How we choose an income-generating property

1. Low entry capital

We prioritise deals a private investor can take on without needing a fortune. We do not set a price ceiling: what decides is whether the deal makes sense, not which bracket it falls into. Most of the advisory market is built for ticket sizes that exclude the private investor.

Entry capital is not only the price. Transfer taxes, notary, registration and, where relevant, furnishing all add up. When we present a deal, the number that matters is the total outlay, not the headline.

2. Return potential

We analyse each opportunity two ways: the rental yield — what the property can earn against what it costs — and the appreciation of the asset over the medium term. The first supports the decision; the second improves it.

This is where scepticism pays. An advertised yield is a forecast, not a fact, and when the developer publishes it, it is worth checking against what the local rental market actually supports. When we share a figure we always say where it comes from.

3. Verified rental demand

A good price means nothing if the property sits empty. Before publishing we check that structural rental demand exists in the specific area — not in the country or the region, in the neighbourhood — and that it does not hang on a single seasonal factor.

It is the criterion that rules out most deals and the one that appears least in sales pitches, precisely because it is the one that takes the most work.

What this method cannot do

Reducing risk is not eliminating it. A rigorous filter improves the odds; it does not guarantee them. Developer risk on new builds, currency risk when you buy outside your own currency, vacancy risk if the local market shifts, and regulatory and tax risk — across two jurisdictions when you buy abroad — all remain. Anyone telling you otherwise is selling you something.