The Property Podcast

It’s the August Market Update  The property market is incredibly hot right now. In the UK it’s crazy, but on this month’s market update, The Robs are revealing some numbers from the US that will blow your mind!  This time of year is usually a quieter one, but that certainly doesn’t seem to be the case in 2021.   Here are all the links you need to get stuck into today’s episode.  Prices:  UK House Price Index – June 2021  Super-rich buyers coming back to prime – Savills   US cannot afford housing market ‘boom and bust’, warns Fed official   Pandemic fuels broadest global house price boom in two decades  Mortgages:  TMW returns to 80% LTV but only on energy efficient homes  Thousands of landlords released from ‘cladding hell’ after EWS1 forms scrapped  The minimum energy performance of buildings bill  Other:  Government reveals where all the landlords live in the UK  The pandemic property boom is pricing locals out of the British countryside  And finally:  House prices set to c

The guys are back for another fantastic episode of Ask Rob & Rob.  First up this week we’ve got Lil who’s looking for an answer to a common question we get asked.   Lil currently has a residential property in London that she lives in, and a buy-to-let property in Liverpool.   She’s going to be moving cities soon and needs a property with more space, so she’ll be switching her residential property into a buy-to-let property.  In the short-term, Lil plans to rent herself until she finds the right property, but she can’t seem to figure out which scenario is best.   Should she use the money she has to purchase a bigger property that’ll serve her needs, or should she put it into another buy-to-let property and continue to rent herself?  Our next question comes from Bern who has a question about mortgages.  Currently Bern has two buy-to-let properties, one in his personal name and another in a limited company.   Bern is planning to purchase another buy-to-let property through his limited company, and then l

The Robs are back with their second episode on inflation This might just be the most important podcast episode Rob & Rob have done yet.   If you understand this episode, then you’ll understand the secret to being wealthy.  Last week we talked about inflation in the short-term, so this week we’re looking at long-term inflation. The dynamic that produces inflation for the long-term is completely different to the short-term.   The Robs are going to be looking at what causes long-term inflation, the effects for property investors and what the coming years might look like.   So, if you’re wanting to prepare for a strong future, then make sure you listen to today’s episode.     In the news  This week’s news story comes from the Financial Times and the headline reads, ‘Bank of England urged to spell out plans to curb inflation’.   After speaking about inflation for the past couple of weeks, it seems that even the House of Lords are getting in on the action now. Their economics affairs committee have been qu

This week on Ask Rob & Rob we’re talking all things money and mortgages.  Our first question is about leverage and comes from Tyrone.  He wants to know if there’s a right amount of leverage to go for.   Tyrone is planning on re-mortgaging his property, but he doesn’t know what level he should go to. So, he’s asking for advice on how to calculate it and how he can balance the risk.  Our second question comes from James who wants to know about residential mortgages.   He’s got a three-bedroom property with a residential mortgage that runs out shortly. James has decided that he wants to convert it into a four-bedroom HMO property.   So now James is wanting to know if he can renew his residential mortgage or if he has to get a buy-to-let mortgage instead.   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

Everyone is now talking about inflation (H3)  Inflation is here and things are visibly getting more expensive from month-to-month.   But why is it happening?   Will it last?   And what is the government going to do about it?   Rob & Rob are going to be answering all these questions in today’s episode of The Property Podcast.  Inflation can mean the difference between being wealthy or poor when you’re older, so it’s important to understand how and why inflation works, which is why this is just the first of two episodes we’ll be covering on the subject.     In the news  This week’s news story comes from the National Residential Landlords Association, and they’ve calculated how many different pieces of law there are that affect people who rent out property in England.  The answer is a whopping 168 laws, and that number has increased by 40% in the last decade. It’s quite surprising just how many local authorities aren’t enforcing these laws.   If that wasn’t enough, we’ve got another news story for you

Rob & Rob are back for another round of questions.  Our first question this week comes from Louis.   Louis is in the process of saving up a deposit for his first investment property and has been doing some research whilst listening along to The Property Podcast.   He recalls a previous episode we did on quantitative easing and how the Bank of England pumped £450 billion into the economy in 2020.   He’s since looked into the Federal Reserve Central European Bank and Bank of Japan who have introduced a total of $8 trillion into their respective economies.  Louis is concerned that this amount of QE is going to have a knock-on effect and cause interest rates to skyrocket.   So naturally he wants to know if you’re planning to purchase a property and leverage debt before a period of inflation, are you running the risk of interest rates on that debt, greatly increasing as the government tries to combat inflation by pulling money back up the economy through increased interest rates?  Next up we’ve got Dan from

What makes the best property investors? Lisa Orme is back to join The Robs on The Property Podcast.   Not only is she sharing the traits of successful property investors, she’s also sharing the strategies that she highly rates, and the ones that are overrated.  Lisa has had plenty of hands-on experience dealing with some of the best, and worst, property investors and has narrowed down the traits that make a good one.  It’s another jam-packed episode with plenty more takeaways so make sure you’ve got that notepad and pen at the ready again.    In the news  The property boom – it's gone from radio silence to widespread chit chat!   This week’s news story comes from the BBC news website and the headline reads, ‘house prices rise at fastest pace in 17 years’.   Nationwide reported house price growth of 13.4% in the year to June, making new average house prices £245,432 compared to £216,403 in June 2020.  So, whilst the end of the stamp duty holiday hasn’t appeared to slow things down, we don’t think thi

Rob & Rob are back again this week and are discussing one of their favourite topics, the 18-year property cycle.  And the person asking the 18-year property cycle question is Ali from London.   At the beginning of June, Ali saw an article on This is Money where he believed the creator of the 18-year property cycle was implying that the market couldn’t continue with this boom phase and that it would be likely that next year there would be a market crash.   Normally Ali would ignore these rumour-type headlines but given that it was the creator of the 18-year property cycle making these claims, he wanted to get The Robs’ thoughts on it.  Our second question comes from Mike.   He wants to know, if he were to purchase a buy-to-let property and didn’t do anything with it, didn’t refurb it or add any value to it, how long would he have to wait before being able to pull his money back out?   He knows that it’s a case of just letting the cycle do its thing and hoping for capital growth to have an effect, but he’

How should you be acting in the current boom market? In today’s episode Rob & Rob are joined by a fellow property expert. Not only is she an investor herself but has decades of experience as a mortgage broker.   Her name is Lisa Orme.  And in today’s episode she’s going to guide you through how you should be acting right now (while we’re in this boom period) when it comes to mortgages. If you follow her advice, we reckon you’ll do pretty well.  There’s loads to take from this episode so make sure you’re sat down with a paper and pen ready to take notes.  Plus, just because there’s so much to get through, Lisa will be joining The Robs again next week for even more mortgage talks.    Hub Extra  This week’s Hub Extra comes from our podcast producer, Dan.  After chatting to The Robs about how he wanted to read a book on his Kindle but couldn’t pluck up the courage as it was so big, he decided to downloaded the audio version to listen to at the same time as reading it, which he found really effective.  

It’s Tuesday and that means one thing... The Robs are back to answer your property questions.  Kicking us off this week is Tom.  Tom has two HMO student lets in Cornwall that he invested in personally. They both earn around £1,800pcm.   He bought the properties five and 10 years ago and while capital appreciation has been pretty decent, he’s never released any equity from them.  He’s saved around £80,000 and is looking to invest in another student HMO in the same location, but this time using a limited company, rather than in his personal name.   Tom can get a 4-5 bed property for around £280,000 and his rental income would be around £2,000pcm, with mortgage costs of around £600 per month.  He likes the hands-on side to his strategy and wants to keep at it but he’s wanting to know if it’s a risky option, tying up all his money in one location when properties further north are more affordable.   Our next caller this week is Rachel.  Rachel is looking to invest in South Manchester, around the Wythenshaw

It’s the July Market Update On this month’s market update The Robs will be covering the market boom as well as revealing great news for landlords with leaseholds! They’re also sharing a news story that’ll have a massive impact on your wealth.  There’s plenty to cover this week – inflation, arrears, evictions, leasehold and licensing. You name it, we’ve got it covered!  Here’s all the links you need for your extra reading.  Big picture:  House asking prices hit record levels across Great Britain  Biggest sales pipeline in a decade & buyers undeterred by stamp duty holiday ending  Stamp duty frenzy shows first sign of slowing - Rightmove  Runaway house prices: the ‘winners and losers’ from the pandemic  Inflation:  UK housing market is on fire, warns Bank of England chief economist  Inflation is coming, says the Bank of England – but don’t expect us to react  Arrears & Evictions:  Breaking: Wales extends period during which landlords must give six months’ notice to evict  Scots evicti

Rob & Rob are back with two more property questions this week.  First up is Mo.   He’s a junior doctor who’s recently graduated from Nottingham University and is looking to get on the property ladder.  Mo wants to buy his own residential property but is struggling with finding the right one.   Naturally he doesn’t want to overpay and wants to try and bag himself a deal, but he keeps getting gazumped every time he finds a possible contender.   Other buyers are either viewing and putting an offer in on the same day a property comes onto the market or are just willing to overpay.  Is this something Mo is just going to have to accept or is there something he can do?  Our second caller this week is Steven.  He’s been listening to the podcast for a while and knows The Robs have said how much they love Liverpool and Manchester.   But what about Preston?   Steven has been doing some research into the location and thinks that it could be a good contender but is keen to find out what Rob & Rob think of it. 

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.  S

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

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 Lon

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

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

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 0

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 yo

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;