Honest Property Investment with Natasha Collins

GET ACCESS TO CROSSING OVER TO COMMERCIAL BY CLICKING HERE If you’re not here for Pregnancy content, you can skip this weeks newsletter/pod.But let me tell you it’s been my most requested podcast and so here it is, warts and all. Currently I’m on Maternity leave. Team NCRE have me covered and are still running the ship because I have the best team of Surveyors and  Property experts so service was never going to slip. But I may have got ahead of myself. I originally recorded this pod on the 28th Jan, thinking that I had a planned C Section a few weeks later so was feeling pretty together after just handing everything over to my interim MD and then planning for a 2 week crossover period… well I ended up having a real living baby in my arms 4.5 hours after I finished recording.  One of my good friends and mentors once said to me ‘there’s a reason pregnancy is 9 months… its so you can get everything ready and in your case that means your business too!’ And so I had two choices, stop NCRE during maternity and pick up any pieces after (because I just didn’t have the capacity to keep it running) or spend time putting in place the right team and make it better than its ever been… knowing full well that it would be hard (and it was, I have never been so unwell in my life). But the decisions I’ve made over the last 8 months have allowed me to have some sort of Mat Leave (yes I know whats going on in my business I haven’t disappeared completely, we have targets and deadlines!) which means I get to be Mum to Harry and Get to know him AND I’m not trying to give my best advice whilst my new Mum brain is swirling around because no one wants that (and seriously my team are just as good if not better!) With that, I’ll leave you to listen to this Pod!  Natasha

Have you started my free mini-course Crossing Over to Commercial?  It’s prompting a lot of questions, which I’m more than happy to answer… here’s a biggie: ‘You say only search in one location, but I can’t find any BMV deals there, so can I expand my search?’ No 👏 no 👏 no Mainly because… BMV (below market value)  just isn’t a thing in commercial property (I don’t believe it is in resi, but we just don’t have time to go through that right now). Commercial properties are priced based on risk and its investment value… as well as what the seller wants to sell for. SPOILER ALERT a commercial property that can immediately be increased in value isn’t going to jump out and punch you in the face whilst you’re scrolling RightMove. You have to delve deeper into the deal than that. To increase the value of a commercial property, you either have to decrease the risk of the deal by making sure the rent is secured and will be coming in for a long period of time OR you have to increase the rent. Therefore, you have to analyse a deal and see where you can do that. It can take hours… when we do that for clients it can take days to get a deal right and to see where the value add comes from. It’s not about expanding your location, it’s about looking at every single deal that is going on in that area and exploring the possibilities. Yes it takes time, but yes that’s where you find your deal! In todays podcast I’m going to go through exactly how to do this, find a commercial property that you can add value to.

I’m going to start by celebrating the fact that after 3 valuations I finally got a valuation for my remortgage that is what I wanted it to be… the RIGHT VALUE! I had to get to that figure mainly because I had my second charge mortgage relying on it and quite frankly, anything less and I was going to be out of pocket, which I’m not doing. To keep you in suspense, I’ll give you the names of the lenders and valuers in my pod ;) All I can say is, if you know the Comps state your property should be higher, keep pushing for it! Next Topic… Asset Management 101. When was the last time you ACTUALLY looked at the stats for your property portfolio? I mean really and truly compared them to see what’s working and what’s not. As an Asset Manager that’s the very first thing I do, I look at the figures, as they don’t lie. They give a true picture of how the portfolio is performing. From there I can make changes. If you want details on how to use it and what to measure, you are going to need to follow along with this weeks podcast. I challenge you to get this done! Let me know is there anything that surprised you about your portfolio? Will you be making changes as a result? Also don’t forget you can still pick up my Crossing Over to Commercial mini-course just CLICK HERE

You can sign up to Crossing Over to Commercial HERE First things first, I need to get a public announcement out there to ask… please, commercial agents, stop with the Catfishing! I just can’t… What do I mean?! Pricing property deals way too low so that you get eyeballs or bids and then being shocked when I call up and give you an offer at the market price and you saying ‘No that’s way too low!’. Errm yass… so why bother listing at that price… grrrr! The problem being that I have to look into it because I couldn’t possibly tell my clients I overlooked it, in case it’s actually correct and I’ve found myself a unicorn. **Rant over** Second point I want to cover today is ITZA’s. I’m noticing a lot of commercial property investors ignoring this because they just don’t understand. NOTE: You cannot ignore this if you want to be successful here!! This is about valuing retail rents! I'll explain in the podcast...

It may sound obvious that you MUST be good at decision making in order to be a property investor… But it truly shocks me the number of investors who say to me ‘is this a good deal, would you buy it?’ Because that’s not the question you should be asking. That’s asking me to judge a deal based on decisions I’d make for my own portfolio… that’s not your portfolio and your goals. I know for a fact that clients of mine and friends definitely wouldn’t buy the same things that I buy and that’s brilliant because I’m not led by what they do. Instead the question you should be asking is: ‘I've found this deal, my goals are X, Y and Z, does it hit those goals?’ But before asking that, you have to make an important decision. What is it you’d actually like to achieve?! Yield / Purchase Price… any other stat you’re measuring by. That way, when it comes to purchasing property the next decisions become easier: Choosing the right location Identifying if a deal really works for you, or deciding to let it go Knowing what finance option works best Want to a dig a little deeper into how to think about these decisions and a step by step guide into how to buy your next commercial property; Listen to this weeks podcast. And now I have something even more special for you a freebie unlike any other freebie before it… Crossing Over To Commercial, my mini-course on everything you need to know before delving into the world fo commercial property. It will take you 60 mins to complete, but once you have, you’ll be more clued up as to how to make these decisions!!

Now it's time to focus and I want you to listen closely because there are some tripping hazards in 2022, that if you don’t concentrate on, will slow your property investment success this year. The biggest tripping hazard… F👏I👏N👏A👏N👏C👏E (Finance) Firstly, if you need an affirmation, use ‘There will always be finance for my property’... I firmly believe that. However, it’s taking longer than ever to find a product that suits that you’re aiming for. This is across the board for both residential and commercial. The reason being is that lenders want to do due diligence, but also don’t want to get sucked into the hype bubble from last year, where there was a lot of overpaying for properties. So, you are going to have to stay resilient when it comes to finding finance. You are going to get a lot of NOs and you are going to come across a lot of products where you think WT eff is this?! Ultimately you will get the finance you need but it could take 3-6 months (or sometimes longer). The investors that will succeed this year will build relationships with lenders and be able to present why a deal works to a lender so that they can get the best rates and loan to value. Those who will fall flat in the mud, won’t prepare and won’t spend the valuable time needed to get this right. I delve into this in more detail on my Podcast and share some things I’ve learnt recently in regards to refinancing property (Oh and some super exciting news!)

This weeks podcast is a Mail Bag episode, I answer your questions, including what keeps me up at night and: What is your advice for first time buyers and do you have any tips for doing your APC? How to source and finance mixed use property? Have you come across any property investment scams? Why would an agent pass to you without putting it on this market and getting the best price for their vendor? Why don’t you negotiate on your fees? How would you buy a property in America if you are living in the UK? How do you buy a property in the UK if you are nowhere near it? This is the last in this series BUT don’t fear I’ll be back in a few weeks time with Series Three AND I’d love your input what would you like to hear more of FILL THIS FORM IN HERE If you need to reach out to LIONHEART you can do so HERE.

Part 1 - I talk through why it's important that you have a strategy AND give you some homework! Part 2 - Take a break with LionHeart  Part 3 - #ditlos is Dr Samantha Organ  Part 4 - Planning for retirement through property investment with Felicia Flinders  Come follow me on Instagram @honestpropertyinvestment P.S This episode is for guidance purposes only and does not constitute professional advice!

This is a Jam Packed Show (P.S There is some swearing in here so be warned if you don't like the F-word)! 1. I start off by talking about Mental Health Awareness Week and how perfectionism can ruin property investors 2. Break with LionHeart --> http://lionheart.org.uk/ 3. #ditlos is James Greenway, Director of Estates, Facilities and Business Services at Highways England 4. Finally my good friend Danielle Bell joins me to talk about How to avoid disasters in Commercial Property & Residential Property Investment PLUS the forecast for what to look out for post-pandemic Please come and follow this pod on IG @honestpropertyinvestment

After a few weeks of downtime to recreate the podcast, it’s back AND rebranded. I present to you… Honest Property Investment with Natasha Collins, for investors who aren’t taking shortcuts. (If you’re already subscribed to the NC Podcast, this will automatically update!) So here’s how I’m going to run this, each week I’ll start with a 10 minute catch up on the things I’ve been working on, industry trends I’m seeing and things to watch out for. This season I’ve partnered with LionHeart, who will get the break (I’m one of their mental health ambassadors, I take no £’s for this… just go use them if you need them PLEASE!!). Next up is a new feature, A day in the life of a Surveyor or #DITLOS, where colleagues and friends of mine leave me a voice note explaining who they are and what they do and why it’s so important to the property industry. Buckle up, Pasq a Project Management Surveyor is up first! Finally, you’ll get an interview with an industry expert or advice from yours truly… I listened to what topics you wanted this season so watch this space, I’ve got most of them covered. This week I have to tell you about why it’s so important to start picking up the phone more! Yes we can listen to the naysayers about the market being problematic right now and yes it’s trickier than pre-covid times, but seriously where there is a will there’s a way. I’ll tell you about how I use off the record conversations and why they should be a staple of your communication. It’s a good one!! Last request, go follow @honestpropertyinvestment on IG. That’s the community for this podcast. It’s where you can leave feedback or requests for future topics PLUS ask questions for my mailbag episodes. Woop! I’m so excited about this Natasha P.S If you don’t use IG you can always email natasha@ncrealestate.co.uk with your suggestions!

I hear this all the time — “I’d love to do more in commercial property, but I don’t have enough time. I’ve got a full-time job, or I’m already managing a big residential portfolio.” The truth is, if you don’t have enough time, it’s because you’re still trying to do everything yourself. Commercial property is a business, and you have to start running it like one. In this episode, I’m sharing how I approach my portfolio like a CEO — building systems, delegating, and budgeting properly so the business runs smoothly without me doing every task. I’ll also show you how I find property like a CEO. You don’t need to be sourcing deals every month — I plan my acquisitions over 12 to 18 months, schedule each stage, and make sure every purchase fits the long-term strategy. When you put the right systems in place, you create time and space to think clearly, make better decisions, and actually enjoy the process. If you want to run your portfolio like a business and get your time back, book a call with me at ncrealestate.co.uk/bookacall.

You’ve listed the property, the board’s up, the agent’s optimistic… and yet, silence. No enquiries. No viewings. Nothing. It’s one of the most frustrating moments for any commercial property investor, because an empty property doesn’t just cost you rent, it costs you momentum.This week, I’m sharing what to do when your property’s not letting – including the short-term tweaks you can make this week to get attention, and the longer-term strategy shifts that’ll stop it happening again.We start with the government’s announcement about a so-called “homebuying shake-up”, which promises to make transactions cheaper and quicker. But in reality, it’s just shifting who pays for what – sellers will now front the cost of searches and surveys, while lenders and conveyancers continue to move at the same slow pace. If we really wanted to make property transactions faster, we’d create one live data room with all searches, title documents and reports in one place, so everyone works from the same information. That’s what we do in commercial, and it’s why our deals move faster.Then we get into the main topic: what to do when your property just won’t let. If you’re not getting any bites, the market’s telling you something needs to change. I’ll walk you through the short-term steps that make a difference right now – refreshing your listing, improving presentation, motivating your agents, and adjusting your incentives – as well as the long-term strategies that prevent repeated voids, like designing flexible layouts, lining up a letting plan before completion, and building momentum across your portfolio.Empty units happen to everyone, but the key is to act fast and stay visible. Let properties, let property.Listen now at ncrealestate.co.uk/podcast or book a call with my team at ncrealestate.co.uk/bookacall.

I don’t know about you, but I get so frustrated waiting for those search emails to land in my inbox. By the time they do, everyone else has already seen the deal.So this week, I decided to flip the script. I gave myself 15 minutes to go out and actually find a property. No waiting, no alerts — just me setting some quick criteria, jumping on the portals, and running the numbers.In this episode, I take you through that exact process — and by the end, I had a real live property in Frome that came in at over 8% gross yield.Here’s what I cover:Why search emails make you passive.How I set my investment criteria in minutes.Where I went to search for live deals.My quick yield calculation and how I ruled out the non-starters.The deal I landed on in Frome, and why it stood out.The key questions I’ll be asking the agent next.Takeaway: You don’t need to wait around for deals to find you. With just 15 focused minutes, you can be looking at a property worth chasing.If you’d like help building a repeatable system for finding and analysing commercial property deals, book a call with me and my team at NC Real Estate: https://ncrealestate.co.uk/bookacall

Repairs and service charges aren’t glamorous, but they’re essential to successful commercial property ownership. When I manage them well, my buildings stay safe, compliant and profitable. When I don’t, things unravel fast.In this episode, I share how I deal with repairs and service charges, and what you should be looking out for in your portfolio.I explain the difference between FRI and IRI leases and why it’s a myth that only the top floor pays for the roof or the ground floor pays for pest control — everyone benefits from a safe, dry building, so everyone contributes.I also break down a typical service charge budget:Soft services: cleaning, refuse, pest controlHard services: fabric repairs, emergency lighting, fire alarmsUtilities: communal electricity, water, reserve fundManagement: accounting, risk assessments, management feesI talk through how costs are usually apportioned — pro-rata by floor area or as fixed percentages set out in the lease — and why charging regularly, with reserves for bigger items, avoids nasty surprises.If tenants don’t pay, landlords aren’t powerless: interest, debt recovery and even forfeiture are options. But the best outcomes come from following RICS best practice — resolving disputes quickly, correcting errors, and using ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) such as mediation or expert determination. The courts expect it under the Civil Procedure Rules, and it’s nearly always cheaper and faster than litigation.👉 Book a call with me and my team at NC Real Estate to review your service charge budgets: CLICK HERE

Commercial property doesn’t always go the way you imagined. You buy with excitement, you celebrate completion... and then the problems start.Tenants won’t surrender, service charge arrears mount up, dilapidations cost you thousands, or compliance curveballs hit. It's all gone wrong! In this episode, Natasha Collins MRICS pulls back the curtain on what really happens when deals go wrong. You’ll hear:Why every investor should set up a “5% buffer” todayThe sparkle of research VS the reality of ownershipReal-world case studies: tenants who won't surrender, dilapidation bills you didn't budget for, service charge shortfalls, and finance/compliance knocking your cash flow sideways!A clear framework for responding without panicAnd when to just walk awayBecause one bad deal doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It just means you need the right plan to turn it around!Ready to talk through your own situation? Book a strategy call with NC Real Estate here.

Ever wondered how I personally invest my own money?In this episode, I’m taking you behind the scenes of my investment strategy and showing you where commercial property fits into the bigger picture. Think of it as a back-to-school lesson plan for building a balanced portfolio that reflects both your goals and your lifestyle.Here’s what you’ll hear:Stocks & Shares ISA and “fun” stock picks – why I use them as a supporting layer, and the playful way I buy YSL shares instead of handbags.My SSAS Pension – how I structure it, why it’s my main savings vehicle, and the story of the red telephone box that generates monthly rental income inside my pension.Stocks & REITs inside the SSAS – from global trackers like the S&P500 to UK property companies, including Land Securities (and why buying those shares was personal).Property outside the pension – the reality of residential vs commercial returns, plus what I learned from a refinancing challenge.The full picture – how commercial property sits at the centre of everything, supported by stocks, ISAs, and small, fun investments.By the end, you’ll see why I believe commercial property is the cornerstone of a strong, long-term investment strategy — and how you can start thinking about where it might fit into yours.If this episode feels like a crash course, then my Back to School Training is the full lesson plan. Join me there and I’ll walk you step by step through how to strengthen your own portfolio with commercial property.👉 Link to sign up for the training

When it comes to the economy, the news can feel overwhelming. One day it’s good, the next day it’s doom and gloom. A recent poll reported that 71% of Brits believe the economy has worsened since Brexit, and 77% say their cost of living has gone up. No wonder so many investors are feeling uncertain.Link to the Huff Post Article In this episode of The Honest Property Investment Podcast, I break down what all this really means for commercial property investors. I share:Why the economic climate feels so confusing right nowThe external forces that actually impact your portfolio (and the ones that don’t)How to filter out the noise so you can make clear, confident investment decisionsA simple action item you can use this week to cut through uncertaintyIf you’ve been holding back because of market worries, this episode will help you focus on what truly matters.And if you’d like to go further, my Back to School Training will walk you through how to filter the noise, identify opportunities in the current market, and set out your commercial property strategy for the next 12 months. You’ll find more details in my newsletters this week, or you can secure your place now through the link in the show notes.

Buying a commercial property is exciting — but it’s also scary. What if you overpay? What if there are hidden costs waiting to bite you later?In this episode, I share the two essential steps you must take before you commit to buying, so you can protect yourself from nasty surprises:✅ Why you should always commission two valuations — one at market value and one at vacant possession.✅ What a building survey really tells you (it’s not just about defects — it’s about who pays for them under the lease).✅ Why spending up to £5,000 on due diligence can save you tens of thousands in the long run.By the end, you’ll know exactly how to avoid overpaying and how to make sure you don’t get caught with unexpected bills.We’re going Back to School at NC Real Estate with a brand-new 3-part live training series for commercial property investors:Back to School: Finance, Tenant Demand & Systems for Commercial Property Investors📌 Session 1: How to structure finance more creatively📌 Session 2: How to prove tenant demand in any market📌 Session 3: How to systemise your portfolio so it runs smoothly (without burning you out)👉 Early Bird tickets are just £199 + VAT if you book before Wednesday 27th August. After that, the price rises to £299 + VAT.🔔 Back to School Training — September 2025

Bridging finance, refinancing, and VAT are some of the most misunderstood areas in commercial property investment. Whether you are unsure about when to use bridging, how refinancing actually works, or why VAT is sometimes charged on commercial properties, this episode breaks it down in plain English.By the end of the episode, you will have the clarity you need to make better decisions on your deals — and you will see why VAT is not as complicated as it first appears.What You’ll Learn in This EpisodeHow bridging, refinancing, and VAT all fit together in structuring commercial property deals.What bridging finance is, when to use it, and the pros and cons.Why investors refinance, how lenders assess deals, and how refinancing links to bridging.When VAT applies on commercial property, whether tenants mind paying VAT on rent and service charges, and why VAT can actually be beneficial.How VAT registration works: the 40 business day timeline, who can register (individuals, SSAS, companies), and why registration applies only to the property rather than your entire portfolio.Want to get on our newsletter list so that you hear about the September Back to School Masterclass series? Email hello@ncrealestate.co.uk and we'll get you registered.

 On 7th August 2025, the Bank of England cut the base rate to 4% — a move that’s already sparking questions from commercial property investors. Prime yields often move in line with the base rate, and with yields tightening, is now the right time to buy… or should you wait?In this episode of The Honest Property Investment Podcast, I break down:What the rate cut means for prime yieldsWhy tighter yields can make deals more competitiveHow to approach investing when borrowing is cheaper but returns are slimmerThe value-add strategies that still make sense in this market — including ESG upgradesWhether you’re actively looking for your next deal or just keeping an eye on the market, this episode will help you decide how to position yourself for the months ahead.Links & Resources:Book a strategy callFree investment calculator Take the quiz