Mark My Words

As it’s the end of the year, Mark wanted to do a roundup Q&A of some of his most popular YouTube videos of the year. He answers questions surrounding investing, Brexit, his opinion on Nigel Farage, and more!

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• The EPC policy will over time have an impact on rental prices.
• Ideally landlords shouldn’t increase rents by more than 5% but this isn’t always possible, as long as you aren’t increasing them above the market rate then you don’t need to worry.
• Nigel Farage can definitely stir the pot on occasion but he also has a lot of valuable knowledge and experience.
• Mark didn’t agree with Brexit, he believes it’s been a disaster.
• Buy-to-let is still a great way to invest. In the medium to long term the purchases you make as a buy to let landlord will fair better than what you bought in 2021 for example.

BEST MOMENTS 

 “Government have screwed tenants, yes this is exactly what they have done”

“How can it be a great idea to shut down or impede your trading relationship with your closest trade partners”

“Immigration is now higher than it was when we were in the EU”

“Predictions when it comes to economics…are usually wrong!”

VALUABLE RESOURCES 

https://www.youtube.com/user/progressiveproperty https://www.progressiveproperty.co.uk/the-progressive-co-founders/

ABOUT THE HOST

Mark has bought, sold or has managed around 1,000 property units for himself, Rob, his family and his investors since 2003. He is a system and spreadsheet geek and has developed a complex, confidential deal analyser system of buying residential, commercial and multi-let properties.

CONTACT METHOD

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markhomer1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markprogressive

Twitter: https://twitter.com/markprogressive

‘Brought to you by Progressive Media’: https://progressivemedia.uk/

Mark can’t see a single reason to buy an electric car right now. Listen in to this episode to hear his reasons why this is and why you shouldn’t be buying an electric car.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• In terms of the environment, developing and building electric cars is more environmentally complex than we are led to believe and the full life-cycle of an electric car has a bigger environmental impact than many people talk about.
• The cost of buying an electric car is significantly higher than the diesel and petrol equivalent.
• It’s no longer cheaper to charge an electric car than to put fuel in a petrol one. Road tax will also be charged eventually.
• The infrastructure and range still isn’t there for electric cars.

BEST MOMENTS 

 “When the battery becomes decommissioned that has quite a significant effect on the environment”

“If you look at the whole life cycle of these electric cars I don’t think there are environmental benefits”

“I just think their arguments are largely flawed”

VALUABLE RESOURCES 

https://www.youtube.com/user/progressiveproperty https://www.progressiveproperty.co.uk/the-progressive-co-founders/

ABOUT THE HOST

Mark has bought, sold or has managed around 1,000 property units for himself, Rob, his family and his investors since 2003. He is a system and spreadsheet geek and has developed a complex, confidential deal analyser system of buying residential, commercial and multi-let properties.

CONTACT METHOD

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markhomer1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markprogressive

Twitter: https://twitter.com/markprogressive

‘Brought to you by Progressive Media’: https://progressivemedia.uk/

Join Mark Homer today as he interviews co-founder of award winning investment service Hargreaves Lansdown and majority shareholder of Bristol City FC, Stephen Lansdown CBE. Together they discuss the impact the pandemic has had on the financial market globally, why saving for your future is more important than ever and why people should take an active interest in their personal investments.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• There is a lot of value accredited to trail commissions businesses, especially over the last 10-15 years. Company valuations that are based on repeat income seem stronger than those that are taking a one off chunk. If you’re giving a good service then a client will stay loyal to you and you will continue to take that income. The more clients you get the more assets you have got and the more fees you generate.
• Governments are so much in debt due to the financial crisis and the pandemic, that you have to make your own precisions which is why saving is so important. Financial services platforms are in a good position to service that market. Healthcare, technology and renewable energy are good investment opportunities for now and the future.
• Whilst the timing of it is hard to predict, the reality is there will be inflation at some point. Inflation is needed because that is how assets recover and how we get ourselves out of debt. Cash is not great at the moment and the alternative to that is equity investment which is why the stock market is benefiting massively.
• There has always been a herd instinct in investment and many people tend to follow the crowd. You can follow it too far, and that is what makes the market. The market will not go up forever, and it will not go down forever, it will adjust along the way.
• A wise way to use your money is to firstly ensure you have a certain amount in cash to meet your short term expenditure so that you are never caught short. Secondly, get some income that gives you a guaranteed return with fixed interest rates. Finally look towards investing in growth and income with either equity or property.
• The fixed interest market is more of a property rental market these days. If you can find a good property/properties that can give you a good yield and can ensure you a good, guaranteed income then you can budget accordingly and make further investments along the way.
• People should take an active interest in their investments, that is what the platform Hargreaves Lansdown has done for people. It allows people to look at all their investments in one place, to make decisions very quickly and to get information on those investments. You have got to plan for your later life and your family at the earliest possible stage. The stock market and investments markets are the best place to do that.

BEST MOMENTS

“It was because other people were stealing our food off the table we decided to beat them at their own game.”

“As long as we give you a good service, as long as we make sure your money is secure and you’re happy and confident in what we’re doing, then you’re going to give us the instructions to do every transaction that you possibly can.”

“The moment of truth arrives as to where all the balls are going to land once the government starts to withdraw stamp duty holiday, furlough, grants and all the rest of it.”

“Everyone makes loads of money until the money stops coming in, and then it falls apart.”

“There is no working together for the common good.”

“They are all the ingredients for a good all around investment attitude.”

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Stephen Philip Lansdown CBE is an English-born Guernsey billionaire. He co-founded the British financial services firm Hargreaves Lansdown with Peter Hargreaves. He is a founder of Bristol Sport and majority shareholder of Bristol Bears, Bristol Flyers, and Bristol City Football Club. Lansdown was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to business and the community in Bristol.

ABOUT THE HOST

Mark Homer is an entrepreneur investor.  He has worked with investment since he was 15 years old using the laws of wealth! He is a spreadsheet analyst with an impressive following from major publications including BBC Radio, The Wall Street Journal, The Independent, and co-authoring the UK’s best-selling property books.  Mark has always looked for the best investment vehicle, and at the end of 2007 with Rob Moore the co-founder of Progressive Property his joint portfolio produced more profit than any of the other investments he’d tried in the last ten years, combined.

CONTACT METHOD

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markhomer1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markprogressive

Twitter: https://twitter.com/markprogressive

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

‘Brought to you by Progressive Media’: https://progressivemedia.uk/

In this episode, Mark talks all about the rental market including how you can manage your own residential portfolio and deal with the rising crisis.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• Mark has been working with rentals in Peterborough since 2005. Sine 2016 the sector hasn’t grown at the rate it needed to due to new government legislation, this has created the lack of supply we are seeing now.
• Some of those who were planning to buy houses not can’t due to interest rates so will also be looking at the private sector.
• As a landlord, your mortgage may be going up due to interest rises but because of high demand, you should be able to increase your rent to offset this.
• We’re not going to suddenly see the sales market recover so rent will continue to go up.
• The government have created policies that have impacted both landlords and tenants negatively.
• Now is the time to buy, you make the most money when you buy in a depressed market.

BEST MOMENTS 

 “The private rental sector just hasn’t kept the pace”

“The rental market is as good as it’s been and they expect it to increase further”

“You need to be able to cover your costs and make a bit of profit”

"You make your money when you buy in a depressed market"

VALUABLE RESOURCES 

https://www.youtube.com/user/progressiveproperty https://www.progressiveproperty.co.uk/the-progressive-co-founders/

ABOUT THE HOST

Mark has bought, sold or has managed around 1,000 property units for himself, Rob, his family and his investors since 2003. He is a system and spreadsheet geek and has developed a complex, confidential deal analyser system of buying residential, commercial and multi-let properties.

CONTACT METHOD

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markhomer1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markprogressive

Twitter: https://twitter.com/markprogressive

‘Brought to you by Progressive Media’: https://progressivemedia.uk/

Rob joins Mark in this episode to have an open and frank Q&A all about business. They discuss why stress is important to be successful, how you can market effectively as well as the people they look up to in business and much more!

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• Your business only grows as well as you do, how you deal with challenges, stress and pressure make a big difference. Business is a series of dealing with problems and fixing them.
• Looking after yourself physically and mentally allows you to perform better in your business. Remove any stress that you can and become single-minded when working.
• There is negative and positive stress and you can change a stress simply by your perception and mindset. Anyone who can deal with stress positively will become successful.
• Rob and Mark both believe that they balance each other out and neither would be as successful without the other. They are as close as you can get to the perfect business partnership.
• Always make sure you know where you are spending your marketing money and where you are getting successful leads. Then ensure you take these leads through a buying cycle and track this too.
• It’s important to know where to focus your energy in business, especially when opportunities arise. Mark and Rob have found it better to focus on industries they have passion and knowledge for.
• With the economic difficulties, the UK is facing right now there will be opportunities. If we learn from ’08 then people will be accepting less risk and the biggest opportunities will be in around 18 months or so.

BEST MOMENTS 

 “80% of what people try and get you to do in your day is nonsense”

“The day before holiday everybody gets 2 weeks of work done…that’s positive stress”

“I think it’s good to focus on a couple of businesses and focus on them”

“Doing something that you’re passionate about and that you enjoy it, makes you good at it”

“I love all this because you can get in, get a lot more assets with a lot less money and less risk”

“You only get these opportunities a few times in your life”

VALUABLE RESOURCES 

https://www.youtube.com/user/progressiveproperty https://www.progressiveproperty.co.uk/the-progressive-co-founders/

ABOUT THE HOST

Mark has bought, sold or has managed around 1,000 property units for himself, Rob, his family and his investors since 2003. He is a system and spreadsheet geek and has developed a complex, confidential deal analyser system of buying residential, commercial and multi-let properties.

CONTACT METHOD

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markhomer1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markprogressive

Twitter: https://twitter.com/markprogressive

‘Brought to you by Progressive Media’: https://progressivemedia.uk/

Rob and Mark get asked several times a week whether to buy or lease a car! Mark knows more than almost anyone else all about owning cars, including the best deals in each situation. Listen in to be educated on all things owning cars!

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• If you are buying a high-end supercar or classic, the best thing is to buy it at 2+ years old.
• Financing is a good option, you can even approach lease companies to buy it, lease it to you and give you the option of buying at the end of the lease.
• A tax-efficient way to buy a car is to put it against an LLP or as a sole trader.
• A flat rate isn’t as good a deal as it sounds. You often actually paying more.
• What Mark focuses on above everything else, is the yearly cost including depreciation and maintenance.
• Manufacturers at any one point may have too many cars. They don’t want to reduce prices on the forecourt because of this though as there will still be people who will pay that. They instead get discounted via contract hire.
• The car market is starting to recover from the supply issue over the Covid pandemic. You will start to see better deals via contract hire.

BEST MOMENTS 

 “Often a good idea to buy with finance”

“When the market turns, it’s gonna turn hard”

“If you look at the APR, that’s the real rate”

“Are you bothered about owning something or are you bothered about paying the least amount on the ownership you have”

“What do I get, for the best car, for the least about of money”

VALUABLE RESOURCES 

https://www.youtube.com/user/progressiveproperty https://www.progressiveproperty.co.uk/the-progressive-co-founders/

ABOUT THE HOST

Mark has bought, sold or has managed around 1,000 property units for himself, Rob, his family and his investors since 2003. He is a system and spreadsheet geek and has developed a complex, confidential deal analyser system of buying residential, commercial and multi-let properties.

CONTACT METHOD

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markhomer1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markprogressive

Twitter: https://twitter.com/markprogressive

‘Brought to you by Progressive Media’: https://progressivemedia.uk/

With the news of interest rates rapidly increasing and mortgage products being removed across lenders, it’s understandable to question whether interest rates will cause a crash in the housing market. In this episode, Mark explores why this may or may not happen and the other issues the current turmoil in the market could cause.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• UK base rate is said to hit 6% by May 2023 but this is a market expectation, it may not happen.
• There is still demand in the housing market currently but there has been a significant slowdown in the past 6 months.
• One way the government could speed up growth in the economy and increase productivity is to remove a lot of unnecessary EU regulations.
• The media loves bad news and anything they can sensationalise, hence them talking about housing market crashes and a sterling crisis.
• If you do have debt, inflation does have an upside, inflation means your debt is lowered.
• In a residential mortgage market, Mark prefers to use fixed-term mortgages, especially long-term ones if you know you aren’t going to move, you can still get good rates now.

BEST MOMENTS 

 “We’ve gone straight through the crossroads now and things are changing quite rapidly”

“Demand will probably start dropping considerably, we’re probably in recession already”

“Could house prices crash? Absolutely”

“History tells us when inflation rates start to increase they do so quite quickly”

VALUABLE RESOURCES 

https://www.youtube.com/user/progressiveproperty https://www.progressiveproperty.co.uk/the-progressive-co-founders/

ABOUT THE HOST

Mark has bought, sold or has managed around 1,000 property units for himself, Rob, his family and his investors since 2003. He is a system and spreadsheet geek and has developed a complex, confidential deal analyser system of buying residential, commercial and multi-let properties.

CONTACT METHOD

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markhomer1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markprogressive

Twitter: https://twitter.com/markprogressive

‘Brought to you by Progressive Media’: https://progressivemedia.uk/

A practical and informative episode where Mark gives invaluable tips on what you can do to save money during the energy crisis. Mark also gives his long-term view on the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on the housing market.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• Since 2019 business energy rates are set to go up 800%!
• Putting solar on buildings is a way to save money, payback for solar now is only around 2 ½ years because of the cost of energy
• Individual room heating controls, particularly in HMO’s can save landlords a significant amount
• Heating controls, the right ones, combined with solar can save you around 30%
• Bleed your radiators to ensure they are working efficiently. Move furniture away from radiators to increase better heat flow.
• Fix any draughts around doors, windows etc
• Close your curtains, it can reduce heat loss by up to 17%
• Bulk cook, if you are heating your oven, cook multiple items and meals to utilise the energy being used.
• Keeping your fridge clean and ventilated as well as defrosting your freezer will help them be more energy efficient
• Submit regular energy readings and pay by direct debit as this reduces the cost of your bill.
• Consider excluding energy bills for future tenancies or find other ways to encourage tenants to be more responsible with energy usage.
• There are fewer landlords in the sector now, and rents are increasing as a reflection.

BEST MOMENTS 

 “Residents are going to be paying just a little bit more than they are playing at the moment”

“They think inflation is going to hit 22% next year, which is absolutely nuts”

“Don’t charge your phone overnight and look at energy ratings on anything you buy”

“We’re trying to encourage tenants to be more responsible with their energy usage”

“You need to stay ahead of it, of the changes and work out how you are going to react”

VALUABLE RESOURCES 

https://www.youtube.com/user/progressiveproperty https://www.progressiveproperty.co.uk/the-progressive-co-founders/

ABOUT THE HOST

Mark has bought, sold or has managed around 1,000 property units for himself, Rob, his family and his investors since 2003. He is a system and spreadsheet geek and has developed a complex, confidential deal analyser system of buying residential, commercial and multi-let properties.

CONTACT METHOD

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markhomer1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markprogressive

Twitter: https://twitter.com/markprogressive

‘Brought to you by Progressive Media’: https://progressivemedia.uk/

Are you keen to start a new business venture but don’t know what to expect? Or perhaps you’re running a business and wanting a helping hand? Join Mark Homer today as he discusses the hidden costs of running a business. Discover the importance of not hiring cheap employees, having enough cash in the bank to survive a recession and being able to adapt to new industry standards.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Hiring cheap employees can potentially be a huge hidden cost when running your company. When you want 10/10 employees you have got to pay for them, they will be worth three or four times more in revenue than a poor employee. They will also save you a lot of money in losses and costs.
• A hidden cost of running a business is buying unnecessary products to furnish your offices. These can cost a company tens of thousands of pounds when starting a company when they don’t have much cash in the bank. It is much more important and worthwhile to put your money into marketing, sales and growing your business. The material items can come later.
• Not keeping cash can be a huge cost to the business. You do need to keep some cash, as we have seen through this COVID period and the previous recession there are some businesses who did not have cash in the bank. These companies were unable to switch their business model and ended up going bust. Be focused on keeping good chunks of cashback to ensure your business can carry on trading.
• When the market changes, competition comes along. You need to be able to adapt your business, if you’re standing still and staying the same you will no longer be relevant. You won't have adapted to the market as it has changed and you will end up going bust. The competition will come along, your customers will want other things and your competition will respond to that and take your business away from you.
• Diverting time into nonsense. Lockdown has been a great eye-opener for how much nonsense was really going on in daily life. Unnecessary travelling, phone calls and other distractions take place in the office each day which do not serve many purposes to your business. Focus on your income generating tasks so that you are not getting diverted into other issues that are not productive.

BEST MOMENTS

“Only hire 10/10’s. Pick the best, surround yourself with great people.”

“The best businesses start in the garage with nothing and grow their revenue stream. That is the most important thing.”

“Businesses do not go bust due to lack of profit, they go bust due to lack of cash.”

ABOUT THE HOST

Mark Homer is an entrepreneur investor.  He has worked with investment since he was 15 years old using the laws of wealth! He is a spreadsheet analyst with an impressive following from major publications including BBC Radio, The Wall Street Journal, The Independent, and co-authoring the UK’s best-selling property books.  Mark has always looked for the best investment vehicle, and at the end of 2007 with Rob Moore the co-founder of Progressive Property his joint portfolio produced more profit than any of the other investments he’d tried in the last ten years, combined.

CONTACT METHOD

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markhomer1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markprogressive

Twitter: https://twitter.com/markprogressive

‘Brought to you by Progressive Media’: https://progressivemedia.uk/

Join Mark in this episode as he discusses some of the top stories in the media at the moment, including the mortgage affordability test being scrapped, staggering interest rates and the cost of living crisis.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• It’s in the news that the bank of England are looking at removing the mortgage affordability test. This is not as ‘bad’ as it sounds. After 2008 the new rules and regs applied were in some cases, draconian.

• The traditional loan to income cap isn’t being removed of modified, that sits around 4 to 5 times your income. What this is talking about is ‘affordability’ checks, things such as your childcare costs, subscriptions and other outgoings.

• An attempt to move private tenants into homeowners is to allow benefits to be assessed and considered in the mortgage application.

• It’s being estimated that the Bank of England base rate is going to hit 3% by the first quarter of 2023, we haven’t seen increases like this since 2008.

• Lots of people are still moving but the housing market is starting to slow somewhat, probably due to the effects of the cost-of-living crisis.

• The lack of investment made by UK companies is another big news story. In some cases this isn’t surprising due to the aftermath of covid and threat of a higher corporation tax.

• Businesses are much less productive than they were and this reduction in investment is compounding it.

BEST MOMENTS 

 “This mortgage is being written for 30 or 40 years, of course your outgoings are going to change”

“Bank of England base rate has been going up significantly as it likely to keep doing so”

“I suspect that this will support house prices even more, not that they need more support due to lack of supply in the market”

“A property market crash is always a possibility”

“Gas and electric prices have gone up by 300% already”

VALUABLE RESOURCES 

https://www.youtube.com/user/progressiveproperty https://www.progressiveproperty.co.uk/the-progressive-co-founders/

ABOUT THE HOST

Mark has bought, sold or has managed around 1,000 property units for himself, Rob, his family and his investors since 2003. He is a system and spreadsheet geek and has developed a complex, confidential deal analyser system of buying residential, commercial and multi-let properties.

CONTACT METHOD

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markhomer1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markprogressive

Twitter: https://twitter.com/markprogressive

‘Brought to you by Progressive Media’: https://progressivemedia.uk/