The Property Podcast

Welcome to episode 300 of The Property Podcast - what a huge milestone! Today we’re giving you aspiring and experienced buy to let property investors the 5 most important property lessons we’ve learnt over the years… and that you should have learnt too. As always, we’re kicking off today’s Property Podcast with the news. This week’s story comes from Letting Agent Today where they reveal where to find the highest buy to let rental yields. So, if you’re looking for the hottest locations to invest, hit the link and listen to today’s Property Podcast to find out. As the title suggests, today’s topic is the 5 most important property lessons Rob & Rob have learnt: Going too early - particularly with predictions. Switching strategy. Never selling a property… sort of. Standards are low EVERYWHERE in property. The podcast win is a win.    And to deliver you some extra value this week, here are the 5 most important property investment lessons we hope we’ve given you: The importance of goals - take a trip

We’re back again with two great questions on this week’s Ask Rob and Rob podcast. Andrew’s question is first up and he asks Rob & Rob whether he should re-finance or sell his two properties. Here’s the details: Two properties, one worth £300,000 and the other worth £200,000 Outstanding mortgage: £100,000 on each with £300,000 total equity available One rents for £1,000 pcm and the second for £750 pcm 15 year repayment mortgage on both Andrew explains how he just breaks even each month and that his properties aren’t achieving a good ROI. However he has made £100,000 in capital growth over the last 5 years, so it's not all bad! Should Andrew re-finance both to interest only mortgages and release about £100,000? Or should he sell one or both and have up to £300,000 to invest on more sensible investments with a higher ROI? Listen to find out what Rob and Rob think… The next question is from Scott, who wants to know whether he should be investing in Northern Powerhouse cities, or whether London is still

Would you like to save hundreds, if not thousands of pounds? If you’re a buy to let property investor and answered “yes”, then this Property Podcast is for you. But before we dish out some valuable property investment information and handy resources, we have our news story of the week - click here to read. It’s highlighting the tough economic conditions coming to an end in Aberdeen. This is an interesting article as it delves into one of the toughest and most volatile property markets in the UK. There’s a good reason for this volatility which Rob & Rob talk us through this week. This market is highly influenced by one main factor which affects the market massively. Listen to find out. The main Property Podcast this week could potentially save property investors a lot of cash - and who doesn’t want that, right? Many people switch off at this time of the year and begin the Christmas holiday countdown, but should you be using this time more wisely? This week’s podcast is about reviewing your buy to let in

Welcome to another week of Ask Rob & Rob - this time with two new questions from Mark and Ben... The first question this week is from Mark. Several properties have caught his interest and Mark has attempted to review the legal pack himself. However some are more complicated than he thought! Would Rob and Rob recommend seeking professional legal advice prior to purchasing at auction? Do Rob & Rob know of any specialist firms to recommend to Mark to help with purchases and provide due diligence? Find out in this week’s episode. Next up we have Ben who’s asking the question on behalf of his Dad who runs a couple of student buy-to-let properties in Surrey. Ben wants to dispel the myths about the house of multiple occupancy (HMO) rules and asks Rob and Rob for the facts!   Hit the play button and enjoy this week’s Ask Rob & Rob.   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 w

On this week’s Property Podcast, we’re helping you learn from Rob D’s very expensive mistake. The Robs have been in the property investment game a long time, so things can and will go wrong from time to time. Before we give you the details of this week’s Property Podcast, we have our property story of the week courtesy of the Guardian. They’re criticising the Help to Buy scheme, highlighting it as a government subsidy where the only winners are the property developers. As a developer himself. Rob B shares his thoughts on this, and whether he feels that money could be better spent elsewhere. Tune in to listen. The main topic of this week’s Property Podcast is Rob D’s £16,800 mistake. The aim of this episode isn’t to get everyone to feel sorry for Rob D, it’s purely so listeners can hear how important strategy is - something The Robs have touched on quite regularly. There are many property strategies in property but this week we’re concentrating on two: growth and cashflow - both of which The Robs explain

Welcome to another jam-packed Ask Rob & Rob - that time of the week where you fire your property investment questions at us and we fire our opinions straight back at you. The first question this week is from Sean. He’s been listening to The Property Podcast for over a year (thanks Sean!) and has been loving the content so far. Sean is 28 and in June 2015 he purchased a 2-bedroom apartment in one of the most prestigious buildings in Manchester city centre, complete with a balcony and parking. Fast forward a few years and Sean has purchased another property which he wants to live in.   He has a bit of a dilemma: he wants to keep his old Manchester city centre property as a buy to let but isn’t sure. Here’s the rundown: Value: £370,000 Outstanding mortgage: £280,000 35 year repayment mortgage quote approx. £1,000 pcm Service charge: £400 pcm Rental forecast: £1,400-£1,500 pcm   Sean believes that capital growth in Manchester has a fair distance to go and would like to keep hold of the apartment but

We’re a very positive bunch here at The Property Hub, however we know that  not everything always goes to plan - particularly when investing in property. So on this week’s Property Podcast, Rob & Rob are giving us an insight into what’s gone wrong for them in the world of property investment and development this year. Before we delve into the podcast, check out the news story of the week - click here. There’s some quite shocking numbers here, one being that a whopping 35% of deals fall through within just three weeks of the seller receiving an offer. And if you thought that was bad, just listen to what happens within four weeks! But it’s not all negative news, as this could spin into an incredibly positive outcome for property investors. Tune in and listen to how Rob D would use this to his advantage! You can also find out more about Rob & Robs tactics for next year at our webinar on the 26th November. They’ll both be sharing details on where they’re both personally looking to invest in 2019. So if you’

Here we are with another Ask Rob & Rob - your weekly source of property investment information.   This week we have Greg, an avid Property Podcast and Ask Rob & Rob listener who is keen to start his own buy to let property investment journey. He’s made a great start by purchasing his first buy to let property in Manchester. He bought this at an auction house and the solicitors have already set the wheels in motion. Greg was told he needed a survey on advice from his mortgage broker to secure a mortgage. There were three levels of survey to choose from and Greg chose the most detailed report. Unfortunately this detailed survey revealed a number of high defects and has resulted in the surveyor down-valuing the investment property as a result - to the tune of £6,000! Greg is now questioning whether he did the right thing and is wondering if he should have gone for a lower survey which might not have found anything untoward for the purpose of his mortgage. Now, the issue here is that as Greg bought his buy

We’re back for another jam-packed Property Podcast with Rob & Rob and more importantly, we’re reviewing listener property investment deals… again! Before we dive in, we have this week’s news story which is complete with fancy graphs, courtesy of the BBC. This shows the cost of renting in the UK in seven charts. While most of the charts state the obvious, there are some interesting findings which buy to let property investors will find particularly useful, and of course Rob & Rob delve into these facts on the podcast and share their opinions on the newly unveiled data. But before we get into our main topic of listener property deals, we’re letting you into a secret happening on the 26th November - mark this in your diary now! Rob & Rob are going live and will be sharing details on where they’re both personally looking to invest in 2019; not just for buy to let property, but also from a property development perspective too. The Robs are always inundated with questions on their personal approaches to proper

We’re back with two property investment related questions from our wonderful Hubbers this week, after deep-delving into the one (but very detailed) question relating to off-plan investments last week. If you missed it, you can catch it here. On this week’s Ask Rob & Rob, James tells us how he inherited a property which was then sold to buy his residential property. He had a sum left over to invest in a 3-bedroom, end-of-terrace property in Northampton where he’s been stuck in the conveyancing process for 6 months! It’s not James’ fault - there are issues further up the chain. However, whilst he’s been sitting tight for 6 months, he’s also been soaking up all the information on our Property Podcasts (wise move, James!) and has been thinking about whether this property investment is the right one for him after all. Should he continue with his property purchase or should he pull out, cut his losses, have a rethink and put his new-found buy to let knowledge into practice with a different property in a differe

Last week we learnt how to build a £100 million property development company with none other than the legendary Tom Bloxham MBE, co-founder and Chairman of Urban Splash. This week we’re back with Tom to discuss the future of the UK property market. But as always, first we have our news story of the week which you can find by clicking here. It’s a report undertaken by Generation Rent - a non-profit organisation that campaigns for private renters. Over the last few years since the tax changes were introduced, we’ve had numerous reports of landlords exiting the sector and rents getting pushed through the roof, punishing tenants and leaving them out of pocket. However, this new report makes for interesting reading. Tune in to find out why Rob D thinks this is a pretty sensible piece of property research and also find out what exactly made Rob B laugh out loud. It’s also worth taking a look at the graphs and charts too - the whole thing makes for a very interesting read indeed. Now, what exactly is in stor

In a bold move this week, we only have one property investment related question on Ask Rob & Rob. No, that’s not us being lazy. That’s just us wanting to dedicate time to expand on this one, off-plan buy to let investment question with the level of detail that’s needed. We get many questions relating to off-plan investment property each and every week, but none as frustrating as this. So hit the play button to hear Trevor’s story and listen to what Rob & Rob would do in this situation.   Trevor in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire is having a tough time with an off-plan investment property in Liverpool. He exchanged contracts in November 2017 with completion due around June 2018 with a long-stop date of August 2018. Fast forward to February 2018 and Trevor was still nowhere near completing on this property. In fact, when Trevor visited the site, work hadn’t even begun on his buy to let investment. Skip to June 2018 and still nothing had progressed. Since then, Trevor has been back and forth with the developers

You’re in for a treat this week, as we learn how to build a £100 million property development company. And we learn from the best in the business - Tom Bloxham MBE, chairman and co-founder of multi-award-winning property development company, Urban Splash. But first, we have our news story of the week which you can find by clicking here. You may remember our landlord survey a while back - the results were interesting and we’re pleased that the findings have hit the property press hard and fast. How will landlords react to Brexit? Will it scupper future property investment plans or will it create a wave of opportunities for investors to capitalise on? Hit the link and let us know what you think of the research. Now, our main event this week is the story of Urban Splash - a business that’s doing phenomenal things in the property industry. At 25 years old, Urban Splash has continued making a splash across towns and cities throughout the UK with their large regeneration and design-led schemes, which have w

Today we’re breaking away from the traditional Ask Rob & Rob to bring you a 2018 budget special. Did the Chancellor have any nasty surprises for property investors? Are the Robs likely to have a wobble at what else Philip Hammond is throwing at the sector? There’s no doubt that property investors have taken a hammering over the past few years so understandably, there was every reason to be a tad nervous as the 2018 budget aired across the UK. Even if you listened to the 2018 budget live as it happened, there were a few property related items which didn’t make the main agenda. But, the Robs have delved deep into the detail to fill you in on this 2018 budget special of Ask Rob & Rob. On this special, Rob & Rob will cover: A new stamp duty update which widens the net of people who benefit. And it’s being backdated, A housing infrastructure fund which will help property developers create an additional 650,000 new homes Lettings relief - reducing the capital gains tax you need to pay News on Help to Buy

London’s calling in this week’s property podcast. Is is game over for the London property market? Or is it a property investment opportunity that you need to grab with both hands? As always, we’re starting this week’s property podcast with a news story that caught our attention. Here’s the link that prompted some colourful language off-air from Rob & Rob this week. The chancellor is apparently weighing up a tax break for landlords who sell their investment properties to long-term tenants (tenants who have been in their rental property for at least three years). In a nutshell, if this new plan came to fruition, the capital gains tax, usually paid by landlords when they sell a property, would all disappear and be split equally between the landlord and the tenant. From the tax that would have been paid, 50 percent would go to the tenant and the remaining 50 percent would be removed from the landlord’s tax bill. It may be a brilliant vote winner but it’s certainly rubbed the Robs up the wrong way. Has the

Welcome to another Ask Rob & Rob - that time of the week where you send in your property investment questions and the Robs give you the answers. First up we have Adam from London. He already has a 2-bedroom buy to let investment property in Cheltenham which is performing well. He’s looking at purchasing a second buy to let property and wants to know if the current loophole on the restriction of mortgage interest relief for limited companies is likely to close any time soon. Naturally Adam doesn’t want to go through the trouble of setting up a limited company if this property loophole is likely to get closed - so what do Rob & Rob think? Should he save himself the hassle of registering a business and make his buy to let property purchase personally? And is it actually a loophole Adam is referring to? Rob D has some interesting thoughts on this. Listen to the podcast to hear more or click here for information about Property Hub Tax and join the priority list. Second up we have Danny from Portsmouth who wa

We’ve got a treat for you on this week’s property podcast. Back by popular demand, we have a whole podcast featuring our listener deals - so tune in to hear Rob & Rob reviewing three property investment deals which were sent in to us. But first, we’re talking about a property headline that’s grabbed our attention (and wound Rob B up!): Where does rent hit young people the hardest? There’s no surprise that the answer is London. And there’s also no surprise that people in their 20s who want to rent their own home have to pay an unaffordable amount. It’s not unusual for someone to pay around 30% of their salary on rental payments, and this is a figure used quite often now. However, in London a whopping £51,200 salary is needed to afford a one-bedroom rental property - much higher than the average across the whole of England which is just under £25,000. Now, there are a few things in this property and rental report which Rob B just wasn’t happy with. You’ll have to listen to this week’s podcast to find out.

We have another two cracking property questions this week on Ask Rob & Rob. The first comes from PJ who wants to know about the ripple effect of northern cities. With property prices in the South East still way below their 2007 figures,  PJ wants to know when the likes of Newcastle and Middlesbrough will see any capital growth after the mid-cycle wobble. As you know, Rob & Rob have form for accurate property predictions, so listen to Ask Rob & Rob this week to discover how they think these areas will play out. Will they see capital growth or are they not worth bothering with? Is there a trick PJ is missing out on with a location that Rob B is keeping a very close eye on? Is growth on the horizon or is it just too early to tell? Have a listen and let us know what you think.   The second question comes from Pete who’s a fairly new listener but has been loving the property podcasts so far (thanks Pete!). He has four investment properties in his property portfolio. He owns two outright and the other two hav

Following on from last week’s property podcast, this week we have super landlord, Phil Stewardson, helping us deliver the expert’s guide to commercial property. Before we dig in, we’re covering this week’s news story which is about house price growth. Property prices rose the fastest in the North West, with London suffering the biggest fall of 0.7% year-on-year. Take a look at the links which give you a further analysis, and listen to the property podcast to hear what Rob & Rob have to say. The main property podcast event this week is the appearance of our super landlord, Phil Stewardson, who was kind enough to join us for another session. Phil talks us through the commercial property types he started his journey with back in 2001, when the market for buying residential property was extremely tight. His first commercial property deal was a pub in 2002, taking full advantage of the decline in pub establishments at the time, between 2002 and 2005. What was it that attracted Phil to pubs? The returns? The l

Welcome to this week’s Ask Rob & Rob. First up with a property question is Mark. He has a HMO in Southampton which is mortgage free and has been self managed for over 20 years. Mark has now moved north but finds the travelling and cost of upkeep is just too much. He wants to sell the property and reinvest the funds somewhere closer to home, however he’s hit a few snags. He’s failed at getting planning permission to alter the property in the hope it would add value, and he’s also considered selling the HMO to both investors and property developers which hasn’t been plain sailing. The developers say the rental income wouldn’t make the money back if they were to rebuild. And unfortunately Mark doesn’t have enough capital to see through a void period whilst he refurbishes the property himself. Remortgaging isn’t an option either. So, what should he do? The Robs have some advice for Mark which covers everything from pricing, refurbishing and also the possibility of an assisted sale. If you’re not aware of how