The Property Podcast

Is the property market about to crash? When the market starts to get heated, people get excited. There are those who take action and make money, but others get really nervous.    What happens when we reach the top of the market? Is it a good time to buy?  In this episode Rob & Rob are going to cover just that! And they’re sharing some interesting examples of what the numbers look like when you invest at the top of the market.  So, is it wise to invest at the peak?  Tune in to find out.    In the news  This week’s news story is from The Guardian and the headline reads ‘HSBC offers sub-1% mortgage as interest rate war intensifies’.  So, if you’ve got a 40% deposit, are a residential buyer and got a good credit history and you want a two-year fixed with HSBC, then you’re in luck because you can now get a mortgage for under 1%.  The last time they offered a rate this low was five years ago, and HSBC aren’t the only ones. It seems a number of lenders are battling it out for the lowest interest rates.  So, it’s certainly the time to be re-mortgaging or moving house right now.    Hub Extra  This week’s Hub Extra comes from Rob D and whilst it won’t help you decide when to buy your next property, it is a great piece of entertainment.   It’s a TV show called ‘Ted Lasso’ on Apple TV and it’s a comedy about an American football coach who gets hired to manage a British premier league team even though he has no experience what-so-ever.   It’s quite a daft programme, but Rob D thinks it’s really funny and worth the watch if you need an unwind over the weekend.     Let’s get social  We’d love to hear what you think of this week’s Property Podcast over on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You might even have a topic you’d like us to cover in the future - if so, pop us a message on social and we’ll see what we can do.  Make sure you’ve liked and subscribed to our YouTube channel where we upload new content every week!   If that wasn’t enough, you can also join our friendly property community on the Property Hub forum. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Ask Rob & Rob, the guys are settling a debate between a husband and wife on the best property strategy and help another caller with a mortgage conundrum.   Our first caller is Colin.  Colin and his wife have managed to save £50k but both have different views on how they’d invest it. They also need to move into a new home themselves over the next two years.  Colin wants to use the funds to invest in a flip property and then split the profit in half to invest into more properties and into their own residential home.   However, Colin’s wife would like to use the £50k to buy a bigger, more expensive family home and then further down the line re-mortgage and release equity for Colin to then invest in property how he’d like.  Can Rob & Rob make this husband and wife see eye-to-eye?  The second caller this week is Toby who’s 26 and a first-time buyer.   He was wanting to invest in a buy-to-let property before purchasing his own residential property but has reached a stumbling block after speaking to mortgage brokers.   They’ve told Toby that because he has no mortgage history, the interest rates available are very poor as the banks don’t want to lend to him.  So naturally, Toby wants to know if Rob & Rob have ever heard of this situation before where you can’t get a mortgage offer due to having no mortgage history.   Tune in to find out.    Do you have a buy to let or property investment related question for Rob & Rob? You could feature on the next episode by giving us a call on 013 808 00035 and leaving a message with your name and question (normal UK call rates apply).   Or if you prefer, click here to leave a recording via your computer instead.  The next question on Ask Rob & Rob could be yours.   Have you joined us over on the Property Hub Forum yet? Our online community is friendly, informative, and the members are waiting to welcome you with open arms. So get yourself over and introduce yourself.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Bitcoin and property are going head-to-head Following on from last week’s episode, Rob & Rob are back to talk more about property vs Bitcoin, and where Bitcoin could potentially form part of your investment portfolio. Like any investment option there are pros and cons to everything. For example, Bitcoin and gold are defences against inflation whereas property is an attacker. So, is property still the safest investment or is it under threat to Bitcoin? Tune in to find out.   In the news This week’s news story comes from the Evening Standard and the headline reads, ‘UK’s ‘eye-popping’ pace of recovery stokes staff shortages and inflation fears’. This is from a survey that’s showing the strongest growth in business activity for 24 years! So basically, now that some lockdown restrictions have been lifted, more people have been going out spending. And, with the increase in demand but a shortage of staff, the hospitality industry fears a rise in inflation with talks of an £8 pint (at least in London) could be on its way.   Hub Extra For this week’s Hub Extra, our resource for you this week is simply YouTube to carry on your Bitcoin learning. It’s a great place to learn more about the topics we’ve touched on over the past couple of episodes so if you simply search for ‘getting started with Bitcoin’ that’s a good place to start. However, if you’re wanting something a little more advanced, take a look at BitBoy Crypto, CoinsKid or Altcoin Daily.   Let’s get social We’d love to hear what you think of this week’s Property Podcast over on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You might even have a topic you’d like us to cover in the future - if so, pop us a message on social and we’ll see what we can do. Make sure you’ve liked and subscribed to our YouTube channel where we upload new content every week! If that wasn’t enough, you can also join our friendly property community on the Property Hub forum.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week’s episode of Ask Rob & Rob the guys are trying to look into the future to answer this week’s two questions.  First up we’ve got Sarah.  Sarah and her family live abroad but have one rental property here in the UK.  She needs to re-mortgage the property at the end of this year and has been given the option of a 5-year fixed mortgage. Sarah wants to also release some equity from the property to take the LTV up to 75%.  However, she’s trying to run some numbers to see if it will be beneficial. She’s going off the basis of a 5% growth on property prices each year and then a 25% drop when the market crashes.  If Sarah goes ff these numbers, in five years when the fixed rate ends the house won't be a profitable and she may be unable to re-mortgage, due to being an expat.   So, are these the right figures that Sarah should be working off?  Our second question is from Michael.  He’s wanting to know if it’s likely that the government will introduce a rental cap now that there’s a ban on section 21 eviction notices.  He’s already seen it come into play in Ireland where you can only increase your rents by 2% per year, unless you can prove you’ve done substantial work to the property to justify a significant increase.  There’s plenty to get through today so tune in to find out what they say.    Do you have a buy to let or property investment related question for Rob & Rob? You could feature on the next episode by giving us a call on 013 808 00035 and leaving a message with your name and question (normal UK call rates apply).   Or if you prefer, click here to leave a recording via your computer instead.  The next question on Ask Rob & Rob could be yours.   Have you joined us over on the Property Hub Forum yet? Our online community is friendly, informative, and the members are waiting to welcome you with open arms. So get yourself over and introduce yourself. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before you get involved in Bitcoin, what should you know about it? Well, you’re about to find out in today’s episode. We’re temporarily diverting away from property because Bitcoin is such a hot topic right now. But what’s more concerning, is that people are wanting to jump on the Bitcoin bandwagon without understanding what it is or how it works. Rob & Rob love taking on complex subjects and breaking them down into understandable, digestible bits of information. So, if you’re clueless about Bitcoin, this is the episode for you.   In the news This week’s news story had to be none other than Nationwide’s House Price Index which shows annual house price growth has hit 10.9%. Average property prices have also gone up from £238,000 to £242,000 in a month! The report puts this down to people still wanting to move out of city areas and gain more space, which we’ve seen happening throughout the pandemic. So, for anyone who’s got a property portfolio under their belt, they’re likely to be pretty happy right now.   Hub Extra For this week’s Hub Extra, we’re giving you a trio of books for you to get stuck into. The first one is an easy read and it’s ‘Bitcoin Billionaires’ by Ben Mezrich. We’ve actually recommended this book before but it’s a brilliant story about the origins of Bitcoin. The second and third books are for you to continue your Bitcoin learning. We’ve got ‘Inventing Bitcoin’ by Yan Pritzker and ‘The Bitcoin Standard’ by Saifedean Ammous. These two books aren’t the most entertaining books to read but if you’re wanting to understand the technical side of Bitcoin then they do just that. We recommend listening to them on Audible and you’ll have them boxed off in a few hours.   Let’s get social We’d love to hear what you think of this week’s Property Podcast over on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You might even have a topic you’d like us to cover in the future - if so, pop us a message on social and we’ll see what we can do. Make sure you’ve liked and subscribed to our YouTube channel where we upload new content every week! If that wasn’t enough, you can also join our friendly property community on the Property Hub forum.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to another episode of Ask Rob & Rob. The guys are ready and raring to go, answering more caller questions.   Kicking things off this week is Andrew.   Andrew wants to know if the average house price to earnings ratio is something that The Robs think people should consider when looking to purchase a property.   Or is it just simply based on mortgage costs and interest rates?  Our next question comes from Joe.   Joe’s been doing all his homework and has read all of Rob D’s books. He’s convinced that the only way to renovate a house and sell it on quickly is by using a bridging loan.   But Joe has since spoken to someone who told him offset mortgages were also a good option if you already own your own home.   So, naturally Joe wants to get Rob & Rob’s advice to see if they’d recommend using an offset mortgage.   Tune in to find out what they say.    Do you have a buy to let or property investment related question for Rob & Rob? You could feature on the next episode by giving us a call on 013 808 00035 and leaving a message with your name and question (normal UK call rates apply).   Or if you prefer, click here to leave a recording via your computer instead.  The next question on Ask Rob & Rob could be yours.   Have you joined us over on the Property Hub Forum yet? Our online community is friendly, informative, and the members are waiting to welcome you with open arms. So get yourself over and introduce yourself.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s the June Market Update Like always on the market updates, Rob & Rob are bringing you up to speed on all the goings on in the property world. And the June market update is no different. Today The Robs are going to be covering house prices, rents and even the Queen’s speech. Here’s all the links you need for your extra reading. House prices: House prices continue upward trend, rising 10% in March: ONS Nationwide predicts UK house prices will continue to rise First-time buyer demand and stalled price growth help city centres bounce back UK House Price Index – April 2021 Rents: Q1 2021: Rental market report PayProp UK special report – Arrears after 12 months of COVID-19 Coronavirus eviction ban in England set to end: what it means for renters and landlords Queen’s speech: The Queen’s speech 2021: four key issues for property agents Leasehold reform in England and Wales: What’s happening and when? Government pushes Planning Bill forward as critics question ‘free for all’   In case you missed it… We’ve got a new YouTube video out ready for you to sink your teeth into. We took a little break from creating YouTube videos but now we’re back with an epic episode, sharing the top five underrated places that you should invest in. In the past we’ve given you our location hotspots but we think these areas could be little hidden gems so it’s certainly worth the watch.   Hub Extra This week’s Hub Extra comes from our Podcast Producer, Dan and it’s an app called Blinkist. If you’ve ever read a book that’s along the lines of a self-help/motivational/business related book then chances are these books will have lessons you’d expect to learn from them. A lot of the time, the things worth knowing about could be summed up in a long blog post rather than a book filled with waffle. Well, Blinkist cuts through all the waffle and presents you with the need-to-know information. So if your spare time is quite valuable and you don’t want to read a full book, give this app a go.   Let’s get social We’d love to hear what you think of this week’s Property Podcast over on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You might even have a topic you’d like us to cover in the future - if so, pop us a message on social and we’ll see what we can do. Make sure you’ve liked and subscribed to our YouTube channel where we upload new content every week! If that wasn’t enough, you can also join our friendly property community on the Property Hub forum.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Property Podcast we’re joined by Mary, an architect turned HMO expert Now and again on The Property Podcast we invite experts in as guests to share their experience with us.    And this week we’ve got Mary Osman who, along with her partner Andrew, is an architect turned property investor.   Mary and Andrew specialise in HMOs. (And if you fancy reading more about them, they’re featuring in the next issue of the Property Hub Magazine - sign up here)  They’re based in Leeds and have been involved in commercial property for around 15 years before moving into the residential territory of HMOs in Leeds and Yorkshire.   There have been high points and low points – along with a lot of lessoned learned. And that’s what Mary is sharing with us today.    So, make sure you tune in to listen and find out more.     News  This week’s news story comes from the BBC and the headline reads ‘renter eviction ban to finish at end of May’. Landlords have been unable to evict tenants since spring last year; which was understandable given the Covid-19 circumstances, but a date of 31st May has finally been confirmed – news which we’re sure many landlords will welcome.   Also, notice periods are being reduced from six months to four, then from October back down to its normal two months.    Hub Extra  This week’s Hub Extra recommendation is a new YouTube channel for you called Greylock.   Greylock is a VC company who invest in startups and they’ve invested in some rather famous ones.   There’s a series from a few years ago called Blitzscaling, and Rob B has picked out a particular episode with Patrick Collinson on his experience of hiring with Stripe.  Stripe is now a huge company so if you’re interested in business related YouTube channels then it may be worth giving this series a watch.     Let’s get social  We’d love to hear what you think of this week’s Property Podcast over on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You might even have a topic you’d like us to cover in the future - if so, pop us a message on social and we’ll see what we can do.  Make sure you’ve liked and subscribed to our YouTube channel where we upload new content every week!   If that wasn’t enough, you can also join our friendly property community on the Property Hub forum. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s girl power on Ask Rob & Rob this week.  Our first question comes from Amelia.  Amelia would like some advice on how to find a decent deal in the property boom we’re now in.   Her current strategy is buy, refurbish, refinance (BRR) so she can try and recycle some of her cash.   To be successful with this strategy, Amelia would need to buy below market value, but she’s finding that most properties are selling for the value of them refurbished, so there’s no money in it.   So, Ameila wants to know if there’s a useful way to secure properties off-market by leafleting or sending out postcards.   Next up is Nancy.   She lives in Merseyside and has a question on freeports.   Now that Chancellor Rishi has outlined the areas that’ll benefit from freeports, Nancy wants to know if there’s any tax breaks or benefits for investing in these areas.   So, do Rob & Rob think there are any tax relief benefits to investing in freeport areas?  Tune in to find out.    Do you have a buy to let or property investment related question for Rob & Rob? You could feature on the next episode by giving us a call on 013 808 00035 and leaving a message with your name and question (normal UK call rates apply).   Or if you prefer, click here to leave a recording via your computer instead.  The next question on Ask Rob & Rob could be yours.   Have you joined us over on the Property Hub Forum yet? Our online community is friendly, informative, and the members are waiting to welcome you with open arms. So get yourself over and introduce yourself. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Property Podcast we’re putting the limelight on Liverpool  Generally on The Property Podcast you hear The Robs talking about property hotspots and where to invest. But you’ve never heard them go into much detail about certain areas.   Until now.  This week The Robs are heading back to Rob B’s roots of Liverpool and bringing you the areas you should definitely consider, the areas you should avoid and Rob B’s wildcard.  Where will Rob B peg as his up-and-coming area and ‘one to watch’?  Tune in to find out.    News  Last week the new session of Parliament opened with the Queen’s Speech and there were tonnes of legislations mentioned that are due to be brought forward.   This is probably down to the fact that not much other than Covid-19 got done last year.   But there were mentions of plans to end ground rents, renters reform and planning reform. There’s plenty more to cover on this but we’re going to save it for the next market update episode.     Hub Extra  This week’s Hub Extra recommendation is a fiction book and it’s not the type of book you’d usually expect either of The Robs to recommend.   Rob D was recommended this book by his wife, neither of them usually a big fiction fan. However this book is on Bill Gates’ ‘must read’ list.  It’s called ‘The Rosie Project’ by Graeme Simsion.   The book is about someone who has aspergers syndrome and puts together a questionnaire to try and find the perfect wife.  It’s a really good, easy read and pretty funny if you’re after something a little more lighthearted.     Let’s get social  We’d love to hear what you think of this week’s Property Podcast over on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You might even have a topic you’d like us to cover in the future - if so, pop us a message on social and we’ll see what we can do.  Make sure you’ve liked and subscribed to our YouTube channel where we upload new content every week!   If that wasn’t enough, you can also join our friendly property community on the Property Hub forum. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.