Now that we've managed to (just about) avoid a triple dip recession, people are now starting to cautiously work themselves up for making an investment.
An investment you say? Surely not! Indeed I do, maybe it's not the best time in the world to invest in a bank, a football club or anything risky.
However, investing in something real and tangible, something make out of bricks and mortar, could actually be a reasonable investment to make.
So why not a house? After the boom and the bust of the 'noughties,' the housing market has shivered to a bit of a standstill but is due to be kicked back into shape.
However it's still having some trouble finding first gear under the hangover from the recession.
With the Bank of England recently announcing that mortgage rates are due to increase further, more and more first time buyers are going to be priced out of buying their dream first home.
Combine this with a report recently published by the Joseph Roundtree Foundation which found that 1.
5 million eighteen to thirty year olds will be forced in to private renting for the next eight years and you can see the market is beginning to flood with people who have no other option other than to rent - this is exactly where you can cash in.
But isn't it expensive? I hear you cry well yes it can be, but there are a number of tactics that you can use to your advantage to minimise costs and to maximise your profits.
By being canny with your investment and by knowing your market you can save money by skewing your investment towards a certain market.
There's not much point in buying a property, lovely though it may be, doing it up and just sticking it on the market.
Who is it for? Well...
people looking to rent a house, you might answer.
But who are these people? Imagine yourself on the property market, you can't afford a place a place of your own because you can't afford a mortgage so you're going to have to rent.
You'd want to rent a place that is pretty much perfect and ready for you to move in to and call home.
That means it has to be modest and pleasant in appearance, it has to have reliable and relatively new white products (washing machine, fridge, oven and grill) and you might even want it furnished.
Depending on who you want to lend your house to will depend upon how you furnish and present it.
Don't get suckered into thinking that the bigger the house is, the more money you'll make from it.
Think about the return from your original investment.
A large house is going to cost you a lot of money and will no doubt need a lot of time and care to make it fit for purpose.
If you find a big problem in a big house it's a lot worse than finding a big problem in a small house.
For the best return on investment stick to small two or three bedroom houses or apartments that are easy to maintain and are cheap to run.
This way you'll be minimising the things that can go wrong in your house and are much likely to get a long-term tenant.
When you're looking let a property to, it's important to keep things simple.
Choose your target audience, finds their most desired area to live in and decorate your house to suit their needs and desires.
If you do a good job in the first place of securing a decent house and sorting out the problems properly before anyone moves in, the more likely it is that you'll attract a long-term relationship who you can strike up a working relationship with.