Economic factors

The property market and the economy tend to go through cycles and depending where you are on those cycles has a huge impact on whether property would be a good investment now or not.

As well as house prices, you will also need to consider interest rates, rental returns and inflation.

Are house prices historically high ? If so then you are likely to see the value of any property you buy fall over the next few years which is clearly not a good thing. However if interest rates are low and you are taking out a cheap 25 year fixed rate mortgage then you may actually pay much less for the property by buying now.