Funny how life works.
In my early 20s, I applied for a visa to spend the summer working in New York. I had it all planned out.
My dream was to be a racing driver. Because I started motor racing too late, I didn’t make it to Formula One. So now that dream was over. Being young and care-free, I fancied a summer job working in a bar in New York.
The American Embassy had other ideas.
Visa application refused. Dream over.
So instead, I packed my bags and headed to London in the early 1990s, bought my first house with what was then called a 95% self-cert mortgage (yes… those really existed!), and accidentally stumbled into property investing because after buying my first house, my next-door neighbour then offered me his house at a bit of a deal – I couldn’t refuse – so I was off to the races, as they say!
Looking back, absolutely nobody was talking about the property market at dinner parties or in the media at the time; I did feel a bit alone at the time….
That rejected visa was probably the best thing that ever happened to me.
Who would’ve thought one piece of bad news would lead to a career spanning more than three decades, over 100 property deals, a substantial portfolio, writing for The Times, training for the NRLA, becoming Managing Director of Genii Developments Ltd, and previously serving as CEO of International Property Group, based overseas, but developing and trading property throughout the UK?
Life has a funny way of knowing better than we do.
SO WHY DID I START MENTORING?
Simple…
Because I got fed up.
Fed up watching “property gurus” teaching strategies they’ve never actually executed.
Fed up listening to people who own more credit cards than rental properties.
Fed up with the smoke, mirrors and social media hype.
I thought…
“Surely someone should teach property who actually spends their days buying, refurbishing, developing and managing property?”
So I decided to do exactly that. It wasn’t purely for the money, although that helped!
Everything I teach has been tested in the real world.
Some of it worked brilliantly.
Some of it nearly cost me my mental health
I’ve bought fantastic deals…
I’ve bought the very odd bad deal; thankfully, not many…
I’ve made mistakes in the 1990s that still make me shake my head today in shame.
I’ve dealt with the biggest of cowboy builders, nightmare refurbishments, planning headaches, difficult tenants, lender problems, builders disappearing halfway through projects and enough unexpected surprises to fill my book – The Truth About Property – which is available in bookshops and on Amazon.
Actually…
…I did write one.
The point is this…
Experience isn’t just about celebrating your successes.
It’s about surviving your mistakes, learning from them and making sure the people who follow you don’t have to repeat them.
If I can save you from making just one expensive mistake, your mentoring could pay for itself many times over.
THE BIGGEST LESSON I EVER LEARNED
People think property is about finding amazing deals.
It isn’t.
It’s about becoming the sort of person who consistently finds amazing deals.
My biggest breakthroughs didn’t happen because I suddenly became more intelligent.
They happened because I became more disciplined.
More focused.
More consistent.
I stopped waiting for motivation and started relying on habits.
Even today, after more than thirty years, I’m still working on improving myself.
Because the biggest property development you’ll ever undertake…
…is developing yourself.
WHAT REALLY MAKES A SUCCESSFUL PROPERTY INVESTOR?
After more than three decades, people still ask me…
“Henry… what’s the secret?”
I always disappoint them with the same answer.
There isn’t one.
There are simply a handful of things that, if you master them, put the odds massively in your favour.
1. BUY POTENTIAL—NOT JUST PROPERTY
The best investors don’t buy buildings.
They buy the right buildings with the right profit possibilities.
Extensions.
Conversions.
Reconfigurations.
Unused space.
Hidden value.
Toxic tenant issues.
Anyone can buy a house.
Successful investors buy opportunities that other people can’t see and if I am being honest, the only reason I sometimes see them is because of my vast experience! I can find a property in seconds where others don’t realise the value, and I can value and assess it immediately, again simply because of so much experience.
2. MASTER VALUATIONS
This is where fortunes are made.
Property isn’t really about bricks and mortar.
It’s about numbers – my favourite part – doing a feasibility study!
Learn how to value properly and you’ll know within minutes whether you’ve found a bargain—or a headache dressed up as an opportunity.
Learn how to do a professional standard of feasibility study and then you will have now mastered the keys to profit; if you make a profit, you can recycle your cash or sell it on.
Remember…
Profit is made when you buy it… It’s all about the buying… not when you sell.
Building a sustainable property portfolio is based on understanding how to create value and equity in every deal.
BUILD A PORTFOLIO TENANTS DON’T WANT TO LEAVE
The investors making the most money aren’t always the ones with the biggest portfolios.
Often they’re the ones with the fewest empty rooms.
Better layouts.
Better soundproofing.
Better insulation.
Rooms people actually enjoy living in.
Happy tenants stay longer.
Longer stays mean fewer voids, fewer refurbishments and significantly better profits.
DESIGN OUT TOMORROW’S PROBLEMS
Every maintenance call steals your time.
Every cheap fitting eventually becomes an expensive fitting.
I spend a little more today to save a lot tomorrow.
Long warranties.
Quality materials.
Thoughtful design.
Less maintenance.
Less stress.
Better sleep.
5. YOUR MINDSET IS YOUR BIGGEST ASSET
Knowledge helps.
Action changes lives.
The people who succeed aren’t always the smartest.
They’re simply the ones who keep showing up.
They make decisions.
They solve problems.
They keep moving when everyone else is waiting for the “perfect” market, the “perfect” interest rates or the “perfect” deal.
Here’s the reality…
Perfection never arrives.
Successful investors build anyway.
ONE FINAL THOUGHT…
There is absolutely nothing I’ve achieved that you can’t achieve too.
I wasn’t born into property.
I wasn’t handed millions.
I didn’t have insider knowledge.
What I did have was determination, resilience and a willingness to keep learning when things went wrong.
You don’t need to be the cleverest person in the room.
You don’t need a finance degree.
You don’t need wealthy parents.
You need the right strategy.
You need consistency.
You need discipline.
And sometimes…
You simply need someone who’s already walked the road ahead, knows where the shortcuts are, and more importantly, knows exactly where the potholes are. Believe me, there are so many sharks and potholes in the journey!
If my journey proves one thing, it’s this…
Ordinary people really can build extraordinary property businesses.
If you join my mentoring programme, I’ll teach you the same systems, strategies and mindset that I’ve developed over more than three decades and over 100 real property deals.
Will you still need to work hard?
Absolutely.
Will there be challenges?
Of course.
But if you’re prepared to listen, learn and take action, you’ll leave with something far more valuable than motivation.
You’ll leave with the knowledge, confidence and mindset to build a property business that could genuinely change your life.
Now…
Let’s get to work.
