Our commitment to driving down the carbon footprint of our homes and moving towards long-term sustainable housing in communities remains at the forefront of our business.. We continue to implement the best possible design and technologies to help us cut emissions even further. We are aiming to become a certified carbon neutral company by spring 2022 – this will be a big step in our journey to making the operational side of our business net-zero carbon.

Driving innovative lending

As the fundraising arm of Acorn Property Group, Acorn Property Invest enables individuals to invest in our projects alongside traditional lenders such as banks. Reaching out directly to investors means we’re able to make the most of online lending and allows us to showcase exactly what we do.

Through Acorn Property Invest, investors can benefit from regular fixed payments alongside capital growth returns as a result of our building programmes throughout the UK, but in particular the South West.

We’re also pleased to announce that we’ll soon be creating and opening an online knowledge centre aimed at giving investors even more information about what we do and how they can invest in the UK’s buoyant property market.

Building homes that inspire and excite

One of our big focal points is sustainability. For us, it continues to be a leading driver in the projects we undertake and how we pursue them. Our commitment to sustainability also feeds into our reputation as quality, independent housebuilders and is embodied by our ‘different by design’ approach.

Ultimately, it means taking a bespoke approach to every project. Our design teams consider the geography of each site so that they can calculate the best way to heat, light and ventilate homes using sustainable means. Examples include the use of ground source heat pumps and sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) which mimics the way Mother Nature manages rainfall.

Examples of current projects with sustainability at their core, include:

The Old Printworks, Frome, Somerset

The Old Printworks is a collection of 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom homes, creating a new neighbourhood in Frome, which has been recently named as the ‘South West’s Best Place to Live’ by The Times.

Built with energy efficiency in mind, the homes offer triple glazed windows and doors. A number of homes are also prewired for electric car charging, solar panels, and battery storage. The new community will have access to open green space and links to riverside walks along the River Frome, and new bat and bird boxes have been built to preserve and enhance existing wildlife.

The new development is located a short distance of Frome town centre and close to local schools and the train station which offers direct links to Bath, Bristol and London. The Old Printworks is ideal for a range of lifestyles with a variety of bespoke homes to choose.

Brooks Dye Works, St Werburghs, Bristol

Brooks Dye Works comprises 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-bedroom homes centred around an iconic 19^th Century chimney in a vibrant district of Bristol.

Bringing additional public open space to the area with the new Alfred Brooks Square, named after the founder of the former dye works. New residents and locals alike can also benefit from improved access to the adjacent park through opening pedestrian routes and recreating historic street patterns that had been lost for over 70 years.

Homes at Brooks Dye Works offer open plan, flexible living spaces and are designed to be energy efficient with high performance window systems, and smart meters. Select homes also benefit from solar panels fitted to generate renewable energy and electric car charging points.

A year of opportunity

As well as implementing our current and pipeline projects, we’ve also identified five new sites which we hope to confirm in the first part of this year. In addition, we’re actively looking for new opportunities across the South West region.

To invest with Acorn you must be a high net worth individual or a self-certified sophisticated investor. For more information, you can contact an advisor on 0203 858 9881 or email investor.services@acornpg.org.

YOUR CAPITAL IS AT RISK IF YOU INVEST

Investment opportunities available via Acorn Property Invest are exclusively targeted at exempt investors who are experienced, knowledgeable and sophisticated enough to sufficiently understand the risks involved, and who are able to make their own decisions about suitability of those investment opportunities. All investors should seek an independent professional investment and tax advice before deciding to invest. Any historic performance of investment opportunities is NOT a guide or guarantee for future performance and any projections of future performance are not guaranteed. All investment opportunities available via Acorn Property Invest are NOT regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and you will NOT have access to Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) and may not have access to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).

The post Sowing the seeds of opportunity in 2022 appeared first on Acorn Property Invest.

The Brexit deal is done! This combined with the Covid 19 Vaccine is predicted to lift the UK economy by 5.5% GDP in 2021 .

The eagerly awaited Brexit deal is done and the UK has enough Covid 19 Vaccines to roll out for the entire UK population by spring 2021. This hugely positive news is predicted to boost consumer confidence, with economists at the EY Item Club suggesting it could be enough to grow the UK GDP by 5.5%. 

Source: The Telegraph 

House prices have had their biggest rate of growth in 6 years 

2020 was an unpredictable year – but one of the biggest things we couldn’t have predicted was that Covid 19 would cause a surge in property prices – Nationwide have reported that UK house prices have climbed 7.3% in 2020, the sharpest rise for six years!  

Figures from the bank of England also show that mortgage approvals hit the highest level in 13 years in November.  This is thought to be largely down to the Stamp Duty holiday potentially bringing forward some demand from 2021, as well as some pent–up demand from the stricter lockdown restrictions earlier in 2020. Some reports suggest this may drop back in 2021, with Halifax predicting a drop of anywhere between 2 and 5%, however we have seen a lot of our demand driven by the re-evaluation of lifestyles, changes in work-life balance leading to a huge rise in demand in new homes, especially those in rural and coastal locations. 

Paresh Raja, CEO of Market Financial Solutions, has also predicted that “demand will remain strong” in 2021, even if the pound weakens after Brexit. “In times of volatility and uncertainty, people tend to gravitate towards assets that are not only positioned to deliver returns, but can also provide some kind of security”.

Source :The Times & The Express 

A record surge in new home searches over the Christmas period 

Property websites saw a huge surge of visitors over the Christmas period, with online searches on Boxing Day doubling vs 2019. At Acorn we reported a fantastic increase in web traffic of 111.4% YOY, whilst Estate agent, Savills, reported highs of 130% compared to last year and Rightmove had its biggest ever Boxing Day for visits at +54% YOY. It is thought that the increase in demand is based on consumers being buoyed by a positive Brexit deal, the impending end to the Stamp Duty holiday on 31st March, the lockdown meaning people are spending more and more time indoors – getting tired of the same four walls and those in search of a lifestyle change with open green spaces. 

Source: This is Money 

Interest rates predicted to stay low and may go lower 

The Bank of England is predicted to keep interest rates low through 2021. Bloomberg reports that continued uncertainty over the path of the virus along with elevated unemployment and weak inflation are the main reasons for waiting.  

Laith Khalaf, a financial analyst at AJ Bell, said expectations of another year of ultra-low rates are “baked in” despite the roll out of coronavirus vaccines, and the emergence of a Brexit deal. Mr Khalaf said that more than a decade after the Bank cut rates to an “emergency” 0.5%, few would have expected them to be even lower and that there was still scope for a further fall. “With such a fragile economic situation, the Bank won’t want to rock the boat by hauling in its vast monetary stimulus programme any time soon. Whether the MPC takes the plunge with negative rates really depends on the course of the pandemic, and the progress of the economy, in the coming months. A Brexit deal has at least averted a further economic shock which might have tipped the Bank of England towards a rate cut.” 

Source: Bloomberg & Daily Business Group 

Where to invest now? 

The question on most people’s minds will be where to invest their money if interest rates remain so low – stocks and bonds are considered the only long–term wealth building option for most. By investing in property without the outlay of costs, or the hassle of being a landlord – Fixed Investment Opportunities or Growth Preference Shares could be the easiest way to invest in an asset in times of uncertainty and get a healthy rate of return. 

The year ahead 

2021 is set to be another exciting and busy year for Acorn with construction set to start on a number of brand-new sites in areas of high demand and sales teams dealing with the increase in demand on our current sites. We are continuing to strengthen our presence across the South West, starting the year with several new acquisitions in Devon and Cornwall. We’d love for you to be part of our exciting journey of growth – speak to our Investor Services team to see how you can be involved.

YOUR CAPITAL IS AT RISK IF YOU INVEST

Investment opportunities available via Acorn Property Invest are exclusively targeted at exempt investors who are experienced, knowledgeable and sophisticated enough to sufficiently understand the risks involved, and who are able to make their own decisions about suitability of those investment opportunities. All investors should seek an independent professional investment and tax advice before deciding to invest. Any historic performance of investment opportunities is NOT a guide or guarantee for future performance and any projections of future performance are not guaranteed. All investment opportunities available via Acorn Property Invest are NOT regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and you will NOT have access to Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) and may not have access to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).

The post 2020 – A difficult but successful year with some buoyant outcomes for property investors appeared first on Acorn Property Invest.