Why I Choose To Help My Fellow Landlords

Why I Choose To Help My Fellow Landlords

9:02 AM, 21st October 2016, About 8 years ago 14

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If you have ever wondered why I so openly help other #landlords, many of whom I will never know or meet or even get a thank you from, this short story might give you a clue. Mark-Alexander

Why I Choose To Help My Fellow Landlords

There was a farmer who won an award every year for the best quality corn. One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and discovered that he freely shared his seed corn with his neighbours.

“How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbours, when they are in competition with you each year?” the reporter asked.

“The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field”, replied the farmer. “If my neighbours grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of mine. If I am to grow the best corn, I must help my neighbours grow good corn as well.”

So is with our lives. Those who want to live meaningfully, and well, must help enrich the lives of others, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches.

None of us truly wins, until we all win!!

I can’t take the credit for writing the above story, I saw it posted on Facebook by David Couter. However, it touched a nerve with me becase of a Facebook experience I had earlier in the week.

A person claiming to be an accountant had shared one of my tax planning articles on his timeline and was quite rude and unprofessional in his comments. That didn’t wind me up as much as a comment posted by a gentleman called Rob Walsh on the thread. His comments were lambasted and he has since deleted them. Nevertheless, he said something along the lines of …..

“I don’t really trust Mark Alexander, I don’t know why, I just don’t. It’s all about the £££££ for him and recommending his Barrister partners.”

My reply was something along the lines of; “thanks a lot for that mate (NOT!). I invested nearly three years of my life into recovering £27,500,000 of overcharged tracker mortgage interest from The West Bromwich Building Society for landlords I will never know and never meet. Many of them will never have heard of me. I was paid not a penny for this. Property has been good to me and I want to give something back. I recommend Cotswold Barristers because I believe they are the best in the business. What is so wrong with that? I am financially independent as a result of three decades in this business and now live as a tax Exile in Malta. I will continue to help people who want to be helped, whether I get a thank you or not. We are all entitled to our opinions”

Needles to say, his comments did hurt my feelings at the time but such is life. I’ve had worse and will get over it.

I decided to write this blog for two reasons; firstly to get this issue off my chest and secondly to explain to others who might have similar questions buzzing around in their mind as Rob Walsh in regards to why I do what I do.

And now for a quick promo ……….

My vision is to form a powerful Landlords Union with a legal action fund to fight for the rights of landlords and also to provide shadow PR to balance the information disseminated by the likes of Shelter and Generation Rent. I would very much appreciate your support. To read more about this please click the blue button below.


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CazT

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10:19 AM, 21st October 2016, About 8 years ago

Obfuscated Data

Sam Addison

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10:23 AM, 21st October 2016, About 8 years ago

It has been said that people suspect others of having the same faults as themselves. If one is unable to trust others it may be that one is untrustworthy.
Having read your comments on here over the years and then finally met you at Excel (and your beautiful wife!) I know you are a genuine guy. Thanks for all you are doing for us.

Laura Delow

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11:46 AM, 21st October 2016, About 8 years ago

I would be as hurt if not more so if this had happened to me. Well done Mark on not letting this Rob Walsh get away with his comment & handling it in such a gentlemanly manner. What's more annoying is this Rob Walsh doesn't even know why he mistrusts you. May be it's jealousy as this can make people bitter who then uninvited often judge others harshly & unfairly. His problem - not yours.

Marlena Topple

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19:29 PM, 21st October 2016, About 8 years ago

Mark anyone that takes the trouble to read your responses to requests for help from landlords AND tenants can see that you are highly professional operator with a high level of integrity. You inspire me to be a better more professional landlord. Thank you for all that you are doing to support landlords.

Mandy Thomson

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18:27 PM, 22nd October 2016, About 8 years ago

Mark has always taken the time and trouble to provide answers to landlords as well as his determined campaigning. Moreover, his responses to landlord's questions are always well thought out and sound good advice, which in turn attracts contributions from others with a high level of expertise.

Mark has made me welcome on his site from my very first post, and visiting Property118 over the years has considerably added to my knowledge of landlord and tenant matters over the past few years, which has enabled me to get a job in the sector.

However, Mark goes beyond simply offering advice, he actively helps landlords in ways that even major landlord representatives can't, such as his Landlord Union, the first ever organisation of its kind in the UK.

As I haven't said it before now, I think this is a good time to say thank you, Mark, for everything.

Mandy Thomson

Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118

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18:45 PM, 22nd October 2016, About 8 years ago

Thank you all for your very kind words.

I'm not too proud to admit mistakes when I make them, and I still do despite nearly 30 years in the business. I'm also not too proud to ask for help when I need it.

I need help to grow The Landlords Union and if any of you good folk would like to be come Ambassadors and share ideas on how we can work together to achieve that goal please let me know.
.

Peter Poupard

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21:59 PM, 22nd October 2016, About 8 years ago

I've followed Mark on this blog for years and cannot fault his motives. As has already been pointed out both landlords and tenants appear here and are treated equally. A property blog that supports tenants can only be commended and I along with everyone else have no hesitation in supporting Mark and the rest of positive contributors.
Well done Mark, keep it up!

Mandy Thomson

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8:23 AM, 23rd October 2016, About 8 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Peter Poupard" at "22/10/2016 - 21:59":

Yes - although the majority of threads are started by landlords, there are a sizeable number from tenants. With the exception of one or two isolated comments from short sighted landlords unable to see a tenant's perspective, the tenants have received the same high quality and impartial advice given to landlords.

Indeed, as I touched on in my earlier comment, the quality of the advice given is very high. For example, there are several legally qualified people who comment on here, in addition to many more very experienced and knowledgeable landlords, agents and other housing and property professionals.

If anyone thinks Property118 exists to support the exploitation of tenants, think again. If someone posts on here who has made a genuine mistake and they're happy to learn from it, they will receive plenty of help; however, those who think being a landlord is a way to make easy money and exploit people, or just can't be bothered, will get short shrift.

DSouth

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12:19 PM, 23rd October 2016, About 8 years ago

Hi Mark,

I would be more than happy to offer any way to help grow The Landlords Union, please pm me if you need to discuss.

Jonathan Clarke

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12:35 PM, 23rd October 2016, About 8 years ago

Life without the likes of Property 118 would be a very uninformed life for a landlord.
The amount I have learnt from Mark himself and also from some other very astute and generous contributors is immense.
These varied posts have saved me thousands of pounds and also made me thousands of pounds over the years

It is also importantly, perhaps more importantly, a welcoming therapeutic space for me as a landlord and investor to hang out in.
Mark has helped and enabled all this to come about by providing us all with a comprehensive free resource all under one roof .
He should be congratulated heartily and warmly thanked for this and also his unstinting and continued efforts to support our cause

Thank you Mark
.

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