Press Release - Nellie McQuinn, Property Investor Awards Finalist!
What better way to kick off my brand new blog than with this? It's official, I've been sitting on this news for a while but I am now allowed to announce that I am a finalist for this year's Property Investors Awards in the New Investor of the Year Category.
The Property Investors Awards are an annual event, and according to their website:
"are about attracting and celebrating the best and most proactive property investors in our industry whilst providing a source of inspiration to those who aspire to do more and be more in the property investment sector."
The New Property Investor of the Year category is open to any property investor who hasn't invested in property prior to 2016 and I was over the moon to discover this, as my first investment property completed in January 2016. That flat involved a LENGTHY sale process, but obviously everything happens for a reason, because if it had been a speedy sale, I wouldn't have been eligible for this category. And there's no way I'm ready to compete with the heavy weights in the Property Investor of the Year category. Next year maybe.
So, what does this mean? The awards themselves are a mark of industry recognition. They add prestige and increase credibility to your personal and company brand. Personally, it's a huge encouragement that what I'm doing with Mathew (my husband) and Property 165, is going in the right direction. Property can sometimes be a lonely journey (more about that later, I'm sure!), so it's easy to lose sight of the progress you've made. Being acknowledged as a finalist has helped clarify that what I'm doing is definitely working.
I'll be sending out the below press release this week, but thought it was appropriate to post it here first. I promise I'll stop shouting about it sometime soon. But until then, have a read and feel free to share!
N xx
Nellie McQuinn, nominated for New Property Investor of the Year!
Co-founder of boutique property company amasses 1.5 million pound property portfolio in less than two years and is nominated for New Property Investor of the Year in the prestigious Property Investor’s Awards.
Nellie McQuinn founded Property 165 with her husband, Mathew McQuinn in 2016 after buying her first investment property earlier that year. However, it was Nellie’s second investment that has earned her the place of 2017’s New Property Investor of the Year finalist. The project used none of their own cash and utilised a complicated delayed completion strategy, with the company undertaking a full refurbishment on two flats in London’s E17 prior to even purchasing the properties. The project was not without its problems, with the expected bridging finance falling through at the last minute, leaving Nellie to raise the full purchase price through a JV. The deal netted the company £150,000 profit when the two flats were sold on the open market earlier this year. Since then, Property 165 has purchased a further two properties, a flat which is currently back on the market and a two bedroom house which has joined the company’s ever growing BTL portfolio.
Property 165 takes its name from the address of Nellie’s childhood home. Her Gran (who helped raise her), was a canny investor and bought the property in the 1950’s for £6,000. The property was eventually sold for a generous profit. It was her Gran who inspired Nellie’s property journey, with a bequest and the stipulation that the nest-egg be invested in property.
Nellie says, “with every property I buy, I think ‘Gran would have liked this one.’"
Nellie, who original trained as an actress and dancer, also runs one of the most prolific children’s digital media companies in the country. Moving from this industry into property has been an “easy transition.” She says “producing and property developing require a similar skill-set. I have to prepare budgets, find my team and then make sure that whatever it is we’re creating comes in on time and in budget.”
On the future, Nellie says:
“We’re always on the lookout for new partners and growth is a really big part of our 2018 strategy. As a result, we’re starting to turn our attentions towards commercial conversions. When we get into that field, I’ll feel like I’ve really made it as a property developer!”
The Property Investors Awards take place on the 2nd of December, when the winners will be announced.
