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Listen "Episode #18: 25 years as a landlord, with Mark Alexander from Property 118"
Episode Synopsis
Mark Alexander became an accidental landlord in 1989, when interest rates were at 15% and everyone around him was going bust. Mark studied the people and businesses who thrived in those tough times, developed his own strategy by modelling them, and has now been a successful landlord for nearly 25 years.
Oh, and he did it all while building up one of the UK’s fastest growing businesses.
Now, Mark runs Property118.com, which has 200,00 landlords and property professionals signed up to its mailing list. I found out Mark’s story, and asked him from the main lessons he’d drawn from his own experiences and those of all the landlords he speaks to every day.
Listen now
In this interview, you’ll learn:
How Mark’s involvement in property started with him becoming an accidental landlord
How Mark’s investment strategy came from observing people who were thriving in a difficult market
What led Mark to make his very first investment
Why the type of property Mark bought changed over time
His thoughts on income versus capital appreciation
Why Mark recommends using an agent rather than self-managing
The types of tenant Mark deliberately targets to limit his tenant turnover
Why Mark likes to accept tenants who have pets (but makes some checks first)
The biggest mistakes Mark made when buying properties
The story behind how Property 118 came to exist
The most common questions Mark sees from landlords in his forums
What a Deed of Assurance is, and why you might want to use one
Mark’s rule of thumb for how much cash landlords should have on hand relative to their borrowing
Episode resources
Mark’s site, Property 118
Sign up for my FREE 8-part email course about getting started in property
Subscription links
If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe on iTunes – every episode will be automatically downloaded for free, so you never miss out!
Or if you’re a geek like me, you can grab the RSS feed here.
Tell me what you think!
If you’ve got any questions or comments on this week’s podcast, get in touch! You can email me, or find me on Twitter.
I’d also really appreciate it if you could review the podcast on iTunes. I’ll read out all 5-star reviews on the show!
Oh, and he did it all while building up one of the UK’s fastest growing businesses.
Now, Mark runs Property118.com, which has 200,00 landlords and property professionals signed up to its mailing list. I found out Mark’s story, and asked him from the main lessons he’d drawn from his own experiences and those of all the landlords he speaks to every day.
Listen now
In this interview, you’ll learn:
How Mark’s involvement in property started with him becoming an accidental landlord
How Mark’s investment strategy came from observing people who were thriving in a difficult market
What led Mark to make his very first investment
Why the type of property Mark bought changed over time
His thoughts on income versus capital appreciation
Why Mark recommends using an agent rather than self-managing
The types of tenant Mark deliberately targets to limit his tenant turnover
Why Mark likes to accept tenants who have pets (but makes some checks first)
The biggest mistakes Mark made when buying properties
The story behind how Property 118 came to exist
The most common questions Mark sees from landlords in his forums
What a Deed of Assurance is, and why you might want to use one
Mark’s rule of thumb for how much cash landlords should have on hand relative to their borrowing
Episode resources
Mark’s site, Property 118
Sign up for my FREE 8-part email course about getting started in property
Subscription links
If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe on iTunes – every episode will be automatically downloaded for free, so you never miss out!
Or if you’re a geek like me, you can grab the RSS feed here.
Tell me what you think!
If you’ve got any questions or comments on this week’s podcast, get in touch! You can email me, or find me on Twitter.
I’d also really appreciate it if you could review the podcast on iTunes. I’ll read out all 5-star reviews on the show!
In God we trust