The Property Podcast

This week on Ask Rob & Rob, the guys are only answering one question because it warrants a pretty comprehensive answer.  AND it’s a question that’s on everyone's lips right now... What impact will Boris Johnson have on property investors now that he’s our new Prime Minister?  Thanks for the question Becky - let’s dive right in! Boris has already made noises that he’s going to make changes to stamp duty, and if you didn’t read last week’s Hub Extra, we actually included this story. Surprisingly, it’s not as doom and gloom as you might think.  He wants to move the threshold of where stamp duty becomes payable to £500,000 - which is a big difference to the current £125,000 and will make a huge difference to buy-to-let property investors and homeowners.  There’s also considerations that stamp duty will be payable by the seller rather than the buyer. Now, this isn’t something he’s officially made a comment on, but if it goes ahead it will have a bit impact on the market. However it looks like the 3% surchar

This week we’re going to teach you how you can recycle your capital and grow your portfolio at speed.  This might seem like a daunting topic and you might be thinking it’s going to take you at least another two years to build up your deposit pot to be able to buy your next property.  But fear not! We’ve got mortgage expert Dave Cookson on the show this week who’s going to demonstrate how you can build your portfolio at a pace you probably didn’t think was possible.  Just by listening to Dave you can tell how passionate he is about helping people finance their properties and chances are, some solutions he suggests you might not have thought of yourself.  And believe it or not, Dave reckons that the financing is the easy part, it’s finding the property that’s the hard part!  Here’s what The Robs and Dave are going to cover: Recycling your cash for deposits  Adding value Funding the purchase and cost of the works Finding the right property  Anticipating the risks. You’re definitely going to want to

This week on Ask Rob & Rob, the guys are dishing out advice on how to best handle homebuyer surveys whilst using them to your advantage, and what to do when your letting agent adds in new fees to your contract.  They’re certainly two questions that probably 90% of investors will come across at some point in their property journey, so this is definitely an episode to bookmark!  Our first question comes in from Cassie. She wants to know how you can use a home buyers survey to negotiate a price.  She’s previously had one done that says a property needs a lot of repairs doing to it. Can she use this survey along with the property valuation to her advantage to negotiate a better deal? Rob B explains the different levels of homebuyer surveys you can get and advises Cassie on what she should do, with one potential outcome being to walk away from the deal.  Rob D points out that Cassie is in an even better position than she was at the beginning now that she has this additional information. Ultimately, it’s her c

This week The Robs are talking about what it takes for them to walk away from a deal. Usually you’ll hear The Robs talking about taking action, but there are inevitability times when it’s better to walk away. There are certain deals that need a firm ‘no’.   So what does it take for The Robs to walk away from a deal? And how should you decide whether a deal is really the right one for you?  Here’s what Rob & Rob are going to cover on today’s episode: Price Fundamentals Rental potential  Neighbours  Leasehold houses Leases with doubling ground rent This is an episode that you will benefit from no matter what stage of the property investment process you’re in.  So hit that play button and let us know what you think of this week’s episode. In the news this week, we’re looking at Wirral Waters, one of the biggest regeneration projects in the country. When it’s complete, the money invested into the area will top over £1 billion, if not more!  Peel Group have teamed up with developer Urban Splash to

This week on Ask Rob & Rob, the guys are answering two questions that are affected by current and ongoing situations from property booms to increasing tax bands. This week’s first question is from Lee -  he has a clear strategy and wants to use property to increase his regular cash flow so that eventually he can be financially free. He’s roughly 60% through this process but his next property might allow this to happen a lot faster.  He has a 3-bedroom property in South London and the property price has grown 50% since he bought it back in 2010 - happy days! Lee thinks he’s got about £120,000 worth of equity in the property and has considered selling up and purchasing two properties to double his income - but this is where he gets a bit stuck.  Should he sell up now, or hang on and wait for a property boom and hopefully get more money than what the property is currently valued at? Tune in to find out what The Robs think he should do.  Our second question comes in from Chaz who’s wanting to know if a chang

This week The Robs are talking about an important calculation. They’ve never talked about it before, but it’s one you need to start using.  That’s right, they’re talking about how you can make money from property and the different ways you can achieve this.  There’s a popular debate on whether you should optimise your goals based on the monthly rental income you need or the capital growth potential. But what they’ve not really talked about in detail is the total return that you’re going to make from property over time. So this week, The Robs are covering the total return that you can make from your property investment, including how to calculate it and ultimately, why it matters.  Want to know how you can work out the return on investment for your potential property? Tune in to listen to how The Robs break it down.  In the news this week we’re looking at the latest figures from Hometrack and the House Price Index for May 2019. When you look at the top cities in the country, The Robs are pretty pleased th

This week on Ask Rob & Rob we’ve got two great questions that we’re pretty sure most investors will want to know the answers to. Especially if you’re just starting out or trying to grow your portfolio. Our first question this week comes in from Ian who’s been a Hubber for well over a year and an avid podcast listener.  He feels like he is clued up on the educational side of investing and is ready to take the plunge, but the financial side of things are holding him back.  His goal is to be able to replace his income with property through buying and refurbishing below market value properties.  At present he could realistically afford to save £1,000 per month, which is a decent amount to be putting away each month, but still means he’s roughly two years away from starting his investment journey.  So Ian is wanting to know what strategy would The Robs suggest for someone who has a low amount of capital to start off with, and are there any ways of raising the finances other than a traditional mortgage lender?

The Robs aren’t holding back on this week’s Property Podcast. They’re telling you the brutal truths about property investment that you won’t hear from anyone else. That’s right, they’re dropping some truth bombs and showing you how slick marketing can lead you astray [sorry marketers!]. You’ll also learn about the (many) things that can go wrong and the (many) frustrations that come with being a property investor.  But don’t worry, it’s not all doom and gloom. When starting out on your property investment journey, you’ll only ever hear about the positives and how much money you can make from property. You know the type - the “get rich quick” type. But many of these businesses are only in the property game to make money. They’ll tell you about the results, but not the process and where things can go wrong.  90% of the time, Rob & Rob have nothing but positive things to say about property investment, but it’s also important to be realistic and talk about the things that can, and more than likely will go wr

This week on Ask Rob & Rob, we’ve got another two great questions for you about student accommodation and EPC ratings. Our first caller is Dawson who is looking at investing in student accommodation. She’s based in the south but has a clear understanding that yields are better in the north. She’s looked at Manchester and Liverpool but she’s finding that they’re getting quite saturated with a lot of properties left empty - she thinks this is mainly due to the new rules and the amount of new developments becoming available. So where would Rob & Rob recommend she look for a good student let with a high yield? Or is this market not worth getting into?  The next question is from Thomas who has been looking at a property to buy up north in Barnsley.  He’s had the EPC come through showing a rating of 9, which has obviously sparked concerns of how much it’s going to cost to get the property up to standard so they can rent it out.  Do Rob & Rob know the best way is to get this improved? Are there any grants or f

Have you ever wanted to step into Rob and Rob’s shoes and know what it’s like to be them for a day? Well now you can. This week on The Property Podcast The Robs are sharing their top seven brain hacks with you.  These aren’t just brain hacks that The Robs are dishing out from other people. They both live by these day in, day out. If you implement them they’ll make a huge impact on your life too. So what are the seven brain hacks that Rob & Rob live by religiously? Habit stacking Practice gratitude Finding the positive Give yourself a reset Dedicated worry time Visualisation Tracking habits to keep them They go into a lot of detail explaining why they live by these rules so it’s definitely worth a listen.  Who knows, in 30 minutes time you could feel more motivated than you have in a while and have completely changed your mindset.  So if you decide to implement any of these brain hacks and improve your way of living, make sure you get in touch and let us know. We want to hear all about it. Brac

This week on Ask Rob & Rob, the guys are answering another two cracking questions sent in by our Hubbers.  First up is Mike. He’s an avid Property Podcast listener and after just four or five months he took the plunge and invested in a great Liverpool buy-to-let deal we launched just a few months ago.  Mike is wanting more information on joint property ventures - particularly on how he can get the ball rolling. Now that he’s made his first investment, he’s got the bug and wants to see how he can secure his second property without having to wait too long to release some capital from his first.  Can an individual go into a joint venture with a limited company? A pretty decent question if you ask us. So what’s the answer? And are The Robs a fan of joint ventures? Our second question comes from James who’s wondering what a sensible loan-to-value ratio is. Do The Robs think having a portfolio at a 75% LTV is a risky move? Rob D explains that a 75% loan to value is pretty standard these days and for it to be a

This week on The Property Podcast, The Robs are discussing the investments you should be avoiding in the upcoming property boom.  No, they’re not psychic. Nor do they have a crystal ball. But the property boom will come, and when it does, it’s important to know the potential risks and how to avoid them.  If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, you’ll know that Rob & Rob believe we’re currently in the mid-cycle wobble, and after the wobble comes the boom.  Quite often in a boom, people start to get excited and you could be sold something that could lose you a vast amount of money. The perk of the property cycle is that you know what’s coming next. So you can look at the last property boom and see what type of investments people were making that went horribly wrong... and avoid them.  So what are the investments you should be avoiding in the next boom? Overseas property No money down (NMD)/highly leveraged Investments that cost you to own it (Always) student pods and hotel rooms Parcels

This week on Ask Rob & Rob, the guys are answering two very different questions on the topic of HMOs. The first question comes in from another Rob who’s got in touch for some feedback on a potential HMO in Stoke-on-Trent. The property is fully tenanted and has five double bedrooms, all with en-suite bathrooms. On the face of it, the property seems like a pretty good deal. The monthly gross rental income is £3,870 on a purchase price of £335,000 - that’s a gross yield of over 13%! However, his concern is the bricks and mortar valuation. The property was purchased for £95,000 at the back end of 2015 as an office with a much smaller HMO above. Rob is finding it hard to believe that the refurb price would have cost more than around £130,000 - £150,000 considering house prices have probably only risen by about 15% over the last 4 years. His other concern is the lack of local comparables for him to do a true bricks and mortar valuation. He’s worried that the property is overvalued as a stand alone asset. So wh

This week on The Property Podcast, we’re giving you seven property tips that you can start using today, because we want you to start taking action! You’ll know by now if you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while that we love doing the big picture, philosophical and mindset episodes but now we want to give you something actionable. So on today’s podcast we’re going to cover everything from before you buy a property, through management, through to your exit and how you run your business. The seven main tips Rob & Rob have for you are: Account for your time Become a Rightmove power user - look back at episodes 235 & 14 for more info on this Think about your exit from the start Make sure your mortgage broker is experienced in working with investors Hold block viewings Consider pets Run your investments like a business Tune into this week’s episode and see how many of these tips you’re already doing and which ones you can action today. Our news story this week comes from the BBC, just for a ch

The Robs are back again for another fantastic episode of Ask Rob & Rob where they’re talking about property crashes and tenants staying too long. First up we have Pete who has a question about the 18-year property cycle. He’s clearly been listening to our podcasts and taken the university course, as he’s correctly identified that we’re about 7 years away from the next property market crash. Pete already has two properties that he bought for around £100,000 each and is hoping that in the next 7 years they’ll have pretty much doubled in value. If this was just before the next market crash, would it be wise for him to sell up pre-crash? For Pete, his properties are all about the monthly rental income, however he doesn’t want to miss out on that potential capital growth. So should he sell up and pocket the capital growth? Or should he keep hold of his properties but run the risk of being back to square one? Find out what The Robs have to say on this topic. Next up we have Bartholomew who wants to know if he

This week on The Property Podcast, The Robs are talking economics and looking at data to see whether rental prices really are out of control. It’s certainly an episode worth listening to because we’ve got something exciting coming up... Yes, we’re going to be those people who tease you about something coming up next week and make you wait a whole 7 days to see what it is - sorry! What we can tell you though is that it’s very exciting and it’s exclusively for you - our podcast listeners. So whether you listen to The Property Podcast regularly or you’re only a few episodes in. Make sure you tune in next week when we reveal all! In recent headlines, it’s been said that renting is unaffordable, and action is needed. Maybe even rent controls. But is this true? Zoopla has recently brought out a really interesting report. They’ve taken their own rental data, compared it with average wages and looked at the period between 2007 and 2018 to see how affordability and rent levels have changed over that period. The c

The Robs are back again for another fantastic episode of Ask Rob & Rob. After a few weeks of mortgage questions with Dave Cookson, the trio is now back to a duo! First up we’ve got Horatio who’s in a bit of a pickle. He made an offer to purchase a buy-to-let investment property in Birmingham about six months ago and has recently completed. However, he’s run his numbers again and has realised that his investment property isn’t even making £50 a week! A situation no investor wants to be in. So how does Horatio get out of this sticky situation? Is there a way out? Could a change in strategy make him a small profit at least? Second up, we’ve got Nick. He wants to know if there’s a minimum purchase price to look for when purchasing a buy to let property? He’s wanting to know which works better for a portfolio; having six properties valued at £100,000 each or 12 at £50,000 each. Ultimately there are a number of variables to consider and, as always, it also depends on your goals. So how low should you go when

This week on The Property Podcast, The Robs are doing something a bit different and talking some hard truths. Which, if you implement them, could be a complete game changer. On today’s podcast The Robs are passing on six lessons from one of the most impressive (and possibly insane) individuals, David Goggins. Rob B has hailed David Goggins’ book ‘Can’t Hurt Me’ as his book of the year, after a recommendation from Rob D. For those of you who don’t know who David Goggins is, he’s a former Navy Seal, an ultra marathon runner, a distance cyclist, an endurance athlete, a tri-athlete, a motivational speaker and now an author. He’s certainly one-of-a-kind and quite possibly like no one you’ll have ever met or heard of before. Today we’re going to take six lessons from David Goggins that you can implement in your life, and we reckon it’ll help set you apart from everyone else. Here’s the six lessons The Robs will go through on today’s podcast, complete with quotes from David Goggins himself: To grow in life, b

Once again, our favourite mortgage broker, Dave Cookson is back. He’s joining The Robs to answer your mortgage questions on today’s Ask Rob & Rob. First up we’ve got Rita who wants to know what would happen to her property portfolio should she die, and how can she protect her family? She has interest only mortgages on all her properties at 75% LTV. So she’s wanting to know if she died, would her husband be forced to sell the properties and pay off the mortgages? It’s not a question that comes up very often, but it’s an important one that the majority of property investors should be asking themselves. Find out what advice Dave has to offer and listen to how insurance can play a key part in this! The next question comes from Adam. He’s wanting to know what kind of questions he should be asking a mortgage broker before he works with them, to find out if they’re any good. The Robs always bang on about the importance of working with a good mortgage broker and how it can make your life easier. So what question

This week on The Property Podcast, buy-to-let is dead apparently. So will this be The Robs last ever podcast?! Firstly, before we get into today’s podcast episode, we want to say thank you for all the lovely and positive feedback we’ve received over the last couple of weeks in terms of Property Hub Mortgages. And on the back of that, Rob D would like to give a special shoutout to his mortgage broker, Amy at Keys Mortgages, who recently got him out of a sticky situation. She’s a prime example of what a good mortgage broker looks like, so give it a listen to find out just what Rob D had gotten himself into. Now onto this week’s episode, recently there’s been a lot of click bait headlines on the internet stating that buy-to-let is dead, but having nothing to back the statement up in the articles. But this week, Money Week brought out an article headlining; ‘the death of buy-to-let property’ and it actually had a bit of substance to it. So we thought that we needed to address it. And that’s exactly what we