Good evening, looking for some general advice. This game is so overwhelming and you can fall down a rabbit hole of conflicting advice and fraudulent property gurus whilst trying to learn/research. Not looking for a get rich quick pyramid scheme business model! I have always been interested in the idea of property development. I’ve got a healthy deposit and a good salary to apply for my first mortgage. I’m currently renting, my rents not astronomical but it’s not cheap. Question is, do I buy my first home, do it up whilst living in the property and then sell? Or, do I continue to rent, buy a property to ‘flip’ and sell quickly? Paying rent and a mortgage and refurb seems impossible? How are people affording to do all this? Theres a lot of talk about refinancing and equity release but I don’t really understand how that works…I’ve been trying to research about it but all the information I can find states it as being financially risky and very negative and off putting. All the information about trying to buy a property at auction is the same, financially risky and negative again! On the plus side, I have a reliable and trustworthy builder in my family with a team of excellent traders. I’m aware this is a tough game and you need to be smart, work hard and put the effort in to learn! Can anyone point me in the right direction of a trustworthy source for advice and guidance so I can learn about these things. Books, seminars, networking, financial advisors etc. I’m southwest based. Would love to hear from you Rick, and anyone else with experience and advice. Thankyou for taking the time to read my post.

Is so important What’s your vision?

I am thrilled to share that I successfully placed a winning bid on mixed used property yesterday. Auctions are always a bit of a rollercoaster, the strategy paid off and I couldn't be happier with the outcome. Now comes the best part: finalizing the details and getting everything accross the finish line in 21 days. - It started at 39k and I ended up at 52.5k - The vision is to turn this three storeys building into 4 or 5 bed HMO, it will depend on the council planning permissions but I think the footprint is perfect for that kind of conversion. - It's got some mould and damp issues, probably stripping back to the brick, get rid of the source that causing the problem and secure it. And the ugly duckling looks like this :)

which do you think is the best stratergy and why?

"Your Network is your Net Worth" as they say. There are loads of Property Networking meetings all over the country, the meetings are full of inspiring people and people that could help you in your business. At most network meetings you will have the ability to stand up and introduce yourself. Always take advantage of this say "Who you are, what you do, what you can do for others and how to contact you" Doing this is very powerful, I met my JV partner at a networking event, I met my Broker, my builder, my Agent and more. So what are you waiting for? Get Networking (But leave your wallet at home) you don't need to buy anything - you have everything you need here. Just enjoy the Experience