The Property Podcast

Forget location, location, location - we’re talking about education, education, education. And today we have a guest who’s put ALL our property education into practice. Today we’re kickstarting a two-part series and talking to Mark Ward who has taken all those property lessons and built himself a double digit portfolio in just five years! Impressive stuff. So settle in and get ready to listen to what Mark has achieved and just how he did it. Who knows, this might just give you the kick start you need.  To give you some back story, Mark got in touch with us over on Instagram. Like many Property Podcast listeners, his journey started out accidentally - so for all you accidental landlords out there, this is an episode for you! Mark has bought two properties per year at below market value, he’s then refurbished and refinanced them to release some cash. And in just 5 years, he’s got a pretty sweet, double-digit portfolio on his hands.  Rob D caught up with Mark to have a little chat about his journey so far. It’s definitely an episode you’ll want to listen to, no matter what stage of your property investment journey you’re at.   The Robs are also discussing the latest Hometrack price index in this episode. Once again Liverpool is top of the list, closely followed by Nottingham, Leicester, Manchester and Birmingham. Just behind them are Sheffield and Leeds which are all locations we tipped for big things at the start of the year.  This month, the report has looked at the amount of stock coming onto the market compared to the number of sales that have been agreed. In Manchester the ratio of sales to new supply has increased which is a signal that Manchester is likely to continue to grow in house prices - phenomenal considering how much Manchester has already grown in the past few years!  If you’re wanting further info on these hotspot locations, you can find our useful location guides over on the education section of our website which will certainly help you with narrowing down the areas you’d like to invest in.    Our Hub Extra this week is a new podcast recommendation! Don’t worry, The Robs haven’t started another podcast - not yet anyway. This podcast is called Heavyweight from Gimlet who produce a lot of great podcasts, but this one takes someone back to a moment in their life that they regret or keep thinking back to, and he helps them resolve that situation and move on.  It’s not ‘heavy’ in the tone of voice, it’s actually quite comical and really entertaining. So this is a good one for you to unwind with.   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 brand new 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 our 200th Ask Rob & Rob episode! Can you believe it? So what better way to celebrate than continuing to do what we do best and answer your property questions! This week’s first question comes in from Steve. He’s seen some new build properties that look slightly overpriced compared to other new builds in similar areas. So he’s wanting to know from an investor perspective whether Rob & Rob reckon he’s better off investing in a new build or maybe purchasing something a little older? Rob B points out that he does indeed think new builds can be overpriced, but then again, rightly highlights that any property can be overpriced. In true Rob B style, he has some winning advice that Steve can take on board. So listen carefully if you have your eye on a new build buy-to-let purchase in the future.  The next question is from Brogan. He opened up a lifetime ISA when he started his graduate job to help him buy his first property. Since then he’s found our wonderful podcast (good man!) and had his eyes opened to the buy-to-let world.  Now Brogan wants to use the money in his ISA to purchase his first buy-to-let property. However, the T&C’s of a lifetime ISA state that you have to use this scheme to purchase a property to live in.  Is there any way to get around this? Tune into this week's episode to find out what Rob D suggests.    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 The Robs are looking at more listener deals but this time they’re taking on the challenge of helping Nathan decide between two deals. He’s torn between two properties and doesn’t know which one to go for. Should be invest in Leeds or Manchester?! Two fantastic cities and two very different deals. So which one do The Robs think he should go for? Settle in as Manchester and Leeds battle it out to win Nathan’s investment. First up we have a two bedroom flat in the middle of Manchester on Princess Street for £240,000. It’s pretty central and close to two main train lines and was converted around 15 years ago. Certainly move in ready.  He thinks he’ll be able to achieve £920 pcm after taking off his management fees. Once other fees have been deducted, he’s looking at a net profit of just under £200 per month, giving him an ROI of 3%. A 3% ROI isn’t exactly going to get you excited, but Nathan said he’s in this for the long run and capital growth is more his long-term plan. So should this be the property he goes for? The second option is a two bedroom flat in the middle of Leeds at Westpoint for £245,000. It’s pretty much the same as the Manchester deal in terms of central location and rental price of £1,000 pcm. It just has a slightly higher ROI of 4.1% which is the equivalent of about £60 a month, so not life changing amounts. Compared to the Manchester conversion, this property is a high-end new build. It’s got a huge balcony and whereas the Manchester apartment was 600 sqft, the Leeds apartment is over 900 sqft!  So does this make it a no brainer and Nathan should be going for bigger and newer?  Tune in to find out what The Robs have to say and which property they think Nathan should go for.  And if you want to find out more about whether you should invest in Manchester or Leeds, we have some handy resources for you right here: Click here to find out why you should invest in Manchester Click here to find out why you should invest in Leeds   This week’s news story isn’t coming from one of our beloved tabloids, we’re reading an open consultation from the government. So this lengthy headline of ‘A new deal for renting: resetting the balance of rights and responsibilities between landlords and tenants’ is actually worth reading as it’s to do with the appeal of section 21. Everyone pretty much lost their minds a few months ago when section 21 came into play, but what are they hoping to do about it now we’ve all had a chance to digest it?  Are there changes ahead?  Have a read and listen to what The Robs think on this week’s episode.    This week’s Hub Extra is a book called ‘The Ultimate Blueprint for an Insanely Successful Business’ which is highly recommended by Rob D about accounting. Now don’t switch off just yet, we know accountancy isn’t the most exciting of topics, but this book will become more appealing to you the bigger you grow your business.    Even Rob B picked this as one of his holiday reads! So give it a read and let us know what you think. 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 brand new YouTube channel where we upload new content every week! If that wasn’t enough, you can also join our friendly property community on the Propert  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Ask Rob & Rob, we have the B word again - and the R word. So if you’d like to know more about Brexit or repossessions, this is the podcast episode for you!  First up we have Christiano. He’s wanting to know if he was to go ahead with a repossessed property, will it be mortgageable once he’s bought it? He’s also wondering if Rob & Rob have any advice on what tactics he should use when looking to get the best deal on a repossessed property.  It’s good news for Christiano! Listen as The Robs explain why mortgages shouldn’t be an issue with repossessed property as financial issues sit with the previous owner - not the property.  However, if he’s looking at bagging a cracking deal, it might not be all plain sailing. The vendor has a duty (to the lender) to achieve the maximum price they possibly can - so does that mean that getting a great deal is dead in the water?  Find out what Rob D has to say.  Our second question comes in from Baz who’s still concerned about Brexit and is contradicting The Robs’ views. Baz is seeing quite a steep rise in house prices in Birmingham (which doesn’t seem consistent with the growth he’s been witnessing over the past four years). He’s putting it down to the fact that there’s not a lot of choice on the market and he’s being significantly outbid by owner occupiers on properties he’s been looking at.  So now he’s being cautious about buying any property within the next six months. Ultimately, he’s wanting to know how confident Rob & Rob are that there won’t be a market crash the minute we get a deal with the EU.  It’s a great question, and probably one which many other listeners will want to know the answer to. Tune in to find out what The Robs have to 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.

This week on The Property Podcast, Rob & Rob are back by popular demand, evaluating your listener deals live on the show.  These episodes are ones that The Robs absolutely love doing, and this week we’ve got three cracking deals to get through.  So grab a brew and settle down as we listen to how Rob & Rob scour Rightmove and offer advice to our three lovely listeners Tim, Sarah and Ahmed.  First up we have Tim who has been looking at three bedroom terrace house in Worthing. The property was on the market for £325,000 but Tim managed to get a cracking deal and had an offer of £285,000 accepted. Kudos to you! He reckons that realistically the rent is likely to be £1,150 pcm, however this valuation won’t pass the stress test criteria and Tim will have no choice but to go for a 5 year fixed term mortgage to be able to get the full 75% loan to value rate.  After running some quick numbers, it looks like Tim will potentially end up with a net yield of 1.5% and about £400 in his back pocket each month. Would The Robs choose this deal to add to their property portfolio?  Rob & Rob also take a look into Sarah’s two bedroom apartment in Didsbury that she bagged for £205,000 and Ahmed’s three bedroom terraced house in Birmingham that he got for £13,000 below asking price, but needs a lot of work doing to it!  So which of these three deals would Rob & Rob be most likely to invest in themselves?  Tune in to find out and listen to what advice they guys have to dish out. In the news this week, Boris Johnson is in our good books again as he’s now announced a new railway link between Manchester and Leeds.  Transport for the North proposed this a while ago, but Boris has blown this right out of the water and is moving for a bigger and better plan! Not only will there be new connections from Manchester to Leeds, but also Manchester to Liverpool and Sheffield.  Hopefully this isn’t just a pipedream and Boris will actually follow through with it - we’ll just have to wait and see. This week’s Hub Extra comes in from one of our Hubbers, David. It’s a website called Get The Data and it’s a site where you enter the postcode and it pulls loads of information about that location from a number of different sources.  It will give you everything from the nearest public transport stop to the food hygiene ratings of local restaurants and takeaways. So this is a great resource to use if you’re looking to invest in a new area and are wanting to get clued up on any particular location.  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 brand new 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 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% surcharge for buy-to-let properties isn’t going anywhere any time soon. Bah! Rob & Rob have talked about stamp duty numerous times on The Property Podcast and we even explain in depth what it is and how it works in this article. But what do The Robs think of Boris Johnson running our country altogether?  Well, you’ll have to tune in to find out their opinion. 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 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 grab a notepad and pen for this episode.  In the news this week, London’s first high-end build to rent homes. When you think of a build to rent scheme you’ll often picture a block of apartments that have been designed for that specific reason with dedicated communal facilities. Well not this development. Essentially this development in St Johns Wood is just five houses.  Now don’t get us wrong they’re very nice houses, but do you have a spare £5,500 a week to live in one of them? Oh, and you’ll need your own furniture too as that’s not even included in the price!  In a nutshell, once again headlines are being incredibly misleading and this development is essentially a buy to let scheme, which as we all know has been around for a long time.   This week’s Hub Extra is an audio book that both Robs have thoroughly enjoyed. It’s called The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre and it’s a story about a spy in the cold war and the effect it had on his own life. So if you like a thrilling, gripping book and one that also educates you in history, then this is definitely a book for you.  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 brand new 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 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 choice what she does, if she can get a better deal, great!  But if the numbers aren’t going to stack up, then as The Robs mentioned last week, sometimes walking away is the best possible option. The second question is from Matt  who’s having a bit of a dispute with the letting agent for one of his properties. The current tenant has just given notice to leave and the letting agent is now saying that due to the new tenant fee ban, they need to charge Matt to get new tenants in. Is the letting agent allowed to do this? Can Matt dispute it and within his rights to avoid paying for it or is he going to have to suck it up and take on the new agreement? Matt certainly isn’t alone in this situation, there’s numerous letting agents who are implementing these new charges so that they’re not out of pocket.  So what advice do The Robs have for Matt? Should he stick with his current letting agent and accept the fees, or should he start to shop around for a new agent?  To make life easier, he could just head on over to Property Hub Lets, but tune in to find out what Rob & Rob suggests. 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 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 bring a £55 million scheme to Wirral Waters. As you’ll know if you’ve listened to The Property Podcast over the past few months, The Robs are big fans of Urban Splash and everything they do - Tom Bloxham MBE even appeared on a few episodes. This is a development of 337 modular homes, which are factory built and something that Urban Splash are renowned for.  And in other news… it’s nearly Meetup week! These seem to come around so quickly, but next week we’re back! Some of our more popular locations like London are already sold out, but we do have some tickets left. So be quick and grab yours here.  This week’s Hub Extra is something the whole team at Property Hub has been using over the past month. It’s a little app called Count.It which encourages you to get up and get fit with a little competitiveness thrown in for good measure.  You can do this with your colleagues, friends or family and set up a league table to find out who’s the most active. So download the app, invite your competitors and get walking!  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 brand new 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 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 change in tax bands, dependant on who our next Prime Minister is, could result in him needing to change strategy?  It’s a bit of a tricky one because how many politicians actually follow through with what they say they’re going to do? But nevertheless, Rob & Rob give their opinion to help Chaz and his future strategy. 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.