Developing For Profit
For those thinking about building or renovating for profit – this event helped save them time, effort and hassle. The National Self Build & Renovation Centre put together everything needed for a profitable project.
>> See what went on - Download daily timetable for Friday
>>See what went on - Download daily timetable for Saturday
Feature Seminars
Making Money Through Self-Building
Building for profit requires a different mindset than when building purely for yourself with ‘least in, most out’ a popular maxim. Whether your motive is to become a small developer or simply to be mortgage free as soon as possible, this seminar showed how to do it. And who better to show you than our renowned speaker, David Snell. David, who went from £30 in his pocket to owning a £500,000 house in eight years through a series of successful builds and shared the secrets of his success.
Making Money Through Renovation
There is money to be made in renovation whatever the market is doing – the trick is picking the right project. Soaring house prices in recent years have masked any number of mistakes made by would-be renovators meaning that despite poor planning and inadequate budgets, even the most ambitious projects have usually turned a profit. However as the housing market cools, and reality sets in, the keen amateur could get their fingers burned by taking a casual approach. it’s never been more important to pick the right project, plan every detail and to be in control of the budget. In this seminar, Ian Rock, talked about what you need to know about finding the right project and assessing its potential to make money.
For more information about Iand and getting a survey visit www.rightsurvey.co.uk
Developer Case Study Panel - Roundtable Discussion
Visitors were inspired by the real-life achievements of our passionate Panel of Developers. This round-table style discussion - chaired by self build writer and pundit David Snell and a serial self-builder himself - drew on the panel’s own experiences of developing (both the good and the bad!) and inspired the audience that there are still healthy profits to be had in property development, even in the more challenging economic climates. Unbiased and impartial advice was on offer from those who truly know what it means to 'develop for profit'
The BBC's Martin Roberts on 'Making money from property'
Well-known TV Property Expert, journalist and author Martin Roberts, from the BBC’s Homes under the Hammer, gave a presentation on property investment and development. From buying at the best price, to undertaking a conversion project; from investing in commercial property, to buying a rental property abroad – Martin gave top hints and tips on how to tackle this exciting and potentially lucrative world.
Martin was delighted to support the National Self Build & Renovation Centre, saying “this really is the one-stop-shop for everything you need to know about self-build, renovations and conversions; it’s not just about meeting suppliers, but also being educated on how to do the job right!”
Martin’s new book, “Teach yourself: making money from property” has just been released along with the accompanying website – www.makingmoneyfromproperty.tv - a comprehensive guide to property investment, developing and renovation.
Claire Rendall from the BBC's DIY SOS
Leading designer and television presenter Claire Rendall talked about how to get the maximum profit from your development. Claire, who has designed for and presented DIY SOS and appeared on Animal Park as part of her work at Longleat House, shared her 18 years professional experience of development and renovation in two seminars each day. She was also on hand throughout the two days to give one to one advice on specific queries about staging property for sale.
Find out more at www.clairerendall.com
BuildStore and Click2Build join forces
BuildStore is working with Click2Build, the new more affordable, more sustainable, more flexible self build package, to offer a total end-to-end solution for self builders.
Customers were able to use Click2Build's website ‘house configurator’ to select, price and print their house design online, even to the extent of designing the exterior finish such as Georgian, Victorian or Cottage styles.
Click2Build is designed as an entry level self build package, and they had already launched three footprints (ranging from 876 sqft to 1464 sqft). A further three footprints were launched at the Developing for Profit Event on Friday 20th & Saturday 21st June, and visitor’s were able to come along to the National Self Build & Renovation Centre, to meet the Click2Build team and start designing their next development project.
Find out more at www.click2build.co.uk
Pickupaproperty
Ed Sykes is a director of pickupaproperty.com, a website that finds UK
renovation opportunities and sends them to its subscribers. He is also a
freelance property journalist and has written on the subject of renovation
for several magazines including Property Ladder and Period Ideas. He has a
long association with the National Self-build and Renovation Centre, and has
given several seminars there. He has first-hand experience, having renovated
a 4 bedroom Victorian terraced house in London.
Ed's six top tips for buying a renovation project in the current market were
as follows:
1. Buying at the right price is key. Everything else flows from that. It's
currently a buyer's market, so ensure that you do thorough research and
negotiate hard on the asking price.
2. Do your sums. There must be a built-in profit margin for you at the end
of the day. Check the "ceiling prices" (the top prices possible in the
street that you intend to buy in) with local estate agents, and ensure that
your buying cost plus estimated renovation budget do not exceed this. You
should be aiming for a profit margin of 20%.
3. Use the power of the internet to do much of the legwork for you. There are all sorts of services out there, ranging from house prices, to approved tradesmen, to property sourcing websites such as pickupaproperty.com.
4. Added space equals added value. Look for opportunities to add extensions, loft conversions, extra bedrooms (eg by converting an existing garage).
5. Organise your finances and workforce. This will speed things up. If you manage to turn the property around quickly, you will be less exposed to market fluctuations.
6. Be bold, and be prepared to think long-term in the event of a dip in prices. Those who bought at the peak of the eighties market saw their properties rise four-fold to the present day.
Find out more at www.pickupaproperty.com
PlotSearch theatre seminars
10.30 – 11.00 | Finding A Plot or Project
Often cited as the hardest part of self build or renovation, finding the right project or that perfect plot can be difficult. However, potential building plots and renovation projects which are ripe for development exist all over the country. Visitor’s were able to learn the basics of how to be the first to find them and how to make an initial assessment to assess viailbity.
12.00 – 12.30 | Finance (repeated again at 15.00 hrs)
Incorporating some real case study examples to explain finance in clear and simple terms, this was a popular seminar for anyone wishing to obtain the best possible finance for their projects and maximize profits as a result.
13.30 – 14.00 | Choosing Your Builders & Buying Your Materials
Managing cost means managing the two things you pay for – materials and labour. Visitor’s were able to find out how to save time in choosing their materials and suppliers and understand the process for identifying and appointing builders.
14.00 – 15.00 | Click 2 Build
Neil Horton from Click2Build demonstrated their new package home system that’s more
affordable, sustainable and flexible and is ideal for property developers. The revolutionary
new website allows you to design, price and plan the build of your Click2Build home on-line.
Three more footprints were launched!
15.00 – 15.30 | Finance
Incorporating some real case study examples to explain finance in clear and simple terms, this was a popular seminar for anyone wishing to obtain the best possible finance for their projects and maximize profits as a result.
16.30 – 17.00 | Project Managing Yourself with Sub-contractors or a Builder
Could I manage my own development project? Thousands of people do at many different levels and so could you. But in making this decision, visitors learnt what is really involved and how much time is really needed.
