From The Ground Up

How She Made £372K Profit in 18 Months Using Rent-to-Rent and Serviced Accommodation

From The Ground Up

Show Notes

Can you build a profitable property business without savings, good credit or previous property investment experience? In this episode of From The Ground Up, Steve Doran sits down with former teacher and property entrepreneur Helen Louise to uncover how she generated more than £372,000 in profit during her first 18 months in property through rent-to-rent, serviced accommodation, contractor bookings, property management and property flips. Helen explains how she went from earning £1,200 per month and budgeting with weekly cash envelopes to securing 16 rent-to-rent properties in just nine months. She shares how she contacted more than 250 landlords, secured her first property within weeks, leased everything from beds and furniture to teaspoons and ironing boards, and found long-term contractor bookings by visiting construction sites in person. Steve and Helen also discuss how she built a serviced accommodation management business without owning the properties, used profits from rent-to-rent to begin flipping houses, raised private finance by finding strong below-market-value property deals and developed several businesses across property sourcing, cleaning, lettings and short-term accommodation. Want to learn more and find out how to transform your financial future in just 2 days? Connect with Steve via https://stevedoran.co.uk/home Key Moments: 0:00 How Helen generated £372,000 profit in 18 months 02:03 Going from teaching to property investing 03:15 Living on a £1,200 monthly salary 07:43 Discovering property investment through her builder father 10:11 Learning about rent-to-rent serviced accommodation 12:17 Having her bank card declined before property training 13:14 Securing 16 properties in nine months 13:54 Finding her first rent-to-rent property 16:30 Contacting more than 250 landlords 18:05 Turning a landlord’s rejection into her first deal 21:13 Finding properties by driving around and knocking on doors 23:31 Leasing furniture without savings or good credit 26:22 Finding contractor bookings through Booking.com and Airbnb 27:12 Visiting construction sites to secure direct bookings 29:59 Overcoming fear and getting out of the car 31:36 How one site visit created bookings across the UK 34:00 Why success requires leaving your comfort zone 36:01 Believing in yourself and setting achievable goals 37:09 Handing in her notice as a teacher 38:07 Making money through serviced accommodation management 39:52 Using rent-to-rent profits to flip property 41:06 Raising private finance for property deals 43:44 Why you should find the deal before the investor 46:14 The mistakes Helen made while scaling 48:51 Receiving a £23,000 corporation tax bill 49:54 Taking responsibility for property tax and finances 51:44 Balancing motherhood and property investing 53:42 How property changed her daughter’s future 56:12 Helen’s advice to her daughter 58:10 What Helen wants to achieve next 59:17 Taking action even when you do not feel ready

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