Online is powerful, but nothing replaces a proper conversation in the room. Deals move faster, trust builds quicker, and the right introductions tend to happen naturally when you’re face to face. If you’re serious about finding opportunities, funding projects, or simply expanding your network with people who are actually active, this is where you need to be. On 23rd April we’re bringing developers, deal sourcers, and finance specialists together in one place. No noise, no spectators, just a focused group of people looking to do business. If you’ve been watching from the sidelines online, this is your chance to step in, shake hands, and start real conversations that can move things forward. Let me know below if you would like to come and I'll send you further details.

Anyone else juggling multiple site appraisals and losing track of where each one is at? I was running everything through spreadsheets and email threads and kept missing follow-ups with agents and landowners. Here's a simple system I set up that fixed it: 1. When I get a new site lead (email from an agent, referral, or a listing I find), I forward it to a dedicated email address. 2. That triggers an automation (Make.com, free plan) that extracts the key details: site address, asking price, agent contact, and any notes. 3. It logs the site into a simple CRM with a status tracker (new lead, appraisal in progress, offer submitted, under negotiation, dead). 4. Every Monday morning it sends me a summary of all active sites, what stage they're at, and which ones need follow-up that week. 5. If a site has been sitting in "appraisal in progress" for more than 7 days with no update, it flags it automatically. Total cost: free (Make.com free plan + HubSpot free CRM). Took me about an hour to set up. For anyone running multiple deals at once, this kind of system saves you from the embarrassment of an agent asking for an update on something you forgot about. Let me know if you want more detail on how to set it up.

Something interesting happened on Coffee Hour on Wednesday. @Markus Cox joined the call. I haven’t spoken to Markus for about five years, but he joined the group after receiving one of the emails and suddenly we were talking deals again. It made me think how many people sit on our mailing lists where we assume an email equals a conversation. Most of the time it doesn’t. It took a smaller room like this to recreate that connection. @Andy Everett also dropped in briefly. Unfortunately the Scottish countryside internet didn’t quite cooperate and he dropped off the call. But it was almost a very interesting moment. Markus and Andy, I suspect there is some real crossover in what you’re both doing. If you see this, I’d highly recommend the two of you connect. Moments like that are exactly why this group exists. The right people are often already in the room. They just haven’t met yet. That’s why these calls are worth turning up to when you can. Have a great weekend all. More in store for next week 💪

I’m reviewing a development appraisal this morning and thought it would be useful to get some thoughts from the group. Headline numbers: GDV: £6.3m Total development cost: £5.27m Profit: £905k Return on Cost: 17.2% For most equity partners or development funders this is a little tight. Typically we’re trying to get schemes closer to 20–25% return on cost. The main pressure point here is the land value is locked at £1.1m, which leaves the developer profit a bit thin. One option we’ve been discussing is restructuring the land so the landowner stays in the deal. For example: Land value: £1.1m Plus 30% share of development profit Based on the current appraisal that would give the landowner roughly: £1.1m plus £270k profit share= £1.37m total Which could make the scheme easier to fund and improve the developer’s equity return. But before progressing it further I’d be interested in the group’s thoughts. A few questions for the developers here: 1. Would you progress a deal at 17% return on cost in the current market? 2. Would you prefer to renegotiate land value or bring the landowner in for a profit share? 3. Any other structures you’ve used that have helped unlock similar deals? Always interesting to see how different developers approach these situations. Would love to hear your thoughts.

Hi all @George Williams attended coffee hour today and he is doing some fascinating things in the world of real estate and automations. If you are doing any manual boring tasks I bet a computer can do it for you, and George might just be the man to set you on the right path. Here as ever on Wednesdays at 2pm, if it works for your diary.