Hello and welcome to this week's PRO newsletter. As 2006 draws to a close we at Property Secrets are turning our attention to 2007 and beginning to look at what opportunities it might hold for the savvy property investor. Our first article, published today, examines the Council of Mortgage Lenders' views - do we agree? You'll have to read on to find out.

We'll be following up at the start of the year with many more forecasts, opinions and reviews so if you need to know what 2007 will hold, you need Property Secrets.

Of course, not everyone is an experienced investor - many of our members are just starting out or looking into property investment for the first time. With this in mind we've started an article series entitled Property Basics, exploring the central investment themes and providing beginner strategies and tips. Even experienced investors will find some of these articles useful, perhaps giving them a different view on certain subjects.

We've also covered such diverse subjects as Crystal Palace, US property hotspots and positive cashflow. Read on for more...

Don't forget our limited time offer of TWO YEARS PRO membership either. For just £124.64 - that's 35% off our usual price! - you can enjoy complete, uninterrupted access to thousands of money-making, cash-saving articles, our investment tools and our in depth, expert research. Click the banner above to extend your PRO membership now.

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This Week's Articles | On The Forums | Investment News
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Property Matters

A landlord's personal view on the market

Exclusive Property Secrets PRO members

Does size really matter?

"Yes, in short, it really does in the ever-expanding world of letting and vetting."

Click here to read more...

Our major article this week for PRO members centres around the Council of Mortgage Lenders report on the 2007/08 housing and mortgage forecast - one, for a change, we agree with! Here's a brief extract to whet your appetite:

"The well-argued forecast for the UK's property market over the next two years by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), failed to get much play in the media."

"We couldn't see it at all in the FT! Perhaps they preferred the gloomier view of economist David Miles."

"Perhaps it was the fact that - as far as we could see - the CML forecast does not once use the phrase 'price crash', or the word 'bust', or even that well-worn euphemism 'price correction'."

"Instead, the CML report - Housing and Mortgage Forecasts 2007-2008 - is a well constructed and easy to follow survey of the market that draws logical conclusions about its direction over the next two years."

"And, yes, OK, it does agree with us!"

"The trouble is its conclusions are a little too pedestrian, perhaps even dull, to attract much media attention."

The article covers far more than the CML forecast too - REITS, interest rates, globalisation, price growth...and, of course, our view, including what certain areas of the UK might have to offer the investor in 2007. Read the full article here...

Back to basics now, and our new article series for new or inexperienced investors entitled Property Basics. The first in this series looks at the benefits of gearing and the significance of rental yields. Both are vital considerations and as a property investor you have to know what they are and how to use them to guide your decisions correctly. Click here to learn more...

Robert Liebman, our chief American property market expert, reckons now is a great time to go bargain hunting in the US. His article, American Revolution! Things have changed in the US property market - it’s a great time to go value hunting..., explore his top 5 property hotspots over the pond right now. Perhaps this is an area you might fancy looking at? Take a look for yourself and see if you agree with Robert.

Remember positive cashflow? With capital growth rates slowing and interest rates on the rise, David Lawrenson asks that very question in his article 'To Buy or Not To Buy'. I'm sure you want to know as well...see if David can point you in the right direction.

One area that may be about to start showing good capital growth, however, is Crystal Palace. Largely ignored by most property investors, David tells us why...

Property Secrets PRO members can read reaction from industry experts and experienced investors to many of our articles on the Property Secrets Discussion Forums.

Exclusive to PRO members, the Property Secrets Discussion Forums are a great place to chat with like-minded investors and get advice and opinion on property issues, including where to buy, what to buy, taxation, finance and property management.

Interesting topics this week have included:

• Spain - Morocco Tunnel - posted by Andrew C

Andrew picks up on a story reporting a planned tunnel linking Spain and Morocco - is now the time to start looking at Morocco as an investment possibility then?

• Valuing Your Portfolio - posted by Chris S

Chris is experiencing a bit of self doubt regarding his investments so far and wants a good way to accurately value his portfolio to provide peace of mind. Can anyone help?

• USA Buy-to-let - posted by Lynn R

Adding to our recent series of articles on the US, Lynn R reveals she already has a US portfolio and it's doing well - but she has a warning for others interested in the market...

Well, another busy year of investment opportunities has now drawn to a close. We believe it's been a successful one, both for our clients and ourselves. We've offered some fantastic deals, which many of you have taken advantage of and will be enjoying massive returns on over the coming years.

We introduced our Local Completion and Proxy Landlord Services to provide valuable, cost-reducing, time-saving support to all our clients this year and yes, we've experienced some teething problems, especially with regard to communication. We'll be addressing this as a priority in the New Year. We're fully confident that this is a fantastic service at an exceptionally low cost and will provide you with all you need to make the most of your CEE investments.

And, of course, we'll be back with new investment opportunities in January in a wide range of markets, both familiar and new. It's important to remember that our Investment Brokers reject a huge number of possible deals in order to offer you only the very best. We negotiate THE best terms for you and obtain the very best units in each development, as well exclusive, FIXED prices.

Where can you expect us to be in 2007 then? Well, Poland will obviously remain a hotspot - capital growth there shows no sign of slowing yet. Romania, entering the EU, will really begin to take off and we'll be scouring the country for the best deals, both in Bucharest and 2^nd tier cities. And we may spring a few surprises elsewhere too - each one thoroughly researched to ensure maximum gain at minimum risk. Stay tuned!

Development of the Property Secrets website continues unabated in order to provide you with the easiest, most convenient and most comprehensive resource for ALL your investment advice, research and analysis.

Just this week we have improved the functionality of the Discussion Forums with a search facility based on Google technology. This will allow you to search directly within the Forums for any subject - or even individual post!

2007 will see a lot more introduced with your experience on our site in mind. So do keep coming back, logging in and looking round. You're bound to find something you can use to your advantage.

That's it for this week. I hope you've enjoyed this newsletter and if you have any questions, queries or suggestions please drop me a line at: service@propertysecrets.net

I look forward to hearing from you.

Happy investing!

Cheers

Chief Executive Officer
Property Secrets