Honest Property Investment with Natasha Collins
By Natasha Collins
Smart investment strategies for commercial property and mixed used property investors.
This is property investing in the UK and covers Commercial Property Investment and Residential Property Investment
Podcasts are released every Tuesday morning at 7am UK time!
Crossing Over to Commercial Property Pt 2: Why Invest in Commercial Property
Book a call with the team HERE to discuss your commercial property strategy.
What You’ll Learn:
The benefits of commercial property, including higher yields and tenant-paid expenses
How commercial leases give you more income stability and better legal protection
- The long-term financial advantages and tax efficiency
- How you can add value without needing to develop
In this week’s podcast, I discuss why commercial property can be a better long-term investment than residential, and what makes it an attractive strategy for investors looking to increase income, reduce hands-on management, and scale strategically.
Crossing over to commercial property Pt 1: The Difference Between Residential and Commercial Property Investment
What You’ll Learn:
Why residential and commercial property require totally different investment mindsets
How lease terms, tenant relationships, and responsibilities differ
What shifts you need to make to treat commercial property as a business
The role of professionals in a commercial portfolio
In this week’s podcast, I discuss the key differences between residential and commercial property, including how they’re managed, how income is generated, and what mindset you need to succeed in the commercial market.
How to get commercial lending as a new property investor
This week I'm discussing a major problem area for first time commercial property investors... lending.
I discuss the difference between market value and vacant possession value. How to work out what vacant possession value is (roughly) and what to expect when getting commercial lending for the first time!
How to create a WINNING investment strategy before starting with SSAS in commercial property
This week I discuss how to put together a winning investment strategy and how I use my SSAS to add to this investment strategy.
Jump to about 9 mins in if you want to skip me talking about selling my Charleston property and the mortgage implications there!
The REAL cost of remortgaging a Commercial Property
I've finally finished my remortgage and the cost of remortgaging a property and borrowing £183,750 was wild... think tens of thousands.
In this podcast I talk through the REAL cost of remortgaging a Commercial Property and how I'd do it better!
Overcome these 5 common hurdles in commercial property investing
This week I'm answering another one of my listeners questions 'How do you Find the Right Properties in Commercial Property and Overcome Common Hurdles?' once you overcome the hurdles you'll find the right property so I've chosen the top 5 hurdles I see with investors and how to overcome these to successfully buy your next commercial property investment.
How to split commercial properties to maximise value
Remember I'm hosting a webinar on the 12th March about what's happened to commercial property in Q1 2025, you can register HERE.
This week I discuss how to split commercial properties to maximise value... no I'm not talking commercial to residential conversion.
How to connect with agents to secure deals in commercial property
If you want to join the webinar the link is HERE
This week I discuss the Renters' Reform Bill AGAIN... seriously its not scary, read THIS . Plus how to connect with agents to secure deals in commercial property.
The TOP 5 Chat GPTprompts to use to help decide if a commercial property search location is right for you
Sign up to the 12th March webinar - https://ncrealestate.co.uk/webinar-120325
This week I discuss using Chat GPT prompts to help you find the right search location. for your next commercial property purchase.
How to Significantly Reduce Void Period Risks in Commercial Property
Wealth Growth: Set and Forget with Manish Kataria
I started the conversation this year about building wealth outside of commercial property and I had A LOT of feedback asking for more conversations about this . So I'm finding complementary investments that work well with commercial property investment.
To start this series I invited Manish Kataria onto the podcast to discuss his Set and Forget investment method.
We cover:
What does ‘set it and forget it’ investing mean?
What are equities, ETFs, options, and bonds?
Which of these investments work best for a ‘set it and forget it’ strategy, and how can you start?
How do you figure out how much to invest each month?
How can you estimate how much money you'll have by retirement?
You can find out more about Manish HERE: http://www.investlikeapro.co.uk/
Understand the Top 7 Tips for Overcoming Time, Knowledge, and Opportunity Constraints in Commercial Property
This podcast, "Understand the Top 7 Tips for Overcoming Time, Knowledge, and Opportunity Constraints in Commercial Property," explores practical strategies to help commercial property investors tackle common limitations that hinder success. From mastering time management and expanding your knowledge network to leveraging technology and building a trusted team, we provide actionable insights to empower you to overcome obstacles and thrive in the commercial property market. Whether you're a seasoned investor or just starting out, this episode will equip you with the tools to seize opportunities and achieve your goals with confidence.
If you want to fill in the survey on changes to the 1954 Act Part II, you can find that HERE the survey closes on the 19th February 2025
Understand the top 5 commercial property risks and how to overcome them
This week I celebrate some awesome start of 2025 wins and one annoyance (it couldn't be a podcast without a rant right) plus I decided what to do with my London property and how I'm growing my wealth this week.
I then move onto the top 5 commercial property risks and how to overcome them.
How Commercial Property Forms Part of My Wealth Strategy
Happy 2025!
This week I discuss my realisation about how commercial property forms part of my wealth strategy... and the fact that its not going to be the only part of my 'wealth', how I'm calculating that and what the plan is.
What the chaotic end of year is this?
SO turned out I didn't get 'Christmassed' this year and chaos ensued in the run up to the holidays...
I was prepped to record a Christmas Eve words of wisdom podcast with my Mum and instead I'd had a full day of everything happening at once. So I used the pod as an excuse for some Mum wisdom... I explained everything that was happening and asked for her advice.
We're talking
- Banks lending less than promised on commercial but more on residential
- Should I use additional lending to pay my tax bill?
- Can NatWest block payments from tenants I don't want to accept rent from?
- How to deal with last minute rent collection when I sound like I'm playing Christmas Scams
- Why my new lender 'Mr Cooper' left one of our properties uninsured.
Plus more things that happened along the way
What I've learnt in Commercial Property 2024
This week I'm going through the top lessons I've learnt or been reminded of in commercial property in 2024 and how I'm taking this into 2025... its more about money / negotiating / leasing then anything theory related. Make sure you add these lessons into your commercial property knowledge base too!
The tale of TWO commercial property offers. One purchased. One aborted.
This week I'm loosing my voice (again) so I'm sharing with you a case study from my client Helen Gill about two offers that were accepted on commercial property. One, Helen went through with, £228,000 for £22,000 worth of income (9.65%). The second was aborted. You'll find out why in the podcast.
Exactly why commercial property is boring...
This week I discuss exactly why commercial property is boring, trust me, the next full update you'll get on something I discuss on this podcast will be end of June 2026... why I lost my temper just before recording and what to do when you get that downer of a heritage consultant telling you all the things you can't do!
Don't buy freehold commercial property with residential property that has been sold off on long leases
Long title for this weeks podcast, but with the Freehold and Leasehold Reform Act coming into full swing in 2025 I'm giving you a heads up from the commercial investor standpoint... and to be quite honest I'd be wary!
3 industrial units for £168,000 creating a 9.5% yield
On the podcast this week my wonderful client Patricia breaks down what she learned from buying three industrial units as her first commercial transaction and how to make sure your offer gets accepted.
The headline points of the deal:
Purchase price: £168,000
Rental Income: £16,120pa
Gross Yield: 9.5%
This commercial property strategy changed because of the contents of the valuation… and no it wasn’t the value that swayed the decision.
This week on the podcast I’ve invited my client Kulvinder to come and share his journey with buying his first commercial property.
Headline figures of the deal are:
Purchase price £310,000
Rental income £29,000
Gross initial yield 9.35%
With the rent increasing by £6k in 18 months
At first Kulvinder thought this was going to be a development, but after having the valuation carried out, the strategy changed entirely.
Why I'm OK not making money on this property
Thank you so much for purchasing Confident Commercial Property Investment. If you haven't yet got your copy you can get it HERE.
In this podcast
- The book publishing process
- Our client event
- My trip around the UK - what is going on with the rail service?!
- Why I'm OK not making money on this property - Basically I've come to terms with it!
Buying an 11.03% yielding commercial property
I know I've been banging on about the book, Confident Commercial Property Investment. That's because it's got exactly what you need to know about commercial property so that you can make confident investment decisions.
This week I invited my wonderful client Debbie Johnston onto the podcast to discuss the property she purchased this year in Dereham.
Headline figures are:
- Purchase price £167,000
- Rental income £18,414
- Gross initial yield 11.03%
- 3 mini offices and 1 retail unit
It was purchased via Debbies' SSAS unencumbered.
All was shaping up to be a straightforward deal until the seller accepted a break clause between exchange and completion which meant the main tenant was going to try and leave.
Choosing the RIGHT location to invest in commercial property - an excerpt from my book
Confident Commercial Property Investment is launching on the 24th October.
To celebrate I’ve recorded an except of the book… from one of the MOST asked questions I ever get: What’s the best location to invest in?
You want to know? Listen to this podcast.
I’m still recommending you go after 8-10% yields in commercial property
I'm holding my hands up and saying the sound is all over the place, I'm sorry, I was trying to be quiet to keep Harry asleep... didn't work! Next week I'll be back in a quiet location.
Here’s what I cover this week…
How I pick my stocks and shares (you keep asking, this is not good financial advice, actually any financial advice)
Apparently Raccoons can smash through roofs 🙄why I’m frustrated with my British founded pest control
I’m still recommending you go after 8-10% yields in commercial property
Please can you check FCA regulation when you get emails with titles such as ‘Earn 20 percent returns and help tackle the UK social housing crisis’
Nationwide acquires Virgin Money (thanks for the text VM)
Throwing tantrums in commercial property negotiations
An update on the building control / commercial tenant saga
Woohoo the Body Shop has been saved
PSA - Please get your own representation, don’t rely on the opposition party and how this negotiation ended in a tantrum
Even I ask for help with investing… I explain with what
Nearshoring - your next commercial property investment opportunity?
Should I sell my Residential Property?
Here’s what I discuss:
Why the market seems so infuriatingly slow at the moment
The autumn budget is coming plus interest rates might change
Should I sell my Residential Property because of my previous point?
Do transport costs impact a tenants ability to pay rent
What is happening with freedom of speech?
Should landlords reduce rent for struggling commercial tenants?
In this weeks podcast I discuss:
- My Atom commercial mortgage and why this is not plain sailing
- My commercial tenants basically called building control on themselves and how we're handing it
- Should landlords reduce rent for struggling commercial tenants? Here's the link to the post
- I crystal ball the social housing trend... I don't think its going to end well
What happens if you don’t think you can increase the value of your commercial property?!
I’m doing a 4 week series on the podcast I’m doing a series called ‘how to improve the value of your commercial property, without having to develop’
This is part 4, the final week, What happens if you don’t think you can increase the value of your commercial property?!
Add value to your commercial property by renting out unused spaces
I’m doing a 4 week series on the podcast I’m doing a series called ‘how to improve the value of your commercial property, without having to develop’
The first podcast in the series came out two weeks ago: Increase the value of your commercial property through regearing the lease.
Last week I went through: How charging service charges increases the value of your commercial property
Today the topic is, Add value to your commercial property by renting out unused spaces
Finally next week I'll be doing, What happens if you don’t think you can increase the value of your commercial property?!
How charging service charges increases the value of your commercial property
I’m doing a 4 week series on the podcast I’m doing a series called ‘how to improve the value of your commercial property, without having to develop’
The first podcast in the series came out last week: Increase the value of your commercial property through regearing the lease.
Todays podcast is: How charging service charges increases the value of your commercial property
Then, Add value to your commercial property by renting out unused spaces
Finally, What happens if you don’t think you can increase the value of your commercial property?!
Increase the value of your commercial property through regearing the lease
For the next 4 weeks on the podcast I’m doing a series called ‘how to improve the value of your commercial property, without having to develop’
The first podcast in the series is out today: Increase the value of your commercial property through regearing the lease.
Next up, How charging service charges increases the value of your commercial property
Then, Add value to your commercial property by renting out unused spaces
Finally, What happens if you don’t think you can increase the value of your commercial property?!
Let me save you HOURS on your commercial property search
The riots in the UK this week have been miserable to watch… actually I’ll step that up and say they’ve been embarrassing. What winds me up further is that they started from FALSE INFORMATION. I spent time at the beginning of my podcast this week trying to articulate just how angry and ridiculous this is… I want to talk about it because I can’t comprehend it and get stuck down rabbit holes researching it. Take a listen if you want to hear my take, otherwise skip it to minute 12:27 I understand if its all you’re seeing at the moment and are over saturated.
12:27 - Hurricane Debby and my Charleston House
16:35 - Let me save you HOURS on your commercial property search
You want to know the best way of doing commercial property deals...
I'm going back to basics today. I know it may seem like I'm teaching you how to suck eggs, but seriously there is a very simple way of getting deals done!
How do you solve a problem like the high street?
Due to popular demand Mums back on the pod this week!
We're discussing a comment from a local councillor in Chippenham about him giving up on trying to make the high street better...
Don't worry sir, let us help you!
We discuss business rates, the cost of commercial property, landlords leaving buildings vacant on purpose and as always how we would solve the problem.
Please do let us know your thoughts on this too by leaving a comment or emailing me natasha@ncrealestate.co.uk I genuinely love to hear from you.
3 ways I'm changing up our marketing strategies for commercial property
I'm finding current agent marketing uninspiring so I've been mixing it up over here to see if we can get our vacant properties let quicker.
Here are the three ways in which I'm doing it!
The fall out from the election... the commercial property market is open!
This week I discuss exactly what I've seen in the commercial property market and how I'm excited that we are starting to see a lot of movement and properties coming to market and how you can use it to your advantage!
Listen to the podcast I did with Manish Kataria HERE
Sign up for a FREE BlueBricks magazine HERE
The previous podcast I did about Labours first 100 Days HERE
What to do if your commercial tenant asks to surrender their lease early
This week I go through the exact steps you should take if a commercial tenant comes to you and asks you to surrender their lease and how to decide what amount to agree with them in return for you agreeing to the surrender.
Loss Aversion, Labours first 100 days and 20% ROI and where to find it
This week I discuss why we should avoid loss aversion, the first 100 days of a new Government and can you really get 20% ROI?!
Anyone else feeling like there seems to be a lack of good commercial property on the market at the moment?
This is a question I've seen pop up in the Members Club. If you're feeling like this, let me tell you how to get out of the funk in this weeks podcast!
The 7 Habits of TRULY Successful Property Investors
This week on the podcast I go through the 7 Habits of TRULY Successful Property Investors... honestly if you add these into your investment process you will build a successful portfolio!
Are insurance premiums going to crash the commercial property market?
This week I have seen a trend that is really concerning, the rise of buildings insurance premiums... I discuss its potential impacts on the market in this weeks podcast.
The next housing disaster?
Lets talk housing disasters and where I've thought for a while the next one is coming from.
You can sign up for the news letter HERE
Follow me on Instagram @ncrealestateltd
The original Economist article is HERE
Still no offers being accepted on Commercial Property? Don't give up without listening to this podcast.
This is what you need to do if you're still not getting offers accepted on commercial properties, even if you listened to my podcast from the 2nd April 2024 - 7 Reasons your offers still aren't being accepted on commercial property.
If you want to get an invite to our Masterclasses, you need to be on my mailing list. You can join that HERE.