Lord of The Manor?

Some things just aren't what they seem.
I had a call from an agent last week with a property I just 'had to view.'

"Ok, is it new on the market?" No, it had been on since last year. "Hmm. What is it, where is it, and why do I need to view it?" It's the Manor House. "A Manor House?" No, the Manor House. Intrigued, I arranged to meet the agent later that day.

The first thing I notice is, it's not a Manor House; in fact it's quite an ordinary house, but somehow strangely appealing. Towering, majestic trees, an imposing pair of large wrought iron gates, and a generous but overgrown garden. I could just picture those gates opening onto a long, sweeping driveway that leads to a large gravelled turning circle. Shame there's no room for that. Oh well.

Inside the house, it's plain and rather awkwardly designed, but I could see what difference a few walls knocked through, and maybe a modest extension would make. There's definitely an opportunity to add some real value here.

A chance meeting with a neighbour told me that the previous owner had either bought or assumed the title of local Lord of the Manor, hence the house name, and had adorned it with turrets, battlements, etc., which he thought would improve the appearance of the house. Sadly for him, the local planners didn't agree, and had him remove them.

So there we are. The Manor House. For sale; unmortgageable, unloved, seemingly unwanted, except by me! I can see real potential here, but it won't be easy.

Somehow I think the negotiations will be long and complicated, but you never know, I might just end up with my very own Manor House!

Progressive Property JV Event in London

On Saturday, I travelled on the early morning train to London to attend another of Rob and Mark's brilliant networking events. The location was excellent, a two minute walk from King's Cross station, and I was pleasantly surprised by just how many people were there.

There was so much to take in on the day, but Rob's energy and enthusiasm kept us all (me anyway) spellbound. If you want to see someone with a real passion for what he does, go and watch Rob Moore talking about property - he is fascinating! Just one small subject Rob spoke about has changed my whole approach to property investing. With knowledge like this, it's not difficult it's easy. As the man says, you can pull money from thin air!


One thing you never get with a Progressive event, is the feeling you've been short changed. Proceedings started before 10.00am and had only just finished when I had to leave at 8.15pm, and I'm sure the guys stayed on long after I left.

It was nice to catch up with some familiar faces; Azu, Lubna, Romana, Juswant, Tanya & Gary, and I was lucky enough to meet some great people for the first time; Robin Shaw, Adrian, Chrys, and the charming Edna.

So, armed with an arsenal of investing know how, I pootled off back home on the train and managed to read the first 100 pages of one of Rob and Mark's books before reaching Newark station. With another 300 odd pages left to read, I was kicking myself that I didn't live in Edinburgh; I could have finished it in one sitting if I did!

Lots of inspiration, lots of education, it's time I got on with it. See you next time.