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People say the housing market is broken.
Homes England aims to fix it.

It touches 1 in 4 new homes.
I spoke to ex-CEO Peter Denton CBE.
About how developers and housing providers 
Use Homes England support to build more homes.

We covered:
 - What it is. Who it serves. How it helps.
(From grants to Compulsory Purchase powers.)

 - How to frame your ask for success.
(Lead with the market failure you’ll unlock.)

 - How to avoid common mistakes.
(Respect procurement and social impact metrics.
Don’t ‘goal-seek’ viability after overpaying for land.)

This episode is in association with (and thanks to) Lloyds.

In association with:
https://www.lloydsbank.com/business/industry-expertise/real-estate.html?utm_source=The+Return&utm_medium=podcast+partnership&utm_campaign=sponsored+episode

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterdenton71/ 

Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

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It's hard to scale in real estate 

Without a big budget, expensive team or endless meetings.

I asked Kelly Bream 

A multi-time founder and ex-COO, Bidwells

How she has grown multiple real estate businesses from local to national. 

She shared the playbook for local to national growth on the podcast, including:

 - People > platforms first.
Hire complements (e.g. brand/marketing), not clones.

 - Standardise the boring; localise the value.
Central compliance/process. Local nuance + relationships.

- What and where, before how.
Win work before the tooling is perfect.

 - Measure what matters early.
Lead conversion, cash runway - not vanity metrics.

This episode is in association with (and thanks to) Lloyds.

In association with:
https://www.lloydsbank.com/business/industry-expertise/real-estate.html?utm_source=The+Return&utm_medium=podcast+partnership&utm_campaign=sponsored+episode

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-bream-5b4aa541/

Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

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Monica O'Neill is CEO of ENSO Advisors LLC. She was a Co-Founder at Tristan Capital Partners, and a Managing Director at AEW Europe. She joined Anna Clare Harper for this episode of The Return.

Monica has grown two multi-billion dollar real estate platforms and helped shape the US affordable housing system (via Low-Income Housing Tax Credit).

Now she’s doubling down on UK residential, especially affordable and supported housing.

In this episode, we discuss:

-       Why 2025 is a ‘vintage year’ for UK affordable and supported housing 

-       What the UK can learn from US affordable housing tax breaks

-       Why it’s so important to ask more questions - and ignore hype 

Her advice?

“If you can’t explain the risks out loud, you don’t understand it.”

Wire Wisdom https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wire-wisdom/id1797011168 

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monica-oneill-greenstrategies/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

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The idea of retiring early is, unsurprisingly, a popular one. But how do you do it?

I was delighted to quiz Ann-Marie Atkins, award-winning Financial Planner and Managing Partner at Tilney on this topic.

We covered:

• What kind of investments work, and how you can make them  - including how to make the most of available tax reliefs, property and non-property investments
  
• Common mistakes people make, and how you can avoid them
  
• How much money you actually need to retire, or take ‘micro retirements’ throughout your career
  

Resources:

Guest website: www.tilney.co.uk

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tilney-group/

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annmariebanks/

Host website: www.annaclareharper.com & www.spi.capital

Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

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I was delighted to have Lucian Cook, one of the UK property market’s leading commentators and Head of Residential Research at Savills, back on the podcast.

We covered:

• Where prices and rents are rising, and where is best to invest in a post-Covid housing market
  
• The most important regulatory changes you need to know about in the coming years, before you buy an investment property
  
• How ‘brown discounts’ are affecting investor value, and the impact of sustainability on investor returns
  
• The next wave of institutional investment in UK housing

Resources:

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucian-cook-482010141/

Guest Website: https://www.savills.co.uk/

Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

Host Website: spi.capital & annaclareharper.com

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What’s changing in the UK rental property market??

Zoopla’s Head of Research, Gráinne Gilmore, joined me to discuss what’s really happening in the UK Private Rental Sector.

Gráinne was previously Head of Residential Research and Knight Frank, and an award-winning Economics Correspondent for The Times before her role at Zoopla.

So, she’s brilliantly placed to help explain the fascinating and complicated dynamics that are affecting the UK rental market.

Highlights of this episode include:

• What’s driving the entrenched ‘two-track market’, London rents fell by 8.3%, whilst non-London rents in the UK rose by 2.3% in 2020
  
• Why Rochdale, Mansfield and Hastings are becoming rental market ‘hotspots’
  
• What’s causing de-urbanisation and the ‘Halo Effect’, and how long it will last
  
• What’s next for the UK rental market
  

Resources:

Guest website: https://www.zoopla.co.uk/

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grainnegilmore

Zoopla Rental Market Report: https://advantage.zpg.co.uk/insights/rental-market-report/

Host website: annaclareharper.com

Host website: spi.capital

Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

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Artificial Intelligence is transforming how major global funds invest in one of the largest, most resilient asset types: Private Rental Sector housing.

I had the privilege of finding out how - speaking to Samantha Kempe, Co-Founder and CIO of ground-breaking Investment Manager Immo Capital. Before this, Samantha cut her teeth managing portfolios at Blackstone, as well as working at PWC and Cushman and Wakefield, so she’s well-versed in both traditional and innovative investment management.

Highlights of this episode include:

• How AI and data can be used to solve the major hurdle funds face investing in Private Rental Sector property
  
• How hundreds of data points can be rapidly processed to create valuations, with accurate refurbishment costs, in a fraction of the usual time
  
• How AI and humans complement each other, rather than competing for jobs in a unique, and illiquid market
  

Resources:

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-kempe-3ab42394/

Guest website: https://immo.capital/

Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

Host website: https://annaclareharper.com/ & https://spi.capital/

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Investing in residential property at scale

I was delighted to speak to Cedric Bucher, CEO of Hearthstone Investments, which is the UK’s first specialist residential property fund manager - with Assets under Management of over £280m.

They are leading the way in the Private Rental Sector, giving institutional investors access to mainstream family housing and low-rise apartment blocks.

Prior to this, Cedric has a brilliant career with leading global consultants, banks and asset managers. So he’s well versed in the financial aspects of property investing, as well as the more practical elements.

We first got talking on social media, when I was developing the strategy for my current business, SPI Capital, and I couldn’t resist inviting Cedric to the podcast to share his insights.

Highlights of the episode include:

• Overcoming the challenges of investing in property in 2020
  
• Hot opportunities in the Private Rental Sector
  
• Selecting the right kind of funding investor to work with - and what happens if you get it wrong
  
• Lessons learned from running a market-leading investment company
  

Resources:

Guest website: https://www.hearthstone.co.uk/

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cedric-bucher-8490329/

Host website: https://www.annaclareharper.com

Host website: https://spi.capital

Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

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I'm very excited to share my conversation with Tom Bloxham MBE, one of the best known and loved personalities in the real estate industry and a pioneer of urban regeneration.

Tom is the chairman and founder of leading regeneration company Urban Splash, which has received 419 (!) awards to date for architecture, design and business success.

He has a reputation as ‘the property developer who makes property development socially acceptable’, and the best accolade I’ve heard to date: a portrait in the National Portrait Gallery.

Highlights of our conversation include:

• How to handle challenges, changes and cycles in the property market
  
• Changing mean streets to green streets - lessons learned from spearheading unprecedented changes to our urban landscape
  
• How to prepare for the future as a property developer/investor
  
• Living well by design - the ethos of Urban Splash investments
  

Listen in to hear more.

Resources:

Guest website: https://www.urbansplash.co.uk/

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-bloxham-26055413/

Guest Twitter @TomBloxhamMBE

https://annaclareharper.com/

http://spi.capital/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

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What’s changing in the UK rental market?

Zoopla’s Head of Research, Gráinne Gilmore, joined me to discuss what’s really happening in the UK Private Rental Sector.

Gráinne was previously Head of Residential Research at Knight Frank, and an award-winning Economics Correspondent for The Times before her role at Zoopla.

So, she’s brilliantly placed to help explain the fascinating and complicated dynamics that are affecting the UK rental market.

Highlights of this episode include:

• What’s driving the entrenched ‘two-speed market’, with UK rent growth of +1.7% vs -5.2% in London’s rental market
  
• Tenant demand 25% higher than last year overall - with particular demand for properties with gardens, parking, garages, balconies and ‘pets allowed’, and a shift away from office-driven cities such as Coventry and Reading
  
• What next for the UK rental market, in a context of reduced investment activity, muted earnings growth and limited affordability for many first time buyers
  

Resources:

Guest website: https://www.zoopla.co.uk/

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grainnegilmore

Zoopla Rental Market Report: https://advantage.zpg.co.uk/insights/rental-market-report/

Host website: annaclareharper.com

Host website: spi.capital

Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

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Transparency, liquidity, and listed real estate

I had a fascinating discussion with Richard Croft, Co-Founder and Chairman of leading investment group, M7 and David Delaney, CEO of new property stock exchange IPSX about their first single real estate asset Initial Public Offering (IPO).

Richard and David have exceptional credentials in real estate and finance, with years of experience, and billions of transactions under their belts. Richard is the Executive Chairman and co-founder of the M7 Real Estate group, and has been involved in over €8 billion of transactions across the UK and Europe during his 26 year career in real estate, founded and sold a European real estate fund management business, and is a Non-Executive Director of IPSX.

David is IPSX’s Group CEO. His previous experience includes managing $1bn book of business at Thomson Reuters as Head of Strategic Clients and Solutions, and 25 years at Credit Suisse (where he became Head of Fixed Income Sales for interest rate products) and Barclays Bank.

Richard and David share a deep frustration with the issues that prevent investors from selecting and investing in assets for themselves, the lack of transparency in the listed real estate market, and the lack of liquidity available for many real estate assets.

Their current mission is to solve these issues, through an unprecedented single asset listing of Mailbox REIT on IPSX. So, will it work?

Highlights of the episode include:

• What liquidity is really worth to investors
  
• The high perceived risk of anything new
  
• The problems investors face with open-ended and closed-ended real estate funds
  
• Whether investors really value choice and democracy in investing
  

Resources:

Guest websites: 

www.themailboxreit.com / www.ipsx.com / www.m7re.eu

Anna’s website: 

www.annaclareharper.com & www.spi.capital

Anna’s LinkedIn page:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

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It’s not glamorous.

Yet building management has the potential to make or break both investor returns and customer satisfaction.

Historically, it’s been rare for investors to know (and perhaps, to care) how their building can be managed better. Until now.

Ryan Collier has specialised in the management of large and complex buildings for 10 years, and has overseen tens of thousands of homes.

He and his team at leading specialist block managers, Pod Management, provide residential estate and block management services - and comprehensive data analytics - for clients such as Bellway homes, Berkeley Homes and Tipi (Quintain) across some 9,000 homes (contracted and pipeline).

We discussed:

• How data analytics can be used to reduce investor costs and improve customer service for tenants - from optimising postroom staffing to 24 hour ‘between tenancy’ turnarounds
  
• The myth that new buildings cost less to run - since maintenance is about people and the quality of the building, not its age
  
• The myth that more data means better results - it’s not the data, but how you use it!
  
• Optimising building lifecycle costs - and the shocking cost of cheap taps, lifts and gates
  

Resources:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pod-management/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

Instagram: @podmanagement

www.podmanagement.co.uk

www.annaclareharper.com

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The flight-to-safety, dumb money and real estate

I had a great chat about Family Office, Private Equity and Institutional Investment in real estate in the current environment with Rebekah Tobias, leading investment specialist and Head of Business Development at Private Equity firm, Marcol.

Rebekah’s experience includes Partner and Director roles at Marcol, M7 and Cushman & Wakefield, spanning international capital markets through to operations-led asset management. So she is well-placed to comment, and is brilliant at explaining the complex real estate investment world.

Highlights of this episode include:

• How investors price real estate and take calculated risks in a fast-moving market - including re-pricing retail and offices, the premium required for investing further afield, and the ‘tech effect’ on valuations
  
• Dumb money and the financial consequences of herd mentality - even amongst sophisticated institutional investors
  
• The flight to quality and safety - and perceived low risk of prime real estate
  
• The importance of optimising operations as a way to create value - and how sophisticated investors are doing this across sectors.
  

Resources:

https://marcol.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebekah-tobias-2187b66/

annaclareharper.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

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In this episode, the podcasting roles were reversed. Erica Sosna interviewed Anna Clare Harper, Host of The Return and Co-Founder of GreenResi.

Anna says, 'I was lucky to be invited on The Career Equation, hosted by Erica Sosna - career coach and Good Housekeeping’s in-house career expert. 

The format is that each guest brings a career challenge they are facing and Erica helps them through it using her methodology. 

My challenge (at the time of recording - a few months ago now) was: should I focus on solving problems for individual investors (the backbone of the residential market, who I worked with on 300 deals, who I wrote for in the Telegraph etc) or institutions (whose interest in UK residential is growing, and who are my main clients now).

Erica did such a good job that this question hasn’t bothered me at all since recording, but I thought it was useful to share as, underneath it all, it’s a common problem we all have to navigate at some point: how to adapt to market changes.'

Guest website: The Career Equation®
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericasosna/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

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From valuations to international relations; cycles to ‘di-worse-ification’ - the world’s leading real estate investment textbook has a lot to say about investing right now.

I had the privilege of quizzing leading Oxford Professor Andrew Baum on what his latest textbook says, and what it means for investors.

Highlights include:

• Top tips for long term investors
  
• International drivers of demand - and how tense international relations will affect global real estate investment
  
• Common mistakes investors make with their numbers, and how to avoid them
  
• Understanding risk, and whether real estate can still be considered a ‘safe haven’
  
• Debt, development and market cycles
  

Resources:

Andrew's recently revised book: Real Estate Investment and Finance: Strategies, Structures, Key Decisions: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Real-Estate-Investment-Finance-Strategies-dp-1119526094/dp/1119526094/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

Oxford Future of Real Estate Initiative https://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/research/centres-and-initiatives/oxford-future-real-estate-initiative

Andrew on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-baum-303a014/

Anna's website: annaclareharper.com

Anna on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

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I had the pleasure of interviewing Gráinne Gilmore, Head of Research at Zoopla, following the release of their UK Rental Market Report to discuss what’s really happening in the UK rental market.

Previously an award-winning financial and economics journalist at The Times newspaper in London, and Head of Residential Research at Knight Frank, Gráinne is often interviewed by the media on the UK housing market, appearing on BBC Radio 4, Sky news, BBC Breakfast, and the BBC World Service.

So, she’s brilliantly placed to help explain the fascinating and complicated dynamics that are affecting the UK housing market right now.

Highlights of this episode include:

• The driving forces behind the emerging ‘two-speed market’, with London leading one track, and regional economies taking a different path
  
• What’s happened in the UK rental market this year, including a 3% fall in London rents
  
• Which rental markets are growing, and what this means for investors
  
• What next in an environment of rising unemployment, and why economic nerves are most likely to boost the UK rental market
  

Resources:

Zoopla website: https://www.zoopla.co.uk/

Gráinne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grainnegilmore

Zoopla UK Rental Market Report: https://advantage.zpg.co.uk/insights/rental-market-report/

Anna's website: annaclareharper.com

Anna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

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I had a fascinating discussion with the Head of Real Estate at leading investment bank, Goodbody, Colm Lauder.

Colm is a leading authority on listed real estate. Since graduating with a MPhil in Real Estate Finance at Cambridge, Colm became the youngest Vice-President in the UK at MSCI in 2013. He was ranked #1 Real Estate Analyst in Ireland (Extel) in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

In this episode, we covered resilience, liquidity and recent trends in listed real estate.

Highlights included:

• The consequences of recent quantitative easing for real estate, and why it makes sense to prioritise inflation-hedged assets right now
  
• How listed funds are adapting their investment strategies, including sector specialisations such as supermarket vs PRS REITs, in response to investor demand
  
• The liquidity premium, and how it affects valuations in listed vs unlisted real estate
  

Resources:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/colmlauder/

https://www.goodbody.co.uk/

annaclareharper.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

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In this episode, Toby Wilde and Anna Clare Harper discuss the common myths around how and whether proptech can solve housing market problems. Toby shared his controversial opinions on the major issues in the industry including the greenbelt, Airbnb and P2P lending.

Toby is a multi-time Proptech Founder whose experience includes scaling Sprift, currently the fastest growing property data resource for Estate Agents, Landlords, Developers & Solicitors, as well as in Estate Agency and in his family’s property development business.

Highlights includes:

• What problems can proptech (and specifically, algorithms) really solve in the UK property market, and how?
  
• How data can really be used to optimise where to build and what is built, from a developer and investor perspective
  
• What data reveals about a collapse in studio and 1 bed values, due to Covid-led limits on the airbnb ‘dark economy’
  
• The idea of a ‘barcode for every house’ and how tech can reduce inefficiencies in the housing market
  

Resources:

Oparo website: https://www.oparo.co.uk/

Sprift website: https://sprift.com/

Toby on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobywilde/

Anna's website: https://annaclareharper.com/

Anna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

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In this episode, Gavriel Merkado, CEO and Founder of leading residential property data and analytics company REalyse and Anna Clare Harper discuss the ‘myth’ of ‘material uncertainty’. What material uncertainty actually means, what the implications are for investors trying to assess a deal, and the real reason banks are cautious to lend when a valuation contains this clause.

A former quantitative analyst and expert in real estate data analytics, Gavriel shares his perspective on material uncertainty and whether there is a viable alternative right now in valuations. We also touched on why he believes ‘augmented valuations’ will be the future for companies looking to save time and cut costs.

Highlights of this episode include:

• How greater technology, transparency and ‘augmented valuations’ could revolutionise UK property transactions, and the implications for ‘industry middlemen’
  
• How disrupting the monopoly on valuations could impact the UK market
  
• Understanding value in the UK residential property market throughout market changes
  
• Why uncertainty is almost a certainty - in any market

Resources:

www.realyse.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavriel-merkado-17759917/

annaclareharper.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

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In this episode, Mike Bristow, Founder of the UK’s leading property peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platform, Crowdproperty, and Anna Clare Harper discuss why high rates don’t always mean high risk when it comes to property lending, and how peer-to-peer (P2P) is disrupting traditional bank finance.

As a registered chartered accountant, Mike also sits on the investment committee of proptech venture capital business Property Innovation Labs (Pi Labs), and is an angel investor in leading proptech and fintech businesses.

Highlights of the episode include:

• How tech is an enabler for solving problems in property and finance, and the importance for great proptech and fintech businesses of focusing on ‘holes’, not ‘drillbits’
  
• How investors (both lenders and borrowers) can understand and manage risks in P2P lending
  
• How the uncertain environment around Covid-19 has created an opportunity for P2P lenders to prove their point, and continue to disrupt traditional big bank lending in real estate.
  

Resources:

Crowdproperty.com

Blog - blog.crowdproperty.com = 40 articles all about alternative finance

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelbristow/

annaclareharper.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

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In this episode, Guy Harrington, Founder of Glenhawk, one of the fastest growing property lenders in the UK, dispels common myths and misconceptions around short term ‘bridging’ property finance. Glenhawk has lent over £115m, secured £160m finance from JP Morgan, and is on track for its target £500m loan portfolio.

Highlights of this episode include:

• What’s really happening to lender appetite, through Coronavirus
  
• What developers and investors can learn from how lenders view risk
  
• How lenders are evolving from ‘shark’ to ‘heart’, becoming consumer-focused
  
• How to avoid the ‘loan to own’ lenders as a borrower
  

Resources:

Website: Glenhawk.com

Contact: gh@glenhawk.com & lendingteam@glenhawk.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guy-harrington-glenhawk/

Find out more about The Return Podcast at annaclareharper.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

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I had the chance to discuss the truth about hiring in real estate with Louisa Dickens, co-founder of LMRE, a leading global proptech recruitment business helping startups scale and corporates find new talent.

As a UK PropTech Association board member, Louisa is well-placed to understand what both proptech businesses and candidates expect from each other during the recruitment process and the common hiring mistakes that proptech startups and corporates make.

Highlights of this episode include:

• What employees really want, and what businesses look for in candidates
  
• How to build a diverse team
  
• How hiring is changing, and the importance of having a hiring strategy
  
• Where start-ups and corporates go wrong, and how to avoid common mistakes
  

Resources:

Lmre.co.uk

https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisa-dickins-ab065392/

annaclareharper.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

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*What works and what doesn't in this complex UK residential property market? Part #2*

Panel discussion with one of the UK’s top planning lawyers, Martha Grekos, and Editor of the leading property investor magazine, Property Investor News, Richard Bowser, marking the paperback launch of Anna Clare Harper's book, Strategic Property Investing: What works and what doesn’t in a complex UK residential property market bit.ly/strategicpropertyinvesting

Highlights include:

• ‘Icarus syndrome’ - and the trouble with crowd-funding and over-leverage in property development
  
• Top tips for riding a challenging market, for long term landlords and ‘value add’ developers, including how to conduct due diligence right, and maintaining relationships so that you have the right people on your side, even if you’re not taking on new projects
  
• How to maximise the value of assets through planning uplift and how to avoid common mistakes developers make
  

Resources:

https://propertyinvestor.news

http://www.marthagrekos.co.uk/

bit.ly/strategicpropertyinvesting

annaclareharper.com/book

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Marking the launch and promo offer for Anna’s book, Strategic Property Investing: What works and what doesn’t in a complex UK residential property market - bit.ly/strategicpropertyinvesting -

Panel discussion with Melanie Bien, award-winning PR specialist, former Personal Finance Editor of the Independent on Sunday, and author of four best-selling property 'for dummies' books, and John Howard, property investor, business owner and author whose latest project is a £26 million development funded by Homes England, and who has bought and sold over 3,500 houses, apartments and developments.

Highlights include:

• How not all parts of the property market will be affected in the same way by coronavirus - some geographies and tenant types are resilient from an investment perspective, and some are less so. How sweeping statements and statistics are not so helpful in this context
  
• How challenges opportunities and house prices will be defined by two main things: cashflow and liquidity - and the last 2 months have shown us we don't collectively know as much about this as we thought
  
• Market predictions - and how the key to sustainable success is taking a socially responsible, sensitive approach focused on the long term - from working with tenants to pricing
  

Resources:

Link to buy Anna's book: bit.ly/strategicpropertyinvesting

annaclareharper.com/book

Bien Media: https://www.bienmedia.com/

Melanie Bien, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-bien-4b67144/?originalSubdomain=uk

John Howard, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-howard-a59a1b43/

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Andy Rothery, Head of Europe for Real Foundations / Former Head of Deloitte Real Estate and Maya the Robot joined Anna Clare Harper for this episode of The Return.

‘AI will replace us.’

No.

AI will scale us.
AI will free us.
AI will sharpen us.

To become a high-performing, high-growth real estate business, you embrace it all.

 → Automate what slows you down - like messy bank reconciliations
 → Focus your team on value-add work - like relationship-building.
 → Use robots to double your AUM - without hiring.

In the US, building custom real estate business robots is becoming the norm. 

In the UK, 99% don’t do it.

Find out how to double your Assets Under Management without hiring.

From Maya the Robot.

And Andy Rothery, Head of Europe for Real Foundations / Former Head of Deloitte Real Estate.
 

Maya the Robot created by https://www.sesame.com/

Guest website: http://www.realfoundations.net/

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-rothery-a8209818/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

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Data has been described as more valuable than oil. But not all data is created equally. Huge risks arise if you don’t have the right data, and you don’t use it correctly in property investment.

So how do you get it right, at a time when data collection seems topical, controversial and indeed essential for modern businesses?

Gavriel Merkado, CEO and Founder of REalyse, leading UK real estate data and proptech disruptor, joins Anna Clare Harper to discuss the value of data - including how successful investors are using it, and what the rest are getting wrong.

Gavriel is an expert in using data and analytics to drive the right investment decisions, with a strong background in quantitative analytics, hedge funds, trading and equity broking before making the shift to real estate, including at Quintain and Essential Living.

Highlights of this episode include:

• What data is actually valuable, and how it should be used in real estate
  
• The rapid evolution of data, and what this means for property investors
  
• Common mistakes investors make - that cause them to lose money and waste time - and the four characteristics your data needs
  
• Using data in a property crisis
  

Resources:

www.realyse.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavriel-merkado-17759917/

annaclareharper.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

https://annaclareharper.com/book 

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In this episode, Ranjan Bhattacharya and Anna Clare Harper weigh up the challenges and opportunities for investors following the impact of coronavirus on the property market, and discuss how to survive both long- and short-term by shoring up your position, prioritising cashflow and knowing the right strategies to deploy.

Property entrepreneur and investor Ranjan is a well-known personality in the landlord community as the host of ‘the UK’s #1 property meet’, the Baker Street Property Meet, and a popular YouTube channel.

Highlights of this episode include:

• How the investment landscape has changed overnight, and what it means for residential property investors
  
• Long- and short-term survival - why cashflow is king, and how to navigate government and bank support to help tenants
  
• Risk analysis and open communication with tenants - and the biggest jobs landlords have right now
  
• When to buy, and when to pause over the coming months
  

Resources:

Baker Street Property Meet: www.BakerStreetPropertyMeet.com

YouTube channel: Ranjan Bhattacharya - Property Investment https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCycEMZPP06TrEN_oilCrjyg

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ranjanproperty/

Anna’s book - ‘Strategic Property Investing: What works and what doesn’t, in a complex UK residential property market’ has never been more relevant than in these uncertain times. It will be published on 30th April 2020. Sign up to find out more and be the first to be notified about the 99p launch offer: annaclareharper.com/book

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

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In this episode, Simon Hughes, Co-Founder of leading real estate innovation consultant, Jell Consulting and thought leadership and research business Liquid Real Estate Innovation, discusses shaping the future of real estate through innovation with Anna Clare Harper.

Simon has an extensive track record of working with board level executives at publicly-listed and private equity-backed companies. He explains how property companies often falsely believe innovation is driven by technology, and how to really unlock fresh ideas and discover potential solutions in a sector known for being slow to adapt to change.

Highlights of this episode include:

• How to fail: by putting technology first
  
• How to innovate successfully and the power of problem-solving
  
• How small and large property businesses and investors can innovate to get ahead in a fast-changing environment
  

Resources:

liquidrei.com/

jellconsulting.co.uk/about

Linked in https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-hughes-a8a9a71b/

Twitter @SimonHughes497

annaclareharper.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

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In this episode, Taylor Wescoatt, Founder of leading PropTech venture capital firm Concrete and Anna Clare Harper discuss analysing risk and reward, what venture capitalists look for, and the importance of understanding how to solve customer problems through new PropTech ventures.

Taylor brings his User Experience (UX) and Product Development experience with major brands such as eBay and Time Out to tackle real estate industry challenges and make the most of its opportunities.

Highlights of this episode include:

• What next for real estate and PropTech?
  
• What venture capitalists look for in a Founder
  
• Why we don’t learn from success and failure is crucial for growth
  
• The shift in focus in real estate from ‘occupier’ to ‘consumer’
  
• Why founders need inexhaustible energy
  

Resources:

www.concretevc.com

Email: info@concretevc.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorwescoatt/

www.annaclareharper.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

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Value investing specialist, author and acclaimed researcher Mallika Paulraj and Anna Clare Harper discuss how the school of thought so commonly associated with Benjamin Graham, then Warren Buffet, Charlie Munger et al really applies in the property world. Mallika shares top tips from a global investment and research career, from checklists to use before you invest, to understanding brain chemistry so that you can avoid common mistakes.

A graduate and researcher from Stanford University and the London School of Economics, Mallika began her career in Silicon Valley as a programmer before moving into finance in 2001, working with large financial institutions such as Lehman Brothers in Wall Street and Morgan Stanley in London. She runs a global investment education business, Four Minute Investing, and guest lectures in investing at Stanford and the London Business School.

Highlights of this episode include:

• How even the best professional investors paradoxically misunderstand personal investing
  
• Top tips for real estate investors looking to echo successful value investors like Warren Buffet
  
• How to put emotions aside, and really find value
  

Resources:

fourminuteinvesting.com

To find out more about monthly investment seminars held in London, email mallika@fourminuteinvesting.com

Mallika Paulraj LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpaulraj/

annaclareharper.com

Anna Clare Harper LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

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In this episode, leading investment specialist Rebekah Tobias and Anna Clare Harper discuss risk, reward, diversity and how capital is really allocated by financial institutions including high net worth investors, private equity houses, family offices and pension funds.

Formerly a Partner at global real estate consultants Cushman & Wakefield, an Investment Director at CBRE and a Director at leading Real Estate Investor & Asset Manager M7, Rebekah is now Business Development Director for international investment house, MARCOL. Her real estate investment expertise spans investment advisory, valuations, capital raising and investor relations working with major institutional investors and private equity.

Highlights of this episode include:

• The most important questions different types of investor really want answered when evaluating real estate investments, and how this differs from traditional RICS valuation approach
  
• How risk appetites and return targets compare between private equity firms, large institutions like pension funds, high net worth individuals and family offices
  
• How ‘emotional’ decisions and personal relationships play a role when family offices and high net worth investors allocate their capital
  
• Top trends and changing strategies in family office investment
  

Resources:

Linked In - Rebekah Tobias

marcol.com

www.annaclareharper.com

Linked In - Anna Clare Harper

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In this episode, Anna Clare Harper is joined by leading smart building technology business Metrikus' CEO Gary Cottle (previously a global MD / Chairman at Nomura / RBS) and COO Michael Grant to discuss how the digitisation of buildings can increase well-being and transform profits for property investors.

The episode includes how real-time data capture can enable smarter decisions, making buildings and employees more efficient, profitable, healthy and better for the environment.

Episode highlights include:

• Why a busy, stuffy room is worse for productivity than drinking 2 pints of beer
  
• Why the biggest environmental crisis could be inside our buildings
  
• How live data can be used to save costs and increase business and investor returns
  
• Optimising New Build and Build to Rent schemes from day 1, to help investors and tenants alike
  

Resources:

Web: metrikus.io

Gary Twitter: @cottlegs

Gary LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-cottle-564508b3/

Michael LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mgrant26/?originalSubdomain=uk

Metrikus Twitter: @loveyourassets

annaclareharper.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

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In this episode, Anna Clare Harper and Vadim Toader discuss Artificial Intelligence as a tool for forecasting house price growth and making better lending decisions.

Vadim is an Entrepreneur First alumnus and Forbes ‘30 under 30’ listed Proptech Founder with a  first-class Masters degree from Oxford in Engineering, Economics and Management.

He co-founded the Savills-backed startup and FCA-authorised lender Proportunity, which uses machine learning as a way to predict property price rises and optimise lending decisions. The business was recently voted the ‘UK’s best proptech startup’ by Techworld.

Episode highlights include:

• Pushing the limits of first-time buyer mortgage lending by quantifying and modelling risk and returns, and making decisions driven by data
  
• How to understand value and forecast future house price growth using AI
  
• How local drug usage, sexuality and coffee shop menus influence lending decisions
  
• How the idea for Proportunity arose: from Vadim’s own property search and experience at Europe’s biggest incubator, Entrepreneur First.
  
• Working out the areas with strongest property price growth prospects in London, in an uncertain market
  

Resources:

https://proportunity.co/

@Vadim_Toader Twitter

@proportunity_uk Twitter

annaclareharper.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

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In this episode, Anna Clare Harper and Ed Mead FRICS discuss how traditional estate agency needs to evolve, and how property viewing service Viewber is shaking up the process of buying, selling and letting residential property through what has been described as ‘the Uber of property viewings’.

Ed is a high-profile former London agent with 37 years’ experience. He is also a Non-Executive Director of London estate agent Douglas & Gordon and The Property Ombudsman. He has built a profile as one of the industry’s leading commentators, from two BBC TV series to writing regularly for The Sunday Times and The Telegraph as a property and agency expert. So, he is incredibly qualified to discuss the industry and its pain points!

Episode highlights include:

• Ed’s inside view on what’s really happening in estate agency - from referral fees to the impacts of new regulations
  
  
• Red flags around traditional practices that are now driving innovation
  
  
• How the new ‘Amazonised’ generation of property buyers will demand change
  
  
• Why landlords are abandoning agents and seeking different ways to let and manage their properties
  
  

Resources:

Viewber.co.uk

@ed_mead twitter

http://ed-mead.com

annaclareharper.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

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In this episode, Anna and Lucian discuss how the Prime and Mainstream UK residential markets have been affected by recent change and uncertainty. They look at the data Savills uses to gain market insight and what the future holds for property investors. Lucian also shares some great advice for private investors and provides context to current fragile market sentiment.

Highlights include:

• How Prime and Mainstream residential market drivers differ
• What house prices will look like over the next five years
• Why private investors must understand competition from institutions
• How Brexit will affect the housing market – today and tomorrow

Resources:

Website: www.savills.co.uk

Twitter: @LucianCook

LinkedIn: Lucian Cook

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Helen Gordon, CEO of Grainger PLC, the UK’s largest listed residential landlord joined Anna Clare Harper for this episode of The Return.

What people think you should do:

• Take a huge mortgage.
• Own a home ASAP.
• Consider your home to be your main ‘investment’.
• Spend the bulk of your money on your home.

Or, you could:

• Enjoy living in a much nicer place than you could afford to buy.
• Waste less time on property maintenance.
• Enjoy the flexibility, and move when you want to (not after 3 x sale fall throughs).
• Make informed investment decisions suited to your age and stage of life.

Spending all your money on a home doesn’t necessarily give you financial freedom.

Being strategic about your property (and other) investments will. 

Anna spoke to Helen Gordon, CEO of Grainger PLC, the UK’s largest listed residential landlord about:

→ The benefits of renting over buying for many of their customers.

→ Misalignment of incentives in rental property.

→ How to enjoy a career in real estate and investment.

Guest website: https://corporate.graingerplc.co.uk/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

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In this episode, Anna and Mike discuss how P2P lending is supporting small and medium-sized developers to meet the UK’s housing needs.  Mike shares his thoughts on how quality data plus human expertise can inform better decision making by lenders and explains why Alternative Finance will simply become mainstream finance over the next few years.

Highlights include:

• How peer-to-peer lending solves both lender and borrower problems 
• Best practice approaches to balancing risk and reward 
• How and why P2P for property will continue to grow over the coming years 

Resources:

Website: www.crowdproperty.com

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In this episode, Anna Clare Harper finds out about construction apprenticeships in London with Paul Ruddick, Co-founder of K10, London’s largest construction-specific Apprenticeship Training Programme (ATA). Anna and Paul are joined by Peter Bannister, Senior Apprenticeship Programme Manager and George, an apprentice Site Manager on the scheme. 

Anna and Paul discuss why apprenticeships are vital to address the current construction skills crisis, which is a factor limiting the supply of new buildings.  Peter explains how K10’s approach offers a win/win solution for contractors and apprentices and George outlines how the K10 programme has put him on track for a £60-70k salary within seven years. 

Highlights include:

• How 40% of the construction workforce is due to retire within the next decade.
• Why taking on apprentices makes commercial sense and has a positive social impact.
• How the construction sector should see the industry skills shortage as an opportunity. 

Resources: 

https://www.k-10.co.uk/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/k10

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/K10socialimpact/

Instagram: @k10apprenticeships

Twitter: @K10socialimpact

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In this episode, Anna and Ben discuss OakNorth’s approach to lending and how they use a combination of data-driven and human decision-making processes. They look at how challenger banks are addressing the finance issues experienced by property investors and developers and why OakNorth’s loan book currently stands at £2bn and rising, with continuing strong demand. Ben also shares some great advice for beginner investors and explains why there’s plenty of reason for optimism in the face of uncertainty.

Highlights include:

• Why property investors need to professionalise and learn the trade
• What lenders are looking for in successful applications
• Why no branches doesn’t mean no human interaction
• How the use of technology and data benefits bank customers

Resources:

www.oaknorth.com

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In this episode, Anna Clare Harper  finds out how interior design can increase Return On Investment for  developers, investors, in fact anyone selling or renting a property,  with the Founder of Award-winning London Design Studio, Anouska Tamony  Designs.

Anna and Anouska explore why interior  design is important, especially in a stagnating market. They also cover  the importance of knowing your target market and where to concentrate  your efforts for maximum impact if you have a limited budget. Anouska  explains how involving a professional designer can help to speed up  property sales and even the construction process, in surprising ways.

Highlights include:

• Understanding  interior design’s role in speeding up purchase decisions, by making  potential buyers fall in love with the property
• How to research your target market and set a budget for design
• How to make the most of a professional design studio in the development process – from start to finish
• Top tips for a high-quality finish, with a limited budget
• How to re-invigorate a property that isn’t selling

Resources:

Email: studio@anouskatamony.com

Website: http://www.anouskatamony.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AnouskaTamonyDesigns/

Instagram and Twitter: @anouskatamonydesigns

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In this episode, Anna discusses how technology and theory can be used to make better investments, as well as leading multimillion-pound investment businesses whilst teaching at Oxford & Cambridge, with Professor Andrew Baum.

Andrew has combined an academic career including professorships at Oxford and Cambridge, with leading several multi-million-pound investment businesses. He is currently Chairman of Newcore Capital management, Chairman of consulting company Property Funds Research and Visiting Professor of Management Practice at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

Highlights include:

• The social obligation of investors – greedy investors don’t win!
• The importance of fundamental principles of investment – markets are generally efficient, and there are very few free lunches, which means speculative development to sell is like gambling
• Value investing – buy things that are worth more than you pay for them, with strong yields for the long term where possible
• The power of options – select assets that are performing well today with great upside potential
• The importance of never using the present tense (e.g. the stock market is rising) only ever explain what has happened (the stock market has risen)

Resources:

http://www.propertyfundsresearch.com/

http://www.newcorecapital.com/

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The Return interviewed one of the world’s leading bloggers on dividend stocks, Ben Reynolds of www.suredividend.com, to talk long term, income-generating dividend growth investing.

The interview includes:

• 8 rules for dividend investing
• How to find the right stocks to buy, and when to sell (rarely!)
• The importance of science over emotion in stock market investing for the long term

The interview dispels the myth that stock market investing is just about short term buy and sell decisions or gambling, and gives some great tips about how to get started and keep going, even when the market falls…

Resources:

www.suredividend.com (check out the Dividend Aristocrats list)

www.dividendgrowthinvestor.com

DRIP investing resource centre http://www.dripinvesting.org/

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UK property investing – is buy to let dead?

We asked multi-millionaire landlord and author of one of the most highly regarded books on property investment, Angela Bryant, what’s really going on in the property market.   Angela has bought 100+ properties and has 20+ years’ experience under her belt, yet remains incredibly humble…

Find out:

• If buy to let is worth the hassle, in the current market context
• Reducing costs in your property portolio
• The unanticipated impacts of policy change on homelessness
• The risks and rewards in stocks and shares vs property

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Retirement might seem a long way off. But with increasing life expectancies, you could easily be relying on your pension for 1/4 to 1/3 of your life (longer than you were at school!)

Which makes pensions important to understand…But where to start?

We had the privilege of interviewing Howard Brindle, the Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the UK’s largest private pension scheme, USS to discuss what you need to know about pensions.

The interview includes:

• How the different types of pension work
• How regulations and taxes influence outcomes for individuals and their future lifestyles
• Why pension funds are becoming some of the most powerful investors in the world!

Resources:

www.uss.co.uk

https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en

https://www.pensionwise.gov.uk/en

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Anna Clare Harper spoke with Aubrey Adams OBE, Chair of Tritax Big Box REIT (FTSE 250), Former Chair of L&Q (105,000 homes) and Former CEO of Savills about building trust and how housing gets funded.

The episode covers:

→ How to fund and scale Housing Associations 

(Including cash flow, bonds, grant etc).

→ How real estate Boards can build trust.

→ Where public housing providers should take risk.

Guest website: https://www.tritaxbigbox.co.uk/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

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Anna Clare Harper spoke to Guy Horne, CEO of HSPG, a real estate company that acquires, manages and develops residential property, in particular Affordable housing.

This episode includes:

• What are the key differences between affordable, Affordable, social, and supported housing, in words my mum can understand?
• What are the hottest strategies for Living Sector investors seeking to solve the homelessness crisis, including place-based portfolios?
• What impact is grant funding having on what investment strategies work?
• What Guy’s most recommended resource is.

Guest website: http://www.hspg.co.uk
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guy-horne-b6646722/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

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Anna Clare Harper chatted with Gus Wiseman, Head of Investor Relations for the UK Government’s Office for Investment about: 

• What international capital thinks about UK housing vs. Europe vs. the US.
• How UK real estate platforms can position themselves to secure investment from global pension funds.
• Why self-deprecation is doing UK Plc no favours - and what we can do about it.

Guest website: http://great.gov.uk
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guswiseman/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

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Anna Clare Harper chatted with John German, Managing Director Alternative Investments at Invesco Real Estate about the differences between UK and European Living Sector Investment, with a special focus on Affordable Housing. 

This episode is brilliant for anybody new to this sector as John is an expert at navigating this sometimes complex sector. 

It covered:

• Who’s who and what’s what in Living Sector investment
• What different investors look for: Income vs Total Return (including capital growth)
• The differences between UK living sectors and other living sectors internationally in terms of scale, maturity and return expectations
• The significance of the UK’s regulatory framework for affordable housing, meaning Affordable housing needs to be provided by Registered Providers
• What premium international investors need to make on Living Sector investments, to justify currency risk.

Guest website: https://www.invesco.com/us/en/strategies/alternatives/real-estate.html
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-german-2437573b/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

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Anna Clare Harper chatted to Phil Clark, NED at Pinnacle Group (70,000 UK homes); Thriving Investments, part of Places for People; Chair of Pinnacle Investments (a partner of ours); Executive Chair at Wellcome Trust’s Genome Campus; and Investment Committee NED at UCL and PIC.

They discussed what role institutional investors play in the UK Living Sector, and how to become a NED.

Topics include the match between institutions and social/affordable housing, including:
- Scale – Housing Associations are some of the UK’s largest landlords, with an average of 2,801 homes each (and many far bigger).
- Income growth – Typically offering some protection against inflation.
- Attractive yields – Standing stock can generate 4-5% returns.
- Social impact – Many institutions actively seek investments that deliver real-world benefits, and housing is a tangible way to meet urgent needs.

Phil explained what role institutions can play in solving the crisis of affordable (and Affordable) housing, investing through:
 - Debt – Lending to Housing Associations, in the same way they would allocate capital to other bond investments.
- Equity – Investing in the end product.

Guest website: https://wellcome.org/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-clark-8761ba26/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

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Anna Clare Harper chatted to Ann-Marie Atkins, a Managing Partner and award-winning Financial Planner at Evelyn Partners, about what you need to know about investing.

Disclaimer and spoiler alert - there’s no actual investment tips or investment advice, the game-changing advice is about TAX and INFLATION (and booking a Finance Date with yourself).

Some snippets from Ann-Marie:

• Want to double your money in the next 10 years?? You can, if you invest at 7.2% interest (a version of this is known elsewhere as the Rule of 72)
• If you do one thing, think about tax first because it will have the greatest impact on your net returns - for example ISAs, SIPPs, Lifetime ISAs. If you haven’t yet, now is a great time before the end of the tax year. 
• How much you should be contributing to your pension each year.

Anna shared some of her thoughts including:

• 'Something I’ve seen as I’m spending more time in the US is that there’s a much greater acceptance of mistakes. Business founders are celebrated for trying as well as for succeeding; there’s less shame around learning by doing. Here in the UK, speaking for myself, I was brought up to be scared of making mistakes with money - and the cost of that fear is huge - both for individuals and for our economy!
• Booking a monthly finance date with myself is something I find really helpful, and having a process and plan to follow.
• Some comments from listeners - for example, one very successful listener shared: “I’m just crap at this stuff. I put a reminder in my calendar to sort out my ISA or read up on how to allocate it, and then I keep postponing the calendar invite.” and we shared some nuggets about how to make this easier…'

Guest website: https://www.evelyn.com/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annmariebanks/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/