I'm a property expert... Rob Dix on house prices, mortgage rates, buying tips and his best ever investment

Daily Mail​

08-07-2025

Property is a favorite British conversation topic. Nearly everyone has an opinion on where house prices are heading, the next property hotspot or where homes should - and shouldn't - be built.
But to get a true sense of what's driving the market, it is worth listening to the people who live and breathe property day in, day out.
In this series, we put an expert through their paces each month.
We want to know their view on all of the hot-button topics mentioned above as well as mortgage rates, buy-to-let and housebuilding.
We will even question them about their very own mortgage, and their best and worst investments to date.
This month we spoke to Rob Dix, co-founder of Property Hub, a buy-to-let sourcing company that puts together over £100 million of property deals each year for its clients.
Rob is also co-host of The Property Podcast and a bestselling author with books including two Sunday Times bestsellers; 'Seven Myths About Money' and 'The Price Of Money.'
He is also a portfolio buy-to-let investor, having bought his first rental property over a decade ago.
Last year, we interviewed Rob on why he and his family prefer to rent the property they live in rather than opting to buy.
1. What will house prices do over the next 12 months?
I think house prices will rise by at most, 2 per cent on average, continuing the pattern of the last couple of years of prices slightly falling in inflation-adjusted terms.
We'll continue to see big regional differences, with higher growth in the north and smaller, less expensive properties performing better than larger, pricier ones.
2. What will happen to prices over the next decade?
The most likely scenario is that property prices continue to rise at the same pace as inflation, or a little faster, as they have done historically over the long term.
At some point in the next ten years we'll probably have a boom and a crash as they tend to happen every so often, but it's impossible to predict the timing.
It doesn't sound exciting but if you use a mortgage so your debt is fixed, just regular inflation-linked growth can lead to great results over a decade.
3. Where will mortgage rates be in 12 months?
I imagine we will see buy-to-let mortgage rates settling in the fours, maybe half a percent or so lower than they are now.
4. Why do you prefer renting where you live?
Living where I do in London, renting actually works out cheaper than owning.
But I'd opt to rent regardless because I don't know where or what size of property I want to be living in in five years' time.
Buying would incur such huge stamp duty costs that it really wouldn't make any sense.
Renting isn't throwing money away any more than paying mortgage interest is throwing money away, as long as you're also investing in assets.
5. What mortgage do you go for on your buy-to-lets?
I always use interest-only loans because it's counterintuitively safer: the monthly payment is lower, which keeps expenses down if you do end up having a period when rent isn't coming in. There's always the option of over-paying.
I always fix for five years to reduce fees and have more certainty, and would only recommend going shorter if you plan to withdraw equity from your portfolio.
6. What is the most urgent property crisis?
In my opinion, the lack of social housing puts too much reliance on the private rented sector and prevents the people most in need of support from having the security they need. So-called affordable housing is a fudge that doesn't solve the problem.
7. Will Labour hit its 1.5 million home target?
No, because no government in living memory has ever hit its home building target.
With so little social housing being built, it's not something the government realistically has control over.
8. What could stop house prices rising?
House prices always eventually hit an affordability ceiling where buyers can't pay any more based on their income, so if we fail to see productivity growth and therefore wage growth, that will keep a brake on house prices.
But the only thing I can think of that would make a major dent in house prices would be much tougher restrictions on mortgage lending, which doesn't seem likely to happen.
9. Are landlords being unfairly targeted?
Although they haven't been popular among investors, I can see the sense of the moves that have been made over the last decade to curb the buy-to-let sector and professionalise it.
However, I can see landlords continuing to be disproportionately targeted because there's little political risk in doing so.
There are of course a minority of incompetent and even criminal landlords, but for the most part, the rules to prevent them exist – they're just being poorly enforced.
10. Is buy-to-let a good or bad investment today?
It's a good investment if you approach it for the long term and you use a mortgage.
Compared to any other kind of investment you can make, you can buy three times as much of it by using debt that's guaranteed to shrink as a result of inflation.
You've also got a rental income stream that tends to rise in line with inflation, and the lack of volatility means that it's an investment that some people are more comfortable with compared to the stock market.
11. If you could pick one area to invest in property for the next decade, where would it be?
It would be any city or popular commuter town in the North West.
It's the region that's been performing best and is projected to keep doing so over the next five years.
It's also an area where there's headroom for prices to grow, and rental growth is strong too.
12. What one location would you be avoiding?
The South East, outside London. Affordability is so restricted there just isn't any room for prices to meaningfully rise, and yields are low.
13. Prime central London prices are below their 2014 peak: Will it boom again?
London will always be a safe bet over the long term, but with the UK becoming less popular internationally as well as the extremely high stamp duty costs which add potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds to the purchase price of a prime London property, I can't see it having a strong rebound.
14. If you were Chancellor of the Exchequer, how would you help first-time buyers?
Most initiatives intended to help first-time buyers serve only to increase house prices, so I wouldn't bring back anything like Help to Buy.
I'd be more inclined to introduce a policy like exempting the first, say, £100,000 of lifetime earnings from tax, making it easier for people early in their careers to save whether that's for a house or something else.
15. Do you have any negotiation tips for buyers making offers to estate agents?
Many sellers are looking for certainty rather than the highest price, so make sure you have a mortgage offer lined up, a solicitor in place and can demonstrate that you are organised and ready to proceed.
Then if your offer is rejected, do keep following up because a third of transactions end up falling through.
16. What's the best piece of advice you'd give to someone looking to get on the ladder?
Have wealthy parents. Or, more seriously, don't rush if you're not sure that you'll want to stay put for at least five years.
While there's a perception that house prices always run away from you, I don't think there will be any rapid growth in the near future.
Transaction costs are brutal, and you only quality for first-time buyer stamp duty benefits once.
17. What's the one piece of advice you'd give someone planning to sell their home this year?
Do your own online research into what you think it's worth and don't let estate agents talk you up to something that's unachievable.
Data shows that once something has been mispriced and sat on the market, it's much less likely to ever sell.
18. What's your best ever property investment?
A house in Nottingham that I bought in May 2020 at the peak of Covid panic when the market was effectively shut down.
This allowed me to get it at a great price, I've had the same tenants in there ever since, and I forget I own it for months on end.
19. What's the worst investment you've ever made?
Houses in Hull where I got a good deal, but they're not in the most desirable area so prices have been flat compared to stronger locations.
Also, the rents are so low that a small repair can wipe out months of profit.
20. What would you do if you inherited £100,000 tomorrow?
The answer is very specific to my personal goal of generating wealth over the long term, and won't be right for everyone.
But boringly, I would use a mortgage to buy a modest family home in a quality area in the Midlands or the North, price the rent slightly below market rates so I had a huge pool of applicants to choose from, then let it quietly sit there for years on end.
How to find a new mortgage
Borrowers who need a mortgage because their current fixed rate deal is ending, or they are buying a home, should explore their options as soon as possible.
Buy-to-let landlords should also act as soon as they can.
Quick mortgage finder links with This is Money's partner L&C
> Mortgage rates calculator
> Find the right mortgage for you
What if I need to remortgage?
Borrowers should compare rates, speak to a mortgage broker and be prepared to act.
Homeowners can lock in to a new deal six to nine months in advance, often with no obligation to take it.
Most mortgage deals allow fees to be added to the loan and only be charged when it is taken out. This means borrowers can secure a rate without paying expensive arrangement fees.
Keep in mind that by doing this and not clearing the fee on completion, interest will be paid on the fee amount over the entire term of the loan, so this may not be the best option for everyone.
What if I am buying a home?
Those with home purchases agreed should also aim to secure rates as soon as possible, so they know exactly what their monthly payments will be.
Buyers should avoid overstretching and be aware that house prices may fall, as higher mortgage rates limit people's borrowing ability and buying power.
What about buy-to-let landlords
Buy-to-let landlords with interest-only mortgages will see a greater jump in monthly costs than homeowners on residential mortgages.
This makes remortgaging in plenty of time essential and our partner L&C can help with buy-to-let mortgages too.
How to compare mortgage costs
The best way to compare mortgage costs and find the right deal for you is to speak to a broker.
This is Money has a long-standing partnership with fee-free broker L&C, to provide you with fee-free expert mortgage advice.
Interested in seeing today's best mortgage rates? Use This is Money and L&Cs best mortgage rates calculator to show deals matching your home value, mortgage size, term and fixed rate needs.
If you're ready to find your next mortgage, why not use L&C's online Mortgage Finder. It will search 1,000's of deals from more than 90 different lenders to discover the best deal for you.
> Find your best mortgage deal with This is Money and L&C
Be aware that rates can change quickly, however, and so if you need a mortgage or want to compare rates, speak to L&C as soon as possible, so they can help you find the right mortgage for you.