Honest Property Investment with Natasha Collins

In this episode, I tackle one of the most common (and most frustrating) sticking points I see when investors assess commercial property deals:

“Is the uplift enough to get all, or most, of my money out?”

It’s an understandable question — but when it becomes the only question you ask, it will stop you buying almost anything.

Using the same commercial property deal, I walk through what that question looks like over 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years, and show how dramatically the pressure, risk, and probability of success changes hookup change depending on the timeframe you’re forcing onto the deal.

Nothing about the property changes. Only the expectations do.

• Why focusing solely on “getting all your money out” is a mental handbrake

• How compressed timeframes make good deals look bad on paper

• The real cost of trying to force a one-year refinance

• What changes (and what doesn’t) when you give a deal 3 years

• Why a 5-year timeframe is often the most stress-free and realistic option

• How lenders, valuers, leases and rent events behave over time

• Why time is the cheapest form of risk reduction in commercial property

• How to assess deals without forcing certainty too early

Commercial property isn’t about forcing a deal to perform quickly.
It’s about giving it enough time to do what it naturally does.

If every deal you analyse almost works but never quite stacks up — the problem is rarely the deal.
It’s the timeframe you’re forcing onto it.

You can book a call with us here: https://ncrealestate.co.uk/bookacall/

In last week’s episode with Gerard, we talked about how smaller commercial property deals can quietly outperform expectations — and it got me thinking about where people actually start.

So I did what most investors do.
I went on Rightmove.

In this episode, I walk through four real, entry-level commercial properties I found and explain how I’d genuinely think about them as an investor — not to pitch deals, but to show you the decision-making process behind them.

These aren’t perfect assets. That’s the point.

• Why entry-level commercial property is often the best place to learn

• How I assess risk beyond just headline yield

• Why freehold matters more at lower price points

• How lease events can be learning opportunities, not problems

• The difference between passive income and operational optionality

• A small freehold retail unit in Minehead, producing £4,700 pa — and why I’d consider it purely as a lease-renewal practice asset

• A high-yield dental lab in Wolverhampton — and why yield alone never tells the full story

• A piece of land in Avonmouth, where I explore parking income versus container storage and what actually governs those decisions

• A retail unit in Devizes, letting for £600–£650 pcm — and why deals like this are often overlooked by investors crossing over from residential

Your first commercial property doesn’t need to be exciting.
It needs to teach you how to own the next one properly.

This episode is about building confidence, understanding leases, and learning how to spot opportunity — not chasing the biggest yield on paper.

If you’re looking at a commercial property (or thinking about buying your first one) and want a second pair of experienced eyes on it, you can book a call with me and the NC Real Estate team.

We’ll talk through:

• whether the deal stacks up

• where the real risks sit

• and how it fits into a longer-term commercial property strategy

👉 Book a call here: https://ncrealestate.co.uk/bookacall

In this episode, I’m joined by Gerard Davis, a qualified commercial solicitor and Business Development Manager at Talbots Law, to break down a real commercial property deal involving lock-up garages — and why this type of asset can be a smart, low-barrier entry point into commercial property.

We talk through Gerard’s purchase of 12 lock-up garages for £51,000, how he identified that the asset was significantly under-rented, and why the value in the deal came from fixing the income, not development. By using commercial agents to increase rents and re-let units properly, the income was stabilised and later supported a RICS valuation of £140,000.

We also discuss how Gerard structured the deal long term by selling the asset into his SSAS pension, allowing rental income to be received tax free within the pension — and why getting the legal and professional advice right is critical when using this type of strategy.

This episode is particularly useful if you’re:

• Investing in residential and considering moving into commercial

• Curious about under-rented assets and income-led value creation

• Exploring lock-ups as a first commercial investment

• Interested in pension-led property strategies such as SSAS

Talbots Law: https://www.talbotslaw.co.uk/site/people/gerard-davis/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerard-davis-solicitor-a1a923155/

🔗 Connect with Gerard

This week I discuss the pending legislation that will make upwards only rent reviews illegal, how that will impact your commercial property and what to do about it.

I also discuss open market rent reviews and why they aren't actually cost effective for landlords to have in their leases and again what you can do about it.

Happy New Year! The podcast is back. Today I start by discussing what I'm focusing on in my commercial property portfolio, why I still hate Air BnB.

The main topic of the week is about what I mean when I talk about risk and yields and what yields I'm expecting to see from each commercial property type in 2026.

My question for you: What commercial property yield are you targeting this year?

This year, I’ve seen a lot of investors buying good commercial and mixed-use buildings... but quietly leaving value on the table. Not because the buildings are wrong, but because of how they’re assessed and how they’re held.

In this episode, I break down two strategies I’ve personally used this year to increase commercial property value without development:
• Buying mixed-use property without pulling value into the residential unit
 • Structuring ownership correctly by splitting assets between a SSAS and a Ltd company

These are not beginner tactics, but when applied correctly, they can materially change value, financeability and exit options.

What You’ll Learn
• Why over-valuing the residential element in mixed-use property often destroys deal quality
 • How commercial valuers and lenders actually assess mixed-use buildings
 • Why residential units should often be treated as upside, not justification
 • How ownership structure can influence value, risk and long-term strategy
 • When splitting a building between a SSAS and a Ltd company makes sense
 • The biggest mistakes investors make when attempting these strategies without advice

Ready to Go Deeper?
Book a call with the NC Real Estate team.

In this episode, I’m breaking down the exact reasons why some commercial property deals stack up beautifully… and why others fall apart the moment you start doing the maths.

Most investors think a deal stacks up because “the yield looks good” — but that’s only one tiny part of the picture. A solid deal is built on verified income, realistic costs, a sensible purchase price, and a plan that actually works in real life, not just on paper.

I’ll walk you through:

• What “stacking up” truly means in commercial property

• The 5 factors that make a deal work

• The common pitfalls that cause even promising deals to unravel

• A simple checklist you can use on your next opportunity

If you’ve ever found yourself thinking, “This looks great… but something feels off,” this episode will help you understand exactly what to dig into before making an offer.

• Why verified income is your starting pointHow service charges, insurance and capex change the true picture

• What a sensible purchase price actually looks like

• How to decide whether a deal offers upside or stability

• The red flags that should make you walk away

In this episode, Steve Wallis and I sit down to unpack what the latest UK Budget really means for commercial property investors. There’s been so much noise, speculation and confusion over the past week, so we’re cutting through the chaos and focusing purely on what impacts you if you own, manage or plan to buy commercial property.

We break down the new tax rules on property income coming in from 2027, including the introduction of separate tax bands for rental profits and what this means if you hold property in your personal name versus through an SPV. We also discuss the increases to dividend tax, how this affects anyone extracting profits from a company, and why overall this Budget pushes investors even further towards using corporate structures.

Together, we cover the changes to salary sacrifice pension contributions, the government’s tougher stance on HMRC enforcement, and the move towards more automatic and regular tax payments for Self Assessment — all of which will influence cashflow planning and portfolio management.

By the end of the episode, you’ll understand exactly what’s changing, how it affects your current investments, and where the opportunities now sit. If you want to talk through how this applies to your personal strategy, you can book a call with my team at https://ncrealestate.co.uk/bookacall

In today’s episode, I’m stripping away the legal jargon and giving you clear, simple explanations of the commercial lease terms that matter most. Whether you’re reviewing your first lease or your fiftieth, understanding this language is essential — because the lease is the value of your commercial property.

I walk you through the key terms you’ll see in every lease, why they matter, and how they impact risk, cashflow and negotiations. By the end, you’ll be able to pick up a lease and instantly make sense of 80% of it.

• What Heads of Terms really are

• What “the demise” means — and why it’s crucial

• Service charges, in plain English

• Repairing obligations (FRI, IRI + Schedule of Condition)

• Break clauses — and the conditions that catch people out

• Rent reviews: open market, index-linked, caps + collars

• Alienation and why you do want control over who occupies your property

• User clauses and planning + valuation implications

• Security of Tenure under the 1954 Act — and whether your tenant has renewal rights

If you’ve ever felt like leases were deliberately written to confuse you, this episode will change that.

LINKS:

More information about the 1954 Act your full guide is here:
https://ncrealestate.co.uk/1954-act/

Find out your next best investment move:
https://nextcommercialproperty.scoreapp.com/

If you want to understand what a property is really worth:
https://ncrealestate.co.uk/investment-calculator/

Your no-nonsense guide to commercial property:
https://ncrealestate.co.uk/book

If you need help reviewing a lease, analysing a deal or setting your strategy:
https://ncrealestate.co.uk/bookacall

In this episode, I’m breaking down one of the most talked-about but misunderstood concepts in commercial property — yield.

I’ll walk you through exactly what yield means, how to calculate it, and how to use it to understand both risk and return. Because here’s the truth — a higher yield isn’t automatically better. It usually means more work, more management, and more uncertainty.

I’ll also explain the difference between gross yield, net yield, initial yield, and reversionary yield, and what each one tells you about a deal. Plus, we’ll look at how yield changes depending on tenant strength, lease length, property condition, and market confidence — and how you can use those insights to make smarter buying decisions.

If you’ve ever looked at a deal and wondered, “Is this yield good?”, this episode will give you the clarity you need to answer that for yourself.

• What yield really measures and how to calculate it

• The difference between gross, net, initial and reversionary yields

• Why yield is a reflection of risk as much as return

• What influences yield in commercial property

• How to use yield as a quick filter when comparing deals

• The most common mistakes I see beginners make when they’re analysing yields

Yield isn’t just about return — it’s an indicator of risk.

A higher yield often means more uncertainty and hands-on management. A lower yield usually signals stability and less involvement.

The key is to work out where you want to sit on that scale and what kind of investment suits you best.

🧮 Try my NC Real Estate Investment Calculator — it’ll show you exactly how changing the rent, price, or costs impacts your yield and your real return.