15:24 PM, 29th January 2025, About 22 hours ago
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Starting his property journey in a bedroom to building a thriving property business, Abrar Shah’s journey into property investment has been nothing short of extraordinary.
His journey has now seen Buy Investment Properties LTD win Property Trader of the Year at the Property Investors Awards.
It hasn’t always been plain sailing for Abrar and his trusted partners, and they have faced many challenges and valuable lessons.
Abrar’s property journey began in Manchester, where he was renting a flat.
He tells Property118: “The lady called Diane, who I was renting from, was retired, and she was selling her flats in the block where I used to live.
“She owned about 20 of these flats in the block and had other properties elsewhere. We got chatting, and I realised that the long-term wealth creation game is in property. It’s an asset you can feel, touch, and see, and over the long term, it increases in value.
“I told Diane that I wanted to buy the property rather than rent it, and I found out it was cheaper to get a mortgage on it than to rent, so my monthly payments were lower.”
Abrar purchased the flat as his first property, sparking his passion for property investment. He then went on to buy his second property, a buy-to-let, rather than a residential property, setting the foundation for his property journey.
In 2007, during the recession, Abrar decided to take the plunge and start his own property business with a couple of old friends, who are now business partners, and worked together for 18 years.
“It was quite a courageous move from myself,” Abrar says.
“I just thought, what’s the worst that could happen? I’m going to take a year out and give this a go.
“I switched the flat I was living into a buy-to-let, moved in with my parents, and started working from my bedroom. I had no money apart from some savings, no job, and the two properties I owned were rented out, but I wasn’t making much positive or passive income to live on.
“We just knocked up a website and started sourcing properties and did leafleting and adverts on various websites for marketing.”
Abrar admits he wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing at first and Buy Investment Properties LTD was born and began to grow.
He tells Property118: “We just learnt as we went along a journey because there’s no real blueprint.
“We started sourcing for other investors, and one thing led to another. I realised how property was a wealth-building tool, and my passion for property grew along with that.
“We took some calculated risks along the way, which led to greater success, and it became a passion. That’s what drives me today.”
Buy Investment Properties LTD has gone from strength to strength and is now one of the biggest cash-buying companies in the UK.
Abrar says he never had a vision of how successful the business would become.
He says: “I kept my head down and was in the trenches for a while. I didn’t really do a great deal of networking whilst I was in the trenches.
“I was working in the business rather than owning the business. That’s what you often have to do you have to graft hard. We’ve been in houses early in the morning about 6am doing the hard work, painting and cleaning to learn every aspect of the property business firsthand.”
Along the way, there have been challenges with starting the property business.
Abrar explains: “It’s more challenging than it was a few years ago as there’s so much more red tape to deal with and administration. Some of the toughest deals we dealt with were navigated through ways of legal and financial hurdles.”
Buy Investment Properties LTD focuses on fast property transactions, but delays with vendors can sometimes cause unexpected issues.
Abrar says: “Sometimes you get delays or complications you didn’t plan for, and you have to manage the relationship with the vendor.
“They might be trying to move into a new build, emigrate, relocate, or sell for other personal reasons. It’s about managing their expectations because, at the end of the day, they’re coming to you for certainty and a hassle-free experience. That’s very different from how a traditional sale works.”
The key to overcoming these challenges is to be persistent, Abrar explains.
He adds: “It’s learning to be persistent and to adapt and having a solid team you can rely on. The right solicitors who you know can deliver results, the right surveyors who can get out to a property quickly.
“Understanding the process from start to finish and making sure your staff is on the ball is so important.
“The beauty with a small team is you can shift into a different gear at any point, so we can slow things down or speed things up as and when we please.
Abrar says he didn’t expect to win Property Trader of the Year but was pleasantly surprised when it happened.
He says: “Winning the award was a very humbling and exciting experience for me and the team.
“It’s a recognition for the hard work and dedication and the values we uphold in our business.
“It hasn’t been easy – there’s been some loneliness as an entrepreneur when you don’t know who to turn to. This award is a reminder of our efforts to deliver excellent service, create value for our clients, and it’s great to be recognised for the hard work we do.”
Abrar adds he recommends anyone thinking of applying to the Property Investors Awards to go for it.
He says: “I was someone who never expected it. I was very much in the trenches and not out and about.
“The awards have helped gain some recognition for the hard work and efforts we’ve done for the last 17 years. I’d recommend applying because you never know – you might just win.”
Abrar gives advice to aspiring property investors, saying that property can be a demanding business, but persistence is key to success.
He explains: “The first step is the hardest step, no matter how small it is, just take action.
“Sometimes people get stuck in the analysis and trying to learn everything. While education is important there’s no substitute for real-life experience.
“Start doing your research and learning the basics of property investment.”
Abrar adds it’s important to remember property is a long-term waiting game with no instant success.
He says: “It’s not an instant gratitude kind of business; it’s very much delayed gratitude in property.
“Don’t be afraid of making mistakes because you learn from your failures and not necessarily from your successes. Each setback can teach you something valuable.”
Abrar has five golden nuggets of success for aspiring property investors.
He explains: “Firstly, not every discount is a deal. Just because a property is below market value doesn’t mean it’s a good investment. You need to factor in legal costs and refurbishments before committing.
“Secondly, the power of networking. Some of your best below-market value deals don’t hit the open market, so building relationships with agents, sources, other investors, and doing Joint Ventures can open doors to hidden opportunities.”
“Thirdly, financing can be complex. When it comes to funding below-market value properties, there aren’t a lot of lenders who will fund that. It’s all about creative strategies like bridging or joint ventures and always being open when looking at the financing side of things.”
Abrar adds: “Next is due diligence, where people often don’t consider the smaller costs. Sometimes people rush into a deal without understanding the area, demand, or property condition, which can really cost you in the long run. Always research and get expert advice.
“Finally, it’s best to have a strong team with you on your property journey. From solicitors to builders, having the right team in place can make or break your investment.”
Abrar says having the right approach and mindset can make all the difference in property and be very rewarding.
He says: “I always say you make your money when you buy the property, and if you sell it and hit it over and above your expectations, that’s just a bonus.”
