Tuesday 26 February 2013

Selling houses

Although it is only ten years old, like certain makes of car, or dress fashions, the house I'm writing about today has not aged well. Let's call it Number 14 for sake of argument. Mind you, it's mainly to do with the people who have inhabited it. Over the years since buying this property (off plan), we have had such a variety of tenants that none of them has really 'fallen in love' with it and made it their home. Not like some of our other properties, which tenants have truly made their forever home (and which we are not about to threaten - a bird in the hand is definitely worth two in the bush in the rental business).

It was left in January looking sad and tired. Carpets fraying, paint faded, wallpaper peeling, bits and pieces broken off here and there (handles, radiator thermostats, toilet roll holders to name a few). This poor young house looked like it needed a holiday from the tenant inhabitants it had held. It needed a makeover and it needed it now!

So we set to - tidying the garden, restoring handles to their rightful places and repairing chipped, worn or torn bathroom accessories. Fully redecorated and with NEW carpets fitted, this house has been restored to its original (or near-original) state. Now that the garden has been tidied, and the air inside smells faintly painty and clean, and the walls are back to neutral and the toilets are sparkling clean, and the carpets have been newly laid - well, it all looks great. And again I see the potential of this house to offer a lovely home to a young couple or small family. Three beds with an ensuite to master upstairs (plus family bathroom of course), downstairs a lounge diner and kitchen and a guest wc (as the EA calls it).  Fully double glazed and centrally heated and a good size garden.

And even today as we went into the Estate Agents, I had second thoughts - 'Should we maybe just keep this house and rent it out again?'. But no, this one HAS to go. The strategy demands it.

Anyway, it's perfect for a clean and tidy couple, who will look after this place and make it their own.

But a house like this - empty, newly redecorated, with three beds, for less than £120,000 for sale in Crewe? It probably will be purchased by a clean and tidy couple who will do exactly what we did ten years ago.

Rent it out to someone else!


Friday 22 February 2013

Feel the fear and do it anyway

...was the title of a well-known book by Susan Jeffers, all about making the most of the gift of life by recognising what holds us back and addressing those fears. Fear is part and parcel of any new project or change. Perhaps it is the brain's way of counteracting the adrenaline and excitement that can also be generated with the prospect of a new direction. Any project that feels bigger than one you've undertaken before, or bolder than one you've experienced personally, or braver than you currently feel, is likely to create fear. Sometimes that fear can actually help us as we examine a particular course of action in more detail - it enables us to be less emotionally involved and more analytical. However, generally fear is a tether which keeps us tied to a post made from our previous experiences. These previous experiences include our failures; reminders of things we think we cannot do; messages from our past (childhood, school, university, relationships) which tell us 'DON'T DO THIS AS YOU WILL FAIL'!

So we only move in a circumference dictated by an invisible lead, tethered to the post of our past.

Let me tell you I have felt fear about the various housing projects I have (and am) involved in - regularly! Not a day goes past when I don't wonder 'Can we really do this? Have we bitten off more than we can chew? Are we being too ambitious? Are we crazy taking on all these complicated projects' (because that's how they often feel).

But then I stand back and wonder 'What's the worst thing that can happen?' and usually I realise that actually  even those apparently terrible things aren't actually the end of the world. There are usually ways out of a situation that appear when you are desperate, and the human spirit is indomitable in its creativity - particularly when under pressure.

And I also remind myself of other people who have tried and failed - what happened to them? Often, they've gone on to accomplish even more than they first dreamed of by persevering and overcoming problems. It seems to me that it is perseverance and tenacity that really overcomes fear.

In property development, as in any area of life about which you are uncertain, fear comes with the territory. There are so many uncertainties in property which admittedly I do  worry about. But I try not to let those fears affect me as I know how stifling they can be. Sometimes I need to remind myself of the plan and what we need to do to make it work - this helps me re-focus and regain confidence. Sometimes I need to remind myself of my beliefs in why we're doing it - thy 'whys' of our plan. Sometimes I need to remember the facts about our situation - that our service, product and business are meeting a real need and are in demand.

Sometimes I just need to take time out and pray!!

Jeffers wrote 'The Five Truths about Fear' which I quote below:

The Five Truths About Fear
FEAR TRUTH #1

The fear will never go away as long as you continue to grow!

Every time you take a step into the unknown, you experience fear. There is no point in saying, "When I am no longer afraid, then I will do it." You'll be waiting for a long time. The fear is part of the package.

FEAR TRUTH #2

The only way to get rid of the fear of doing something is to go out and…do it!

When you do it often enough, you will no longer be afraid in that particular situation. You will have faced the unknown and you will have handled it. Then new challenges await you, which certainly add to the excitement in living.

FEAR TRUTH #3

The only way to feel better about yourself is to go out and…do it!

With each little step you take into unknown territory, a pattern of strength develops. You begin feeling stronger and stronger and stronger.

FEAR TRUTH #4

Not only are you afraid when facing the unknown, so is everyone else!

This should be a relief. You are not the only one out there feeling fear. Everyone feels fear when taking a step into the unknown. Yes, all those people who have succeeded in doing what they have wanted to do in life have felt the fear - and did it anyway. So can you!

FEAR TRUTH #5

Pushing through fear is less frightening than living with the bigger underlying fear that comes from a feeling of helplessness!

This is the one truth that some people have difficulty understanding. When you push through the fear, you will feel such a sense of relief as your feeling of helplessness subsides. You will wonder why you did not take action sooner. You will become more and more aware that you can truly handle anything that life hands you.