Musician mentored by Samuel Leeds makes £12K a month from rent-to-rents!
Musician Jay Twiss has added another string to his bow by becoming a successful property entrepreneur, using the rent-to-rent strategy. Jay, who has been mentored by Samuel Leeds, has a portfolio of 44 rooms which are generating a revenue of around £25,000 a month. But it hasn’t all been plain sailing. He had to weather a year of rejections before landing his first deal.
‘Financial Freedom Challenge pumped me up’
Jay gave up on making money from property after spending the whole of 2019 chasing an investment opportunity that would set him on his way. Then he watched one of Samuel’s Financial Freedom Challenges on YouTube and was fired with enthusiasm to have another go.
The singer, who has recently released a new single, attended a Property Investors Crash Course which taught him how to analyse a deal and calculate the return on investment.
“I learnt a lot there. Samuel gave us quite a few spreadsheets as well which was useful,” Jay recalls.
Armed with this information, he viewed properties in his home city of Sheffield with the aim of sourcing deals for investors. It was here that Samuel had demonstrated it was possible to become financially free from scratch, with no money, in a week.
“When I saw that, I thought that’s incredible. It pumped me up to try again. I did and it’s worked out.”
Jay managed to make money from deal sourcing which he then used to invest in his own deals.
Casting his net further afield, he found a rent-to-rent opportunity in Huddersfield which was ‘perfect’ but it fell through due to the landlord being unfamiliar with the concept. Refusing to give up, Jay went in search of another investment through the estate agent he had just dealt with.
“I thought this estate agent is willing to work with me on a rent-to-rent basis. So, I went and looked on the estate agent’s website for other properties which potentially could be good rent-to-rents.”
It was a tactic which proved to be successful. All 44 of his rent-to-rent units were obtained through just three estate agents.
Jay says the best agents to approach are the ones who understand the business model.
“You get some estate agents who have worked with other people doing this and don’t like it, or they’ve worked with someone who has done this and they’re willing to take on more people like you. You also find estate agents who don’t know what rent-to-rent is.”
Jay makes a list of all the estate agents in the area he is looking at, and then calls them until he finds one who has already had experience of arranging a rent-to-rent agreement.
“In every city there will be an estate agent who knows about rent-to-rents so you will eventually find one.”
Drawing up a list enables him to quickly find an estate agent who can help him broker a deal. He prefers to approach a real estate professional, rather than the landlord directly.
“Some landlords go with their emotions, and you have to try to convince them if they don’t know the model. They take it personally: do I really want to let this guy in? When actually I’m a company and I want the property on a business lease for five or ten years.”
Before securing his initial rent-to-rent deal, he had agreed another one, only for the owner to pull out when he realised that an investor would be taking it on and not Jay.
“As soon as I introduced the investor, I got a reply back from the estate agent that the landlord didn’t want to carry on with it. Maybe the landlord wondered why someone else was coming on board.”
Jay employs his sister in his property business
Jay suffered many setbacks before coming along to the crash course and then signing up for the Deal Selling Masterclass. He was not just impressed with the training he received, but also the way it was delivered by his mentor Samuel.
“He’s amazing and easy to work with. At the Deal Selling Masterclass he told everyone what they needed to do and gave them a task. I also noticed that he gave you all the information but didn’t just let it go there. He told us if we needed any help, we could reach out to him or one of his coaches, so if we didn’t reach out that was our fault.
“Samuel does give further help after the training, so I don’t see how anyone could go wrong unless they’re lazy and they’re just not putting in the work.”
Although Jay has now been investing in property for a few years, including in Manchester where he provides serviced accommodation, he still seeks advice from Samuel.
“I contacted him a couple of days ago about a contract. I agree with him that no man is an island. You need to get around good people.”
Jay is now making a profit of £12,000 a month from his portfolio which has enabled him to employ his sister full-time in the business. At the same time, he is pursuing his musical career, as well as holding down a full-time job himself as a design engineer.
Last December he released Gold Diggers, a hip-hop/rap number inspired by his experience of life since becoming successful.
“Everyone wants a piece. They see you do well and expect you to pay for everything. That’s fine if we were grafted together and you’re struggling. I’m happy to help you. But if I don’t know you, then show me you’re not just here because I’m living a good lifestyle. Once we become friends then maybe I can help you.”
Now that he has ‘the mindset of an investor,’ Jay is keen to scale up his business as more opportunities come his way and he continues to hunt for gold himself with the help of Property Investors.
Jay’s tips
- It’s very important to have people you can rely on.
- I use SpareRoom to find out what the demand for accommodation is in a particular area. I do this before I sign an agreement with a landlord.
- Work hard and make sure you get training. I should have done that sooner.
- Find estate agents with knowledge of rent-to-rents in your target area and make a list which you can also draw on in future.
Samuel’s verdict
“The reason Jay probably struggled so much in the first year was because he wasn’t asking for help. He didn’t have anyone he could go to for advice. You can only learn so much on YouTube. Having a mentor guiding you is crucial.
“Jay’s rent-to-rent business is now turning over £25,000 to £30,000 per month which is incredible. Despite 12 months of struggle and rejection, in the end it took just three people to say yes to him. That’s important for anyone trying to become a property investor to remember. You’re three yeses away from becoming financially free like Jay who is making a profit of £12,000 a month.”
“He deserves congratulations for everything he has achieved in property and in music. I’m looking forward to helping him take his business to a whole new level.”
Claim Your FREE Ticket to the Property Investors Crash Course: https://www.samuelleeds.com/
