Developer Diaries

Experienced property refurbisher and entrepreneur, Ben Wilson, shares tricks of the trade in property development such as building a multi-million pound business, designing for balance, capitalizing on under-utilized space, legally exploiting the planning system, mastering the art of negotiation, and handling setbacks. He also discusses the current state of the property market and his predictions for the next 6-12 months.

Ben is joined by Rick Hollingsworth, Senior Structured Finance Manager at Octane Capital. They discuss financing property development deals, including the benefits of being a cash buyer, challenges faced by first-time developers, bridging and development finance compared to traditional mortgages, the level of control in the unregulated finance market, understanding security and legal fees, and tips for new developers in financing deals.

Rebecca Rinn, a leasehold specialist, joins Ben to discuss lease extensions, types of tenure, collective enfranchisement, license to alters, and ways to monetize leases. The podcast also covers topics such as buying property with a missing landlord, the complexities of leases, lease extension timeframes, financing, making alterations to leased properties, buying airspace, reforms in leasehold franchisement, and acquiring a flat and making modifications.

Guest Chris Johnson, Managing Director of Clarence Property Group, discusses the evolution of property dealing, evaluating investments, acquiring unique properties, flipping strategies, dealing with problem properties, and influential figures in the property industry.

Catrina McAuliffe, interior design at Camerich, joins Ben to discuss current design trends, adding value through design, the importance of good lighting, tips for preparing properties for sale, and more in this episode.

Ben Wilson and special guest Steve Hayes, a serial entrepreneur who built and sold his loans business for £120M in only six years, discuss property development, building relationships with estate agents, building a trustworthy team, Steve's journey from being a double glazing salesman to selling his business for over £100M, early experiences in entrepreneurship, starting and growing a business, efficiency in handling queries, funny stories about toilets and helicopter mishaps, the financial aspects of a business deal, solar panels and collaboration, struggles with cars and property investments, and the guest's desire to find a young property developer.