Ever since man has been earning money, he has been looking to invest his hard earned money in the right and most profitable channels. Investments have been on the minds of people since we can remember. Formidable investment options have competed with each other with shares, bonds and property leading the show. Of the three, property has always held the upper hand when it comes to a safe and sound investment option. Yet, despite all its risks, shares continue to find its own league of followers. If you are a new entrant into the investment market, you need to have a deep understanding of all the investment options in order to invest rightly. The smart investor is the one who spots the best investment option miles away.

Measuring returns

There are several ways to measure the returns that you get from an investment. One is to measure the net income and the other is to measure the change in the value of the asset. And of course you have to keep the risk factor in mind. In more recent times, the definition or the way by which you measure the returns has undergone a change. Returns is now defined as the percentage net income over a period divided by the value of the property or the net yield, and the percentage change in value over an equal or the same period of time. For example a property with a total yield of 15% and an increase in the value of 5% gives a total return of 20%. At the same time, the risk is defined as the volatility or the deviation over the same period of time.

Why Property?

In the US, shares were declared as the riskiest investment option in the last few years according to a survey. But they also gave the highest returns. The lowest returns were given by bonds and the risk was the minimum as well. While property fared in between the two. So wouldn't you like to invest in a channel that does not have as much risk and at the same time, delivers a standard percentage of returns? A lot of investors look to invest a part of their income in each of the above mentioned assets. This is a smart investment policy because even if a bad situation were to arise, each one of the assets would react differently to it. Not all of them would go through a decline at the same time. The co relation of property with equities is quite less. Hence even if equities fall, it is not necessary that property will follow suit.

Sub classes within the same

Even within property there are two distinct sub classes. One is listed property and the other is directly held property. Of the two the later is the more stable option and also has less risks involved. So if you too are confused by the greatest investment debate of all times, then be rest assured that property definitely holds the upper hand. A two fold income source, least risks involved and an ever growing demand are what fuel's the property market ahead. So what are you waiting for?