Property investment can be difficult to navigate, says Desmond Conway, Keystone Property Group CEO. Here he tells unLTD how the company try and make it as simple as possible for investors and prospective clients.
How is Keystone’s approach different?
One of the biggest tasks that investors face is finding good developers and projects to put their money behind. The same goes for developers finding investors.
Essentially, Keystone make this process easier and quicker for both investors and developers by bringing the two parties together to create opportunities, mainly in the private rental sector, robust enough to meet the demands of the market. Both investors and developers benefit from this new kind of relationship, through development acquisitions and developer level returns, respectively.
Why the private rental sector?
More people than ever before are choosing to rent, with 20 per cent of all UK households living in the private rental sector, a figure that’s forecast to rise to 25 per cent over the next couple of years.
People, therefore, need quality and secure private rental accommodation in which they can enjoy a relaxed lifestyle and be part of a community. The purpose-built rental complexes, in which we specialise, provide that.
For investors, the private rental sector is source of passive income, growth, and high yields.
What are some of your projects?
At the moment, our headline product is the recently launched flexible loan note which lets investors take control of their investment by giving them a choice of term length, growth or income options, and bonuses.
Hadrian’s Tower in Newcastle is a project that has received attention across the media, as the iconic structure is set to become the city’s tallest building. It’s an incredible opportunity for buy-to-let investors, that promises up to seven per cent annual net rental yield.
Our other private rental sector projects have included Middlewood Plaza in Salford, Westminster Works in Birmingham, and Silbury Boulevard in Milton Keynes.
What are your proudest achievements?
Over the last few years, Keystone has grown significantly due to the dedication of the team we have in place across all areas of the business nationally and internationally.
The team’s commitment to our mission to innovate the way people invest has delivered investors yearly accumulative total returns of 45 per cent in 2017 and 63 per cent in 2018.
We’re incredibly proud of the hard work that’s gone into delivering the high returns our investors want, and opening doors to exclusive opportunities.
What’s in Keystone’s future?
What we think makes Keystone special is our promise to place our clients at the heart of our business and create an innovative investment experience with immense benefits.
2018 was our biggest year to date, with the completion of three projects and investors seeing average returns of 21 per cent.
In 2019, we aim to continue changing the way people invest and finding the best opportunities and securing high returns for investors. However, we’re also going to be pushing ourselves to deliver even more, seeking exclusive new prospects.
Already this year, our partners have made new acquisitions and our investors have gained access to unique and exciting high-quality projects. We also have plans in place to begin our own development in Sheffield, which we hope to be finalised in the near future.
Keystone is also becoming a larger part of the Sheffield community, having recently joined Sheffield Chamber of Commerce. We’ll also be running in the 2019 London Marathon to raise funds for a fantastic local charity, Age UK Sheffield.
We’re incredibly optimistic and enthusiastic about 2019, and beyond.
