Buying property to let

One of the alternatives for investment of surplus Money is this.

Location is the key factor. Renting is not always easy. Having schools or medical centers is usually a better alternative when making a choice of buying property to rent.

As mentioned in previous articles there are web sites that combine the price of property and the rental value on a yearly basis. Using this type of information, you can decide  you investment amount and return on investment.

My personal choice is medium size cities with a clear basis for rental success. Having concentration of hospitals, medical centers or universities nearby is usually a plus in terms of continued rental possibility.

Using google earth and street view you can have a very good look at details of streets, neighborhood, type of community and other characteristics that may help when making a decision.

In next comments we will review more details that are needed when making a decision in the real estate arena.

What to do with your money

In this crisis scenario probably the best recommendation is to be conservative. These comments are for non professional investors but for the regular person with savings and not knowing what to do with his or her savings.
A few weeks ago while in Uruguay someone asked me what can I do with 180.000 dollars which are my "life savings". My recommendation was to buy real estate. Her reaction was a little bit of disappointment. That person was not used to this type of transactions so her reaction was absolutely normal.
Clearly buying a house or an apartment is more complicated than depositing her money in a bank or a cd instrument.
It is also true that once decided to buy, there are many webs and places where to get help in order to make a good selection once you have decided the country where to invest. 
I will try to help those interested in buying to let as an alternative investment. This is based in my own experience in five different countries like the USA, the UK, Spain, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay.
Just one tip, if your choice is the UK, see the web http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/. They give you the best 100 places in the United Kingdom where to buy and let, getting a net return between 3 and 4,5 % p.a.
In next comments we will consider more aspects aimed at making a good decision when buying real estate.