can help you sell land quicker and improve the land value. If you're currently in possession of any land you'd like to sell, contact us today for a free, no-obligation quote.

What is the Mortgage Guarantee scheme?

Are you looking to get on the property ladder or expand your current property portfolio? The UK Government has set up a new mortgage guarantee scheme, geared towards helping homebuyers with deposits of 5% to make their way up the property ladder.

The new government-backed scheme began on 19 April 2021 following the March budget and encourages lenders such as banks to provide a 95% loan to value mortgage for all properties valued up to £600,000.

To help you understand the ins and outs of this new mortgage scheme, we're going to outline what it is, how to apply for it and other important aspects of this innovative framework to help individuals move their way up the property ladder.

An overview of the new mortgage guarantee scheme

The mortgage guarantee scheme was announced in the UK following the 2021 March budget by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak. It is intended to help potential homebuyers obtain a mortgage using a 5% deposit. Here are a few important details regarding the scheme:

• It's designed to run for 18 months and will end in December 2022.

• Following the global pandemic, mortgages were heavily cut back, with next to no 5% mortgages being made available by lenders. With a government-backed guarantee, lenders are now more able to provide these types of mortgages.

• The scheme will apply to all properties valued under £600,000, with no requirements for new or old build properties.

• Existing homeowners, as well as first-time buyers, are eligible for this scheme.

• You can fix the initial rate for a 5 year period, should you wish.

• Additional requirements for the scheme include a steady flow of income, evidence that you can afford the mortgage payments and a good credit rating.

Applying for the mortgage guarantee

The process to apply for the UK Government’s mortgage guarantee scheme is relatively straightforward. All you have to do is apply through one of the participating lenders. If you're unsure of the best course of action, you can always discuss your options with a mortgage broker. The following lenders have stated that they will be participating in the scheme:

• Lloyds

• NatWest

• Santander

• Barclays

• HSBC

• Virgin Money

The rates will still be variable depending on the size of the initial deposit that you put down, so keep that in mind before applying.

Is the mortgage guarantee scheme right for me?

Whether or not the mortgage guarantee scheme suits your current situation will depend largely on your readiness to jump into the housing market. If you're looking for a 95% mortgage, then the mortgage guarantee scheme is an excellent choice.

With that said, the terms of the mortgage are no better than they would have been pre-pandemic, so in essence, this scheme is filling the gap where these mortgages should have already been. If you can afford a higher deposit, then you will be saving considerable amounts of money on your mortgage payments.

When will the mortgage guarantee scheme end?

As previously mentioned, the new scheme was announced after the 2021 budget and was intended to run for 18 months. This timeline was rolled out to help recover the economy following the various lockdowns as a result of the pandemic. So, if all goes as intended, the scheme will end in December 2022.

It should be mentioned that the UK Government might change things, so it's a good idea to stay up-to-date on the mortgage guarantee scheme just in case. The current state of the housing market means that demand is incredibly high and supply is low, which could have a negative impact on the scheme and homebuyers.

Saving tips to help obtain a mortgage through the scheme

In order to be eligible for the mortgage guarantee scheme, you will need to have saved 5% of the mortgage to be used as a deposit. This still has the potential to be quite a lot of money and it's always a good idea to save as much as possible for the deposit since it can help lower your monthly mortgage payments. If you are trying to save up for your mortgage deposit, here are some tips to help you get there:

• Figure out your budget so that you have a good idea of how much you can afford to save for your new property.

• Assess the health of your current credit rating and work towards improving it so that you are eligible for a mortgage.

• For prospective homeowners under 40, a lifetime ISA might be something to consider. This can help boost your savings by up to £32,000, which can be put towards your new home (up to the value of £450,000).

The demand for houses is high at the moment, so getting on the ladder can be tough. Thankfully, the mortgage guarantee scheme can help prospective homebuyers obtain their dream property. If you're in possession of land that you are considering selling, get in touch with our team at NFC Homes today for a free no-obligation quote.

How the 'Help to Buy' scheme is helping first time buyers

Getting on the property ladder is harder than ever. Many young people are stuck in a loop of trying to pay rent and save a deposit, all while house prices continue to rise. Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that the average house price as of March 2021 is £256,000, which is a whopping 20% increase in just one year.

This is why the UK government has introduced an updated Help to Buy scheme, to give first-time buyers a much needed helping hand to get on the first rung of the property ladder. Here, we take a look at the Help to Buy scheme and how it's helping people turn their homebuying dream into a reality.

What is the Help to Buy scheme?

Originally launched in 2013, the Help to Buy scheme is essentially an equity loan that enables you to purchase a new-build home with a lower deposit. Buyers can put down a 5% deposit, get a 20% equity loan from the government and then get a mortgage for the remaining 75%. This loan is interest-free for the first five years. Only having to save up a 5% deposit makes it far more achievable for first-time buyers to purchase a home.

Are there price caps on Help to Buy?

Previously, the Help to Buy scheme could be used on eligible properties up to the value of £600,000. The Help to Buy scheme has recently undergone some changes, and regional price caps have been introduced. These start from £186,100 and go up to £600,000.

What's changed with the Help to Buy scheme in 2021?

When the Help to Buy scheme was originally set up, it was open to both first time buyers and those moving home who were looking to purchase a new build. While 82% of those using the scheme were first time buyers, it meant that others were taking advantage of a scheme that was not necessarily made for them.

As of 1st April 2021, the scheme is now exclusively available to first-time buyers. The government has also introduced regional price caps, which have been set at 1.5 times higher than the average first-time buyer property in the area. These caps are as follows:

- North East: £186,100

- North West: £224,400

- Yorkshire & The Humber: £228,100

- West Midlands: £255,600

- East Midlands: £261,900

- South West: £349,000

- East of England: £407,400

- South East: £437,600

- London: £600,000

Can I apply for the Help to Buy scheme?

Before applying for the Help to Buy scheme, first-time buyers must make sure that they have:

1. At least 5% of the property value saved as a deposit

2. A fee of up to £500 to reserve the property

3. Enough to cover all additional costs such as legal fees, mortgage fees, etc.

If you have all of the above, it's time to apply for the Help to Buy scheme.

How to apply for the Help to Buy scheme

Firstly, you'll need to find eligible properties. Once you've searched online, viewed show homes and found the right one for you, you'll need to pay a fee of up to £500 to reserve it. This may be partially refunded if you're not approved for the Help to Buy equity loan.

Next up, you'll need to complete a Property Information Form. This isn't a mortgage application but it is just to make sure that you can be accepted for an equity loan. The form just needs your personal information, income, etc. and one of the Help to Buy agents will evaluate your application.

If your application is accepted, you can then go ahead and proceed with the mortgage application and house sale as normal. Your Help to Buy agent will be on hand along the way to assist with anything related to the process.

I own some land - should I get planning permission and sell using help to buy?

Only registered homeowners can be approved for the scheme, plus gaining planning permission is a lot of hassle in itself. This is why it's often easier, simpler and most effective to sell your land to a developer.

If you're looking to sell land to a developer, look no further than NFC Homes. Before you sell land, be sure to get in touch with us to discuss your options and get a free, no-obligation quote.

Final thoughts

For those struggling to save for a deposit alongside paying rent and still trying to enjoy life, the Help to Buy scheme is a huge help. It is worth remembering that the equity loan from the government will need to be paid back on top of your mortgage, but as long as you factor this into your financial planning, it can make your dreams of being a homeowner come true much quicker.