Any question answered...

I don't think property is all that great an investment unless you really know the market or are just getting on the ladder. The initial costs are high, the total costs are high, the risk is high, it's long term. Switching from renting to buying - sure, but buying to let or to try and sell on, I'm not confident it's a good deal any more. All the people who got rich off that started years ago in boom times and rode that overinflated property value wave.
I don't think I'd be looking at property as an investment per se - i.e. I don't want to try and flog somewhere for twice the price in twenty years. Rather a way that in 20 years time, depending how I'm doing, I don't want to have to pay rent any more and can start spending it on crabon tarcks instead.