The Property Podcast

More than any other type of property investment, the success of an HMO hinges on buying and setting it up right in the first place. We've talked recently about managing an HMO once it's up and running, but this week it's all about acquisition. We discuss: Where to buy, depending on your target market Two ways to find out where the "HMO areas" are Why you absolutely don't want to compromise on location The importance of understanding Article 4 The challenges involved in financing an HMO How lenders value HMOs (check out this episode of the Property Geek podcast for more on this) What you need to know about licensing The returns you can expect to earn The key components to setting yourself up for a high ROI   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rob B starts by reminding you that what may be right for one person, won't necessarily be right for another. There will be pros and cons to each approach and there's no absolutely 'right' answer for everyone. However, whilst there is definitely an advantage in being a 'local expert' it is unlikely that your local area will consistently be a smart place to invest, which is why Rob & Rob invest all over the UK in places they consider to have good fundamentals. Rob allocates a lot of his time to research, and considers it to be lower risk to invest in different locations.  Rob D agrees, it's definitely lower risk to invest in different areas IF you do good research to avoid making any mistakes. Rob D also adds a note of caution for this weeks caller, who had stated she had received lots of BMV deals and reminds everyone to check out these deals really thoroughly before going ahead, and be super diligent with your fact-checking.  ASK YOUR OWN QUESTION TO ROB & ROB! Don't be shy! All you need to do is leave a m

Quantitative Easing: hard to understand, even harder to say...and about to have a serious impact on your property investing plans. In this week's episode we explain what QE is, what effects it has, and how you can position yourself to take advantage of it. Useful links: A video from the Bank of England explaining the mechanism by which QE works A letter to the Chancellor warning of the risks A report from the New Economics Foundation assessing QE and proposing an alternative TPP024: Inflation – your worst enemy or your best friend? TPP168: The disappearing middle class (and what you can do about it) We also said we'd reproduce a table with some of the figures we discussed in the episode: Percentage changes in asset prices since 5 March 2009: Average mortgage rate: -31% UK house prices: 32% UK stock market: 87% UK stock market with divs reinvested: 138% Total return from average deposit account: 5% Total return from UK gilts: 47% UK inflation: 16% Pension annuity rates: -27% Gold (in doll

This week on Ask Rob & Rob, Sam... Asks Rob & Rob – What's the catch with student pods?   Rob D starts by agreeing that the propositions offered can look attractive and if all pans out as promised then they do indeed sound great. The key, however, is trying to figure out if things will work out as promised by the developer! So for this reason it's absolutely key to look at the previous projects of the developer and see if their history backs up their claims. Rob B is against student pods as he feels they're weighted heavily in favour of the people selling the product as opposed to those owning the product. He suggests that many of the claims made by the developers are greatly exaggerated at best. He also makes a very good point in saying that the mortgageability on student pods is pretty much non-existent, and the market if you want to sell is extremely limited.  Rob B finalises by saying he'd never buy one and he would never offer them to RMP customers - so no sitting on the fence here!  ASK YOUR OWN Q

Buying property within a limited company is becoming increasingly popular – but when it comes to obtaining mortgages for companies, there are some extra considerations you need to know about. This week, with the help of our friend Dave Cookson from TC Financial Services, we're running through the important details you need to be aware of. Including: The kind of range and selection you can expect to choose from How to set your company up correctly The documents you should have to hand before you start The personal requirements for company directors that lenders will want to see How to handle the tricky issue of multiple lenders against the same company Why this type of lending is particularly attractive for contractors and business owners What Dave thinks lies ahead for the sector Related listening: TPP125: Should you create a limited company for your property portfolio? TPP124: Post-budget survival tactics for property investors Free video course: Should you use a limited company to invest in p

On this weeks podcast, Jack asks a cracker of a question - where are we in the 18 year property cycle.  Given that this is one of Rob & Rob's favourite topics to talk about, they didn't need a lot of convincing to answer this one! Rob B starts off by stating that he thinks we're just heading into the mid-term wobble - where London and the South East prices should soften a little, and the North should grow a little less slowly. Of course the media will term this as a 'crash' but it's likely that the results will show it to be far less dramatic.  Rob D agrees the UK as a whole is heading into the mid-term wobble, and reminds us that the growth has been amazing in the past few years in London and the South East, so the 'wobble' is likely to be felt the most in these areas.  Both Rob B and Rob D agree the aggressive growth is to come in the second half of the cycle, though London and the South East may grow slightly less aggressively due to their growth beforehand.  Rob B reminds us that as most of our podcas

In the course of getting to know hundreds of investors, we've come across a whole cast of characters who probably shouldn't be investing in property at all – including Stressful Susan, Dithering Derek and Gung-Ho Grace. Will you recognise yourself in any of them? Do you have the right temperament to be a successful investor, or are there traits you need to get under control? Listen to this week's episode and find out! Related episodes we mention: - When Property Goes Wrong - How Rob B lost £40,000 on one deal Resource of the week If you ever need to put together a flyer for a property, or just brighten or resize some photos, you might want to try Picmonkey or Canva. Both are free and extremely easy online image editing tools – perfect for quick, everyday tweaks that don't require anything as powerful as Photoshop. News this week Chinese buyers' interest in the UK has spiked by 40% post-Brexit, as reported in The Telegraph. In a way not surprising as the pound is on sale for the rest of the world, but

This week, the brilliantly named Rob, asks a question regarding the build to rent scheme, and how this may impact upon the existing PRS. Asking is this a ploy by The Government to eradicate small time BTL Landlords.  Rob D begins by acknowledging that there will definitely be more institutional investment in BTL, and that it is probably healthy for the sector not to be controlled entirely by private BTL Landlords. But thinks there is room for both in the marketplace, due to the demand for different types of products.  Rob B agrees that whilst the balance my shift, it shouldn't do so radically. Rob B goes on to discuss how quality has improved for student accommodation, and how in the long term this could give us a glimpse into the future of the BTL market, and that it could be a good thing if this competition increases the quality of stock available to tenants.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we're talking about how to hire for your property team – whether it's a property manager, an assistant, a bookkeeper, or just about any other role you can think of. We've talked about the benefits of hiring many times, so this week we talk through the exact process we use to maximise our chances of finding the perfect candidate. We cover: How to set yourself up for success before hiring begins The different hoops we make applicants jump through (and why) How we organise the process to keep track and minimise our time input The questions to ask in an interview One critical step you mustn't miss out The killer question to ask when taking up references Resources we mention are: Topgrading Who: The A-method for hiring (book) Talent Dynamics Resource of the week This week's resource is a Trello board, which is the template we use when we're executing the hiring process we talk about in this episode. Take it, make whatever modifications you want, and you'll find that it makes it way ea

In this week's episode, Rob & Rob talk about getting a mortgage when you're not yet a property owner. Rob B says that there are a lot of mortgage lenders out there, but as a non home owner, and not yet a property investor, the pool of products available are actually quite small. Rob B goes on to say that in 6 months time there will be more options. Both Rob and Rob discuss the options available to you and say how important it is to have a good mortgage advisor. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week it's all about the money, as we explore alternative ways to raise funds for your property investments. We explore the pros and cons of using: Credit cards (!) Bridging finance Private finance Joint ventures Second charge loans Each funding source we discuss could be (and most will be) a separate episode in itself – but in this value-packed episode we give you a quick run-through of the different strategies you might want to have in your kit, and how to decide which is the right tool for the job. Resource of the week You've probably rhetorically asked yourself, "where did today go?" – but with Toggl, you can actually look back and check. It's a time-tracking tool (that integrates nicely with Chrome) that makes it easy to monitor the amount of time you spend on different tasks and projects. It involves some manual work and discipline, but the act of being mindful of your time can be beneficial in itself – and Toggl gives you reports that you can dig into to review your biggest time-sucks.

In this week's episode, Rob & Rob discuss the pros and cons of buying a home or an investment property. Tony has been living overseas and is looking to return to the UK with his young family - he doesn't have enough to buy in the location the family want to live and he wants to know whether to buy an investment property instead. Rob B starts off by addressing the pros of investing in a property, then renting a home to live in. He says that if you're moving to a new area, renting will give you a chance to see if the area is actually right for you. He then goes on to say that you can build your asset base by investing in property, then use your capital to invest back into buying your own home, leading to a double win. Rob D talks about shaking off the mindset of "You have to own your own home", and goes on to cover some of the advantage of owning your own property, such as accessing more mortgage options. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brian from Birmingham and his partner are eager to invest and have saved up to buy their first property, but will need some more capital in order to complete their first flip. Rob & Rob give their tips on gaining finance in this situation and note the things to be aware of as potential pitfalls to gaining finance with no previous investment track record.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, Brexit happened...now what? That's the question we attempt to answer in this week's episode. What happens next in general, what happens next for the property market in particular...and perhaps more importantly, what general lessons can we take away from the whole thing? We discuss: What's happened during the last couple of weeks since the result What it means for property in London – and the UK market in general What to absolutely not do now as an investor Where there might be opportunities to profit from uncertainty The psychology of investors, and what Brexit can teach us about preparing for future major events Further listening: Our Brexit special from last week Pete Matthew discussing Brexit on the Meaningful Money podcast Resource of the week Thank you to Charles for pointing us towards Office Lens (iTunes store and Android store). It's another document scanning app, but Charles and Rob B agree that the quality is far superior to anything else they've tried – and even works for whi

Rob & Rob own multiple property businesses as well as their own portfolios...but what do they actually do every day? That's what we attempt to answer in this episode, as a means of both showing what a full-time career in property looks like and extracting useful lessons for investors at all stages. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this special episode, Rob & Rob give their immediate reactions to what Brexit means for property investors. We'll be returning to the topic again in more detail next week! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Rob and Rob give pointers on how to establish the value of the house with the current lease, the importance of working with a specialist and also having a process in place to make it an effective strategy for you. Listen in to get Rob D's magic lease number that he recommends as a guideline for lease length. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we’re talking about one of the hottest topics in property investment: serviced apartments. Setting up a property as a serviced apartment can allow investors to achieve levels of return normally associated with high-yielding investments like HMOs – but as always, there’s hard work involved and pitfalls to watch out for. In this episode […] The post TPP171: Serviced apartments: the next big thing? appeared first on The Property Hub. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Ask Rob & Rob, Ed asked: What will happen to mortgage availability as you get older? The answer touched upon the fact that the trend is leaning more and more towards people getting mortgages later in life. This is for a couple of major reasons: firstly the change in pension reforms that have […] The post ASK44: What will happen to mortgage availability as you get older? appeared first on The Property Hub. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many investors are drawn to HMOs by their seemingly high returns, but then deterred (us included) by the amount of work they seem to involve. And there’s no getting away from it: HMOs are more effort than your standard single let. Nevertheless, there are steps you can take to boost your chances of making HMOs […] The post TPP170: How to make HMOs work for you appeared first on The Property Hub. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.