Should I invest in the “wrong side” of Ashley Road, Poole.

Firstly let me start by saying the title is tongue in cheek. My parents have lived (happily) on what is considered to be the wrong side of Ashley Rd for over 10 years and my wife and I’s first house was on Beaconsfield Rd – again north of the Ashley Rd. Plus, I’m from Rochdale so it’s impossible for me to be a snob!! Instead I’m trying to help property investors get the best return and often they come into my office nestled in the middle of the affluent Ashley Cross and when I mention BH12 I can see they’re not all too keen and would much prefer to spend their money in the suburbs of Lower P. Buy To Let is a business and you should consider all options to get the best return so lets look at the facts…. I’m a lucky guy and have circa £300,000 cash to invest. According to Zoopla the average asking price in BH12 for a 4 bedroom is £313,479 – just within my grasps - and the average rental is £1393pcm providing a gross yield of 5.33%. If we take a look at BH14 our money goes nowhere near as far and the average two bedroom flat is £300,391 with an average rental of £943pcm giving a measly 3.77% gross yield. Flats usually have much higher running costs due to service charges too so expect to say more disparity between the net yields of these two properties. Of course these are just average figures and there’ll always be quirks and anomalies but my point is look at the yield and not just the post code. It’s highly unlikely you’ll ever live in this property so choose the one that makes the best sense financially. So back to me and my £300k – which would I choose? Neither. I’d opt for this http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-53676617.html giving me over 10% yield. But be warned HMO’s aren’t for the faint hearted and there’s a lot to be said for taking a hassle free 5% opposed to something like this that will require a lot more management. If you’re thinking about investing in the Poole/Bournemouth conurbation feel free to give me a call as I’d love to help. I’ve lived here for the best part of 20 years and been a letting agent for over 10 so like to think I can offer some decent advice. Hope to hear from you soon.