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Hi All, I just wanted to introduce myself. My names Michael, I’ve been utilising theProperty Hub content for a few years now but admittedly I do not engage on the forum as much as I should! I operate a sourcing business in Edinburgh and the Lothians, helping source properties for investors that match their investment criteria. i do this through direct to vendor so focus on discounted (bmv) deals. Where a property requires refurbishment I am interested in Joint Venturing with investors with either an exit strategy of re-sale or Rent out. If any of the above is of interest then always keen to chat as well as discuss what other investors are doing in the central Scotland market. Thanks, Michael

Hello! My partner Julia and I are based in Edinburgh, both work full time (although I'm currently furloughed!) and want to start building a new future for ourselves and have landed on property as the route we want to go. As a rough idea of our plans we want to start by flipping properties to build up some capital and then look to build a bit of a portfolio. To achieve this I'm looking to quit my job and attempt to do most of the work on the properties (barring any complex electrical/plumbing/structural work). I've not done that much before but i'm pretty handy and a quick learner whilst Julia will be in charge of all things money whilst continuing in her current job. As a starting point it would be great if anyone could offer any advice for new starters, especially regarding: good areas to invest around Edinburgh (within an hours drive ideally) any good solicitors in the Edinburgh area to work with loans/financial strategies key things to look out for general advice! Any help much appreciated! All the best, Pete and Julia

Hi folks, I am new to the Forum although have had a keen obsession in all things property related for many years now! I've finally decided to do something about it & am in the early stages of research - listening to the podcasts & reading up on all things relevant. I live in Edinburgh & my initial plan was to refurbish properties & sell on - flipping - the new term I have recently learnt! I had planned to start off in Edinburgh as I know it extremely well, buying at around £150,000, refurbish & then sell on & repeat. I had planned to try & raise the money myself through a combination of equity in already in our home, selling a property we already let in Edinburgh (bought by my husband in the winners curse period 2007 & valued at less than he paid for) & various other sources. However, having listened to the 2 Rob's I am now rethinking my strategy (leverage, inflation, opportunities etc) & feel perhaps I should go down the lettings route initially, starting off with one property (around £150,000) on a BTL & then another one in 6 months time once I've learnt a bit more & hopefully a 3rd after that. Perhaps moving onto flipping after that. I will be focusing on the Edinburgh area but will also consider East Lothian, Fife & Stirling. I'm looking for some advice on the following: Do you property investors out there think I've missed the boat for flipping in/ around Edinburgh area? (I have listened to the intriguing 18 year cycle podcast)! Does anyone know of a resource that summarises all of the key financial considerations I need to factor in for purchasing, letting, selling properties (i.e. stamp duty, estate agency fees, Solicitors fees, management fees, tax charges etc)? I have a lot of these noted already but want to ensure I don't miss any in my calculations & also to help me decide on my strategy. I am keen to set myself up for success - so any other information you think may help me decide/ determine my strategy would be much appreciated! Thanks :-)

Hi guys. While I have an Irish passport and am often in the UK for work, I live mostly in sunny South Africa. I have a couple buy-to-let properties in South Africa already, but very keen to start growing my UK portfolio (Edinburgh and Glasgow to be more specific). I have a UK bank account and I will have the 25% deposit required for the buy-to-let property. My concern is more about getting the mortgage for the remaining 75% without UK payslips, not being on the electoral roll, no national insurance number, etc. I was looking at a few options and would love some feedback on these ideas: OPTION A: - Move to the UK (for roughly a year in total). - Purchase a property with my 25% deposit soon after arriving. - Use bridging finance for the remaining 75% (from what I gather they are more lenient with not having payslips, although I realise the interest rates would be higher but it would be temporary) - Live in the property for 6 month while working in the UK (getting payslips) and renovating. - Remortgage the property as a buy-to-let (only possible after 6 month of owning the property as far as I'm aware, and by then I'll be able to apply with 6 months payslips). - Have a management company source tenants and manage the property while I'm back in South Africa. OPTION B: - Find a lender that will help me as someone living abroad and purchase the property with a buy-to-let mortage (concern is difficulty and high interest rates from these types of lenders). - Use a management company to source tenants and manage the property while I'm overseas. I would love some feedback from anyone who has experience with this, or just some ideas that I may not have considered. I'm not opposed to moving to the UK to get the ball rolling with this, and my current work is flexible enough that I can do this. But that said it would be much easier not to do that. Looking forward to any advise. Cheers, Andy

Hi All We have a 3 bed flat in the Roseburn area of Edinburgh which has just become vacant. It normally rents for about £900 month and I've always done AST's, so I don't have any experience of airbnb. As its coming up to Festival time I wondered if I should try to do a festival let before advertising for long-term tenants. Its currently unfurnished so I would need to buy beds etc, pay airbnb fees, management costs and so on. Having had a quick look on the website it looks like we could probably get decent occupancy all year round, so maybe the initial set up costs would be worthwhile. Any thoughts? I'm aware of the issues with doing this on a standard BTL mortgage and that Edinburgh City Council may decide to regulate airbnb going forward. Thanks Clare

Hi All, Newbie from Aberdeen (or based in Aberdeen ). Have been watching “Homes under the Hammer” for over a decade and wondering when I’ll take the leap of faith. My BTL Journey began in December 2017, when I spotted an opportunity to buy a BMV 3 bed flat taken by a developer as a part exchange from my neighbor and discounted by almost £50K based on valuation. 2 bed flats in the area was over £25K higher and 3 beds around £40-50k sold prices so I thought it was too good an opportunity to miss and with a mate of mine we put in an offer for £200k and was accepted. We both put in 50% of deposit at 75 LTV. Property was let out in a week for £800 pcm part furnished, other properties in the area were going for £950 but some have been in the market for a couple of months and we preferred steady income and long term tenant than high rent and quick turnover considering the state of the Aberdeen rental and property market since the oil downturn. Our plan is to hold for two years and sell at market value and split our profit to invest elsewhere in Scotland. My goal is to get a number of BTL’s to act as a secondary pension in the future (still in my 30’s) and hopefully grow the portfolio to 10 BTL’s with a net income of around £5-7K pcm. I intend to buy one or two property every year from Q1 2019 within the price range of £50-80K each mainly in Glasgow, Dundee, Edinburgh, Livingston and Kilmarnock….I know it’s challenging to get 2-3 beds in Edinburgh at that price but I’m looking to buy lower end flats that don’t need much work (£5-10K spend to do up) and with high ROE. I’ve been consuming lots of posts here, listening to podcasts and reading books. Happy to get some advice or guidance from folks investing in the areas mentioned ( @Tonyng already doing that ). I’m also planning to be at the next Aberdeen meet-up and will try to visit the Glasgow one sometime this year. Question: I’ve seen a couple of posts about folks who invested in Ayshire and bought flats for £40-50K with a monthly rent of around £350-450 pcm from DSS tenants or privately? What are the challenges of working with DSS tenants? How can I find out more information of requirements and process of renting out to council for the three year scheme either in Glasgow, Kilmarnock or West Lothian? Will appreciate if anyone could share their experience here or point me to a thread where this has been discussed. Thanks

Hi all, I have 60k equity in current house valued at £130 and considering releasing 30k equity to fund a BTL with 25% deposit and £5000 to cover necessary fees. based on my calculations my top end is a property valued at 100k but this is challenging to get anything under 100k in Edinburgh. However properties around the 100k mark provide about 10% ROI taking into account mortgage payments etc, just wondering if this is reasonable? does anyone have advice on any areas outside of Edinburgh with good fundamentals and rental returns that could be an option for me to consider? Just for completeness I have spoken with mortgage advisors and the numbers stack up from affordability perspective and feasibility of getting finance. Thanks in advance

Hi all, I bought a 2-bed flat in Edinburgh, lived in it for a few years then moved-in with the better half who I've now married; so we're living together at hers and I'm renting my place out. Since doing this I've become slightly obsessed with the idea and am looking to build more capital and thus buy more properties. The end goal is to quit my dull accounting job and renovate & let-out property full-time across the UK (and possibly further afield if it really goes well). What I'd love to know from anyone out there who has walked the walk, is how you built up the capital initially. I don't particularly want to have to sell my flat to finance a refurb project and then flip for a profit, but if that's the only reasonable way forward then so be it. I've read the article on the website regarding start-up capital and don't have a bank of mum & dad (or anyone else for that matter) to fall back on. Has anyone tried and tested another route to build up funds? All the best, Rob

Hi folks, Again I'm hoping for some help in getting started with my BTL property portfolio which I hope to kickstart before the end of this year in Edinburgh. I have done a LOT of reading/ online researching but feel I need to now get out & start discussing my goals/ strategy (all now documented) & more specifically the numbers with the professionals, so I can start to get a real feel as to how realistic my plans are - but where do I start? I have used Mov8 Estate Agents & Sols in the past (in buying & selling my home properties) - so I know they also have in house mortgage advisors & they seemed pretty good at the time. But I would really appreciate any personal recommendations on estate agents, mortgage advisors & accountants in & around the Edinburgh area. Also, would it be sensible to start with a mortgage broker & then move from that point? Any support much appreciated & I will be sure to share my feedback for others! Thanks, Fox.

Hello everyone, I'm a part-time property investor based in Lanarkshire, Scotland with 7 properties between me and my wife. Looking to get building my portfolio but currently not overly cash-rich (one day hopefully). My portfolio currently ranges from a 1 bed flat to a 4 bed villa. Recently I have had two extensive refurbishment project which have been thoroughly enjoyable (at times stressful) to do. Also have a full time job as an Optometrist, so property is a great change of scenery! Ive just started listening to the podcasts which are great. Going back through some of the older episodes to make sure I haven't missed anything! I would be keen to attend any meet-ups planned nearer my neck of the woods? Keen in general to build my network, especially anyone who can help build my portfolio despite my cash poor but asset rich (richer) position. Thanks Mark

Hi everyone - I am a newbie to BTL property investment - my husband & I currently own our home in London but am looking for opportunities to make our income grow. My husband is an architectural designer and I am an interior architect/designer. We would ideally want to buy up properties to renovate in London in the future when we have more capital although properties in London are probably saturated. We are therefore looking at buying BTL properties elsewhere that do not need work. We were thinking to start with buying something in Manchester as one can get a decent 1-2 bedroom for very little compared to London prices. However, we are slightly worried by the impact of Brexit and am thinking Edinburgh could be a safer choice since they could have another referendum? What are people's thoughts on that and if anyone has experience investing in Edinburgh? Many thanks in advance.

Hi everyone, I am in education stage and found this resource through BiggerPockets (amazing resource but for US). Currently, I am interested in investment across Scotland Central Belt although I have not decided which niche to chose (I am currently exploring trending options and strategies). I will be glad to communicate and establish connections with the same mind-set people .

I'm going to be up in Edinburgh in a couple of weeks, so I thought I'd see if any of our Scottish Hubbers fancied meeting up for a drink! I propose: Date: Thursday 8th May Time: 6-8pm Location: Brewdog, 143 Cowgate, EH1 1JS Map link: http://4sq.com/exGVUr Use the poll above to say if you're coming. If it turns out people are keen but can't do that specific date, we can always look at moving it.

EICR Edinburgh is my own small electrical contracting company covering Edinburgh and surrounding areas. I have an excellent work ethic, highly qualified and insured , use best quality materials and have over 100 reviews nearly all 5 star, none less than 4!. We cover anything electrical but specialise in EICR and PAT testing, hard wired smoke alarm installation (no trunking - we do it properly!) fuseboard/consumer unit upgrades to RCD fuseboards/upgrades and rewires. We also carry out small repairs, maintenance and ECO electric services. Please view my website for more details, reviews and how to get in touch. Best regards, Mark EICR Edinburgh http://www.eicredinburgh.com/

Hi, I currently live in Edinburgh and am looking to purchase my first property (see my Edinburgh Intro post ). I was wondering if anyone had any good or bad experiences with solicitors in Edinburgh? There are loads of solicitors and knowing which are good is hard to find by research alone. Similarly if anyone had any experiences (good or bad) with mortgage brokers in the same area that would be great. I have been testing the waters but some personal experience would be welcomed for a property beginner like myself. Likewise, if anyone has advice and pointers from outwith Edinburgh this would also be greatly appreciated. Cheers, Mikey

Hello, Can anyone recommend a good letting agent in Edinburgh who deal with letting HMOs to students? Thanks! Fiona