The Property Unleashed Podcast

How Bolaji Rebuilt His Property Business Using Rent-to-SA, In Our Property Investing Community

• Mark Fitzgerald • Episode 345

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We trace Bolaji’s shift from rocky buy-to-lets and a rogue agent to a focused rent-to-SA strategy powered by solid training, better sourcing, and a dependable operations partner. Cash flow comes first, then diversification into HMOs and creative control tools to build a safer portfolio.

• social housing background and first buy-to-lets
• council schemes, reliable rent, and a difficult tenant
• the agent nonpayment issue and hard lessons learned
• training paths, networks, and why accountability matters
• direct-to-landlord outreach and delayed response reality
• filtering deal sourcers and Article 4 planning discipline
• landing a rent-to-SA with pro management and strong bookings
• next steps: more SA units, then R2R HMO, PLO as a tool
• using expert calls, live workshops, and deal reviews to de-risk
• mindset: value over cost, systems over hustle, community over guesswork

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SPEAKER_02:

Hello and welcome to the Property Unleashed with me, your host, Mark Fitzgerald. It's great to be here today. I am joined by a special guest. I've known this gentleman now for quite a few years, and it's been great to see his progress through property and how he's actually growing as a person and building his own property portfolio up. So it's great to have Balager on with me today. How are you today, my friend? I'm very well, thank you. And you? I'm good. I'm good. All the better for seeing your face. All the better for seeing your face. So, Balage, can you uh like I like to do with all of my guests, just tell us a bit about yourself, please.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, I'm Balaji. Uh I live in Croydon, South London. Uh I'm married, I've got three children, a boy and two girls who are twins. And and they're looking very well anyway. I've been I work with the local authority as is in social housing, and I've been doing it for quite a number of years now. And I've worked all along, I've always been within the London boroughs. I worked in Brixton, I've worked in Hillendon, I've worked in Walthamstone, but at the moment I'm in Merton, which some people know as Wimbledon.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, okay, brilliant stuff. And you know, working in the sectors that you work in and everything, you what got you into property initially?

SPEAKER_01:

What brought me into property initially with is all because I'm interested in the economy per se. And again, working within the housing sector, we know that there's always a shortage of properties in the UK since Margaret Thatcher sold off most house and most local authority properties. So I know I have an inkling that it's always good with property, you can never be, you can never go wrong if you know what you are doing. Yes. So that's what brought me into property.

SPEAKER_02:

Of course. And we also know that property has its ups and downs, isn't it? So I understand that you've you've had some buy to let's in the past, haven't you? But was this basically the traditional way of just buying a property, renting it out as a buy-to-let? And what were your aspirations? What were your plans with what you were doing there?

SPEAKER_01:

When I bought the my first buy-to-let, it was a traditional buy-to-let anyway. And what it was was that uh myself and my wife decided to remortgage our property, take out some equity, then we used that to buy the two-bed flat conversion in Croydon here, which was then rented out. It was rented out through the local authority because they do a scheme called the rent guarantee scheme. So they gave us the tenancy and they were even able to do the tenancy agreement for us. So Anna, we had this tenant, it's a single parent. He was there for a number of years, and throughout the period we were there, everything was going well. No rent missing, nothing at all. There wasn't any void for about seven years. So when he then she left to go and get married, he found a wonderful nice man to marry. So he moved, she moved out. Then we then brought in, we then got another person from the council, a single parent as well. But he she then she was a complete nightmare for the period she was there. Then my wife and I then decided that we just have to sell the property up because the the hassle was too much for us. But knowing what I know now, I wouldn't have sold the property, I would have just do it done it for something else.

SPEAKER_02:

That's well, as the old saying goes, we don't know what we don't you don't know what we don't know. Property say again, okay.

SPEAKER_01:

All right, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, now no, I was just saying, uh, you know, 20 years ago, we I wish I'd bought a lot of properties because that was that was you know a great time, it was a lot cheaper back then, but I only bought one, and that was to live in. So, yeah, it's one of those things that goes along. So I understand that you had two properties. Uh, obviously, that's what happened with one of those properties, and as we know, property can be a rocky road. What about the second one that you did then?

SPEAKER_01:

The second one is also a bite to let, but it's it was in the northwest of the UK, that's i.e., it's in a place called Blackbourne. So uh needed to two bed, two upper, two bed, to upper down, anyway. So that was also rented out, and the first two years, no problem, because the lady living there was living with her son. She was a cancelled tenant as well. So the rent was coming in every month, and because we have an agent there managing the property for us, everything every month, the money was coming in regularly. We are able to pay the mortgage, everything. But it got to a stage, the rent wasn't coming in on a monthly basis, it can come in first, second, and third month. Then all of a sudden, the fourth, fifth, and sixth month, no money coming in. So after about a year, we then had to go in ourselves to go and meet the agent. But before going to the agent, we went to the tenant and asked what was the reason for all this. And the tenant told us that there wasn't any reason that they've been paying up all the time. And and we then said, Oh, you've been paying up. She said there was no time that the council have not paid the agent because if there's anything, they would have contacted her.

SPEAKER_03:

Right?

SPEAKER_01:

But they had it, but they didn't contact her. So we then went to the agent, then we then asked her what's the problem. And he said there wasn't any problem that it was a tenant that wasn't paying. But I then asked, but you got paid directly from the council. He said yes. So we then had to go to the council offices. We met them there. We went to the housing benefit department, and they showed gave us a rent statement that every month how they paid the whole thing. So eventually we then went back to the agent and decided that we wanted to terminate the contract. So that we then took it on, but then immediately we decided we are selling it because we cannot be managing property from London here. So that was how that happened. So we then I then decided that you know what, I'll just take a break, just have my way I'm living on. But come 2019, I met, I just saw an advert. I don't know whether you know this late person called Jill Fielding. Okay, okay, she also does property as well. So she did a three-day property seminar, which I attended, but it was very, very close just before COVID. Right. So I did a three-day seminar, but the point is you know that when you are doing something, it just keep people keep giving you everything. But there was nothing in my brain, but I attended the three days, you know. So after that, then COVID came. Still, I still have something in my mind to still do something. Anyway, in 22, 23, early 23, I decided I wanted to do something. Then I met this person online. It's called the Humble Penny Company. What they do is it's called Financial Joe Academy. They run a membership club just like each year. Okay. But there's their own membership club is basically to make people free, to be debt-free, put it that way. But they have lots of different masterclasses, they have things to do with web design, FBA, I mean Facebook marketing, investment, stocks, and all the rest. But again, they also have portions for property investing. Now, because I wasn't I wasn't interested at all in anything like stock investing and all the rest, I was only interested in property. So I did, you know, like you know, like on ETA. Now we have PLO, we have SA, we have rent to rent, something similar like that. They have three different ones on HMO. There are case studies on HMO by the people who are running these HMOs. Then there's another one on rent to rent. So I did the all the HMOs, but when it came to the rent to rent, the person maybe I don't know whether you might you might have heard of her name, is Stephanie Taylor. Yeah. You know her.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. Now Stephanie Taylor put her own link on this and as an affiliate of this company. Now I then went to that just because I had no idea, I had no idea of what is rent to rent at all, no clue at all about anything rent to rent. So I went on to that, I clicked on it. Oh, am I talking too much?

SPEAKER_02:

No, no, you're fine. Keep going. No, you're Google.

SPEAKER_01:

So I went onto that. I tried to do the masterclass, but it said no that I can only put in my email address. Now, whether I put in my email address, then Stephanie Taylor herself then sent me an invite to come and join them. Anyway, I joined them. Now I think it's about three months course. Right. So I did the three-month course, but while doing the course, one of the things she kept on advising us to do is to join our local property network. So I then click on the property network in my local. That's how I knew of pain and growing. But before then, I when I was doing Stephanie Taylor's rent to rent, you know, just like your own rent to rent, but slightly. How do I put it? For want of a better word, it was far less than what you gave us. Oh, okay, okay. That's good to hear. Yeah, far, far less than what you gave us. You know, I did the own rent to rent the yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So again, so doing that, doing this her rent to rent, there are two things which I gained from it. Number one, going through the network meetings, number two, help us to come, I mean, advise us, encouraged us to open our own, to set up our own company and to do things like a property redress scheme and N R N R L A. So I got that from her. But like, you know, like the spreadsheet which you gave us, if you remember, she didn't give us that. It's only when we are doing the coaching with her, she'll pick it up, use it, immediately she finished with the coaching, and that's it. So we can't if we haven't got access to the oh, that's a shame. Yeah, so that's a shame. Anyway, I realized that after three months, she then said, you have to come and join the affiliate program. Now, it's only when you join the affiliate program that you can then have access to other things, you know, like in your case, she she normally does coaching as well, coaching call every other week. Now, she does the coaching call on Tuesday, then the following week, her sister will do the coaching call as well. So it's not basically her who was doing it, it was two of them doing it. So what you get from one will be different from what you get from the other. If you understand what I'm saying, yeah, yeah. I wasn't really happy because I felt unfulfilled.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

Whereas when I was when I was with the company that made me know her, that is the humble penny company, we do what is called coaching call every fortnight. But again, the the coaching call will be on a Wednesday. They would tell you to put in whatever questions you have, you submit it on Monday, so that by Wednesday they'll give you the answer. And again, another good thing with humble penny is that every quarter they will give us an accountability partner. So you have a partner which you can do it as well with each year.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

So there are two three things actually accountability partner, coaching call, and then also there is a book club. So there's also yeah, at that time, every Monday, lunchtime, we'll read a book, maybe a chapter. So that those are the things which I get from there. So now when I then I attended the first PIN meeting in Croydon, that was in November, no, October 23. So when we I did in October 23, then again it ended in November one, but at the November one, I think that was when Simon said something like he's going to do something for a challenge for January. I can't remember the challenge anyway. And at that challenge, I applied for it, so I got the free property mastermind, you know, the foundation. Yeah, I got that for free, which I did in which I did in with Andy Hens. Yeah, and at the same time, at that same property, something which Simon did, he said if I if we just sign up for YTN, I think about six pounds or something monthly, then and I then got the Simon's book property magic like free of charge. Anyway, so that's how I did it. Then the next thing is when I came for the Andy Haynes won in January. Then again, we were encouraged to if we put in application for the MMA, that we get a discount, which I did put in for, and I got a grand discount. Nice. So that's all it is.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, that's good, that's good. So, but it's good to educate yourself because you take different elements from different people and different trainings and things. You get it, you get me, and then you can get out there because even I always say to it so some people will do a training and it's not quite what they wanted, but I always say that there must be, and most of the time there is something in there that has opened your eyes to that next, and I think we grow and build like a ladder in layer. So when we hear something for the first time, yeah, we open our mind up to it, and it's like, wow, now we can hear it again and again. Yeah, but everybody has something to share which helps you grow as a person, and I think it's good that you've put yourself into those elements, but then you have realized yourself that you need to knuckle down now and actually get some results, don't you?

SPEAKER_01:

You get me now by doing the MMA, and the good thing is, I came with my wife in the first place. She then at the point where we did the rent to rent, she then said, Yes, this is what we can work on, right? That you can just do this, and I said, Okay, but going leaving that training, and I I realized that I still need to know more about rent to rent. That was why I signed up to yours. Yeah. Now, when I signed up to yours, at the same time I was doing it, I was doing it, and I was looking all over Croydon. I took, I mean, I applied to the local in the local council, got the HMO list, both current Croydon, Lewisham, Lambert, and Bromley. I got all of them, and I I joined, and I sent out a lot of landlord letters, almost 800. Which cost me a lot of money. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, and I still don't, I still I don't think that what can I do? Because no return, no return on my investment. But all of a sudden, did you get any calls?

SPEAKER_02:

Did you did people contact you?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, a few people contacted me. Okay, cool. They did contact me, no doubt about that. A few of them contact two contacted me and I said, you know, I sent it out last year, they contacted me earlier this year.

SPEAKER_02:

It's crazy that, isn't it? When you actually do it, some people think I've sent some letters and I've not heard anything, but you can hear I I've had that nine months after I sent a letter, somebody rang me up.

SPEAKER_01:

So two of them contacted me, but they said they are waiting for. I mean, you know, because when labor came in, they said they are waiting for they want to see what the government, what label would changes and things, yeah. Yeah, but at the same time, so when you said you are doing this sort of thing, I knew straight away because of having been on one membership before, I understand what I can gain from your company. That's why I joined ETA.

SPEAKER_02:

So, yeah, education to action for people that don't know is our online community for property investors, which belongs to most of us.

SPEAKER_01:

Do just do the training, we never put it into practice.

SPEAKER_02:

No, and that's what we want to help you with.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, so and you know, when I then when I started looking at what you are doing, I realized that it's in line with what I want to do. But all of his study, I think the first introduction you made, you were saying when you were talking about, I think Simon has even mentioned it as well that most of the deal sources don't know what they are doing. No, there's a lot out there. Yeah, what I had one, I mean, somebody, one deal sourcer sent something to me about a property for HMO in Croydon here, and I went and looked at that property. The first thing I asked the guy who owns the property was that, because he's just renovated it. And I said, Have you applied to the council for HMO license? Or he said, I'm just in the process of applying. And I said, But we cannot use it. You have not applied, you have no certificate of lawfulness, nothing whatsoever. She said, and he then said, Okay, how much am I ready to take it on from you? I said, I'll have to go home and go and do my homework, then come back to him. So when I got back home, the deal sourcer then got in touch with me, said, Oh, how did I find it? And I said, I explained to him that it's a lovely property. I'm ready to take it on, but the man has to put in the application. Even if he puts in the application, then they can ask for the certificate of lovefulness. But again, he he was even trying to turn it into a six-bed. And I said, there's nothing wrong with that, but because this is this article four direction, so you need the planning permission to work on it as well. Oh shit. And my the deals also said, Oh, he doesn't need, and I said, Yes, he does. I know what I'm saying. He said, and I said, and I said, please give me an estimator. I mean, he said I should, how much do I want to give the land, pay the land? And I said, from what I'm seeing at that property, I cannot pay more than 2800. He said, 2800 is too small. And I said, Do you know what you are saying at all? Anyway, I did, I looked at quite a few properties and I then said, then I did the I came back to to ETA, then did you know the one by Graham? Yep. I did the accelerator on Graham and I said, Hmm, if I if I can try this, maybe I can get something. Because there was this guy who one of the people who was on Graham's that accelerator, the guy operates from Wales, I think, is it in Bari or somewhere like Zach and E. Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

We we we taught them how to do service accommodation. Did you? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. Anyway, when I saw that, that gave me some sort of confidence, and I said, and I said, I'll get in touch with you. That if you can introduce Dale Source, I know whoever you introduce will be someone whom you you trust and you rely on. So and you gave me books, Adam. In fact, Adam sent something to me yesterday, which I'm just trying to. I think he has run it through Emily anyway. It's in Sheffield, right? So I want to I'll look at it again tomorrow and I'll give him my decision tomorrow, anyway. So when by taking over that Norwich unit, that's giving me some sort of confidence.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that's brilliant. But I mean, like you say, finding a deal source that is worth explaining gold. I've got a few now that I know, which is why obviously we pointed you in the direction of Adam, who is a serious deal sourcer, he's been doing it a long time, but also he's not trying to just source everything, he sources specifically because he knows, and that that's what a deal sourcer should do. So learning how to be a deal source, you need to learn the other strategies, which is something I teach people in ETA because we want to you know if we can get some decent deal sources as well in ETA, it'll help all of our lives, wasn't it? Yeah, so it's a massive thing like that. So you we put you in contact with Adam, you've spoken to Adam, he came across and showed you the deals he had, and then so what's what where are you up to? Because at the moment you're looking at rent to SA now, aren't you? Because you've gone through that trade.

SPEAKER_01:

That's that's my strategy at the moment. It rent to SA. I mean, I'm taking the other one, the Sheffield one, most likely I'll take it on by next week, but then that will that I'll sign it off for November. Now, once I do that, then I look for another one. But my strategy next year is rent to rent HMO. Okay, yeah, but I want to get about three first of all. If I can get on each one, if I can get about 500 a month on each one, so if I have three units, that's about 1500. Then I can then look up to rent to rent HMO because that's all I want to do at the minute. Maybe in another two years or so, I can then look at something else. I can then go to RuPaint to help me through.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, well, that's it in the community because dig in the community, and Rupin can help with refurbs, it's buying properties, refurbishing, adding value. That's what it's all about, and that's why we built this community up, and we've got a vast array of great community members, but also experts that specialize in each of those. So you can't, you don't just have to do rent to rent, you can do purchase lease options.

SPEAKER_01:

We can show you how those I'm already on purchase lease option. I'm going through that now. Yeah, I think I'm just doing the first model when I finish everything on purchase lease option, then I'll see where that would take me to. But I want to get I want to get three rent to rent essays first, yeah. Then change my strategy next year. But this year, that's that's what I want to base me concentrate on now.

SPEAKER_02:

So it's great because you've got that first deal over the line, you've got that rent to essay, you're not managing it, so you're the investor, you've got a management team that's managing that for you. And how is that property performing for you?

SPEAKER_01:

Performing very, very well, to be honest. That's good. That's what is giving me the confidence to get the next one now, right?

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, so you're getting plenty of bookings then.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, the bookings for September was completely full. Wow. 26 days in September. Currently, I mean, the bookings for this month already, I think, is about four plus another five, about nine days now already. Well, that's good considering we've only just started, and then for November, I think about four days already for November, first week of November.

SPEAKER_02:

Well then, considering the time of the year, it's not the best time of the year for service accommodation as well. Yeah, but uh no, that's great, and like you say, it gives you that confidence now to get yourself a few more of these. Yeah, then you can start. And I always think that's a great way to go about things because for my myself, initially I did the rent-to-rent strategy and all of that to build up the cash flow, yes, I could bring the money in to then be able to go and do exactly what I wanted to do, which yeah, is why we we basically train teach you, I say, with the courses we train everybody, you know, the rent-to-rent, the purchase lease options, the deal sourcings, the HMOs, the service accommodation. Because I think you and and all of us, the reason I think I've done quite well as an investor is because I know the different strategies, I don't use them all because not all of them suit how I want to do things, but it is really handy to know those different strategies. And I think sometimes because you only do one course, you only learn one thing, it makes it very difficult when you're looking to do deals because you don't know the other options because you're just trying to shoehorn, if you like, your strategy into what somebody else might not be, you know, open to actually want to do with you, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

So you've got your rent to essay, you're gonna look for another couple, you've you've got another one potentially lined up already, which has been great. Yes, yeah. So what so your main targets now for yourself, then what are your sort of goals?

SPEAKER_01:

My goals basically is that you know, you must have an exit strategy. So, my goals now is that that you know, the rental essay is only three-year contract, which I'm taking on. Yeah. So after by the three years, I'll hand them back over to the owners. Now, before then, at least I'll have next year now. Uh maybe I might use the PLO. I know it's just another, it's just a strategy. It's a tool rather, not a strategy, it's a tool which I can which I can use, probably get another two properties for on rent to rent to use it as rent to rent, basically. But that would be rent-to-rent HMO or something like that.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, that's it. So some people will say to you, my friend, if you're doing well with the service accommodation, why don't you stick with that? You you but you you want to have, you know, you don't want all your eggs in one basket?

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you very much. That's what it is. You see, last month's pin Croydon Pin here, I met a lady who might even give her your name and eT. I think he signed up for she signed off for the 14-day something trial. Okay, she did sign up for the 14-day trial.

SPEAKER_02:

I'll ask you afterwards, but I'll ask you afterwards what her name is, and I'll have a little yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

So so yeah. Anyway, so it's because of I can I can say where you are coming from, really, because of because of what I have done in the past that gave me the idea of what is trying, what is happening within the community. The community operates anyway. And I know that when we did, you know, we did something, you and um James. Yeah. A whole day on a Saturday, like the account.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, we did the clarity day. So we helped the clarity, yeah. The clarity day clarity session in the community.

SPEAKER_01:

Then you mentioned something like accountability as well. So the moment you mentioned accountability, it came back to my mind straight away that I've done this thing before. That means you guys know what you are doing.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm glad about that. I'm glad we try. We do try to know what we're doing when we when we put, but I mean, the workshops that we have in the community, obviously, we have the training there, we have the community, we have weekly sessions, differences looking at uh rent to rents, looking at SA, looking at HMOs, looking at refurbishment, everything we cover it all there. But we also run workshops, don't we? Live workshops with you all there. Because I'm hoping you're gonna come and join me in the November one for closing the deal, uh, live workshop where we're gonna go through tactics for negotiations and how to open up those conversations and things. But we're always having those as well because this is a living and breathing training, if you like, because it's always got new stuff. You know, we're we're adding assisted sales training, title splitting.

SPEAKER_01:

That's what that's what I'm waiting for.

SPEAKER_02:

Assisted sales. Yeah, there's a few it is done, it's just going to be uploaded now. So the team are uploading it, so you'll have access to that very, very shortly as well. But I'm I'm glad that you're getting a lot from it.

SPEAKER_01:

I am getting a lot from it. You know, basically, this is not a training session, it's more it's like you know, we meet more or less more every week or every other week if I'm available. Again, everything you did, if even if I'm not there, it's in the vault. I can always go into the vault to go back to it. So that's why it's better that you know, like say if I pay about 500 pounds for a training now, the moment I finish from the training, that's the end. Yeah, it's quite different from this one where you can always go back to it.

SPEAKER_02:

And it's all about helping you get the results. And the thing that I love, which is why it's great to have you on air, is you know, when when you came and joined, and you took a leap faith to be one of the first people to join the community as well, which I I thank thank people for, so I thank you for that for having that you know trust in what we've put together. But to that, since you've started that, you've got your first deal, yeah. Well, not your first deal because you had buy to let's before, but you've got your first deal in recent times, which is a rent, a service accommodation. You've got another one lined up. Oh, I mean, that that's just been in a matter of weeks, really, a couple of months. Yes, yeah, yeah. So, all of a sudden, so what we're saying is take the education and put it into action is exactly get a poster boy for me. That's what it's all about. It's and it's generally, and now now we're on hand to not just say, right, Belashia, you've done it off you go, you're on the phone. We're on hand to help and support you every step of the way.

SPEAKER_01:

And I went back again, even you know, I've just finished the rent-to-rent accelerator as well.

SPEAKER_00:

Now, and I then realized that there are many things which you said there with like there's a negotiation from there which I've I've downloaded myself, which I can use myself as well.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so it it in a way I know I'm not wasting my money, I'm getting value for my money. That's all I think.

SPEAKER_02:

So, I mean, we we've made it so affordable anyway. I mean, I've done mastermind programs and I I've spent thousands, twenty thousand, and I it didn't have everything that we've put into here. And we've made this what we wanted to do is make it so that you spend your money on your property deals, you're not spending it on training, but you get the training that you need. So, for for us, it was make it let's make it as affordable as possible. Let's not lock people into these things. Obviously, you can have an annual subscription to it, but if you want to just pay on monthly, month on month, stay as long as you want, go and come and go as you please. That is a thing that was very, very important to us as well. And we want to try and change the landscape when it comes to all of this because it's not about spending five, ten, fifteen thousand pounds just to learn stuff, you want to be using that money for deposits, yeah. That's a thing now, and it's what you know, there's a lot of information that you can get out there on YouTube and things like that. But what's stopping people from actually taking action? And I think a lot of the time it's the not knowing, even if you think you know, you think you don't know, or you think you're missing something, so it's handy to be able to ask questions, yeah. It's surrounding yourself to say, is this a deal? You know, we ran the numbers. Emily ran the numbers in the community and everything. She ran your numbers on your essay to say, Yes, Balaji, this will work. This is worth doing because she's been because they she works for a company that's a national company, so it gives you that safe knowledge to say it's not just me looking at the deals, it's you, it's it's also sorry, the community and the experts that can say this will pay out, you will make this each and every month. I can tell you that because I'm looking at the data and we've got properties that are doing just that, and that for me then says if you do not go and do the deal and it's the right deal for you, you're never going to do a deal. No, so we we put everything in place, I think, and and we'll we'll continue to get better as well, and yeah, things, but we'll put everything in place to support you in what you're trying to do, whether it's rent-to-rent, lease options, buying refurbishments, as I say, all of the different strategies. We've got an expert in there to do it. So to hear that you're getting from it what you want and you see the value in it is is is really great to hear, actually, mate.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you, anyway.

SPEAKER_02:

No, no, no, it's good, it's good, it's good. So, as I said, your goals and everything going forward, you know, you're gonna do a few more essays, yeah. I'm going to look at the HMOs, and then you're thinking about what are you thinking about with the refurbishment side of things, then it's two things, first of all.

SPEAKER_01:

This one, first of all, to for the cash flow to come in, yeah. Yeah, once the once the cash flow is in, then I have the confidence, right?

SPEAKER_00:

You know, once we have the confidence, then you can do like you know, um the other week, I'm not sure, was it last week when I showed RuPin that's bungalow in and you know everything he said, she gave me he gave me about three different options, and I'm thinking, oh, this guy really knows what he's saying.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, he's brilliant, absolutely brilliant.

SPEAKER_01:

This guy really knows what he's saying, said I can just maybe just refurbish it, just do a minor thing, the minimal refurbishment, and then sell it on, or do a major refurbishment, then turn it into five or six bed HMO, then rent it down. And I think and I said, hmm, this guy's very, very good.

SPEAKER_00:

He knows what he's saying, but that's not for me right now. No, next year, or yeah, next year, basically.

SPEAKER_02:

But it's good to be able to tap into that to continue learning, isn't it? So that when you get there, you're building up your knowledge in that. And the thing for me, education to action, the people, the experts that are in there, I don't say I say to everybody it's my power team because you know, a power team is your solicitors, is your mortgage brokers, it's your advisors, but these guys and girls that are in there are my advisors as well. Yeah, I don't know everything there is to know about refurbishments, far from it. That's not my speciality. So why not? I speak to my friend about that, which is why I put my friend into ETA to be able to share his knowledge with everybody else because we don't need to know everything, we just need to know the people that do know the stuff that we need. That for me is what makes you a professional property investor over somebody who potentially doesn't have access to all of those things. So I I love the fact that you tap into so many of the different calls when you can just in, but also you you add a lot as well because you bring deals to the table. What you're looking at, you're not afraid to talk about it, and that's that's what we want.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so is Graham in tomorrow. Is Graham on tomorrow when Graham will be on?

SPEAKER_02:

I don't know, I don't know. I'll have a look and I will have a because obviously it won't be tomorrow for anybody else. Uh next week, actually. Uh, from the date that we are recording this, uh, Graham's on next week, uh, next Thursday.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, no problem.

SPEAKER_02:

Graham will be on with his service accommodation call, which is great. And I love those because he he gets people's listings up off of Airbnb and Booking.com, he'll have a little look, he'll tweak things. Uh, Bunny's also there, and he's a pillar of information as well. And then, of course, the week after that, we've got Emily back on, so we'll be looking for more deals. Yeah, with Emily Live, and she'll be stacking those as well. Absolutely brilliant. So it's exciting times, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01:

Very good. I mean, when I was, you know, when you your rent to rent essay, I mean you your rent to rent accelerator, you know, you mentioned some few things on essay as well. Yeah, right. That's I realize you mentioned things like tok it, token or something like that. And because I'm already on tok it now, since I joined, I mean, they sent it to me. Yeah, that's what I use. So that's how I was able to see everything. And they also use this Slack or something like that, like WhatsApp. In fact, that Slack, you know, I I just got the Wi-Fi delivered two days ago, and they did it for me. They they arranged this on everything, and even when it was installed, installed, they sent me a picture that it's been installed, everything, and they are very, very good anyway. Prim is very good, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, that's it. Prim short stays is the service accommodation company that Balaji is using. It's also owned by a business partner of mine, Graham, who we've been talking about. And Graham taught me service accommodation, he's got one of the biggest national service accommodation companies in the UK. Just to clarify on that one. But so Balaji had a problem with his SA, i.e., he needed Wi-Fi delivering to it. Prim have handed it all for him, and they've also sent him pictures to show that the job's been done. So absolutely amazing. And that's what it's all about, isn't it? It's about using or recommending people or companies that do an excellent job so that you know nobody's getting ripped off, then are they? Oh so my friend, I like to ask it's I call it a quick fire round, but it's not that quick. I like to ask my guests a few questions at the end. Are you all right with that? Yes, I'm always interested to see what the answers are. So the first question will be if you could sit down and have dinner with three people, dead or alive, it can be anybody, who would you like to sit down, have dinner with, and have a chat to?

SPEAKER_01:

First one is Richard Brownston. Nice because he has a can do attitude that nothing is too difficult for him. He has that. I choose you as well because you're a good encourager. He encouraged one. Then the other person will be I think um Warren Buffett. Nice because why I chose Warren Buffett is that I I do look at what he does. He said he doesn't invest in something that he cannot physically see. He doesn't do things like crypto or whatever, but stocks like Coca-Cola, boss, and people like that, he invests in that. So I have the same mentality as well. It's what I can see, what I can feel I like to invest in.

SPEAKER_02:

Brilliant. No, that's good. That's and where are we gonna go and eat then? Because you've invited me. So what are we having?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh I'll take you to Dorchester.

SPEAKER_02:

Nice. Okay, very nice. Very, very nice, brilliant stuff, brilliant stuff. Do you have three books that you've read that you've really found have opened your eyes up to you know, change or development or anything like that?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, um one of the books I which I like very much is um Richard, I mean Simon Zucchi's Property Magic. It's a good book, yeah. Yeah, I like his book. I also read a book by this lady called Wendy with a collage. I don't know whether it's I've read that HMO Queen.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I didn't think it was called that one. I read.

SPEAKER_01:

I can't remember the name of the book. Yeah, yeah. And the third one is Richie Daddy Poor Dad. Yeah, I'm about reading this book by Brian. You might know him something.

SPEAKER_02:

What's it about?

SPEAKER_01:

It's about it's about mindset.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

And this miracle m miracle magic book. I can't remember the name of the author. I've read so many books lately.

SPEAKER_02:

So it's good, you're a big advocate for books then.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, I love I love reading food.

SPEAKER_02:

Nice, nice. Do you listen to any podcasts?

SPEAKER_01:

At the moment, I'm not listening to any podcast, but I'd read I listened to yours last week, actually.

SPEAKER_02:

I'll let you off then. I'll let you off. I listened to yourself.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I listened to yours on uh Facebook last week, and I've listened to quite a few people as well. This guy is a is one of the dragons then now.

SPEAKER_02:

This yeah, oh um, is it Stephen Butler? Yes, CEO. Yeah, yes, he had some good guesss on his, didn't he? I have some good guess on my mind. Really?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, Stephen Butler.

SPEAKER_02:

Brilliant, brilliant. And is there one piece of advice that you've had at any point that you've always thought or it's stuck with you, some sort of advice, or something you can share the listeners?

SPEAKER_01:

Don't let any disappointment defy you from pushing forward. Okay, because like the property which I told you in Blackburn, we lost some money on it. Right because the whole house was so bad, which we had to do by the time we did it and sell it on, practically we just say we broke even. Right, yeah. We expected to make money, but we didn't make money. But then the thing is this in that sort of area, it's not capital growth as well, it's income that's over there.

SPEAKER_00:

Whereas in the south, yeah, it's capital growth, really. We make the income, but it's then the capital growth, but there's no capital growth over there.

SPEAKER_02:

No, no, but I also think that if what with what you know now, you would never invested there anyway, would you?

SPEAKER_01:

No, I wouldn't have invested there.

SPEAKER_02:

So before, you know, it's a learning at the end of the day. You might not have made any money out of it, but you learn not to go and invest or listen to other people, you've learned to see your own due diligence, yeah, make sure that you're doing good deals and things. And I, you know, the the problem you had with the agent as well, which it shouldn't happen, which is criminal at the end of the day.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, it does happen, it does even in London, it does happen in London as well.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, well, that's why you've got to. I always go with referrals, go with companies that somebody else is recommending because you know they're not affiliated with that company, are they? Well, it's been great to have you on, my friend. I've really thank you very much. No, it's good, it's good. So, have you got any sort of advice? Would you recommend anything to anybody just before we wrap this one up?

SPEAKER_01:

What I want to say is maybe advice to you and your power team is maybe try and do some more advertisement. I don't know how you want to advertise yourself. Okay, because like I told you, this lady came to me. I mean, we were just talking, and he she said, Oh, first of all, she said she wanted to do HMO. And I said, You want, I said, Oh, do you have an idea of what you want to do? Next thing, oh, I want to do SA. And I then said, Have you got any training on it? He said, No. I said, Okay, then I then gave her your company name. In fact, I went on to my phone, typing ETA, and then she then screenshotted and she registered at the moon at the same time. She said, Her name is Lorraine anyway. She's from Botswana. She's I think she's a physiotherapist or something like that. She works with within the NHS in Croydon area here. So she then said, Oh. Have I got any advice for her? And I said, please get in touch with these people. I said, You need a lot of training. And one thing which I said is don't look at the cost, look at the value. Because if you think the cost is too much, then what's the value to you? Louisiana. Then that was that was mid-September. Last week I just got a WhatsApp message from her. She said, Oh, thanks for blah blah blah blah blah. Um, can we meet up? And I said, Okay, where do you want us to meet up? And I said, I am only free certain times. Let me know when you are free. Please not come back to me. And I said, I did ask her, have you followed up what I told you about my fifth year round? She didn't reply. So I just got it straight away that she didn't come.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh no, no. Well, I mean, like I say, some people have busy schedules, some people gets in the way.

SPEAKER_01:

Another, I did I told another guy who said, I think he was on your program, I'm not too sure. Something Joshua is the name. Okay. And I said, I specifically recommended this ETA to him. And I said, This is what you need. You don't know anything, and you don't know what you don't know. You need to do this. In fact, he wanted me to be in a joint venture with him. And I said, At the moment, I'm not doing any joint venture with anybody.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

I just want to concentrate on my own. And I said, for the cost of about 100 pounds a month, what you get on this is far better than you say you want to do five grand training or whatever. She said, he said he doesn't want to do any training, but he does what he just wanted to go into it. He said, Yo, I identify about three different properties in the northeast. And I said, You've identified three properties in the northeast. Have you done your homework? What did you do? How did you know this is going to be successful? He said, Oh. So he then said, Okay, but I've not heard from him for the past two weeks now.

SPEAKER_02:

Some people like to talk a good game now, don't they? But you know, we wish everybody well. We're not right for everybody, but yeah, no, definitely. If if you're not sure what you want to do, then come and join us for a month, go through the vault, and learn the different strategies until you find something that you're passionate about. And that's why we've put it together in the way we have. That's what I told you. It sounds like a promotion for ETA, doesn't it? At the end of the day, yeah, it's supposed to be. But um but yeah, I mean, like I say, it's great to have a member like yourself. I'm gonna have to put you on commission.

SPEAKER_00:

No, no, not to do it, but not so.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I mean, it is it's one of those come and try us out. We do trial stages, we do money-back guarantees as well. And it it really is a case of you know, come come and dip your toes in the water, you've got realistically nothing to lose, and thousands and thousands of pounds worth of training and support to get it.

SPEAKER_01:

So I I told him if if you don't like it, just say you don't want to do it again, just go in the way.

SPEAKER_02:

Simple, but you just click a button. There's two button, you click bump and you cancel.

SPEAKER_03:

But uh, that's brilliant.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, I'm glad that you're enjoying it, my friend, and you're getting great value from it because that's what it's all about. We'll continue to grow this and help as many people as we can possibly help. It's our mission, it's our goal to continue to grow and and uh and to keep great people like yourself coming on the podcast. As I say, it's been all right.

SPEAKER_01:

Let me just give you another advice.

SPEAKER_02:

Go on, go on.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, go on. The advice is on when I was on that um humble penny. What happens is that twice a year we just have some socials. Yep, it's just for people to know each other to gather around, but then because of the logistics of where you are, it might be difficult to have some socials.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm gonna do four in 2026. We're gonna have four get-togethers as a community, so not everybody will be able to make them all, but every quarter I want to do a live event that we can get together, get in the room, we'll we'll have some good networking, we'll get some students in there as well, and we'll all have fun, have lunch together. We'll try and do that, probably central sort of England, so it's easy for everybody to get to. But if we have we might do four in different areas, we might do one in London, do one around Birmingham sort of area as well, do one around here, do one around the northeast. Yeah, well, we are working that one out at the moment. We want to have some socials, get people together, make this a real community. Um, as I say, at the moment, we're just growing the platform, growing, growing out the community. But what I would like to do is if we can get a certain target with community members, we can run four socials a year and we'll have it all as part and parcel of the membership.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, all right. Thank you very much, Mark. I've got to go now.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I don't blame you. So have I, but it's been great to have you on, my friend. You take care.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you. All right, bye-bye. Cheers.

SPEAKER_02:

So I hope you've enjoyed this episode. I've really enjoyed it as well. It's been great to have Balague on to see that he's now, you know, gone over the hurdles that he's had in the past and he's moving himself forward. He's got his rent to rents, serviced accommodation that he is doing. And of course, he's ever looking to grow his portfolio. So you've heard us talk a lot about ETA today. That wasn't my intention, but Balaji's obviously really enjoying being a part of our new community. If you are interested in this, then just check out education toaction.com. And if you have any questions on that, then do feel free to reach out to us at support at education toaction.com. We'll answer any questions there. But I would really highly recommend that you have a little look. Of course I would. But if you want to learn more about different property strategies, rent to rent, deal sourcing, purchase lease options, HMO investing, service accommodation, refurbishments, flipping properties. You want to keep your growth so that you can become that property professional, then do check us out. But anyway, thank you for joining me. I hope you've enjoyed this episode. I always enjoy bringing you these episodes, and I look forward to your successes. Take care and bye for now.