The Property Geek Podcast: Recent Episodes
Rob Dix
Every episode, I interview someone with expertise in a different area of UK property investment - discussing the issues in their field, and teasing out their top tips for investment success.
Over the last few episodes we've covered various ways of funding property projects, in addition to the familiar options of cash and mortgages. In this episode, I round off the series by summarising my main takeaways and suggesting how to choose the most appropriate form of funding.
See this episode on the Property Geek website: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/funding-property-project/
Joint ventures (JVs) get talked about a lot in property, with good reason: after all, if you don't have the cash to do all the deals you want to do, a JV is a way of solving that problem without going cap-in-hand to the bank.
But where do you even start with finding someone who might want to lend you money? How do you structure the agreement? And what happens if something goes wrong?
In this episode I'm delighted to welcome Jay Booth back to the podcast, to talk about how he's made JVs work for him – and his friends and family. Jay was on the show earlier in the year talking about how he bought and refurbished nine properties in a year, and in this follow-up chat we get into how joint ventures fuelled some of that rapid expansion.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://www.propertygeek.net/joint-ventures
If you own your own home or have buy-to-let properties, you might find yourself with equity you can't access – due to redemption penalties or too-good-to-lose mortgage rates, for example.
By unlocking that equity, you could grow your portfolio faster – and in this week's episode, I speak to mortgage advisor Dave Cookson about a relatively little-known way to do exactly that.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/second-charges
You've probably heard of peer-to-peer (or P2P) finance, and you might be aware of the bigger platforms like Zopa and Funding Circle. But you might not have thought to turn to peer-to-peer for your property project – or be aware of how many different options there are.
In this episode I speak to James Wallis from Aben Financial – a commercial finance advisor with a particularly deep knowledge of the peer-to-peer sector.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/peer-to-peer
We're going to spend the next few episodes exploring ways you can finance property projects other than using a mortgage. In this first episode, I set out to demystify bridging finance: a powerful tool, but one that investors often find confusing and intimidating.
And it's true – if you don't know what you're doing, bridging can be expensive and even dangerous. But there are certain situations where – with the right knowledge – it will give you access to profitable deals that otherwise would have passed you by.
View this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/bridging-finance
In this series on lettings and management I've been lucky enough to be joined by some fantastic guests – both experts at the top of their field, and everyday landlords with great stories and lessons to share.
To wrap up the series, in this episode I share my main takeaways from those conversations – and tell you what to expect in the next run of episodes that's starting next week.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/lettings-and-management
Adrian Thompson from the Guild of Residential Landlords spends much of his time talking to landlords in distress – so who better to tell us what we can do differently to avoid ending up in that position.
In this interview we cover a wide range of topics that landlords should be aware of – and speculate about what the next few years might hold...
See this episode on the Property Geek site - https://propertygeek.net/podcast/landlords
Petra Romero only moved to the UK a year and a half ago, and she's already built up a thriving rent-to-rent business. That's already seriously impressive – but even more interesting is how she's intentionally designed her business to be run by overseas assistants, freeing her up to do what she's best at.
See this episode on the Property Geek website: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/rent-to-rent-systems
Richard and Susie Trow have property management down to a fine art. Thanks to some effective systems and a commitment to quality from the very start, their portfolio of 21 properties in Wrexham takes up less than 2 hours per week – freeing up their time to do what really matters to them.
See this episode on the Property Geek website: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/self-management
As a landlord, your social status is somewhere between "bankers" and "solicitors" – and you can't open a newspaper without being told how greedy and unfair you are.
A lot of this is due to the prevalence of bad landlords. But bad landlords aren't necessarily bad people: it's just that they have no idea what the job of being a landlord is all about, and are flouting laws they didn't know existed.
My guest, Tessa Shepperson, has seen it all when it comes to landlords getting themselves into very hot legal water – and as she explains, the consequences for not doing the job properly are getting more severe...
See this episode on the Property Geek website: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/landlord-law-tessa-shepperson
For years, landlords have been telling me that there's nowhere they can go to find the information they need about letting and managing property – no accessible source with all the facts clearly laid out in a logical way.
Well, I've put that right: my book, How To Be A Landlord, is out today!
See this episode on the Property Geek website: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/landlord-special-launch-episode
Sam Jones had a terrifying experience very early in her self-managing career – but she didn't let it put her off, and she's spent 17 years managing a geographically distributed collection of properties. Now though, she's started using an agent for new acquisitions – but she's not losing the unique ability that made her such a self-managing success.
For Sam, property really is all about the people – and she uses her people skills to straddle the worlds of self-managing landlord and hands-off investors.
See this episode on the Property Geek website: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/personal-touch
My guest this week, Tom Charrier, didn't intend to have anything to do with managing his properties when he started out – but after one awful experience, he decided to take matters back into his own hands.
Now, he and his wife manage their small portfolio of HMOs themselves – and consider their ability to pick the right tenants and build strong relationships to be the biggest strength in their business.
See this episode on the Property Geek website: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/hmo-landlord
Self-managing can be tough. Self-managing HMOs can be really tough. So, self-managing HMOs from abroad...surely that's not a good idea?
Well, my guest this week Richard Dyke makes it work – managing his portfolio (including a couple of small multi-lets) from Bergen in Norway. Richard visits several times a year for inspections and maintenance, and has all sorts of little hacks in place to make sure the distance isn't too much of a challenge.
See this episode on the Property Geek website: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/self-manage-from-overseas
This episode kicks off a new series about lettings and management: not the glamorous part of property that it's easy to pack out seminars about, but the very important bit that makes sure your investment runs profitably, smoothly and legally.
To get the series started I'm joined by Joanne Dron – a landlady of 13 years and a letting agent too – to run through some of the recent and upcoming changes that should be on your radar. Many of them have been poorly publicised – so it's well worth taking half an hour to make sure you're up to speed on everything that could land you in hot water if you're not paying attention...
See this episode on the Property Geek website: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/new-lettings-legislation
In this series of the podcast we've been looking at "turning pro" – how to embrace the mindset of a professional investor, so you can continue to thrive despite the more challenging conditions for property investors.
During this quick series wrap-up episode I revisit the major themes we've covered, draw some lessons we can take from what we've heard, and look ahead to what's coming up in the next series.
See this episode on the Property Geek website: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/turning-pro
The theme of this series has been "turning pro" – so what better way to wrap it up than to speak to someone who's been a professional trader and investor for over 30 years?
Jonathan Schuman holds around 300 commercial and residential properties, and has his own private "agency" to manage them. When the credit crunch hit, Jonathan was perfectly positioned with his contacts and knowledge to profit while everyone else was panicking – and he took bold action to seize the opportunity and rapidly scale his portfolio.
Our conversation touches on the property cycle, what constitutes a "deal", and where the opportunities are in today's market. Prepare to feel in equal parts inspired and inadequate...
See this episode on the Property Geek website: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/amateur-vs-professional
In this series so far we’ve been talking about all the changes affecting our sector, and what investors should be thinking about as a result. In today’s episode, I catch up with three Property Geek listeners who have all rethought their strategy recently – to find out what they were doing before, what they’re doing now, and what factors played into their decision.
See this episode on the Property Geek website: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/changing-strategies
Buying in an area you're unfamiliar with is scary enough – but David Barker bought his first without seeing it, and his next was a complicated five-unit site in a town he'd never been to.
Both had happy endings, but were very different experiences along the way. I spoke to David to learn how he got the courage and confidence to take calculated risks, and learn the often-glossed-over truth of how complicated an investment can be...
See this episode on the Property Geek website: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/away-from-home
All the signs are pointing towards London's incredible price growth of the last few years coming to an end – and the gap that's emerged between the South East and elsewhere starting to narrow.
It's one thing to see those signs, it takes a lot of courage to act on them – and that's what my guest, Phil Whitehouse, has done. Phil has spent the last couple of years selling the small portfolio he'd built up in London, to take his profits and reinvest elsewhere in the UK.
See this episode on the Property Geek website: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/selling-london-portfolio
If somebody told me they were busy running a business in London, and planned to buy and refurbish 9 properties in Stoke-on-Trent within a year...to be honest, I'd gently suggest they scale their aspirations back a bit.
But after speaking to Jay Booth, I'll be a bit more careful before declaring something "impossible" – because that's exactly what he did. I found this conversation inspiring, because Jay had every factor that you'd be tempted to use as an excuse – limited experience, a busy job, a young family – and still achieved more in a year than most people will in a lifetime.
See this episode on the Property Geek website: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/nine-in-a-year
One of our themes for this series is taking a professional approach by investing in areas where there's the strongest business case, not where it's most convenient.
For many investors (especially those in the South East), that will mean investing in properties away from where they live – possibly without even seeing them first. And that's why I was keen to talk to Stuart Ball – who's managed to build his portfolio of 6 properties 6,000 miles away from his home in Hong Kong, and has another 5 going through right now...
See this episode on the Property Geek website: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/expat-property-investment
On last week's episode, we talked about the cause for incorporation. This week, I'm joined by mortgage broker Stuart Bailey to talk about what's often seen as a barrier to buying as a limited company: mortgages.
In common with most other brokers I've spoken to, Stuart has seen a huge increase in the number of limited company mortgages he's arranged – and the news he's bringing back from the coalface is broadly positive for investors who might have seen company finance as a challenge...
See this episode on the Property Geek website: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/mortgage-options-limited-companies
It's been a huge switch: many mortgage brokers are reporting that while only a year ago it was a small minority of people who bought property in a limited company, the majority of investors now do.
I don't find it hard to believe, because my inbox has been filling up over the last year with one question more than any other: "should I buy property within a limited company?"
Unfortunately, I can't tell you the answer because I'm not a tax advisor and I don't know enough about your situation. But I can lay out the most common scenarios, and help you understand the reasoning behind those scenarios so you can confidently speak to an accountant about what's best for you.
This episode sets the scene for several to come, where we'll be looking at the case for incorporation from several different angles.
See this episode on the Property Geek website: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/buy-property-limited-company
The property cycle is a powerful concept: one that can give you the confidence to act when others are fearful, and avoid making moves (like most investors do) at exactly the wrong time.
I'm joined this week by the UK's leading expert on the property cycle – Akhil Patel – to talk about what the cycle can tell us about where we are right now, and how you can tell what's going to happen next.
See this episode on the Property Geek website: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/property-cycle
For many investors, finance is a critical part of the property growth plan – and it can also be one of the more painful constraints if you can't find your way through the mortgage minefield.
So it's always important to keep on top of what's happening in the mortgage market, and never more so than now – with lenders grappling to come to terms with a whole new set of restrictions that have just come into effect, and more to come later this year.
In this episode I'm joined by mortgage advisor Simon Allen, who's spoken to most of the main lenders and is here to report back with everything you need to know.
See this episode on the Property Geek website: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/pra-mortgage-affordability-rules
We're back! In this first episode, I run through what to expect in this new series of the Property Geek Podcast.
It's a reboot not just for the podcast, but also a time for property investors to be reconsidering how they operate in general. So in this series, we'll be talking about everything that's changing: lending restrictions, legislation, incorporation, and ticking over into a new phase of the property cycle...
See this episode on the Property Geek website: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/rethink-investment
Anyone can pick a property off Rightmove and negotiate 5% off the asking price. You know that the real profits are made when you can reliably track down those elusive "below market value" or lease option opportunities...but where do you even start?
My guest, Mark Dunsmore, used to be an estate agent (don't hold it against him) before he learnt to apply the same skills to sourcing properties for investors. Having built up a nationwide sourcing business, he's now teaching other investors how to find their own deals – either to build their portfolio, or make a profit by selling them on to others.
I speak to Mark about how to work with a property sourcer to access better opportunities than you could find on your own – and, if you've got the time and the dedication, how to source directly yourself.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/source-property-deals
They say that you make your money when you buy, not when you sell – but there's no doubt that how you approach selling a property can make a huge difference to the result you achieve.
My guest this week, Anna Hart, specialises in helping her clients to sell at the best price within their desired timescale – and avoiding the nightmare scenario of having a property languish on the market. Even if selling couldn't be further from your mind, our discussion around presenting a property and doing viewings will give you a valuable insight into a vendor's mindset.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/how-to-sell-a-property
Another way to (indirectly) make money from property is to lend money to others who need financing for development projects. Alternatively, you might be looking to borrowfrom private individuals in order to do more deals without relying on expensive bridging finance.
In this episode, I talk about my recent experience of lending money out. If you've got spare cash on the sidelines, I cover how to lend safely and reduce your risk as far as possible. On the other side, if you want to raise private finance, it will give you an insight into how to structure the arrangement and allow the lender to be confident that their interest is protected.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/private-finance
Rupert Chapman is relatively new to the property game but is a veteran of business – and as such, he's got a broader perspective than most on the changes the property industry is going through.
If you're concerned by what lies ahead, you should find this conversation reassuring and inspiring – encouraging you to appreciate the increasingly rare value of your knowledge and skills, and to take practical steps to respond to our current challenges.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/how-to-adapt-landlord-government-changes
Adding properties to your collection is fun, but for all of us there's some deeper reason why we're investing in the first place – whether that's to leave your job, provide a pension or just to give yourself a second income.
That's why I like to look at property in the context of financial planning more broadly, and I'm joined this week by Stuart Bailey from Wealth Help to do exactly that. We get into setting plans, allocating assets, and – importantly – knowing when to stop!
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/financial-planning
Jethro East dived head-first from a successful music career into property development – and it wasn't long before he made his first six-figure profit from a single buy-to-sell project. If that sounds easy, it's because I missed out the builders walking out in the middle a project, the months spent living in a half-finished house with no heating, the routine three hours of sleep and the rats drowning in the toilet.
He's made extraordinarily rapid progress and has huge plans for the future, but Jethro is open about the fact that there were moments along the way that nearly broke him.
This interview is inspirational, but also includes plenty of actionable nuts-and-bolts tips for getting great results with buy-to-sell projects. It's a must-listen for anyone with an interest in flipping properties – just don't expect it to sound easy...
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/profit-from-buy-to-sell
When people start out in property, it's a common long-term goal to replace their income and become financially independent. My guest this week, Mark Coates, has accomplished exactly that – in only 4 years, while holding down a full-time job!
He didn't start with a huge amount of money, or any experience: he just put together a solid plan, and worked hard at developing the skills and knowledge he needed to execute upon it. The question is: how did he manage to achieve his goals in such a short space of time, when others never get there at all? I get him to reveal the model he used to pull off this life-changing feat...
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/financial-independence-full-time-job
It's the start of a new series and a new year! As a prelude to the fantastic interviews that are lined up for future weeks, I wanted to start with a summary of where we are as investors following the many shocks of 2015.
We've had plenty of nasty surprises, but there's plenty of potential upside too – if you approach investing in the right way...
(As you might be able to hear, I had a very sore throat when recording this – a less painful-sounding voice will resume next week!)
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/2016-perspective
Do you associate your local council with costing you money or making you money?
Yes, me too - but my guest this week, Mark Morris, has found three ways of turning his local authority into an important ally. He secures excellent yields from accommodating Housing Benefit tenants, has properties where the council pays a guaranteed stress-free rent even if they're empty...and has even scored free improvements worth thousands of pounds.
In our conversation, Mark shares how he makes it all work - and ends up with a high-yielding portfolio which he can manage around his full-time job. It won't fit in with everyone's strategy, but it might make you think again about things you'd taken for granted...
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/council-leasing-profit-schemes
You can buy a property for as little as £20,000 (probably less) in some parts of the country. So if you're tight for funds to get started with...should you?
Even if you've got more cash to spread around, should you take the view that when prices are so low and yields are so high, you should just go out and buy a load of them?
There are a couple of obvious reasons why that's not the right move for everyone, and also a couple of less obvious ones - and it's those that I talk about in this week's show.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/hidden-cost-cheap-properties
You may have bought a property in the past hoping that there will be regeneration to the local area...but chances are you're not secretly hoping that regeneration will involve demolishing your property!
Well, that notion might seem less ridiculous than it first appears when you've finished listening to this week's podcast. My guest is Dan Knowles, a Chartered Surveyor who specialises in the field of Compulsory Purchase.
Dan's company helps people whose homes are the subject of a Compulsory Purchase Order, advising them on their rights and helping them to get the best deal. And at the same time, this has given him an insight into a very niche property strategy...
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/compulsory-purchase
Property investment pays off in terms of capital growth and rental income - but the proportion in which you’ll benefit from each is determined to a large extent by exactly what you buy.
In this episode I share a personal case study to make this point - which demonstrates why it’s so important to have thought-through goals in mind before you get started.
Plus there’s a listener question that takes us into deeply geeky economic territory, and tips on dealing with estate agents from a hostage negotiator!
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/income-vs-growth
I give this whole episode over to an in-depth case study of a listener’s project - which serves as equal parts inspiration and warning.
Ryan Slater spotted an excellent opportunity which, on paper, would create a big monthly profit without leaving any of his own money in the deal…but he nearly lost his entire deposit when his mortgage was unexpectedly refused.
When the project is finished Ryan will have achieved a fantastic result - but the end result alone masks the grit, resilience and hard work that was needed to make it happen. There are lessons galore as Ryan talks me through the entire project in detail - this isn’t one you’ll want to miss!
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/case-study-property-disaster
The ROI of investing in property is clearly better than leaving cash in the bank - but as investors we clearly need to keep some cash on hand to cover any voids or unexpected spending. The question is…how much?
In this episode, I talk about 4 different models you can use to determine the size of your “emergency fund” - as well as answering a listener question about where we are in the property cycle, and announcing a new audio book!
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/save-rainy-day
Insuring your property portfolio is a necessary evil. It’s nobody’s idea of fun, but as we’ve got to do it anyway we might as well know how to do it quickly, cheaply, and in a way that won’t cause any problems if we need to make a claim.
That’s why I invited Jason McClean from The Property Insurer onto the podcast. Jason is a portfolio landlord as well as running an insurance company, so he’s perfectly placed to tell us what we should be thinking about when insurance renewal time rolls around again.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/landlords-property-insurance
How many people do you know whose first investment property had 8 bedrooms? What about people who bought that huge house while still at university, having actually chosen where to study based on the prospects for the local property market?
Unless you know Johann Rowan, I’m pretty sure the answer will be “none”. In this episode I talk to Johann about his amazing journey from foreign student to a full-time student landlord with 10 properties, and find out how he’s still managing his whole portfolio himself from hundreds of miles away.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/student-landlord
Repairs and maintenance are part and parcel of being a landlord - they’re not anyone’s favourite part of the job, but it makes financial (and ethical) sense to keep the property in good repair and the tenant happy.
Now, a change to the law means that it’s more important than ever: if a repair request isn’t adequately dealt with, it might be impossible to take back possession of the property for six months. My guest, Rajeev Nayyar from property software company Fixflo, explains all - including the systems that self-managing landlords should be putting in place.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/property-maintenance-repairs
To most residential property investors (me included), commercial property seems like another world. But mixed-use developments bridge those worlds, providing a useful stepping stone for residential developers to stretch themselves - and can be highly profitable in their own right.
To find out more, I’m joined by Phil Stewardson - one of the most popular guests we’ve had on the show - to share over a decade of experience with these kinds of projects, and give you pointers on how to get started.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/mixed-use-developments
Do you have oceans of time, and you don’t know how to fill it all? Thumbs starting to ache from twiddling them so much? Thought not: that’s why this episode is designed to help you free up more time, and get more results out of the time you’ve already got.
Time is the #1 barrier that gets brought up by investors I speak to, and it’s the only thing you can’t get more of. So invest 20 minutes with me on this episode, and I’ll offer some suggestions which I hope will free up a lot more for you in return…
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/no-time-to-invest
My experience is in simple buy-to-let and buy-to-sell projects, but I know there are plenty of listeners out there who are doing - or aspire to do - far more ambitious projects! Those projects need to be financed, of course - so in this episode I grabbed development finance broker Adrian Cormican to find out how lending works in the development market.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/finance-development-projects
I wanted to take 5 minutes out to let you know about a huge new project we’re working on over at The Property Hub.
That project is…a quarterly magazine for property investors!
Sounds crazy? Old fashioned? Expensive? In this episode I explain why it actually makes total sense - and why you might want to become a subscriber…
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/new-property-magazine
According to a recent MoneyWeek interview, global demographics mean that we’re heading for an inevitable financial contraction - and our “over-inflated” house prices could be heading for a 50% drop as a result.
In this episode, I get deep into an analysis of whether this is true. While I don’t think that UK house prices as a whole are likely to see anything like these kinds of falls, the theory of “the great unwinding” does have some interesting takeaways that we as investors can put to good use…
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/house-price-decline
My guest this week isn’t hanging around: he’s just bought his first 3 investment properties in the space of 12 months - while working full-time in a totally different part of the country. Oh, and did I mention that he’s only 24 years old?
When Fraser Bricknell emailed me to tell me his story I wasn’t about to let him get away without interviewing him for the podcast to share his inspiring story. My favourite part is that he hasn’t done anything particularly revolutionary: he’s just saved up, taken action, bought sensibly, and as a result is in a position that someone double his age would consider enviable.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/investing-property-full-time-job
How much easier would it be to invest in property if you knew exactly when the peak of the market was coming - so you could make sure you didn’t overstretch yourself, and were ready to pounce when prices hit rock bottom?
According to devotees of the 18 year property cycle, hundreds of years of history prove that this is absolutely possible: it just involves disregarding almost everything you hear and doing the opposite of what everyone else is doing!
My guest on this episode is Akhil Patel - one of the world’s leading experts on the property cycle - who will help us to understand how to read the cycle, how to act based on it, and where in the cycle we are right now…
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/property-cycle-akhil-patel
How do you feel about giving 40% of everything you own to the government when you die? And on top of that paying 40%+ tax on your rental profits in the meantime, plus a big chunk of your profits whenever you sell a property?
If the answer to that question is “well I wasn’t really thinking about it, but now you’ve gone and ruined my day”, you’ll want to listen to my interview with chartered accountant Iain Wallis, the author of “Legally Avoid Property Taxes”. We talk about how you can structure your portfolio to dramatically reduce the impact of various taxes - and you might be surprised what a little forward planning can achieve…
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/tax-strategies
When you’re just starting out with property investment, the first question to answer is “how much can I afford to invest?”. This involves adding up your savings and any equity you already have, thinking about how much debt you want to take on, and making sure you keep enough in reserve to see you through any emergencies.
In this episode I walk you through that exact process, talking about all the factors you need to consider at each point. I also discuss whether it’s better to buy just one property that’s as expensive as you can afford, or split your funds between multiple cheaper properties.
This is an important foundational step if you’re just starting out, which then leads you on to the really fun stuff: deciding what and where to buy!
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/perfect-portfolio
In this very personal episode, I do the show solo to talk about the 5 lessons I’ve learnt from other investors in the last few years that have had the biggest impact on how I operate as a property investor.
The biggest changes I’ve made can be tracked directly back to conversations I’ve had with other investors who have a different perspective from me (it’s the biggest benefit of having this blog and podcast) - and although these lessons won’t necessarily be right for you, I wanted to share the benefit of always being willing to learn from those around you.
Oh, and there’s a new book out today which I tell you how to get for free!
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/property-investment-lessons
A book is a way to expose yourself to the ideas of some of the most successful and remarkable people who have ever lived – on your own schedule, and for a cost of only a few pounds.
I love books probably even more than the next chap (I’ve even written a few of my own), but when it comes to property books I can’t compete with Jayne Owen. Jayne is behind a site called The Property Bookshop and is the in-house reviewer for three different property publications (including The Property Hub), so I invited her onto the show for a good old bibliographic geek-out.
See this episode on the Property Geek website: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/property-books
Many investors are attracted by the high gross returns offered by HMOs. There is also a common belief that after creating an HMO, a lender will value it based on the income it generates - giving it a higher value, and allowing the investor to pull their money back out.
Is this true? Well…it’s complicated. That’s why I invited Simon Allen from Total Business Finance onto the show, to dispel the myths about HMO mortgages and get to the truth about valuing HMOs.
See this episode on the Property Geek website: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/hmo-mortgages
The more experienced you become as an investor, the more skilled you become at structuring deals that tie up as little as your own funds as possible. But especially when you’re starting out, the simple truth is that you do need cash to invest in property - and it’s a lack of capital that slows down the progress of investors more than anything else.
So if you don’t feel like you have your personal finances as tightly controlled as they could be, you’ll enjoy my interview with Graham Clark from Moneystepper.com in this episode. We get into why it’s so important to get a grip on your finances, where most people go wrong, and how Moneystepper’s Savings Challenge can help you focus on getting that next deposit together in record time…
See this episode on the Property Geek website: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/save-deposit/
A new series, a new year and a new format for the podcast! It seemed like a great time to be talking about goals - but rather than just inspiration, I wanted to get specifically into how to form a system to make achieving your property goals become automatic and effortless. It’s a big claim, but with the right planning it can be done!
View this episode on the Property Geek website: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/achieve-goals
Nick Stott runs an estate and lettings agency, as well as being a property investor himself.
He bought his first property with his student loan whilst at university, remortgaged it, and bought four more properties. When the property bubble burst, Nick began running his own estate agency and now manages 150 rental properties as well as building up his own portfolio.
See this episode on the Property Geek website: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/property-management-realities
Damien Fogg grew up around property, and knew he wanted to do it as a full-time career - so he set himself the 4-year goal of getting all the training and experience he needed to make a success of it. With his goal now achieved, he's planning to step things up by doing at least 5 deals in 2014 - and as of the end of February, he's already 3/5 of the way there.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/straightforward-approach
Damien Fogg grew up around property, and knew he wanted to do it as a full-time career – so he set himself the 4-year goal of getting all the training and experience he needed to make a success of it. With his goal now achieved, he’s planning to step things up by doing at least 5 deals in 2014 – and as of the end of February, he’s already 3/5 of the way there.
Listen now
In this interview, you’ll learn:
- How Damien’s training as a chartered surveyor and lettings manager has helped him
- Why his strategy is simple, straightforward, old school…but certainly not boring
- The varying strategies he’s used to acquire properties this year alone
- The return that Damien looks for from each property…
- …and what he considers in addition to the numbers
- Why Damien doesn’t mind whether he lets to LHA or professional tenants
- The reasons why there’s no such thing as “BMV”
- The advantages with buying in cash
- Why Damien doesn’t use a mortgage broker
- The argument for repaying capital rather than taking out interest-only mortgages
Episode resources * Damien’s letting agency, Let Net * Find out more about Damien’s new mentoring service * Damien’s profile at The Property Hub * Order your copy of my new book Beyond the Bricks now!
Subscription links If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe on iTunes – every episode will be automatically downloaded for free, so you never miss out!
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Tell me what you think! If you’ve got any questions or comments on this week’s podcast, get in touch! You can email me, or find me on Twitter.
I’d also really appreciate it if you could review the podcast on iTunes. I’ll read out all 5-star reviews on the show!
This week Rob Bence of RMP Property and The Property Podcast is hijacking the show and interviewing me about my new book, Beyond The Bricks.
You'll find out how the book came to exist, what I found out about property investors in the process of writing it, and the biggest lessons about property that I took away from the experience. Take a listen!
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/rob-bence
Pete Matthew is a chartered financial planner and has long been interested in property.
He set up the Meaningful Money website and podcast, and has a passion for educating people and helping them plan financially for their future.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/financial-planning-pete-matthew
Self-confessed property geek, Susannah Cole, first got into property after considering her pension options. She bought her first property five years ago and then set about expanding her property portfolio.
Three years ago she set up The Good Property Company in Bristol and has done 110 deals within that time. She focuses mainly on buying to sell, but also enjoys providing a mentoring service for other investors.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/buying-to-sell
David Smith is a solicitor and acknowledged expert on many areas of property law, especially residential landlord and tenant law and HMO law.
He has worked in landlord and tenant law for almost ten years, and as well as writing on the subject he regularly provides specialist training and lectures on topics such as the Housing Act.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/legal-landlords-david-smith
Phil Stewardson and his brother Mark first got into property during the mid 90s, with the intention of buying ten properties to create a pension. Despite having business backgrounds and knowledge, neither had much property experience and as such their investment journey started with a steep learning curve.
After quickly realising that property investment was more profitable than their day jobs, Phil became a full time property investor, and Mark spends around 80% of his time on the business.
Between them they have completed hundreds of refurbs and developments and are continuing to expand their property portfolio.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/developments-refurbs-phil-stewardson
Richard Brown began dabbling in property during the 90s, when he became an accidental landlord due to relocating for work.
His interest piqued around five years ago, and he began subscribing to as many property forums and newsletters as he could, as well as researching property investment strategies.
Richard is now a successful residential property investor, with a portfolio of properties spread across the country from Cornwall to Scotland. Property investment is his passion and his long term goal is to continue learning and share his knowledge with others.
So the hiatus has been a little longer than I'd hoped for, but I'm back with an update for what's in store for 2014!
There's a new series of the podcast, a new book, a new community for investors...yep, there's a whole lot to look forward to!
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/2014-preview
Mark Alexander became an accidental landlord in 1989, when interest rates were at 15% and everyone around him was going bust. Mark studied the people and businesses who thrived in those tough times, developed his own strategy by modelling them, and has now been a successful landlord for nearly 25 years.
Oh, and he did it all while building up one of the UK's fastest growing businesses.
Now, Mark runs Property118.com, which has 200,00 landlords and property professionals signed up to its mailing list. I found out Mark's story, and asked him from the main lessons he'd drawn from his own experiences and those of all the landlords he speaks to every day.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://www.propertygeek.net/podcast/mark-alexander
Is it possible to flip properties while doing a demanding full-time job? Even if you've got no previous experiences of property development or refurbs?
In this episode I spoke to an investor who did exactly that, and has just quit his job to develop properties full-time. He shared the exact numbers behind his first deal, how he made it work alongside his job, and the methods he used to eliminate as much uncertainty as possible – despite his lack of experience.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/flipping-properties-alongside-job
So you've saved up for years, got a deposit together, put it into a deal, then...you're stuck. The rental income is great, but you don't have the funds to do another deal for a long time.
Sound familiar? It's a common problem, and that's why Kevin Wright came up with creative, totally legal ways to "recycle your cash". I got him on the podcast to share some background about why the mortgage market is the way it is, and explain his techniques for using the same pot of cash for multiple deals.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/never-run-out-of-cash
Can you do creative property deals in London, buying with very little cash, even when the market is buoyant?
Thor Portess does regularly, so I invited him onto the podcast to share how he does it.
His tool of choice is instalment contracts: a type of vendor financing that allows him to create good outcomes for all parties, make cashflow instantly with very little investment, and have multiple routes to another payoff in the future.
Not a clue what vendor financing or an instalment contract is? Don't worry - I've never done this type of deal before, so I made sure Thor clarified everything with a real-life example.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/creative-deals-instalment-contracts
If you're a typical private investor, you probably don't have much of a clue about commercial property - offices, retail units and industrial buildings.
I certainly didn't. So I invited Hussain and Ali from Ashford Property Consultants onto the show to give me a commercial property primer.
They explain how commercial property is similar to the residential market, as well as some important differences - and in what circumstances it might make be an attractive investment.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/commercial-property-beginners
Tax can put a serious dent in the profits of any property investor: you get taxed when you buy it, taxed on the money it brings in, then taxed when you sell it or pass it on. Not cool.
That's why I got Iain Wallis, a property investor and chartered accountant, on this week's episode. We explored the five main areas where investors could unwittingly be paying more tax than they need to, and what they should do about it.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/pay-less-tax-property-investments
Should you invest near where you live, or go further afield in search of better returns? It's a question that comes up a lot, especially with investors from the South East when they realise that they can buy a terraced house in "the north" for the price of their annual train ticket.
So I spoke to Mark Lloyd, who made the choice to build his portfolio in the areas that were best for his business rather than closest to where he lived, to find out why and how he did it.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/invest-further-afield
With capital values pretty flat, it's essential that you add value to a property if you want to stretch your investable funds as far as they'll go - whether you plan to sell or hold.
Sue Elkington has been doing refurbs for 38 years, so she's seen everything that can possibly go wrong. In this interview, she shares that 10 most common mistakes she sees investors making - and tells us how we can avoid making them ourselves.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/refurb-mistakes
Rent-to-Rent is a hot topic in the property world, but it's far from easy money: as well as the legal unknowns, there's the tricky business of finding deals and the headache of tenanting and managing them later.
Nevertheless, it can be a great cashflow strategy - so I got Francis Dolley on the podcast to explain how he's built up a portfolio of 10 multi-let properties and how he uses systems to keep everything running smoothly.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/mastering-rent-to-rent
However big a fan you are of Law & Order or Boston Legal, you don't want any legal dramas in your property business. That's why to kick off the second run of The Property Geek Podcast, I invited Tessa Shepperson from Landlord Law to talk about the main issues that trip landlords up.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/landlord-law
Even cash-rich investors have been struggling with mortgage finance since the credit crunch, as panicked lenders have withdrawn from the market or tightened their criteria. That's why I wanted to talk to Lisa from Keys Mortgages, to find out what the current state of the market is and what changes are coming up.
Lisa talks about why these days the property is secondary to the buyer in the eyes of the lender, and tells us about introductions of new guidelines like "plausibility" that most investors aren't aware of but will see the impact of soon.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/mortgage-myths
They always say that property is a people business, but that's especially true for Paul Ribbons - by his own admission, the property itself is secondary for him. Instead, he uses his understanding of people to bag deals that regularly net him up to £20k each time.
In our interview, Paul talks about why you should be talking to 200 agents a week, how to get the agent to name your bargain price for you, and why his knowledge of his market means he sometimes boards up his own windows to get a better price...
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/psychology-investing
Everyone's talking about HMOs at the moment, but Neil Mansell has based his entire investing career around them. He recently wrote a document outlining his process behind researching and buying properties in his area that could work as HMOs, so I had to get him on the show to share his advice.
Then, at the end of the show, I share two of my tips for dealing with email overload. Because you need to be out there doing deals rather than sitting at home writing emails, right?
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/successful-hmo-investment
HMOs are all the rage at the moment, so I was very excited to snag HMO Landlady for a podcast interview. She's been running HMOs since before they became the investment du jour, and some of the stories she shares on her blog should be required reading for anyone who's thinking about going down that route.
I also talk about what it means to be a good landlord, and why it's important to be one - even if only for purely self-interested reasons. There's also a plug for a certain property magazine as my tip of the week.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/hmo-landlady
This week I went up to Doncaster to talk to Kim Stones about Rent to Rent - a strategy that's being used successfully by a lot of people, but also causing all kinds of heated debate about the legalities.
I also shamelessly rip off a thread from Property Tribes as inspiration for my question of the week, and talk about eliminating pesky paperwork by signing documents online.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/rent-to-rent
Knowing your yield from your elbow is all well and good, but what do you want to achieve with this property malarkey anyway?
If you don't know where you want to end up, you can't put together a plan to get there. And without a plan, you've got a recipe for underperforming assets that cause you headaches without getting you where you need to be.
Rob Bence from Rescue My Pension is an expert in helping people work out what they want to get out of property. His company, Rescue My Pension, doesn't just source property for investors - they spend time finding out about the investor's situation and what they want to achieve, and source properties specifically to help them reach those goals.
In the podcast, Rob explains more about what he does, and shares his tips about what investors should be doing to make sure they're getting the results they need from their property portfolio.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/property-strategy
Estate agents have had it tougher than most over the last few years. And funnily enough, not too many tears have been shed about the fact.
But Imagine Group have been opening up offices while their competitors are shutting down, so I thought I should speak to the founder, Mike Cole, about how they're doing it. Turns out it's a radical combination of employing good staff, marketing properties properly, and caring about the customer. Who'd have thought!
As well as being required listening for other agents, Mike also shares how investors can build a relationship with their local agent to find out about the hottest deals that cross their desk.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/understanding-estate-agents
Many landlords shy away from accepting tenants who receive Housing Benefit. This is partially due to a lack of understanding of the benefits system, but also because of perceived problems of antisocial behaviour and non-payment of rent.
Well, there's no one better placed to give us the truth about Housing Benefit tenants than Aki Ellahi, the founder of the portal DSS Move and the owner of a Wolverhampton lettings agency dealing with over 500 tenants on benefits.
See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/housing-benefit-tenants