Property Coaching Pop-Up Podcast

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 episo...

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 tim...

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 persona...

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 bree...

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...

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...

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...

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 cle...

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...

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 number...

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 ab...

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 t...

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....

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...

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 r...

Property investing UK, deal sourcing, investor finance and cash flow: Barry John Corr breaks down how he built a portfolio that actually performs, not just looks good on paper. If you’re trying to grow a property portfolio, attract investor finance, or understand how deals really come together in the UK market, this episode gives a clear and practical look at what actually works and what doesn’t....

Rent to rent UK, serviced accommodation (SA), and property investing: in this episode, Molly Garioch breaks down how she built a profitable rent-to-rent business, scaled to 60+ units, and generates cash flow without buying property. If you’re looking to start rent to rent in the UK, understand serviced accommodation, or build passive income through property, this episode gives a real, practical br...

UK property investing, investor finance and cash flow: Emma Thomson explains how she went from tech sales into property, raised private investor money, and scaled her portfolio fast. In this episode, I sit down with Emma Thomson to talk through how she moved from tech sales into property, why her first buy-to-let sat for years, and what changed when she decided to go all in. We get into saving for...

Commercial property investing UK: I sit down with Jerry Alexander to explain commercial property valuation, commercial finance, tenant risk and cash flow. We cover yields, leases, funding and how residential investors can start thinking about commercial property properly. What you’ll take from this episode: • Why so many residential investors avoid commercial property • How commercial valuation wo...

Welcome to Episode 24. I’m joined by my broker, Emma Ross, and we break down commercial finance so you can make better funding decisions. Commercial finance in plain English: how business and property funding actually works, what lenders look for, and how to avoid expensive mistakes. Emma Ross breaks down bridging, buy-to-let products, valuation issues, and how to think about cash flow when you’re...

UK property investing at scale: a real chat on deal sourcing, investor money, and what really happens when you grow fast in the Scotland property market (and beyond). If you’re trying to scale a portfolio, this episode covers the pressure points people don’t post on Instagram. In this episode, I sit down with Kris Dalziel to break down the realities of scaling quickly across the UK, from flips and...

How We Use Referrals to Get Property Deals in Scotland | Our Actual System Explained Referrals are genuinely the simplest way to build consistent deal flow in UK property investing - especially in Scotland where trust and proper follow-up make all the difference. In this episode, I'm sitting down with Adam Williams, my Sales Manager at Smart Sales & Investments, to talk through the referral system...

UK property investing isn’t about overnight wins. For me, it’s discipline, planning, and staying consistent. In Episode 21 of the Property Coaching Network Podcast, I sit down with pro footballer turned property investor Cammy Smith to break down how he’s built his portfolio alongside playing football. Cammy talks through the reality of planning a life after sport, how he learned the fundamentals,...

UK property investing in 2026 is won on relationships. In this episode we break down referrals, deal sourcing and the Scotland property market, plus a simple weekly rhythm to keep leads moving. I sat down with Alex Anderson to dig into how he’s built a sourcing business generating nearly £40,000 in fees whilst holding down a high-pressure corporate role. Alex breaks down his "referral-first" appro...

I sat down with Davy Hutton (the voice behind “Quicksale… SOLD!”) to dig into personal brand, social media that actually converts, and what’s really happening in the Scotland property market right now. We talk about why he’s back on social, the story behind the radio catchphrase, how TikTok differs from Facebook/Instagram in the real world, and why credibility is marketability if you’re sourcing d...