The Scottish Property Podcast

How can you scale a buy-to-let portfolio without leaving yourself dangerously exposed if the property market changes?

In this episode, Nick and Steven discuss the risks of using 80% and 85% loan-to-value mortgages to grow a property portfolio. They explain how arrangement fees, falling valuations and changes to lending criteria could leave highly leveraged investors needing to inject substantial amounts of cash when refinancing.

They also share practical ways to reduce risk, including investing in high-demand areas, maintaining cash reserves, stress-testing mortgage payments and using conservative end values. From researching comparable properties to calculating every purchase, renovation and holding cost, this episode explains the due diligence investors should carry out before committing to a deal.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Scaling buy-to-let safely in a changing market
01:20 - The 18-year property cycle and crash predictions
03:53 - Why 80% and 85% LTV mortgages raise concerns
05:40 - How mortgage fees push leverage even higher
07:27 - The refinancing risk across a large portfolio
09:22 - BRR valuations and recovering all your money
11:23 - Negative equity and product-transfer risks
13:37 - Could investors become trapped on a 9% variable rate?
14:38 - Investing in high-demand rental areas
15:44 - Stress-testing, cash reserves and avoiding overleverage
17:53 - Why longer fixed-rate terms can reduce risk
18:31 - Due diligence and conservative end values
19:21 - Comparing properties accurately
21:08 - Testing current demand with listings and estate agents
22:22 - The landlord costs investors frequently overlook
23:23 - Jobs, regeneration and school performance
26:43 - Getting every deal number right
28:02 - Purchase costs and property holding costs
30:04 - Renovation budgets and choosing quality materials
31:40 - Calculating the property’s true rental cash flow

NETWORKING EVENTS
First Wednesday of every month
📍 Aberdeen | Dundee | Edinburgh | Glasgow
Follow our socials for speakers and details

SPONSORED BY

Prime Property Auctions — know someone selling a property? You could earn £1,500 just for making an introduction. John and Luis handle everything from the first call to the sale. Over £350,000 in referral fees paid out so far.

👉 https://primepropertyauctions.co.uk/

🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode
👍 Like the video if you found it valuable
💬 Would you use an 85% loan-to-value mortgage to scale faster, or keep more equity in each property? Let us know in the comments 👇

Is Scotland heading for a property crash—or does the country’s chronic shortage of homes make that unlikely?

Dr. John Boyle, Director of Research & Strategy at Rettie, joins Nick and Steven to examine the data behind Scotland’s housing emergency, house prices, rental growth and the future of the private rented sector.

From Aberdeen’s dramatic fall and the 18-year property cycle to landlord exits, rent controls, build-to-rent and student accommodation, Dr. John explains what the latest figures reveal—and why some commonly quoted property statistics can be misleading.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

• What Scotland’s housing emergency actually means and why homelessness and temporary accommodation are increasing

• Why housing costs of approximately 25%–30% of gross income are generally considered affordable

• How annual housebuilding has fallen from around 25,000 homes before the financial crash to fewer than 20,000

• Why a new social home can now cost approximately £250,000–£300,000

• Why Scotland’s 2026 house-price growth forecast was revised from 3.5% to around 0%

• Why the Scottish market continues to average approximately 100,000 property transactions each year

• Why Dr. John does not believe the 18-year property cycle will produce a house-price crash in 2026

• Why a collapse in transactions can be more damaging to the property industry than falling prices

• How Aberdeen went from having higher average prices than Edinburgh to lower prices than Dundee

• Why Aberdeen prices remain down while property transactions are beginning to recover

• The risks of using short-term house-price figures to judge smaller towns and local markets

• Why landlord registration figures do not provide a reliable picture of landlords leaving the sector

• Why Dr. John describes the landlord exodus as a “trickle rather than a flood”

• How rent controls encouraged landlords to raise rents to market value between tenancies

• Why experienced landlords are now more likely to review and increase rents every year

• How the 8% Additional Dwelling Supplement affects new landlords while producing record tax revenue

• Why rent controls caused institutional build-to-rent investment in Scotland to stall

• How construction costs rising faster than rents have created a viability problem for build-to-rent

• Why purpose-built student accommodation can be more financially viable than standard rental developments

• Whether Glasgow could eventually face an oversupply of student accommodation

• How co-living developments could provide another housing option for young professionals

CHAPTERS

00:00 - Meet Dr. John Boyle

01:08 - Scotland’s housing emergency explained

04:04 - Why Scotland is not building enough homes

07:08 - The rising cost of social housing

10:55 - Scotland’s property-market outlook

14:32 - Will the 18-year property cycle cause a crash?

18:25 - What could trigger the next property crash?

21:39 - What happened to Aberdeen’s property market?

25:31 - Finding growth areas and interpreting property data

30:28 - Are landlords really leaving Scotland?

35:23 - How the 8% ADS is affecting investors

37:47 - Why rent controls caused rents to rise

40:11 - The future of rent-control zones

44:57 - Build-to-rent and institutional investment

53:03 - Why build-to-rent schemes are struggling

56:47 - Is Glasgow building too much student accommodation?

59:49 - Could co-living help address the housing shortage?

01:00:52 - Where to connect with Dr. John

CONNECT WITH DR. JOHN

Dr. John Boyle MRICS — Director of Research & Strategy at Rettie & Co

Website: https://www.rettie.co.uk/

NETWORKING EVENTS

First Wednesday of every month

📍 Aberdeen | Dundee | Edinburgh | GlasgowFollow our socials for speakers and details

SPONSORED BY

Prime Property Auctions — know someone selling a property? You could earn £1,500 just for making an introduction. John and Luis handle everything from the first call to the sale. Over £350,000 in referral fees paid out so far.

👉 https://primepropertyauctions.co.uk/

What would Nick and Steven do with £40,000 to invest—and would they choose a vanilla buy-to-let over stocks and shares?

In this listener Q&A episode, Nick reveals that he currently owns 12 buy-to-lets and is still aiming for a portfolio of 20 producing around £5,000 in net monthly cash flow. Steven explains why he focuses less on the number of properties he owns and more on cash flow, loan-to-value and paying down debt.

They also discuss how first-time buyers can use their position to get started, what makes a BRR deal stack up, how bridging finance works, whether 5.7% is a reasonable refinancing rate and how to find a trustworthy property sourcer.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

• Nick’s goal of owning 20 buy-to-lets producing approximately £5,000 in net monthly cash flow

• Why Steven focuses on cash flow, loan-to-value and debt reduction instead of property numbers

• Houses versus flats—and why tenant turnover, factor fees and capital growth matter

• Why buying quality property can outperform chasing the maximum amount of money from every refinance

• Vanilla buy-to-let versus stocks and shares: how leverage changes the potential return

• What Nick and Steven would do with £40,000 to begin building a property portfolio

• How first-time buyers can use low deposits, house hacking and live-in flips to their advantage

• The investment criteria Nick and Steven would use when purchasing property today

• Their five and ten-year plans for acquiring properties and reducing portfolio debt

• The discounts, added value and refurbishment costs needed to make a BRR deal work

• How bridging finance works, including arrangement fees, monthly interest and exit costs

• Whether fixing a buy-to-let mortgage at 5.7% could make sense

• Kitchen versus bathroom: which refurbishment is more likely to improve a property’s value?

• How to check a property sourcer’s track record, compliance and investment figures

• Why tenanted properties require due diligence on both the building and the tenant

CHAPTERS

00:00 - Nick and Steven answer listeners’ questions

01:15 - Portfolio targets and monthly cash-flow goals

04:03 - Houses versus flats

06:12 - BRR versus buying quality property

08:21 - Loan-to-value and paying down portfolio debt

10:52 - Prime Property Auctions

13:09 - Buy-to-let versus stocks and shares

20:49 - What would they do with £40,000?

23:03 - The advantages of being a first-time buyer

25:56 - Nick and Steven’s property-buying criteria

30:23 - Their five and ten-year property plans

36:18 - How to borrow, buy and recover your investment

38:32 - How bridging finance works

42:47 - Is 5.7% a reasonable refinancing rate?

46:10 - Kitchen versus bathroom refurbishment

49:56 - How to find a trustworthy property sourcer

55:28 - Nick and Steven’s perfect day

NETWORKING EVENTS

First Wednesday of every month

📍 Aberdeen | Dundee | Edinburgh | Glasgow

Follow our socials for speakers and details

SPONSORED BY

Prime Property Auctions — earn £1,500 just for sending a WhatsApp. If you know someone selling a property, John and Lewis will pay you £1,500 or 1% of the sale price (whichever is higher) just for passing on their details. They've paid out over £350,000 in referral fees so far.

👉 https://primepropertyauctions.co.uk/

🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode

👍 Like the video if you found it valuable

💬 If you had £100,000 to invest, would you choose buy-to-let or stocks and shares? Let us know in the comments 👇

At just 27, Ally Wilkes was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer—an experience that completely changed how she viewed time, security and the life she wanted to build.

After years working in the NHS, Ally took the leap into property. She completed a flip that made just under £30,000, used the BRR strategy to build her own portfolio and eventually left her job to run ACG Property, managing renovation projects for investors.

In this honest conversation with Nick and Steven, Ally shares the numbers behind her deals, the reality of becoming self-employed, the nightmare first tenant who trashed her property and what investors should realistically expect to spend on a refurbishment today.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

• How a cancer diagnosis at 27 changed Ally’s outlook on work, security and life

• Why she had wanted to become a property developer from a young age

• The numbers behind her first flip: bought for £81,000, spent around £17,000 and sold for £135,750

• How that first project produced a profit of just under £30,000

• Her first BRR: bought for £66,000, refurbished for around £30,000 and revalued at £130,000

• What happened when her first buy-to-let tenant trashed the property after only eight weeks

• Leaving the NHS and adjusting to the lack of routine that comes with self-employment• How networking and sharing her journey online helped Ally secure her first clients

• Why Ally charges 15% of the refurbishment cost for project management

• Why Ally budgets roughly £15,000–£20,000 for a good two-bedroom refurbishment with kitchen and bathroom upgrades, excluding electrics, windows and boiler or heating work

• The hidden problems investors cannot always spot before work begins, including thermal bridging

• Why Ally prioritises good-quality assets instead of growing a portfolio for appearances

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Meet Ally Wilkes

01:47 - Wanting to work in property from a young age

06:38 - The cancer diagnosis that changed everything

15:37 - Why property became Ally’s next chapter

18:27 - The numbers behind her first flip

21:49 - Moving from flipping to BRR and buy-to-let

22:16 - A £66,000 purchase revalued at £130,000

22:53 - The nightmare first tenant

27:23 - Leaving the NHS for property full-time

33:26 - How networking brought Ally her first clients

35:42 - Building a personal brand by being authentic

38:19 - Why investors use a project manager

39:27 - Project-management fees and realistic budgets

43:17 - What a two-bedroom refurbishment costs today

45:09 - Thermal bridging and other hidden problems

48:12 - Kitchens, bathrooms and timeless design

51:53 - Managing a refurbishment for a remote investor

53:23 - Ally’s plans for ACG Property and her portfolio

- 55:29 Where to connect with Ally

CONNECT WITH ALLY

Ally Wilkes — ACG Property

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allywilkesproperty_inhaus/

NETWORKING EVENTS

First Wednesday of every month

📍 Aberdeen | Dundee | Edinburgh | Glasgow

Follow our socials for speakers and details

SPONSORED BY

Prime Property Auctions — earn £1,500 just for sending a WhatsApp. If you know someone selling a property, John and Lewis will pay you £1,500 or 1% of the sale price (whichever is higher) just for passing on their details. They've paid out over £350,000 in referral fees so far.👉 https://primepropertyauctions.co.uk/

🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode

👍 Like the video if you found it valuable

💬 Would you leave a secure career to pursue property full-time? Let us know in the comments 👇

Most investors look at a floor plan and see a two-bed. Ross McIlvean looks at the same floor plan and sees £15,000–£20,000 of hidden value nobody else spotted. 🏗️

In this episode of the Scottish Property Podcast, Nick and Steven sit down with Ross McIlvean of LTJ Architecture — property investor, architect, and one of the most practically useful guests to appear on the show. Ross covers everything from his nana's buy to let that got him started, to his first flip in Woodbank, building a six-property portfolio entirely in one street in Dunfermline, the illegal attic conversion he bought at £115k and got valued at £180k, and a brand new static caravan STL down at Pease Bay.

This one is packed with genuinely actionable advice on 2-bed to 3-bed conversions, planning vs building warrants, how to price refurbs, and why Ross never buys anything that doesn't start with Weatherburn.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Intro: Ross McIlvean joins the podcast
00:34 Ross’s background and route into architecture
01:22 Why buildings and local architecture matter
04:35 Architecture that adds commercial value
05:11 Ross’s first step into property investing
06:17 Property education and learning the basics
07:49 Ross’s first flip in Cowdenbeath
10:26 Why flipping is harder in today’s market
11:45 Using architecture to unlock hidden value
13:13 Pricing refurbs and understanding project costs
17:48 How architects price their work
19:57 Building a portfolio after the first flip
21:12 Turning two-bed properties into three-beds
23:52 Removing chimneys and changing layouts
26:34 Minimum bedroom sizes and practical layouts
28:51 Solving an unofficial attic conversion problem
31:13 Undoing bad work to make a property compliant
33:44 Rental growth in Dunfermline
35:39 Ross’s static caravan investment
38:37 Moving from employment to self-employment
42:13 Working with Jay Alexander and the Flour Mill project
45:36 Starting LTJ Architecture during Covid
48:34 Planning delays and the council process
49:50 Planning permission vs building warrant
52:01 Retrospective building warrants and why they’re risky
54:21 Building control inspections and completion certificates
55:12 Ross’s role through the design and approval process
56:20 AI, architecture and design visuals
59:57 What’s next for Ross and his portfolio
1:04:56 How to connect with Ross
1:05:47 Final thoughts

CONNECT WITH ROSS

Instagram: @ltj.architecture

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

NETWORKING EVENTS

First Wednesday of every month

📍 Aberdeen | Dundee | Edinburgh | Glasgow

Follow our socials for speakers and details

SPONSORED BY

Prime Property Auctions — earn £1,500 just for sending a WhatsApp. If you know someone selling a property, John and Lewis will pay you £1,500 or 1% of the sale price (whichever is higher) just for passing on their details. They've paid out over £350,000 in referral fees so far.

👉 https://primepropertyauctions.co.uk/

🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode

👍 Like if you found this valuable

💬 Would you buy everything in one street like Ross? Drop it in the comments 👇

He's your accountant by day and a 54-unit landlord by night. And he charges less than you'd spend on a Friday night out. 🏠

In this episode of the Scottish Property Podcast, Nick and Steven sit down with Matt Herbert — qualified property accountant and 54-unit investor across Aberdeen and Edinburgh. Matt covers everything from his dad being made redundant and discovering property by accident, to doing refurbs after work in his finance job, building a 54-unit portfolio, and why he'd rather help investors structure their businesses properly than charge a fortune for it.

If you've ever wondered what a property accountant actually does for your portfolio — this is the episode to watch.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Welcome to Matt Herbert — accountant and 54-unit investor

00:14 – Qualified property accountant at the Glasgow networking events

00:28 – 54-unit buy to let portfolio across Aberdeen and Edinburgh

00:52 – Why Aberdeen is controversial — and Matt's take on it

01:30 – Growing up: dad moved from Wales to Aberdeen for oil and gas

02:06 – Dad made redundant and retrained as a teacher — the lesson it taught Matt

05:54 – Dad's first property: rented to his girlfriend

06:54 – Oil and gas crash 2015 — everyone made redundant

10:40 – First investment property — and the finance stories

12:41 – The First Home Fund: government equity stake explained

14:03 – Planning to buy a bigger home — and how it changed

15:30 – First refurb: doing it himself after work in Edinburgh

16:59 – What clients actually want: financial freedom and passive income

21:45 – Ex-council and social housing stock — what to know

24:27 – Aberdeen market deep dive — buying flats under £40k

24:43 – Partnering with Aiden — sourcing and project management

26:39 – Finding deals at offers over £45k and getting them down

27:57 – Target ROI: 20–25% on all capital invested

28:42 – Aberdeen pitfalls: what to watch out for

28:52 – Structural issues in Aberdeen stock — the same problems everywhere

37:43 – The condemned street nobody saw coming

40:34 – Porous concrete explained — and why it's a serious problem

42:38 – Net cash flow reality: why Aberdeen yields aren't always what they seem

48:41 – Edinburgh: inflated rents and the Alex Walker connection

55:33 – Shareholder structure: getting the limited company right from day one

57:40 – Year end tax planning: what to do when the bill hits £50k

1:00:15 – Mortgage strategy: 75% LTV, five-year fixes

1:00:33 – Set and forget — why Matt loves boring, stable assets

CONNECT WITH MATT

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-herbert-fcca-76558a8a/

https://www.facebook.com/matthew.herbert.980

https://ljyaccountants.co.uk/

NETWORKING EVENTS

First Wednesday of every month

📍 Aberdeen | Dundee | Edinburgh | Glasgow

Follow our socials for speakers and details

SPONSORED BY

Prime Property Auctions — earn £1,500 just for sending a WhatsApp. If you know someone selling a property, John and Lewis will pay you £1,500 or 1% of the sale price (whichever is higher) just for passing on their details. They've paid out over £350,000 in referral fees so far.

👉 https://primepropertyauctions.co.uk/

🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode

👍 Like if you found this valuable

💬 Would you do your own refurb to save money? Drop it in the comments 👇

He built a short term let business to 70 units and 20 staff — then walked away at 29 to start from scratch. The very next day he went to view a hotel. 🏨

In this episode of the Scottish Property Podcast, Nick and Steven sit down with Laurence Malyon — founder of Moment aparthotel brand — for one of the most wide-ranging conversations they've had on the show. Laurence covers everything from running concerts for the neighbours at age 5 and rebranding his family's fire suppression business at 15, to building Donnini Apartments with his uni flatmate Jake, exiting after seven years, and launching a hospitality brand that just did a £2.325 million deal on Edinburgh's George IV Bridge.

This one is packed with lessons on business partnerships, aparthotel strategy, STL licensing, commercial funding, and why Glasgow and Edinburgh are completely different beasts.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Welcome back to Laurence & what he's been building since

01:08 – Exiting Donnini & launching Moment hotel brand the very next day

01:58 – Growing up in a rundown farmhouse near Beattock

02:59 – The family fire suppression business

03:36 – Rebranding the family business at 15

05:15 – Why London and Dubai are the real competition

07:41 – Running concerts for the neighbours at age 5

09:01 – Selling fruit and veg to teachers for profit

10:39 – First flip at uni with Jake

13:47 – Discovering Airbnb as it was becoming a thing

14:10 – Touchstone / Progressive property training

16:59 – The rent to rent model that started it all

17:26 – STL legislation: why serviced accommodation is so much harder now

19:40 – Planning consent: licences, planning, or both

28:45 – The plan to go beyond Edinburgh and Glasgow

33:25 – Becky, the business conversation that changed everything

34:22 – The Moment trademark — what it means and why he owns it

35:00 – 12 George IV Bridge Edinburgh — the flagship deal

38:07 – £2.325 million on practical completion

39:39 – RBS as main lender — the journey to get there

40:22 – Oak North bank and how they got funding over the line

47:28 – First hire CJ — building the team

50:00 – Remote team in the Philippines

52:41 – 18% management fee — how it's structured

59:01 – Sonder went bust: lessons from the big operators

1:01:18 – Stay Cool: what the brand offers and why it's different

1:03:40 – Expansion plans: Lisbon, Paris and beyond

CONNECT WITH LAURENCE

Moment Aparthotels: momentstays.com

@moment.stays on Instagram

NETWORKING EVENTS

First Wednesday of every month

📍 Aberdeen | Dundee | Edinburgh | Glasgow

Follow our socials for speakers and details

SPONSORED BY

Prime Property Auctions — earn £1,500 just for sending a WhatsApp. If you know someone selling a property, John and Lewis will pay you £1,500 or 1% of the sale price (whichever is higher) just for passing on their details. They've paid out over £350,000 in referral fees so far.

👉 https://primepropertyauctions.co.uk/

🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode

👍 Like if you found this valuable

💬 Would you have walked away from 70 units to start again? Drop it in the comments 👇

Pension funds are quietly buying up rental homes across Scotland. If buy-to-let was dying, nobody told them. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Nick and Steven are back with the June market update — running on two hours sleep after Scotland vs Brazil — covering the Prime Minister change, house prices, the rental market, the LHA rate freeze that's about to hit 45,000 households, and a £10.8 million build to rent deal in Edinburgh backed by your pension fund. Yes, yours.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Intro: Scotland vs Brazil, two hours sleep, six episodes to record

01:25 – What's coming up: PM change, house prices, rents, LHA & build to rent

01:50 – House prices & rental market overview

01:58 – Local housing allowance — why it matters to landlords

02:36 – Build to rent & pension funds flooding into Scottish property

03:27 – Keir Starmer resigns — what happened

04:18 – Andy Burnham likely next PM — and his history with rent freezes

04:28 – Rent controls in England: why Scotland is one step ahead

05:21 – Capital gains tax: what a new Labour leader could mean for landlords

14:20 – Fred Harrison's 18-year cycle — five months left for the 2026 crash prediction

15:36 – SpaceX IPO: Elon Musk becomes a trillionaire

20:01 – First Home Fund launched this week — will it empty in days again?

21:56 – Land Registry data: Scotland up 2.2%

23:57 – Bitcoin at $59k — down 50% from its peak

31:15 – LHA rate freeze: 87 of 90 regions can't cover the bottom 30% of rents

34:30 – Scotland's discretionary housing payment — sticking plaster or real solution?

35:52 – 45,000 households and 31,000 children affected

35:57 – Scotland puts in £8.7m in support

36:43 – Avant Homes sells 41 Edinburgh homes to Thriving Investments for £10.8m

37:52 – £263k per home — and who's actually funding it

38:19 – Is mid-market rent exempt from rent controls? The question nobody can answer

NETWORKING EVENTS

First Wednesday of every month

📍 Aberdeen | Dundee | Edinburgh | Glasgow

Follow our socials for speakers and details

SPONSORED BY

Prime Property Auctions — earn £1,500 just for sending a WhatsApp. If you know someone selling a property, John and Lewis will pay you £1,500 or 1% of the sale price (whichever is higher) just for passing on their details. They've paid out over £350,000 in referral fees so far.

👉 https://primepropertyauctions.co.uk/

🔔 Subscribe so you never miss a market update

👍 Like if you found this valuable

💬 Do you think pension funds investing in rental property proves buy-to-let still works? Drop it in the comments 👇

He had $300 to his name, sleeping on a mate's floor in Perth, Australia. Then a stranger in an empty pub changed everything — and 23 years later he owns 46 properties and manages 800 more. 🏠

In this episode of the Scottish Property Podcast, Nick and Steven sit down with David Lamb — founder of Orange Sales and Lettings in the North East of England. David's journey takes in steelworks apprenticeships, delivering tea bags with a wicker basket, a commercial conversion that doubled in cost during Covid, backpacking through Southeast Asia on passive income, and a chance meeting with a stranger in a pub that got him his first offshore job.

This one's got everything — the crashes, the lessons, the laughs, and a masterclass on building a letting agency from zero to nearly 1,000 properties under management.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Welcome & David's story in numbers

01:01 – Growing up in Billingham, Teesside

01:36 – Private school, kicked out, and finding his feet

03:01 – Walking out on his business teacher after 6 weeks

04:19 – Delivering tea bags door to door with a wicker basket

07:17 – First flip: bought for £52k, made £26k, slept on the floor

10:13 – The 2008 crash — and two new builds he'd just completed on

11:39 – Why new builds off plan was his biggest property mistake

15:03 – Zero knowledge of leverage — the lightbulb moment

16:46 – 46 personal properties: the buy to let foundation

17:05 – Converting 17 offices into 11 apartments

22:44 – Made redundant from the steelworks

23:30 – Backpacking Australia & Southeast Asia

23:51 – $300 left, Perth, and an empty pub

24:29 – The stranger who bought him a pint and changed his life

25:21 – Email Paul Gordon — one message, one offshore career

29:53 – Earning offshore and feeling passive income for the first time

32:33 – Rich Dad Poor Dad, all the books, and going property shopping

34:58 – The 17-office business centre: bought for £450k

35:24 – Covid hits — £450k becomes £750k

37:10 – Starting Orange from a portacabin on site

47:04 – First hire Charlotte — and building the team

49:37 – First agency acquisition

51:01 – Asset purchases vs share purchases explained

51:48 – How David structures every agency deal

51:54 – The deal that'll take Orange over 1,000 properties

53:22 – Why relationships are the real currency in business

54:09 – David's sole role at Orange now: buying agencies

1:00:15 – Business rates, national insurance & the real costs of running a team

1:00:25 – AI in property management — what David is integrating right now

1:03:44 – Why AI will never replace emotions in property

1:05:44 – The bank conversion: planning, apartments & serviced accommodation

1:07:07 – Wrap up & Marbella plans

CONNECT WITH DAVID

@davidlambproperty on Instagram

NETWORKING EVENTS

First Wednesday of every month

📍 Aberdeen | Dundee | Edinburgh | Glasgow

Follow our socials for speakers and details

SPONSORED BY

Prime Property Auctions — earn £1,500 just for sending a WhatsApp. If you know someone selling a property, John and Lewis will pay you £1,500 or 1% of the sale price (whichever is higher) just for passing on their details. They've paid out over £350,000 in referral fees so far.

👉 https://primepropertyauctions.co.uk/

🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode

👍 Like if you found this valuable

💬 Would you have sent that email to Paul Gordon? Drop it in the comments 👇

A complicated miscarriage. A goodbye in a hospital room. Two years of everything going wrong. Then they bought their first property — Claire eight months pregnant, the world in lockdown. 🏠

In this episode of the Scottish Property Podcast, Nick and Steven sit down with Claire and Dan MacDonald of Cladan Property — a husband and wife team who started investing in 2020 with no strategy and a sold car, and have quietly built a portfolio of 24 properties in five years.

This one isn't about overnight success. It's about a slow, steady, intentional approach — two young kids, a teaching job, a brand new mortgage advisory business, and a portfolio that's just gone through its biggest and most challenging growth phase yet.

🕐 TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Welcome to Claire and Dan

02:02 – Growing up in the Highlands & how they met

06:39 – The honeymoon that sparked the business idea

07:54 – One-day property events & the financial advisor who said don't bother

14:05 – Claire's teaching career & the stress behind it

17:59 – The difficult years: loss of Dan's mum

24:26 – The complicated miscarriage & why it changed everything

00:20 – Claire starts investing eight months pregnant in lockdown

19:06 – First deal: analysis paralysis & what pushed them through

19:14 – Analysis paralysis & the first purchase

21:23 – Releasing equity to fund deals three and four

22:07 – Selling the car to fund the second property

32:13 – Working with Jillian and Darren Green — mindset & clarity

33:36 – The vision: cash flow number, lifestyle goals & what they're building toward

34:36 – Dan's civil engineering background & the move into property

39:11 – The pivot to short-term lets & the Highland cottage

41:04 – The cottage flat STL in Cardonald

41:14 – 8 months to get the STL licence — what they learned

43:26 – Winter cash flow struggles & the unpredictability of STL

43:40 – The Joseph Todd liquidation post & what it meant for the market

49:25 – Speaking at the April networking event — how it led to two portfolio deals

49:31 – Direct to vendor: the portfolio acquisitions that changed everything

53:31 – Tenanted portfolio — when the cracks started appearing

55:59 – Butting heads as a couple & how they're working through it

1:00:56 – Dan's mortgage advisory business & where to find them

🔑 KEY TOPICS

✅ Starting a property portfolio with savings, a sold car & family equity

✅ The real challenges of buying a tenanted portfolio — what nobody talks about

✅ ADS savings through portfolio deals of 6+ properties

✅ Short-term lets: the cash flow highs, the winter lows & the licensing uncertainty

✅ How speaking at a networking event led to two direct-to-vendor portfolio deals

✅ Balancing a marriage, young kids, teaching and a growing property business

✅ When to pay someone to project manage a refurb (and when their fee pays for itself)

✅ Why Claire and Dan prefer quality and cash flow over chasing numbers

📲 CONNECT WITH CLAIRE & DAN

Instagram: @cladanproperty

Mortgage enquiries: reach out via Dan's Instagram

📅 NETWORKING EVENTS

First Wednesday of every month

📍 Aberdeen | Dundee | Edinburgh | Glasgow

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🤝 SPONSORED BYPrime Property Auctions — know someone selling a property? You could earn £1,500 just for making an introduction. John and Lewis handle everything from the first call to the sale. Over £350,000 in referral fees paid out so far.👉 https://primepropertyauctions.co.uk/

🎙️ ABOUT SCOTTISH PROPERTY PODCAST

Real conversations with real Scottish property investors. No fluff — just honest stories, market updates, and investor journeys.

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