Practical Property Talk

This week Joe and Taylor jumped on with me to help round out the year and reflect on what’s been a proper journey — 52 podcasts, no shortcuts, no skipped weeks. What started as a challenge turned into something else entirely: real industry insight, real conversations, and real reassurance. The biggest takeaway from 2025? The stronger the group The better the relationships The clearer (and easier)...

Property is like becoming a parent for the first time. You don’t do it as a hobby And you definitely don’t squeeze it in on the way to work. This week’s podcast was a proper one. A very colourful, very honest conversation with Des Taylor, where we deep-dived into the real world of property — not the Instagram version. What we covered: The legal realities of being a landlord and property profession...

After hours of listening to founders, investors, developers, operators and dealmakers on podcasts, a few truths keep smacking us in the face. Not the sexy stuff. The stuff that actually makes money. Key takeaways that repeat every single time: • Consistency beats talent The ones winning aren’t smarter — they just show up longer than everyone else. • Relationships compound faster than deals One goo...

From a young age, property was always an interest — but coming from a family that only ever rented, it felt more like a dream than a destination. That was until tragedy struck. Rochelle suddenly lost her husband, leaving her alone with two young children. In the middle of grief, shock, and trying to rebuild a sense of purpose, a conversation with a friend planted a seed that would change everythin...

Being developers ourselves — hunting planning uplift, chasing opportunities, and sitting inside an exclusive developers’ circle — we see firsthand the pain many are going through right now. This week’s guest, Jamie, dives straight into those struggles people rarely talk about publicly. Born into construction, Jamie was almost destined for the trade. He started as a plumber and carpenter before eve...

“If you’ve got a property portfolio, you must be successful…” It’s a common belief — and one of the very things that pulled this week’s guest, Muzzie, into the world of property in the first place. Funny part? He originally went to a property seminar because he thought his wife and sister were about to get scammed. He only went along to stop them spending money on a training course… and by the end...

Back in the days of 120% mortgages and Northern Rock — what this week’s guest calls “the Wild West of mortgages” — many investors were building portfolios on self-cert loans and sheer determination. This week, I sat down with Neil Briggs, who first stumbled into property at just 18 when he bought his first place for £25,000 after moving out of the family home. Fast forward, and Neil’s journey has...

Over the course of this year, one thing keeps coming up in these conversations — people get into property to create more time and freedom for themselves and their families. This week’s guest, James Doran, is a perfect example of that. When his marriage began to crumble and the long shifts on the oil rigs kept him away from his three kids, James knew something had to change. In 2018, he took on a m...

The 52 Podcast journey rolls on — and this week, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Vito Lanelli for an honest, open chat about his transition from estate agent to property deal packager. After years in agency, Vito sold out of his company back in 2018 and decided it was time to explore the other side of the table. He took on some property education and began to really understand the creativi...

As the 52 Conversations journey rolls on, this week I had the pleasure of sitting down with Andrew Batt. A ski accident completely changed Andrew’s outlook on life, and by 1999 he’d found himself stepping into property alongside his mum and brother, buying a holiday let in the French Alps. But it wasn’t until years later, after enjoying life to the full, that Andrew began to truly understand money...

Today’s guest – @Sharon – dives deep into the idea that you are your first client. It’s about recognising that where you are right now… is exactly where you’re meant to be. From years in teaching to a turning point in 2017 at a property seminar, Sharon set herself a two-year target — and smashed it. What shines through her story is pure persistence and consistency. Even after a serious accident le...

The world of property never fails to amaze me. This week, I had the pleasure of sitting down with a fellow local investor from my own hometown of Benfleet, Essex — Jai Reason. After stepping away from professional football and welcoming his first child, Jai decided it was time to take charge of his next chapter and dive head-first into the world of property. Inside the football bubble, life after...

From classroom to cashflow — this week’s guest proves that property can be the ultimate career pivot. I sat down with former teacher Steph, who after dipping her toes into property soon built a portfolio strong enough to leave teaching behind. But before she stepped out, she left her students with one powerful lesson: communication is a life skill that can change everything. Steph’s journey starte...

WOWS — can’t believe I slipped and missed uploading the last few Friday pods. But don’t worry, we’re back on track now, the tech gremlins are sorted, and the weekly round-ups are rolling again. As September draws to a close and we head into October, the days might be getting shorter, but the workload is only getting bigger. The team’s been pushing hard, and we’ve seen some really positive progress...

Don’t be afraid to ask. It’s a theme that comes up time and again in these conversations — follow the systems, stick to the structure, and lean on others when you need to. This week’s guest, Barry White, brings that lesson home perfectly. Barry takes us through an incredible journey in property. From being unmortgageable after three years abroad, to borrowing money from family just to get started…...

“Just turn up.” Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But the more I sit down with property professionals, the more I realise that those who truly progress all have one thing in common — the consistency of showing up. And Tony Buck captures that perfectly in this chat. Tony made a huge life pivot, took on property training, and hasn’t looked back since. His story is full of energy, inspiration, and a crystal...

Downing tools, moving hundreds of miles from home, throwing yourself out of your comfort zone… then completing on 10 houses in a year and building a £1.5 million portfolio. Now that’s a story worth telling. This week I sat down with Martin Adams to hear about his journey and the path that got him here. From the first word, you can feel Martin’s passion. The confidence, the energy — it’s infectious...

The journey rolls on — and this week we sat down with Dan Fatica. We first crossed paths at a networking event in London with Mark Dalton, and his story stuck with me straight away. Fresh out of university, Dan landed a role at a brokerage. Surrounded by investors and developers using creative bridging finance, he didn’t just sit back and watch — he started “collecting” properties himself. By 23,...

Here we go — first week of the month, and that means one thing… our monthly networking session at the legendary Halfway House in Brentwood. Another solid turnout, another chance to reconnect with our growing community, and once again a powerful reminder of how important it is to stay consistent and accountable in this game. Later in the week, I hit up another cracking event to keep the momentum go...

The more I sit down with experienced business owners who’ve successfully exited, the clearer one thing becomes: Fail faster. It’s a phrase that keeps cropping up, and the deeper I dive, the more sense it makes. In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Rachel — who started her journey in lettings at just 16. With the right network, strong mentors, and a ton of graft, she went on to buil...

Now this was a proper conversation. A genuine chat about the ups, downs, and lessons learned on the property journey. Ryan’s story is one many can relate to — starting out with pushback from friends and family, scaling fast, and then realising the real growth comes from slowing down enough to understand the process before pushing on again. We both shared what it feels like to face that pushback. T...

This week’s been all about banging the drum. Not every week comes with shiny wins or headline moments — but it’s these relentless, keep-pushing weeks that lay the groundwork for the breakthroughs. Meetings, calls, chasing, following up… it can feel like you’re going round in circles, but the truth is, this is the rhythm that creates the wins down the line. Property’s a long game, and persistence i...

This week saw Gav heading north — catching up on live projects and scoping out fresh opportunities heading our way. Wednesday brought the very first Bricks, Balls & Birdies golf day… sunshine, property chat, and a fair bit of “find the ball” after some questionable swings. A cracking day out and a brilliant chance to reconnect with good people in the game. By Thursday and Friday the tempo cranked...

Costings on refurbs… how many of us have been caught out? 🙋‍♂️ We’ve been there ourselves more than once. So, we thought – let’s bring in Tony Walker from Help Build for a proper chinwag. What a journey – from both of us grafting behind the trade counter, to now rolling our sleeves up in the property game. Two stories, one theme… and yet again, it all comes back to one thing: having a solid, syst...

First week of August in the bag — and what a solid start to the month. For us, the turn of the month is a chance to look back, analyse the wins and lessons from the previous four weeks, and gear up for what’s ahead. These monthly overviews keep us moving in the right direction, step by step towards those yearly targets. As always, the first Tuesday of the month means our networking event — a fixtu...