Frequently Asked Questions

---

Q. Why should I invest in property?

Ans:  If you invest in the right types of property for the medium to long term there is sound historical evidence to suggest that your property should increase in value over the medium to long term.

Property values may decrease in value in the short term and we always see this as an ideal opportunity for clients to enter the property market at the bottom or close to the bottom of any property cycle. It is almost impossible to predict the exact bottom of the cycle, so you should only enter the market when you feel that property represents good value to you.

Please remember with investment property you should always be able to derive a rental income from your investment and if property prices should fall in value then it should not affect you unless you are considering selling. There is a huge difference between property trading and property investment.

Some more property facts

Q. Should I be looking at commercial or residential property investments?

Ans:  This would depend on the individual's personal circumstances and investment appetite. We go to great lengths to explain clearly to investors the advantages and disadvantages of both commercial and residential property investments. However, provided the property is acquired at the right price, both residential and commercial property should make a solid investment in the medium to long term. We at McEwan Fraser work closely with our clients to identify specific investment opportunities and then set out to proactively secure both residential and commercial investment opportunities which satisfy our clients' specific requirements and objectives.

Q. Why should I use the services of McEwan Fraser?

Ans: McEwan Fraser endeavour to make the property investment marketplace a simple, enjoyable and profitable environment for our clients. Our long-standing relationships with many organisations and professional property introducers in the Scottish property marketplace puts our company in a unique position to source "off market" property investment opportunities on behalf of our clients.

The fact that we can offer both commercial and residential properties 'off market' and that most of our properties tend to be traditional builds (which are more difficult to acquire 'off market') rather than new builds has great appeal to our ever growing client base.

back to the top

 

Q. What makes McEwan Fraser different from other property investment companies?

Ans: Some property investment companies simply want to offer properties to clients that they have acquired, normally new builds, and bombard investors with emails promoting them - whether these properties are right for the client or not. Some property companies will only sell properties to clients if they agree to pay for the refurbishment costs. At McEwan Fraser clients who are looking for properties in need of refurbishment have the opportunity to renovate the properties themselves and consequently make the profit rather than the investment property company. It may sound attractive to investors that the investment company takes care of the refurbishment but you the client could be paying dearly for the privilege.

McEwan Fraser does things entirely differently. First, our clients will enjoy the services of a designated experienced property consultant. Our consultants will discuss clients' investment objectives and only then offer targeted advice and commence a search for suitable residential and commercial property opportunities that meet our clients' property objectives. Our clients have the opportunity to invest in residential, commercial and land which truly provides them with a unique investment proposition.

McEwan Fraser only operates in selected areas of Scotland, where we have excellent local knowledge and strategic business partners to help us provide 'off market' opportunities to our clients. We do however provide commercial and land acquisition opportunities throughout the United Kingdom.

back to the top

Q. I am unsure whether McEwan Fraser's services are right for me?

Ans: McEwan Fraser's clients range from the working man to professional sports people. Some of our clients are experienced property investors and some have absolutely no experience. However, we would suggest a meeting with one of our experienced property consultants to discuss your specific requirements. You may also find it beneficial to look at our client testimonial page. If you have any doubt whatsoever about the property market or any of our services then we strongly advise you to seek alternative investments.

Client Testimonials

Q. On your website, the residential and commercial property pages are password protected. Why?

Ans: The information found on these pages is for registered members of McEwan Fraser only. By becoming a member of McEwan Fraser you obtain access to this part of the site.

back to the top

Q. How do I get access to the passwords?

Ans: Registered members will automatically receive the current passwords in their introductory member's letter. Expired members will have the opportunity to re-register, or gain access to the website passwords for an annual fee. For security reasons the passwords may be changed from time to time, for help or advice please contact McEwan Fraser administration on 0131 523 1540.

back to the top

Q. Why does McEwan Fraser not buy all the excellent property deals they offer their clients?

Ans: Good question! Yes we sometimes do buy some of the properties we are offered particularly if we recommend a property to one of our clients and they then pull out of the deal. McEwan Fraser's business model is to trade properties onto client's and not to invest in the properties, so our business model is to hold onto properties for as little time as possible. We also don't have unlimited funds to buy every opportunity we are actually offered.

back to the top

Q. Where do you acquire all your properties from?

Ans: We have a number of excellent relationships set up with a number of trusted introducers who give our company first refusal on many of their properties before they are advertised on the open market.

We also spend significant sums of money on football sponsorship, television, and radio advertising, which generates thousands of leads to our business every year.

We also get many referrals from existing clients and people who simply want to sell their existing investments quickly without the time consuming process of putting the property on the open market or disrupting existing tenants.

Finally, we have a number of excellent methods of sourcing property which are unique to McEwan Fraser.

back to the top

Q. Why do landlords not sell their property portfolios on the open market?

Ans: The answer is simple... We specialise in this marketplace. Private and institutional landlords who already hold substantial portfolios cannot readily sell tenanted properties through the retail market, as tenants get nervous about landlords effectively selling their home. Also a large block of tenanted properties hitting the market at the same time can normally depress prices.

This is costly and time-consuming for both sides to each transaction. Instead, McEwan Fraser specialise in buying large portfolios and breaking them up to match the demands of their own clients or owner-occupiers. Prices are negotiated on the basis of reports and valuations from independent chartered surveyors. This means that purchasers and sellers avoid the often expensive and time-consuming 'offers over' system of blind bidding for property.

back to the top

Q. Should I invest solely in property if it is such a good investment?

Ans: Like all investments there are always risks involved, particularly if you are not quite sure what you are doing. We try to minimise this risk for all our clients and always suggest to clients to have a well-balanced investment strategy which may include other investments, and not to over expose oneself in any particular area. We are also encourage clients to bring their own professional advisers to any meetings with us.

back to the top

Q. I have lost money in the stock market, could property investing go the same way?

Ans: Yes, absolutely, you could definitely lose money in property investing, particularly if you are a short term speculator. In fact many experienced property investors have lost money in the property market recently due to the downturn in the world economy.

This is why it is critically important that you do not enter the property market lightly, as there are no get rich quick schemes, and it is essential that you take proper advice and direction from companies that have a proven track record in the property market.

back to the top

Q. I am in full-time employment, will I have the time to invest in property?

 

Ans: Certainly if you are in full-time employment there are more demands on your time. However, this is where McEwan Fraser can help you. We work full-time in the property market and we can do all the hard work for you, searching for the right properties and recommending only the best properties in the right areas to protect your investment.

back to the top

Q. How can I be sure the properties you are sourcing will offer excellent returns?

Ans: No one can promise excellent returns, however the reputation of our business is extremely important and we only recommend properties where we genuinely believe our clients will make steady sustainable returns. See our testimonials page to see what our clients have to say.

Client Testimonials

back to the top

Q. Does it cost anything to meet with you to discuss your services?

Ans: No, we are delighted to meet with you at our Edinburgh head office to allow you to find out more about us. It also lets us find out more about you so we are in a much better position to be of help.

back to the top

Q. Do you offer no money down deals?

Ans: Unfortunately, due to recent changes in mortgage council rules, we cannot offer no money down deals. Before we can offer you any properties we need written confirmation of lending from your solicitor or mortgage broker, and you will need to provide proof of deposit and source of deposit to your solicitor. We also require proof of identity such as a copy of a passport and a recent utility bill.

back to the top

Q. Do you offer sale and rent back deals?

Ans: We are not authorised to offer sale and rent back deals where the tenant was the previous owner of the property. We can sell you properties where the tenant is still in place who has never previously owned the property.

back to the top

 

Q. Why does McEwan Fraser not offer a letting service?

Ans: McEwan Fraser is a dedicated property investment company. This allows us to concentrate our efforts on what we do well. We do however have a number of strategic partnerships with the very best letting agents and professional tenant sourcers. Our clients are therefore able to use the services of a number of letting agents when looking to obtain tenants, greatly increasing their prospects of a successful let.

back to the top

 

Q. Do you offer any incentives with your properties, such as stamp duty paid, rental guarantees, furniture packages, cashbacks?

Ans: We have in the past offered incentives with our properties. However, due to changes in the mortgage council rules, any incentives now need to be disclosed to your lender and solicitor. It is your responsibility to fully disclose any incentives when purchasing a property if a mortgage is involved, irrespective of the size of the incentive.

back to the top

 

Q. Do you offer investment advice?

Ans: No, we are not authorised to provide investment advice, we only advise on property related matters.

back to the top

Q. How does McEwan Fraser make profit?

Ans: McEwan Fraser only makes a profit if you buy any of our attractive below market value properties. The properties we offer our investors earn us a fee or usually a trading profit. Sometimes we may also earn a fee from the seller.

Remember all of our properties are offered at a fixed price and normally below an independent market valuation, and we encourage you to obtain your own valuation (it is always safer to obtain two independent valuations). If our properties did not offer excellent value for money, we would not be in business for long. There is never any obligation for our clients to purchase any of our properties. See our testimonials page and case studies.

Testimonials - Case Studies

back to the top

Q. What are your thoughts on these expensive property investment courses/seminars being promoted by certain property companies?

Ans: To be fair there is a lot of good advice that some of these companies provide. However almost all the information is available for a fraction of the cost through the internet or in good quality property investment books. Also a number of these companies only exist to sell you over inflated new builds off plan investments.

If you need specialised advice on certain aspects of property investment then clients of McEwan Fraser can enjoy one-to-one property strategy meetings, from one of our experienced property consultants, on a subject of your choice.

back to the top

Q. Do you do off-plan investments?

Ans: No, we very rarely offer off-plan investments, and we generally stay well clear of new-build developments, as we believe that in a downturn well sought after traditional properties will more likely outperform any new-build investments.

back to the top

Q. I am interested in the services of McEwan Fraser, what should I do next?

Ans: We would like to invite you to our Edinburgh head office for a short presentation on McEwan Fraser's services and answer any questions that you may have. Our FAQs may answer some of your queries, but feel free to contact us. Please feel free to bring your solicitor, mortgage broker or any other trusted adviser to your initial meeting. Property investment is a serious business and it is important that you understand all the risks and the potential investment returns before you get involved with our company.

Office Tel. No. 0131 523 1540

Email: info@mcewanfraser.co.uk

back to the top