San Francisco really has it all; it is the most densely populated area in California, the financial and business centre of the Bay Area and one of the most popular destinations for holiday makers the world over. Of course, all this activity makes for a particularly lucrative high end property market and with a constant inflow of people, there is a distinct market for buy-to-let property.

Letting property can be a great way of making your money work hard for you. Rent payments from your tenants can cover your mortgage repayments and might even provide you with some short run income. In the longer term, your property might just end up as premium real estate and could be very profitable when you come to sell it on.

Your central apartment in SF could be a great base for a professional couple to take a holiday or an ideal pad for a businessman to check into after a hard day’s work. Equally, there is flourishing demand for longer term lets in more suburban areas.

Letting a property can be lucrative, but can also be hard work. If you’re letting to short term occupants it’s easy to forget about the simple things; you should think about changeover days and how you will take on bookings. It’s also important to sort out your landlord insurance; if you’re letting a high end property it’s of paramount importance that it’s in good condition.

Despite the economic turn down, the rental market can still be very profitable. Invest well and you might just see the returns sooner than you think.

Matthew Read
Guest Post