Buying a rental? Run the numbers - 2004-05-24
With stock and bond investments looking more volatile, putting your investment money into rental real estate may look like a safer bet.

Calculate the carrying costs: Many investors make the mistake of thinking that if the rent on a property is more than the mortgage payment, the investment "pencils out" and produces a profit, Shemin noted. In reality, the total monthly costs of holding a rental property can be 30 percent to 50 percent higher than the mortgage payment, depending on the type of building.
Read the full story at Baltimore Sun

First-time buyers 'borrow £1.36bn from family and friends' - 2004-05-24
First-time buyers urgent to get a foot on the property ladder collectively borrowed £1.36bn from friends and relatives during the last two years, a survey revealed today - and nearly a third of those who did so 'have no intention of repaying it'.

"First-time buyers now represent around 30% of overall mortgage lending, which is down from 51% in 1991. If house prices continue to rise, the pressure on parents to help their children on to the property ladder will grow," he said.
Read the full story at Guardian Unlimited