My property portfolio, created in under two years, enables me to live my dream life. My name is Vicki and I am often called The Property Mermaid because of my dual passions of scuba diving and buying the stinky houses that provide the cash flow to give me the lifestyle I love. I don’t have to work – I do because I love it – I enjoy everyday.
What do you want in life? we only have one life – just a dash between birth and the grave! Are you living your dream? Are you achieving your potential? Are you maximising the resources that you and your family have, to become financially secure in this strange economic world we live in now? Do you know how to use Other People’s Money to build a property portfolio and achieve all that you want? This website contains links to resources and services that can help your take control of your financial future, it’s easy to do and I can help

If anything, I struggle with opportunity overload and have to work hard at remaining focused, but a phone call on Tuesday was definitely an opportunity to be grabbed with both hands. Read the rest of this entry

I wanted a tree with a root this year. Surely it would hold its pine needles better, then I could plant it in the woods somewhere, afterwards.

3 B&Q, 2 Sainsburys, 1 Tesco and a garden centre later I surrendered and bought a tree that had been cut. It was dark, cold and not feeling much like Christmas by the time we finished. Six and half hours of my life had disappeared. Read the rest of this entry

I have this new “smart” phone that thinks it’s cleverer than it really is. It seems to think that it knows what I want to say and even if I do manage to hit the right keys in the right order – it auto-corrects and replaces my perfectly good word – with something it thinks more appropriate. Read the rest of this entry

What is the etiquette these days? Should I send cards?

Last year I was feeling really bar humbug and didn’t send anyone cards except my immediate family. I posted a message on Facebook and sent a text to a few friends that was all. I broke the mould or pattern of hours of writing cards. Read the rest of this entry

Are you Lady Gaga or One Direction? I had the music video channel on yesterday as I rearranged the front room to make way for an accidentally over large Christmas tree, when I noticed that, all bar one of the members of the group, One Direction had comb-overs!
Read the rest of this entry

Fortunately I didn’t watch to the whole programme. While there are definitely cases where people are conned and preyed upon by unscrupulous traders that we need to be aware off. There is also the fact that we need to take responsibility for the decisions we make.

The piece that annoyed me in the programme came towards the end when someone was talking about mortgage rates and the early redemption penalties that banks charge if you come out of a mortgage early.

As a professional investor I deal with this all the time – and I understand that I might realise things that other people just buying their one personal home do not. I assume that they would have used a mortgage broker and that professional should have explained the conditions of a loan.

When commissions are paid on top of a salary for the completion of a sale then I believe that the intentions of the sales person are loaded towards their own gain and not the needs of the buyer. This can be anything from a car, a training programme, a house or financial advice.

If you are buying something and the sales person is going to earn commission then you need to consider exactly who they are working for, you and giving you impartial advice or themselves as they want to earn more money.

Early redemption penalties – just to explain – are charged by banks if you shorten the term of the loan agreement. This is because in most cases the bank will have “Borrowed” the money they are lending you on the money markets and they will have an agreement and a fee to pay. If alter the term of you agreement they will have money that they are no longer earning interest on (from you) but are paying interest on (to their lender). Hence they charge you a fee to cover that cost.

I believe the house price boom was caused by estate agents earning commission based on sale price – so they elevated it. People were sold policies they did not want or need because financial advisors earned commission on the sales. People attend private training courses on getting rich because the sales people often earn commission or affiliate rates for the promotion.

Think about the advice you are getting, who stands to benefit, and get a second opinion, let’s stop moaning and take responsibility.

To our mutual success, wealth and happiness
Vicki – The Property Mermaid

1. Ways to Wealth – Make Money from Property – http://www.waystowealth.co.uk/wtw-events/

2. Reading and resources – http://bit.ly/uUrpUT

3. Where you can find me next    http://thepropertymermaid.com/blog/events

I wrote a blog for Virgin about active responsibility but the underlying message was the concept of values. We all value something; each of us gives different values and weights to different things. That was really clear to me in the Money programme on BBC 2 Tuesday 29^th (one of 3 parts).

The successful people and gurus/ experts were asked what do you spend your money on and each one said nothing really – there was not anything that they really bought – other than the freedom to choose how they spent their time.

I thought that was really fascinating … we can always get more money (within reason) we can earn it, leverage it, borrow it or steal it … but we can’t get more time. There are only 60 seconds in a minute and 1440 minutes in a day. The one unknown is the length of the dash … the dash on our grave stone.

So what do you value, what are you prepared to work hard for …. Work hard (or smart) and earn the money to give you the freedom to do?
Personally I am not a materialistic person – I want to scuba dive and learn about the sea and taking better photographs, spending that “free” time with Bob and other friends and family. That’s where my value lies and to support that I have learnt how to leverage my money to give me that time.

What would you – or do you – choose to spend your time doing …. Is that enough to keep you motivated and focused when the times get tough – because that’s what we all need right now. So what drives you?

To our mutual success, wealth and happiness
Vicki – The Property Mermaid

1. Ways to Wealth – Make Money from Property – http://www.waystowealth.co.uk/wtw-events/

2. Reading and resources – http://bit.ly/uUrpUT

3. Where you can find me next    http://thepropertymermaid.com/blog/events

I find it relaxes me after a head of busy thoughts all day – but not when the programme presents a view I disagree with!

Who watched “Money” on BBC2 Tuesday 29.11.11? The outcome of that episode … Read the rest of this entry

Recent announced changes to Local Housing Allowance may have a dramatic effect on population growth and has been underestimated by the government.

From January 2012 new claimants under the age of 35years old will no longer be entitled to the one bed self-contained rate (ie one bed flat rate which on my patch is £90 per week) they will only be entitled to a shared rated of £56pw. So what does this mean? Read the rest of this entry

I recently read a great little book “Create your Desires and fulfil your dreams” by Donald Upton – a remarkable man, one of the original founders of the (now) College of Osteopaths in 1966, well-educated and read naturopath and my friend’s grandfather. Read the rest of this entry