It’s been a gloomy old time for buy-to-let – but you’d be mistaken for thinking it’s a market to steer clear of.

Yes, some buy-to-let landlords struggled to pay their loans and even had their properties repossessed, but it’s these landlords that were recent entrants to the market, paying high mortgage rates and unable to raise rent prices in the current economic times. The upside is, if you’re looking for a buy-to-let property in Maidenhead, good sound advice and a grip on the market will see you do well.

With low property prices and low interest rates, now’s good for first-time buying. But, with the recession still cutting deeper, UK house prices are expected to fall further in 2011, while loan interest rates should rise at some point. With this in mind, buying with cash or on a good fixed rate loan is your best bet, especially as rent levels should also hold up well. And if it’s a new mortgage you’re thinking about, then now’s a good time for a fixed-rate over a variable rate mortgage.

Investors with existing property portfolios have been accustomed to using increasing values on their property to raise loans, but the fall in property values from 2008 make that more difficult to do. In 2011, the trend is more for loans to be based on rental incomes instead.

The good news is that, with careful thought, buy-to-let can be a profitable business. If you’d like help with finding the right buy-to-let mortgage in Maidenhead for your circumstances, Alton Mortgages can help. We’re a whole of the market mortgage broker, which means we can recommend any product on the market, unlike lenders who can only advise you on their own products. For more information, call us direct or visit our main website for more details.