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Alex Coghill was David's first ever hire. Just over a year after leaving to go out on his own, his serviced accommodation management company, Recharge, looks after close to 90 properties across Scotland, with well over 100 in sight. If you're weighing up serviced accommodation against buy to let, thinking about rent to SA, or trying to make sense of short-term let licensing in Scotland, this episode is worth your time. It all started with a rent to SA deal in central Edinburgh that went badly wrong. The sourcer was taking Alex's rent and not paying the landlord, and Alex only found out when the landlord phoned him out of the blue. Just over £10K down, he drove to the landlord's house, agreed to clear a £15K legal bill and kept both flats. Last year the upper flat netted £50K profit on its own. From there, Alex and David get into how licensing really works council by council, why planning is the real blocker in Glasgow and Edinburgh, how business rates and the Small Business Bonus Scheme work for SA, the team and systems behind 80 to 90% occupancy, and why SA can make three to five times the net cash flow of a buy to let. ⸻ In this episode: - How David's first ever hire ended up running his own SA management company - The rent to SA deal in central Edinburgh that left Alex just over £10K down - How that same deal's upper flat netted £50K profit last year - Serviced accommodation vs rent to SA, explained simply - The four short-term let licence types and what a control area means - Why planning, not licensing, is holding things up in Glasgow and Edinburgh - Business rates: 70 nights let, 140 available and the Small Business Bonus Scheme - Why five SAs could net £5K to £8K a month when five buy to lets barely move the needle - Pricing every gap against three comparables, and why PriceLabs alone isn't enough - How SA management companies turn Airbnb guests into direct bookings Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:01 Alex, David's first ever hire 02:43 From 6 rent to SA units to nearly 90 in a year 03:50 The Edinburgh rent to SA deal that went wrong 05:00 The phone call that left him £10K down 06:30 Driving to the landlord's house to save the deal 08:28 The flat that netted £50K profit last year 09:41 Why Alex left, and what he learned as the first hire 14:38 How AI is changing degrees and CVs 18:03 Serviced accommodation vs rent to SA, explained 22:18 Why the licensing system helps nobody 24:58 The 4 licence types and control areas 26:05 Why planning is the real blocker in Glasgow and Edinburgh 30:55 Licensing in the Lothians, Renfrewshire and Inverclyde 33:05 What happens if you run without a licence 35:42 Inside Recharge: two shifts and a team in the Philippines 42:01 Pricing every gap by hand, not just PriceLabs 46:56 Party guests, damage and deposits 49:47 SA vs buy to let: the real numbers 53:23 How seasonal is SA, really? 57:11 Business rates and the Small Business Bonus Scheme 59:30 How to get started in SA 1:02:41 Members' questions: the hardest part of SA management 1:04:59 How SA management companies get direct bookings 1:07:10 Would they ever go back to buy to let? 1:09:59 What's next for Recharge

Steven Clark built 10 buy-to-lets while working offshore. In 2016 he quit a £70K salary with money in the bank and a couple of grand a month coming in from the portfolio, and he says that cushion was the worst thing that could have happened to him. If you're working a job and building a portfolio on the side, thinking about raising private investor money, or trying to decide whether now is the time to buy, this one is worth your time. David and Steven go right back to the early days. We hear about the weekend night shifts he nearly took to cover the bills, the side job that ended with him arguing his own case in court, and flipping up to 13 properties a year to keep the lifestyle going. Steven also shows how a few years of posting on Facebook turned into his network, his investors and his deals. In the second half we talk about the market. Steven explains the everything crash theory, why higher loan to values remind him of 2008, and the house he bought in April 2008 that left him in negative equity for ten years. He also tells us why he has never given a private investor security, and how one investor's thank-you message changed the way he raises money. ⸻ In this episode: - Why quitting offshore with money in the bank made him lose his edge - The £5K kitchen job that ended with a day in Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court - Doubling the mortgage before quitting, then flipping 10 to 13 properties a year - The tenant who set fire to his flat twice in one week, and the £100K offer that video brought in - Buying an old school in Lochgoilhead with cash, then finding 18 bats and a stop on the build - The everything crash theory and why 85% mortgages worry him - The 2008 purchase that put him in negative equity for ten years - Why he has never given a private investor security, and the £60K that came from social media alone - The Union Street deal in Aberdeen that came out all money out with £26K profit - Why he thinks it has never been easier to start in property ⸻ Subscribe for weekly conversations on property investing, raising finance and building a property business in Scotland. Would you lend £60K to someone you only knew from social media? 🌐 Join Property Coaching Network: https://propertycoachingnetwork.com 📚 Property Coaching Intensive (PCI): https://propertycoaching.com/ 📲 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/david_smart_property/ 📲 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@davidsmartproperty 📲 LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/david-smart- 📲 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.smart.7393/ 🏠 Steven Clark / This Is Property: Instagram: @stevenclarkproperty [CONFIRM] 🎙️ Scottish Property Podcast: https://scottishpropertypodcast.com 📩 Business: [email protected] ⸻ #PropertyInvesting #ScottishProperty #PrivateInvestors #RaisingFinance #BuyToLet #PropertyFlipping #PropertyUK #AberdeenProperty #FifeProperty #OffshoreToProperty #PropertyPodcast #StevenClark #PCNPodcast #PropertyCoachingNetwork

How to grow a scalable property business, from someone who has done it. John Morris started Prime Property Auctions in his attic and grew it to £1.45m revenue and 23 staff in two years. Episode 41 of the PCN Property Podcast with David Smart. John spent 11 years at Scotland's biggest auction house, working up from an unpaid intern after the 2008 crash to general manager. He left to build a personal brand on social media, funded the launch by refinancing a flat and selling a watch, and ran the first auction three days after his daughter was born. The company bank account was approved that same morning. They sold two properties, and year one finished at £764k. WHAT MADE IT SCALABLE Most of this episode is about the decisions that let a one-man business grow without falling over. John kept £100k in the bank before hiring anyone, so when the ads started working there was already a budget behind them. He explains why a £250 lead that becomes a £7k fee changes how you think about marketing spend, and why he tells every new founder to make money first, because systems and websites can be fixed later but a business with no sales can't. He also walks through how the team is built now. Instead of everyone doing everything, Prime has a sign-up team of five valuers who win the properties and a negotiating team who sell them, with admin and media staff behind both. Deals are flagged on Slack the moment they sign up, and John often has a buyer lined up before a property reaches the website. TRUST AT SCALE When a buyer has to send £16k upfront on a £100k property, they need to know you're real. John explains why social media, YouTube and a city centre office matter for that, including the buyer who drove up from Liverpool just to check the office existed. A SECOND ENGINE: TRADING Growing a property business isn't only about the core service. John trades property through a separate company with no overheads, which he calls the lazy man's flip. He bought one for £20k and sold it for £32k without touching it, and another for £65k plus a £7k sourcing fee that sold for £110k. He explains why volume beats margin, why an auction house buys its own stock, and why he still buys just one buy-to-let a year on a capital repayment mortgage. The next target is £1m a month in revenue within three years, which would make Prime the biggest auction house in Scotland. He's also honest about the cost: starting a business and a family in the same month, the role Stacey plays in keeping it running, and the 12-week fitness challenge that changed how he works. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 1:33 From unpaid intern to general manager 4:37 Why he left to build a personal brand 7:36 Funding the launch: refinancing a flat and selling a watch 10:42 First auction three days after his daughter was born 12:19 Two sales, a reality check, and advice from other founders 15:22 Scaling faster by asking people who've done it 19:25 The fear of failing in public 24:47 Make money first, everything else can be fixed 25:13 £100k in the bank before hiring, and a £250 lead worth £7k 27:28 £764k in year one, £1.45m in year two, 23 staff 28:52 Building a scalable team: sign-up valuers and negotiators 32:17 Selling properties before they reach the website 33:35 What he'd do differently: document everything 35:52 Why social media builds trust with buyers 37:10 The cost of a city centre office 37:58 Scaling a business and starting a family at the same time 43:54 The 12-week fitness challenge 57:15 Trading property: the lazy man's flip 58:15 £20k to £32k, and £72k to £110k 59:24 Why volume beats margin 1:03:27 Why an auction house buys its own stock 1:09:24 Members' question: starting again with nothing 1:12:09 One buy-to-let a year, on capital repayment 1:14:16 The plan to reach £12m a year 1:17:16 Where to find John FIND JOHN Instagram: @john_property_auctioneer LinkedIn: John Morris Prime Property Auctions PROPERTY COACHING NETWORK Join: https://propertycoachingnetwork.com Property Coachin

Working abroad property investing, done for real. Mark Downie left £15,000 a month tax free in Saudi Arabia for property investing in Scotland: 8 units, £8,200 a month cash flow, a £2m portfolio. Episode 40 of the PCN Property Podcast with David Smart. Mark spent three years running £250m construction projects in Saudi and walked away in May to invest full time. Before that: a dad who had him breeding rabbits and printing business cards at eight years old, and who died when Mark was 16. He failed every Higher a month later, appealed on medical grounds, got to university, and worked up to project manager on £46,000. Then a £750,000 home he couldn't afford, a mortgage going from 1.4 to 5.2 percent, and a phone call offering three times his take home pay to go to Saudi. What working away actually looks like: six to eight week rotations, one stretch of eleven weeks, camp based two and a half hours from the nearest town. He started on £8,000 a month tax free and left on £15,000. What sent him home was a colleague of 25 years who told him his sons no longer speak to him. The property side started with a Facebook ad at Easter 2023 and a first completion that June. The first flat was sold as a two bed and turned out to be a 42 square metre one bed. Then Mears Group leases, a serviced accommodation buy that never got its licence, and refurbs and refinances to eight units at 74 percent loan to value. He is straight about the cost. £49 in the bank one week, £60,000 the next after a refinance. £15,000 on training in year one plus £6,000 a deal in sourcing fees, which he says is the best money he has spent. IN THIS EPISODE - Why £8,000 a month tax free became £15,000 inside a year - What a six to eight week rotation does to a family with three kids - The 42 square metre "two bed" and how to never get caught that way again - Mears Group leases, and the serviced accommodation deal that failed on licensing - Why he now buys at valuation with a known exit instead of chasing a discount - Running a portfolio at 74 percent loan to value and what that leaves in the bank - What he paid for training and sourcing fees, and why he would pay it again - When you stop raising investment and start enjoying the cash flow FIND MARK Facebook and Instagram: Mark Downie PROPERTY COACHING NETWORK Join: https://propertycoachingnetwork.com Property Coaching Intensive: https://propertycoaching.com/ Business: [email protected] David Smart Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/david_smart_property/ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@davidsmartproperty LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/david-smart- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.smart.7393/ Subscribe and hit the bell. One episode a week. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:46 Rabbits and business cards at eight years old 4:10 Losing his dad at 16 8:16 Failing his Highers and the appeal that got him to uni 11:47 Setting out engineer to project manager on £46k 17:35 A £750k house and the call about Saudi 22:18 Telling the wife on Saturday and the kids on Friday 27:06 Rotations, visas and the eleven week stretch 29:24 £8k a month tax free, £15k by the time he left 30:04 Camp life two and a half hours from anywhere 32:57 Easter 2023 and the Facebook ad that started it 35:49 The two bed that was a one bed, and a failed SA 39:20 Handing in his notice 42:21 Coming home and going full time 45:14 Two years in: 8 units, £8,200 a month net 49:44 Buying at valuation with a known exit 55:23 £49 in the bank one week, £60k the next 57:52 The friend who invested on a five year term 1:05:05 Turning around 1960s flats 1:06:46 Advice #propertyinvestinguk #workingabroad #scottishproperty

Investing in Aberdeen with over 100 units in the city: trap or opportunity? Sam Dyer of Apex Property Group on Aberdeen buy to let, where 12% yields are real, and why the £40k flat market is a trap. Episode 39 of the PCN Property Podcast with David Smart. Aberdeen ran the opposite course to the rest of the UK. In 2008 the UK crashed and Aberdeen grew. In 2015 the UK grew and Aberdeen fell, and ten years on it still hasn't bounced. Sam's case is that it isn't broken, it's adjusting to an economy that no longer runs on oil, and the gap between flat sale prices and rising rents is where the yield comes from. He's also honest about the cost of building a portfolio on investor money at over 100 percent leverage: it doesn't pay him an income yet, everything goes into clearing debt, and the true value of a property is what you can sell it for tomorrow, not what a surveyor writes down. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS - Around 40,000 to 45,000 people left Aberdeen after the 2015 oil crash, from a city of about 228,000 - Rents bottomed in 2019 to 2020 and have climbed since while sales prices flatlined - Why £40k flats are worth £40k and not the £55k to £60k investors hope for - City centre two bed at £70k to £80k renting for £750, West End two bed a few streets away valued at £200k renting for £950 - Why a scruffy communal area can knock around £10k off a valuation - The £1m buyer who only wants a 12 percent yield and doesn't care about discount - Where Sam would put £100k today: Rosemount, Old Aberdeen, city centre, and why he'd avoid Torry - Peterhead and Fraserburgh flats yielding 29 percent and the exit problem nobody talks about - 100+ units, over 100 percent leverage, and why there's no income from the portfolio yet - Lettings run in house with no outside clients, and the 50 unit portfolio he's hunting now - Aberdeen red flags: ex local authority stigma, factors, and a city short of roofers - Why sourcers are estate agents, and why sourcing works best as a bolt on CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:53 Why Aberdeen crashed while the rest of the UK grew 3:41 What replaces oil: GB Energy, renewables and reading the periphery 9:23 Peterhead and Fraserburgh: 29% yields and the exit problem 12:22 Bought too early in 2019: quality stock, low yield 15:36 £100k in Aberdeen: Rosemount, Old Aberdeen, not Torry 17:25 Refinance problems and the £10k communal area rule 20:20 The £40k flat trap 21:47 Stanley Street: £80k two bed vs £200k two bed 23:35 Cheapest city in Scotland: value play or value trap 24:37 How Apex went from co-sourcing to off market 26:04 The £1m buyer who only cares about 12% yield 29:01 Seasonal rents, a transient city and SA on Union Street 33:07 100+ units in Aberdeen: how healthy is it 35:40 None of your own money: the truth, and what a property is really worth 38:25 In-house lettings, the next 50 units, and why units are vanity 41:14 Mistakes: trusting someone else's refurb price and the £200k West End flat 47:15 Sourcing is glamorised: sourcers are estate agents 54:47 What makes a good Aberdeen deal, and the red flags 57:33 Members question: what's the end goal 59:51 Starting again, and the hardest thing in sourcing now 1:03:27 Goals: Apex, a 50 unit portfolio and staying bullish 1:05:08 Where to find Sam CONNECT WITH SAM Website: https://samdyerinvestment.co.uk Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn: Sam Dyer Investment Apex Property Group: sourcing across Aberdeen and the North East Sam is actively looking to buy a 50 plus unit portfolio in Aberdeen. If you have one, get in touch. PROPERTY COACHING NETWORK Join: https://propertycoachingnetwork.com Property Coaching Intensive: https://propertycoaching.com/ Business: [email protected] David Smart Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/david_smart_property/ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@davidsmartproperty LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/david-smart- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.smart.7393/ ABOUT PCN PROPERTY PODCAST Real Scottish property investors, real numbers,

AI for business, done properly. Dylan King breaks down Claude vs ChatGPT, AI automation for small business owners, and AI for property investors: what actually moves the needle, not just cool tricks. Episode 38 of the PCN Property Podcast with David Smart. THE THREE THINGS TO DO TODAY Pick one model and stick with it. Get it to interview you so it properly understands your business, then save that as a document you can feed it every time instead of re-prompting from scratch. Connect it to what you already use: Gmail, Drive, your CRM, your calendar. Then stop thinking in jobs and start thinking in workflows, and find the steps where AI can pick up the slack. Dylan's test for any AI task is blunt. Does it directly lead to more sales, or free up enough time to go and make more sales? If it does neither, do not bother. CLAUDE VS CHATGPT Why Claude is built for business and ChatGPT is built for the general public. What Claude Cowork actually is and why it handles long multi step work that a normal chat cannot. Global Instructions and why most people miss them. Fable, Opus, Sonnet and Haiku explained, plus the trick of planning with the expensive model and executing with a cheaper one for roughly the same result. FOR PROPERTY PEOPLE Why scraping the landlord register is pointless if you have no process to use the data. What happens to sourcing when everyone is scraping Rightmove, and why niching down beats scraping the whole country. Whether AI can help you find motivated sellers, and why the answer is to plug it into what already works rather than invent something new. ALSO COVERED Building a website in an afternoon instead of paying five figures. Which jobs are genuinely at risk and why Dylan is still optimistic about them. How secure your AI setup is and how to stay model agnostic. Whether estate agents get replaced. And the five step prompt framework: context, task, rules, example, then let it interview you. FIND DYLAN Instagram and LinkedIn: Dylan King Free call to work out where AI fits in your business, mentioned at the end of the episode. PROPERTY COACHING NETWORK Join: https://propertycoachingnetwork.com Property Coaching Intensive: https://propertycoaching.com/ Business: [email protected] David Smart Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/david_smart_property/ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@davidsmartproperty LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/david-smart- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.smart.7393/ Subscribe and hit the bell. Opinions and experiences shared here are the guests' own, not financial or technical advice. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:40 Three things to implement today 2:19 Global Instructions in Claude Desktop 3:43 Connecting your email, CRM and calendar 5:02 Does it actually move the needle 6:36 Think in workflows, not jobs 7:43 Breaking your processes down step by step 10:11 Turning a one off chat into a repeatable prompt 11:30 How Dylan went all in on AI 13:04 A year of learning after every shift 16:14 Claude vs ChatGPT: the real difference 18:54 Getting AI to find your knowledge gaps 20:06 Editing videos with AI 22:53 Task managers and connected systems 24:20 What should business owners actually use it for 25:14 Scraping the landlord register and doing nothing with it 26:41 What happens when everyone scrapes Rightmove 28:59 Can AI help you find motivated sellers 30:47 Where AI actually saves you money 32:56 Which jobs are most at risk 35:43 What Claude Cowork actually is 37:35 Building a website from scratch 42:25 Iterating and being specific 43:22 What happens to web developers 45:29 How did AI learn to code 47:52 Fable, Opus, Sonnet and Haiku explained 49:06 Claude pricing and usage limits 50:25 Plan with the smart model, execute with a cheap one 51:40 How secure are AI systems 53:45 What if something better comes along 55:26 The Chinese models 55:56 Sandbox escapes and AI safety stories 58:28 Safety rails and intent 59:48 Does everyone actually need AI 1:01:59 The easiest time

Taylor McDonald bought a 9 bedroom hotel for £715,000, spent £800k to £850k turning it into 17 units, and is holding a £2.4M commercial valuation. This is the full hotel conversion breakdown, plus the property sourcing business and serviced accommodation portfolio that fund it. Episode 37 of the PCN Property Podcast. David Smart sits down with Taylor McDonald, who invests around Montrose, Arbroath, Dundee and Aberdeen and runs three things at once: a property sourcing business, a serviced accommodation portfolio and SA management company sitting just shy of 20 units, and a hotel conversion he and his business partners have taken from 9 bedrooms to 17 units without adding a single square metre of footprint. HOTEL CONVERSION: THE REAL NUMBERS They paid £715,000 against a £750,000 asking price, so barely any discount, because the discount was never the point. The refurb is running £800,000 to £850,000 including furnishings, putting them roughly £1.5M to £1.6M in. The commercial survey has been renewed three times and come back at £2.4M every time (four valuations from two companies: 2.4, 2.4, 2.4 and a 2.25). Taylor is equally open about what went wrong. Fees and interest were budgeted around £200,000 and have edged up to £300,000 or £400,000. Reworking the scheme after problems with the professional team added at least six months, and that is six more months of bridging, rates, gas and electric on a building earning nothing. Two and a half years start to finish. He also opens the funding stack: £1.15M raised between shareholders and private investment, a £550,000 first round to buy it and a further £600,000 injected by a new shareholder, investors paid 10 to 12 percent depending on amount and term, and a conservative projection of around £50,000 a month gross and £200,000 to £250,000 a year net once it trades. There is a genuinely useful stretch on fire strategy and use class too. Why they stayed in use class 7 rather than going Sui Generis, how they designed out the live in staff member a hotel normally needs, the £1,500 a door digital locks that deadlock and release automatically when the alarm goes, and why three fire consultants gave three completely different answers about what compliance actually costs. SERVICED ACCOMMODATION VS BUY TO LET Real numbers on both. His five or six buy to lets gross around £3,000 a month and net about £2,000. One single SA unit was charging £6,500 a month and netting £4,000 to £4,500. Four SA units together do roughly £12,000 gross a month. One client's unit that Taylor sourced, refurbished and now manages outperforms that client's five buy to lets on its own. He is honest about the trade off. An extra £20,000 to fit a property out for SA, and where 90 percent of flats will work as a buy to let only 20 to 25 percent suit serviced accommodation. He keeps a minimum of three months of bills per property in the account to ride out a quiet winter. PROPERTY SOURCING Dropping upfront client fees about a year ago took him from roughly one deal a month to a deal a week. He spends about £2,000 a month on ads, runs the whole thing with no employees on about £3,500 a month of outsourced overheads, and treats sourcing as a deliberate loss leader (the Costco hot dog strategy). Plus why Montrose and the wind farm money changed the area, and why doing 50 deals a year as a sourcer teaches you more than buying six properties yourself. Also covered: burnout and the 10 hour work window, why he switches his phone off at five, losing his gran ten days before recording, and getting down to a 40 hour week before his first baby arrives in December. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro: 5am starts and a hotel site visit by 8 2:18 Whiteboards, WhatsApp and a 10 hour work window 6:16 The full setup: sourcing, SA, management, hotel 10:25 £2k net from the buy to lets vs £4.5k from one SA unit 12:48 Montrose and Peterhead: wind farms and the port 16:18 A deal a week, and sourcing as the loss leader 22:04 £2k a month on ads and Meta

Declan Macaloney runs Vitality Property & Refurbishments in Stirling and buys nearly all his property off-market, through assisted sales, vendor finance, and derelict houses he tracks down himself on the land register. He's 25. Started as an apprentice at 16, bought his first flat at 20, and last year put £380,000 into other people's houses and got £359,000 back out. What makes it work isn't a clever script. It's that he doesn't turn up as a property investor at all. He turns up as a builder, in a sign-written van, with Google reviews and his face on the website. Sellers let him in. He explains exactly why in this one. We go through how assisted sales actually work, and how to pitch one so the seller genuinely ends up better off. That includes the deal where he stopped a repossession, agreed at £60k, and sold for £210k. Then vendor finance, and why he'll happily pay more for a property if he gets the right terms. On one deal that meant £125,000 spread interest free over three years. There's the honest side too. Being asset rich with nothing in the bank. Working until 2am for a fortnight then falling off a cliff. Weighing up whether to wind down a profitable refurb business. And the £1.6 million Sauchiehall Street deal he walked away from and openly admits he bottled. In this episode: Why he never introduces himself as a property investor How assisted sales work for the seller, not just the buyer Structuring vendor finance so you pay over years instead of on completion Why the term matters more than the price on creative deals Finding empty and derelict houses using the land register for £3.60 Why knocking the door beats sending a letter What happens when an assisted sale seller comes back asking for more money The reality of doing this at 25 with cash tied up everywhere Subscribe for UK property, creative finance, and refurb strategy. Would you knock the door or send the letter? Let us know in the comments. 🌐 Property Coaching Network: https://propertycoachingnetwork.com 📚 Property Coaching Intensive: https://propertycoaching.com/ 📲 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/david_smart_property/ 📲 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@davidsmartproperty 📲 LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/david-smart- 📲 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.smart.7393/ 🔨 Declan / Vitality Property & Refurbishments: https://www.instagram.com/vitality.property.stirling/ 📩 [email protected]

Rio McLaughlan and Lucas Houston started sourcing property at 18. They spent nine or ten months turning up every single day and never landed one deal. In December 2023 Rio sent David a voice note saying he was done. Skint, going home early from a night out because he couldn't afford it, ready to chuck the whole thing. David plays that voice note in this episode. They've now done over 60 deals. If you're chasing your first deal, thinking about going full time, or sitting in the bit where nothing is working yet, this one is worth your time. We talk about how two mates from school ended up in business together after starting separately, where the Landmark name came from, and the cold outreach that turned it around. Sitting in Costa from eight in the morning until five at night, copying and pasting messages into Facebook property groups. One random LinkedIn message in February 2024 got them a guy with 11 properties. They sold five of them and made £11K in a month. The second half gets into the numbers. Twelve deals in the first year, 37 the next, and the spreadsheet they built to work out whether they could actually afford to quit their jobs. They also talk about the month straight after going full time when everything fell off a cliff and they did one deal. ⸻ In this episode: - The voice note from 10 December 2023, played in full - Why nine months with no deal is normal and not a sign to stop - The cold outreach message they pasted into Facebook property groups - How one LinkedIn message to a stranger turned into five deals and £11K - Why they qualify an agent on the phone before booking a viewing - The spreadsheet that told them they could go full time - Why £300 a month cash flow is a vanity number when you're starting out - What happened the month right after they handed in their notices - The damp flat in Coatbridge that caught them out - Why all 60+ deals have been sourced by them and nobody else ⸻ Subscribe for weekly conversations on property sourcing, investing and building a business in Scotland. What's the longest you've gone without a deal? 🌐 Join Property Coaching Network: https://propertycoachingnetwork.com 📚 Property Coaching Intensive (PCI): https://propertycoaching.com/ 📲 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/david_smart_property/ 📲 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@davidsmartproperty 📲 LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/david-smart- 📲 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.smart.7393/ 🏠 Rio McLaughlan and Lucas Houston / Landmark Investments: https://www.instagram.com/landmarkinvestments1/ https://www.instagram.com/rio_mclaughlan/ https://www.instagram.com/lucashoustonproperty/ 📩 Business: [email protected] ⸻ #PropertySourcing #DealPackaging #PropertyInvesting #ScottishProperty #GlasgowProperty #PropertyUK #DealSourcing #PropertyPodcast #FullTimeProperty #Lanarkshire #PropertyInvestor #FirstDeal #PCNPodcast #PropertyCoachingNetwork CHAPTERS: 00:00 Intro 01:08 Full time in property and what Landmark does now 02:37 Leaving school at 16 for a job he hated 04:46 Two mates, one course, and why they started apart 07:16 Nine months of viewings and not one deal 09:57 The TikTok that blew up and the comments 12:11 Imposter syndrome at 18 13:15 Where the name Landmark came from 17:27 The meeting that made them pick one thing 19:49 The voice note from 10 December 2023 23:25 What actually changed in the new year 24:08 One LinkedIn message, five deals, £11K 26:11 Costa at 8am, messages until 5pm 28:19 One deal is all it takes 30:55 The cold outreach strategy, start to finish 38:20 How the sourcing model actually works 40:10 37 deals last year and going direct 41:37 Qualifying agents before booking a viewing 46:02 The Facebook ads that burned money 48:57 The two houses everybody in property knows about 54:27 The spreadsheet that decided full time 57:40 April fell off a cliff 1:00:24 The assisted sale that died at the final hurdle 1:03:47 The damp flat in Coatbridge 1:06:08 From £150 a week

Sally Beard ran a 1,500 unit letting agency with 35 staff, sold it to Lomond Group in 2021, and then had to work out how to replace the income from scratch. Five years on she's built a 52 property portfolio and one of the most respected sourcing businesses in Glasgow. If you're building a buy to let portfolio, thinking about sourcing, or you just want to hear someone talk honestly about the numbers instead of selling you a dream, this episode is worth your time. We go through the Fineholm years, what it's actually like to sell a business that size, and the burnout that came before it. Sally is refreshingly open about being up at 1am working, losing weight through stress, and realising something had to change. Then the rebuild. Starting again with six properties, growing to 52, and building a sourcing model that works completely differently to most. She doesn't sell deals. She doesn't source flips. She won't promise you all your money out. And when we get to the £30K a month figure, she stops and explains exactly what that number really means once the mortgages and expenses come off it. There's a lot in here on real deals with real numbers, why the social housing model isn't the free lunch it looks like, where she actually finds her deals, and the honest advice she gives anyone who thinks buy to let will replace their salary in two years. ⸻ In this episode: - What it's really like to sell a 1,500 unit letting agency - Burnout, 1am starts and knowing when to get out - Rebuilding an income from six properties to 52 - Why the £30K a month headline isn't what people think - A sourcing model built on bespoke briefs, not selling deals - Real deal breakdowns with the actual numbers - The catch with the social housing model nobody mentions - Where her best deals genuinely come from - Raising private finance and the success mindset behind it - Honest advice for anyone starting out in buy to let ⸻ Subscribe for weekly conversations on UK property, portfolio building and the numbers behind the business. What's your take, is buy to let still the best long game in property? 🌐 Join Property Coaching Network: https://propertycoachingnetwork.com 📚 Property Coaching Intensive (PCI): https://propertycoaching.com/ 📲 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/david_smart_property/ 📲 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@davidsmartproperty 📲 LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/david-smart- 🏡 Sally Beard: Instagram: instagram.com/sallybeard_property 📩 Business: [email protected] ⸻ #BuyToLet #PropertyInvestingUK #PropertySourcing #UKProperty #ScottishProperty #GlasgowProperty #PropertyPortfolio #BTLProperty #PropertyPodcast #PCNPodcast #LettingAgent #WomenInProperty

Emily Henaghen has spent 10 years in property, from her first viewing-agent job in Scotland to running her own real estate brand in Dubai, and now back home building Casa Sales and Lettings. This episode covers the parts most people never talk about: what it actually takes to break into one of the most competitive property markets in the world, and why she chose to come home. If you're thinking about a career in estate agency, curious what real estate in Dubai is actually like day to day, or trying to work out whether social media is worth the effort for your property business, this episode is full of first-hand, practical answers. We go through Emily's path from a family sourcing business into Keller Williams, the move to Dubai in 2023, and the reality of cold calling in a market with no exclusivity and up to five other agents listing the same property. She's honest about the grind of the first year, the peaks and troughs of commission-only income, and the personal reasons that eventually brought her home. We also get into the thing Emily's genuinely known for: her personal brand. From the first video she ever posted to building an audience across TikTok, Instagram and LinkedIn, she breaks down why social media has become her number one lead source, how she handles the negativity that comes with posting constantly, and why strategy behind a listing matters far more than just putting it on Rightmove. ⸻ In this episode: •⁠ ⁠What real estate in Dubai is actually like, sales versus rentals •⁠ ⁠Why exclusivity barely exists in the Dubai property market •⁠ ⁠The reality of cold calling and building a client base from nothing •⁠ ⁠Why Emily came home after building a career in Dubai •⁠ ⁠How social media became her number one source of leads •⁠ ⁠Dealing with negative comments without letting them stop you •⁠ ⁠Why strategy, not just listing a property, is what sells it •⁠ ⁠Growing Casa Sales and Lettings and the plans to scale it •⁠ ⁠Advice for anyone wanting to break into estate agency or move abroad ⸻ Subscribe for weekly conversations on UK property, estate agency and the social media that actually generates business. Would you ever make the move to sell property abroad? 🌐 Join Property Coaching Network: https://propertycoachingnetwork.com 📚 Property Coaching Intensive (PCI): https://propertycoaching.com/ 📲 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/david_smart_property/ 📲 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@davidsmartproperty 📲 LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/david-smart- 🏠 Emily Henaghen / Casa Sales and Lettings: Instagram: instagram.com/emilyhenaghenrealestate Casa: Casa Sales and Lettings 📩 Business: [email protected] ⸻ #EstateAgent #DubaiRealEstate #PropertyPodcast #UKProperty #ScottishProperty #RealEstateAgent #PropertyCareers #CasaSalesAndLettings #SocialMediaForBusiness #TikTokForRealEstate #PCNPodcast #womeninproperty

Mark Laurie built a thriving gym business from nothing, then watched it collapse under cash flow pressure, COVID, and decisions he'd be the first to call mistakes. This is the story of losing an identity and building a completely new one. If you're in property, business, or just feel stuck and ready to pack it in, this episode is about the one thing that sits underneath all of it: mindset. We go through Mark's full journey. The wild twenties, the choices that sent him away to "have a wee think," and the moment he realised he hadn't changed at all, he'd just become who he was always meant to be. He breaks down how he built his gym from a bare storage unit during lockdown, why being a nice guy nearly sank the business, and the brutal cash flow lessons that finally forced him to shut it down. Then the rebuild. How the mindset work that started as videos on a dog walk turned into a full coaching business, why authenticity beat polished content every time, and the daily habits he leans on to keep his head right when everything feels like it's falling apart. This one is honest, raw, and full of lessons for anyone trying to build something while keeping themselves together. ⸻ In this episode: - Why "f**k-ups leave clues" just as much as success does - The identity trap of being known as your business - How emotion quietly wrecks business decisions - Building a client base from nothing, twice - Why a small audience on your wavelength beats a big one - The cash flow mistakes that close good businesses - Daily habits and routines that protect your mindset - How to play with freedom when the pressure is on ⸻ Subscribe for weekly conversations on property, business and the mindset behind building something that lasts. What's held you back more, the strategy or the mindset? 🌐 Join Property Coaching Network: https://propertycoachingnetwork.com 📚 Property Coaching Intensive (PCI): https://propertycoaching.com/ 📲 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/david_smart_property/ 📲 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@davidsmartproperty 📲 LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/david-smart- 🧠 Mark Laurie / Proactive Performance: Instagram @mark.proactiveperformance 📩 Business: [email protected] ⸻ #MindsetCoach #BusinessMindset #PropertyPodcast #UKProperty #EntrepreneurMindset #BusinessFailure #ScottishBusiness #MentalResilience #PCNPodcast #ComebackStory #GymBusiness #personaldevelopment

Virtual assistants for property investors, building a VA business by accident, and why 100,000 applications a month still only produces a handful worth hiring: Imogen Cook of The Freedom Geek breaks down how she went from corporate London to HMOs in Birmingham to running a global VA agency that's placed thousands of Filipino virtual assistants into UK property and business owner teams since 2017. If you're a property investor drowning in admin, a business owner who keeps saying you'll hire someone when you're ready, or just curious how a rigorous recruitment process filters 100,000 applicants down to 100 worth meeting, this episode is the one. We go through Imogen's accidental start after posting a £3 an hour advert and getting hundreds of applications overnight, how she modelled her screening process on investment bank graduate recruitment, why Filipino VAs consistently outperform every other region she's tested, and the moment she realised she was building a business nobody had asked her to start. You'll also learn why Upwork and Fiverr aren't the same thing as a proper VA relationship, how to train a VA when you're too busy and too chaotic to even prepare, why you should never delegate something you don't understand yourself, and why one of her best ever sales VAs is now an actress on Philippine television. In this episode you'll learn: Why 100,000 applications a month still only produces around 100 candidates worth presenting to clients How Imogen built her screening process using investment bank logic and aptitude tests The real cost comparison between a Filipino VA and a UK hire — and why it's not even close Why Upwork and Fiverr serve a different purpose and aren't built for long-term business support The biggest mistake new VA hirers make and why it takes most people a year to fix it How to delegate tasks when you're too overloaded to prepare anything properly Why you should never hand a specialist task to a VA if you can't test the output yourself The time tracker, traffic light system and KPI model that lets Imogen manage 15 VAs without micromanaging Subscribe for weekly conversations on UK property, business operations, team building and the tools that actually give you your time back. Would you hire a VA or do you still think you can do it all yourself? Drop it in the comments. 🌐 Join Property Coaching Network: https://propertycoachingnetwork.com 📚 Property Coaching Intensive (PCI): https://propertycoaching.com/ 📲 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/david_smart_property/ 📲 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@davidsmartproperty 📲 LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/david-smart- 📲 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.smart.7393/ 📩 Business: [email protected] 💻 Imogen Cook / The Freedom Geek: https://thefreedomgeek.com Chapters 00:00 Introduction — Imogen Cook and The Freedom Geek 01:22 How The Freedom Geek Started by Accident 03:00 From Corporate London to HMOs in Birmingham 07:00 Why Upwork and Fiverr Are a Different Proposition 09:30 The Screening Process — 100,000 Applications Down to 100 13:00 Aptitude Tests, References, Video Checks and Police Checks 16:30 The Blitz Group Interview That Filters 70% in 90 Minutes 19:00 Who VAs Are For and Who They Are Not For 22:00 Why You Must Train Your VA Before You Can Delegate 25:00 Loom, Scribe and Tango — The Best Tools for Handing Off Tasks 27:00 How to Spot a Bad VA Within the First Week 30:00 Filipino VAs vs UK Hires — The Real Comparison 35:00 What You Should Never Delegate to a VA 40:00 How Imogen Manages 15 VAs Without Micromanaging 45:00 Time Trackers, Traffic Lights and KPIs 50:00 The Specialist VA Problem and Why the Model Is Changing 55:00 Final Tips for Anyone About to Hire Their First VA 01:02:00 Where to Find Imogen and The Freedom Geek #VirtualAssistant #PropertyInvesting #UKProperty #PropertyPodcast #PropertyCoachingNetwork #FreedomGeek #VAForBusiness #Phili

From hydraulic engineer to hotel empire builder, and the moment he nearly quit it all over a coffee in Partick: David Liddell of Bide Hotels breaks down how he went from sourcing deals he hated, making himself homeless twice, and nearly chucking property in 2023 — to securing three boutique hotels across Scotland with a target of 200 rooms by 2030. If you're early in your property journey, trying to find your lane, or curious how someone raises £1.5 million in investment for Scottish boutique hotels with no track record and no money to start, this episode is the one. We go through David's path from designing hydraulic systems for offshore pipeline vessels in Aberdeen, to a first flip in Coatbridge that took 20 months to pay out, to moving into his own hotel on Boxing Day with a two-month-old baby, and eventually running three boutique hotels remotely from a laptop in Marbella. You'll also learn how David spent £10k on a brand name and logo and why he'd do it again, why a 50-page deal pack landed investors that ads never could, how commercial hotel valuations actually work, and why doing ten things you hate is sometimes the only way to find the one thing you love. In this episode you'll learn: Why David nearly quit property in 2023 and what changed in the first week of 2024 How commercial hotel valuations work and why bricks and mortar pricing is irrelevant The £385k purchase in Thurso that ended up £100k short on lending at the 11th hour Why a 50-page investor deal pack closed deals that ads and fancy pitches never could How David raised £1.5 million across three hotels using shareholders instead of fixed returns The real numbers — purchase prices, build costs, end values and net profit targets across all three hotels Why making yourself homeless twice was the move that kept the business alive How sourcing, assisted sales and SA management led him to boutique hotels without ever planning it Subscribe for weekly conversations on Scottish property, hotel investing, deal structuring and the journeys that don't go in a straight line. What would you do — build a portfolio or go all in on one thing? Drop it in the comments. 🌐 Join Property Coaching Network: https://propertycoachingnetwork.com 📚 Property Coaching Intensive (PCI): https://propertycoaching.com/ 📲 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/david_smart_property/ 📲 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@davidsmartproperty 📲 LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/david-smart- 📲 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.smart.7393/ 📩 Business: [email protected] 🏨 David Liddell / Bide Hotels: https://www.instagram.com/bidehotels/ Chapters 00:00 Introduction — David Liddell and Bide Hotels 01:37 Where the Name Bide Came From and the £10k Brand 03:24 From Hydraulic Engineer to Property Investor 05:26 The First Deal — A Coatbridge Flip That Took 20 Months 10:25 Making Themselves Homeless to Fund SA Cashflow 13:17 Nearly Quitting in 2023 and the Coffee in Partick 15:13 Going All In on Hotels — January 2024 19:30 How Commercial Hotel Valuations Actually Work 22:00 The Thurso Deal — £385k Purchase, £100k Lending Shortfall 29:00 Running the Hotels Temporarily Before Refurb 31:00 How David Raised £1.5 Million From Investors 38:00 The Three Hotels — Numbers, Locations and End Values 45:00 Living in the Hotel With a Newborn and Working From Marbella 50:00 The 200 Rooms by 2030 Goal 55:00 Advice for Anyone Starting Out in Property 01:02:00 Final Thoughts and Where to Find David #ScottishProperty #HotelInvesting #PropertyPodcast #PropertyInvestingUK #BoutiqueHotel #PropertyCoachingNetwork #BideHotels #UKProperty #SAProperty #ServicedAccommodation #PropertyJourney #InvestorMindset #CommercialProperty #NC500Scotland #ScotlandHotels #PropertyInvestor #RealEstateScotland #PropertyStrategy #200Rooms2030 #PropertyNetworking

Kitchen wrapping for landlords, building a trades business off TikTok, and the viral characters that turned a kitchen company into a household name in Scotland: Alex from Kitchen Wrapper breaks down how playing The 40-Year-Old Labourer and The Man-Child flooded his diary, doubled his showroom traffic, and built a brand that property investors actively seek out. If you're a landlord trying to cut refurb costs, a trade business owner looking at social media to drive leads, or just curious how an absurd TikTok character turns into hundreds of thousands of pounds of real work, this episode is the playbook. We go through Alex's move from sign fitter to running a CNC machine, wrap room and showroom, the early Facebook leads that paid for the kit, the COVID pivot that nearly ended the business, and the night he watched a guy in a forest with a baldy head and decided to point a camera at himself. You'll also learn how kitchen wrapping really compares to a full refit on cost (the truth behind the "save 80%" claim), why Alex automated 13,000 inquiries instead of hiring more admin, how the labourer accidentally became the best lead funnel he's ever built, and why a small, relevant audience beats a million-follower brain-rot account every time. ⸻ In this episode you'll learn: Why kitchen wrapping cuts refurb costs by 50%, not the 80% the industry claims How a viral TikTok character turned into walk-in showroom traffic and serious landlord clients The automation funnel handling 13,000+ inquiries with one admin person and a spreadsheet Why authenticity outperforms polished content for real business conversion How to know when your audience is the right audience (and when it's just views) The standards problem in a trade with no formal training, and how to scale anyway Why splitting the funny account from the business account saved the brand How posting your real personality builds enough trust that clients pay you to fix mistakes instead of attacking you for them ⸻ Subscribe for weekly conversations on UK property, refurb strategy, trade businesses and the social media that actually generates revenue. What would you do, run the funny account, the business account, or both? 🌐 Join Property Coaching Network: https://propertycoachingnetwork.com 📚 Property Coaching Intensive (PCI): https://propertycoaching.com/ 📲 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/david_smart_property/ 📲 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@davidsmartproperty 📲 LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/david-smart- 📲 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.smart.7393/ 🔧 Alex / Kitchen Wrapper: https://kitchenwrapper.com 📩 Business: [email protected]