Property Tribes and Nick's consultancy, Social Media Graffiti, are delighted to announce that we have joined forces with The Property Investor Show 2010 to help promote the show within the on-line investor/Landlord communities.

 The Property Investor Show & OPP Live returns to ExCeL London, 14-16 October 2010 featuring a combination of regular and new exhibitors - and 3 separate seminar/conference programmes.  It is also set to feature a live property auction on Friday, 15th October!

Nick and I will be speaking about holiday lets and using social media for your property business during the seminar programme.

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Over the past few weeks, I've returned to my TV roots and been doing a lot of TV filming for the Royal Horticultural Society.  I've been filming and editing packages on their gardens and flower shows, so have been tapping into the gardening world!

Two things have become very obvious to me:

1.  Due to the economic climate, people are increasingly interested in gardens for family activities and land to grow their own produce.

2.  There is a roaring trade in chalet type log cabins being sold as home offices.  You need a garden for that.

Are gardens large enough to accommodate this going to become a commodity?

Are houses going to become more popular as a result, both in terms of sales and for rental?

Are we, as Landlords, making the most of our properties gardens as an asset?  I know I'm not and it is something I want to look into more in the future.

At our holiday lets, we have decked the back gardens and put out potted palms to give a "holiday" feel ... plus supplied garden furniture and sun loungers. 

Find out what the members of Property Tribes think about the importance of gardens in the context of the future of property investment and capital growth.  Click >>>> here to join the discussion.

Today, I would like to remind you of the benefits of joining an active and supportive property investment and Landlord community like our Property Tribes forum.

As each new member joins, the tribe becomes stronger because our knowledge and experience grows as a group.  As we love to say, "none of us is as smart as all of us"!

I would therefore like to encourage you to visit Property Tribes regularly.  It's a veritable buffet of delicious and nutritious property nibbles that up-dates daily with all the latest property news and views.



Dining out on knowledge is a great way to increase your understanding of how to stay ahead in the property investment game.  The sun may be shining now, but there are undoubtedly challenging times ahead.  However, as a group, we can share strategies and tactics, support each other, and hopefully keep moving forwards towards our financial goals.

Here are some of the most delectable and deliciously diverse discussions currently gaining traction on Property Tribes forum:

Landlord Referencing: The fight against rotten tenants - 40 replies and a very heated debate!

Anyone else jaded by the term "BMV"? - 40 replies and interesting and varied opinions.

In the Spotlight:  Rob Hubbard of Walker Fox - read about Rob's property journey.  Rob is a great person to connect with and learn from as he is undertaking his own property journey and sharing his new breakthroughs as he goes.

Knocked out and business affected - what happens when you are ill?

Why I will never buy a flat (outside London) again ... - diverse views about flats as an investment.

I do hope you will join the conversations and share your knowledge and yourself with the community.  Property Tribes continues to go from strength to strength thanks to the many contributors who share their knowledge so freely and generously and I, for one, thank them as I learn something new every day that helps me be a better business person.

Thank you also to Nick Dare, who so generously arranged a sailing trip for Tribal members to spend a day on his yacht!  How's that for community spirit?!

A problem shared is a problem halved, as the old cliche goes.  And this one:  "Real problems can be solved.  It's only the imaginary ones that seem unconquerable".  So true!  Remember that you are not alone and that answers can be found.  Someone always has another angle on something, and that is why tribes have always been one of the most successful formats in society!

A friendly, knowledgeable, and supportive community is only a click of a mouse away, so I hope to see you soon on Property Tribes.

The sun is shining and there are some good things happening in property that can help us keep the faith in these challenging times.  Here are some bite sized chunks of wholesome and nutritious property news:

First of all, congratulations to my dear husband Nick Tadd for his stand-out performance at yesterday's Lettings Live 2010 event at the QEII Centre in London.  Nick sat on the Media Panel with Nick Leeming, Commercial Director for Zoopla and Dave Thompson, Business Manager for The Times Media.  Nick blew the 400-strong audience of top lettings agents away with his insights into the social web and we have since been inundated with people wanting to talk to us about how we help property related businesses leverage social media.

One of our clients, Sally Asling of Surrey Lets, has up-dated us with her latest news that she has now generated £18K of business out of Twitter alone in the past year!   Sally has also expanded recently and started Surrey Sales, and we wish her the very best of luck with that.

One of the discussions on Property Tribes has been "What's the next best thing to invest in?".  Great question with some interesting answers.  It seems that one answer might be London residential.  According to The Guardian, affulent buyers from the Far East are piling into the London property market attracted by low interest rates, the weak pound, and an undersupply of housing.  You can read the full article >>> here.  It seems that London bricks and mortar are regarded as a safe haven for money in these troubled and uncertain times, and that prices in prime areas of London are set to rise.  Bearing in mind the the Olympics is only two years away, then London seems a good bet!

Read More...

As we are all aware, due diligence is paramount to successful property investment.

In this interview with Feng Shui Consultant, Michael Oon, I discover how using Feng Shui in the research stage can add a futher level of due diligence and risk management to your acquisition purchasing decisions.



This subject is currently being debated on our Property Tribes forum. Click >>> here to view and join the discussion.



THIS WEEK'S EVENT: This Thursday at our Surrey Social Media Tribes meeting, we will be discussing strategies of how to build a targeted Twitter following. Like property, twitter is not "get rich quick", "get followers quick". On Thursday, I will be revealing the personal strategies I have used to build a targeted twitter following that has helped me gain tremendous traction on Twitter.

Come and join a group of like-minded and supportive people who are all interested in sharing strategies to optimise the social web. This event is 100% networking and education. Please click >>> here to register your place. Tickets are £10.00 in advance or £15.00 on the door on the night.

Date: Thursday 27th May 2010

Time: 6.30 p.m. to 9.00 p.m.

Venue: Holiday Inn, Egerton Road, Guildford.

Parking: Ample and free.

I am increasingly being contacted in private by people who are struggling with mortgage repayments, and they want my advice.



First of all, if you are struggling, it is very important to get the correct advice from the correct person, otherwise you will become very confused.  Stuff like "just hand back the keys" from the property "expert" down the pub is not good advice!

I am not qualified to give advice, but, what I do say, is that, in the first instance, CONTACT YOUR LENDER, and let them know that you are in difficulty.

They are obliged by law to help you as much as they can.  This can include payment holidays, concessions, reduced payments etc.  I believe it is vital to keep up an open and honest communication with them.  If you cut off all communication, that is when things start to go out of control and they will be less forgiving than if you have been seen to be trying to deal with it.

There are also specialist debt advice services who can help.  Some offer a free consultation to assess your individual situation.

It is worth noting that it is very important to pay your service charges and ground rents.  Make that a priority in your bills.  Failure to do so can mean forfeiting the lease!  If these are not paid up to date, you will not be able to get additional financing either, so be sure to prioritise them above other bills.

If you have a void, do whatever it takes to get the property let.  80% of something is a lot better than 100% of nothing!

Understand that you are not alone and that others can support and help you and may have been through what you are going through and be able to offer a friendly and supportive shoulder to lean on.   That is one of the benefits of being a member of a Tribe!

Please click >>> here to read all the comments to this blog on Property Tribes.  A lot of useful advice has been shared in this particular discussion.

Coming to a town near you ... !



Guildford Grow Business Exhibition - 12th May



Now in its third year, this has been a hugely successful business exhibition for business owners in and around Surrey. We are delighted to have been asked to speak there on our favourite subject of social media.
Our presentation: "Leveraging the power of the social web for business exposure"

Where: Guildford Spectrum, Guildford, Surrey
When: Wednesday 12th May
On-stage: 10a.m until 11a.m (exhibition opens from 9.30am)

Click >>> here for more information: www.GrowYourBusinessEvent.co.uk

Croydon Females in Business - 20th May

Now in its second year, this is a special event for women to benefit from attending dynamic workshops on creating a profitable presence on the web. You will also enjoy networking over a delicious buffet. Plus attend the exhibition to meet potential suppliers. Penny Power is also a keynote speaker at this event.

Our presentation: "Why a portfolio of web content is as valuable as a portfolio of property".

Where: Jury's Inn, Croydon
When: Thursday 20th May
On-stage: 1.30 pm to 2.30pm (exhibition opens from 9.30am)

Click >>>> here for more information: http://croydonfemalesinbusiness.eventbrite.com/

Surrey Social Media Tribes - 27th May



At our Surrey Social Media Tribes networking meeting on 27th May in Guildford, we will be explaining more about Twitter and showing you how to build a targeted following.

Using strategies I have developed for ourselves, we will reveal how to "mine" other people's followings, how to search on Twitter, and how gain traction on Twitter quickly. Bring your laptop and have some hands-on practice with us to guide you. Great networking and education for just £10.00 entry fee means this is a worthy investment of your time.
Our presentation: "How to double your twitter following with targeted connections".

Where: Holiday Inn, Egerton Road, Guildford
When: 27th May 2010
What time: 6.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m.

Click >>> here to book your seat. Places are limited, so please BOOK NOW to secure your seat.

Social Media training day at the races at Brighton Racecourse - 28th May

Join us for a day of learning, networking and playing at Brighton Racecourse. There's a half day of social media training, followed by lunch and watching the racing!

Our presentation: "Introduction to how to optimise the social web"

Where: Brighton Racecourse
When: 28th May 2010
What time: 9.00 a.m to 5.30 p.m

Click >>> here for further details and to book your place.

Milton Keynes "How to implement a social media strategy for your business" - training day - 5th June

With our last three training days having sold out, we've booked another one to meet the demand! Does what it says on the tin. The U.K.'s premier introductory social media training course, delivered in bite-sized and easy to digest chunks with strategies to put into action straight away.

Where: DeVere Harben House, Newport Pagnall, Milton Keynes
When: 5th June 2010
What time: 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.

Click >>> here for further details and to book your place.
Yorkshire Property Tribe inaugural networking meeting - 16th June

Vanessa and Nick head 'Oppp North' to speak at the inaugural Yorkshire Property Tribe networking event, founded by Property Tribe member Rob Hubbard.
Our presentation: "How to leverage the power of the social web in your property business"

Where: The Bridge Inn Hotel, Altofts Lane, Whitwood, Castleford, WF10 5PZ
When: 16th June 2010
What time: 6.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m.

Click >>> here for further details and to book your place.
Leicester Social Media Mum - Social Media optimisation coffee morning - 22nd June

Back due to popular demand! Vanessa and Nick join the Social Media Mum, Zoe Newcombe, for a two hour presentation and coffee morning on how to optimise the social web. Specially devised for mum-preneurs and small business owners, this presentation discusses how to create massive business exposure using free web tools.

Our presentation: "Optimising the social web for business exposure"

Where: David Lloyd, Carlton Park, Narborough, Leicester, LE19
When: 22nd June 2010
What time: 11.30 a.m. to 2.00 p.m.

Please click >>> here for full details and to register.


We hope to meet you in person somewhere down the speaker trail!

*Thank you to Ces and Jay Loftus of Creatively Minded for helping us with the graphics.

I have a confession to make.

I've become rather addicted to FourSquare lately.

FourSquare is a recent addition to a number of social sites that facilitate "life streaming", or, as I like to call it, "lifestyle web impressions".



Wiki describes it as thus: "Foursquare is a location-based social networking website, software for mobile devices, and game. Users "check-in" at venues using text messaging or a device specific application. ]They are then awarded points and sometimes "badges."

However, having played around with FourSquare I see it as much more than just a game. It has the potential to become a serious business tool.

Mark Krynsky, in his recent LifeStream blog, shared this important insight:

"The act of performing a "checkin" is an important gesture that is a universal action that will we be applied to many services over the next few years. Location is a piece of data that when applied to other objects has become a very valuable way to add context and other functionality to a piece of media.

By providing location data to photographs we added great value to that media. We can now visit sites like Google Maps and Flickr and other services that use location as a data point to search and view photos. The act of the checkin now ads the gesture of saying "I'm here" paired up with location and time. This will also offer a similar valuable piece of context across many platforms in the future".



Vanessa and I have already seen a business application for FourSquare with regards to our holiday lets.

We've tagged them on FourSquare so that they will be visible to anyone who "checks in" to the area. FourSquare allows you to comment on the location (or share a tip) and I have therefore added a brief description to the tag, describing the cottage, number it sleeps, and phone number to call to book it etc.

I will also encourage our guests to write testimonials on FourSquare, which can be viewed by anyone in the area.

FourSquare shows you everyone who has been in the area, and you can connect with them via Twitter and FaceBook (if they have shared that data). This is a free and quick way to connect with people who have visited, and therefore have an interest in the location. A targeted database that you can leverage and use to make some powerful and relevant connections.

Thinking laterally with a generic example:

If you are a restaurant owner, you can see who has visited your restaurant and connect with them via Twitter/Facebook (if the customer has shared this information on their profile). Foursquare can tell you how many times a customer has been to your venue or the frequency of their visits. Many venues are now using this data to reward their most loyal customers with freebies or discounts and drive more traffic to their business.



If a Foursquare user is at your bar/restaurant, FS offer a JV programme allowing you tell them what they have to do to unlock a free snack or discounted drink. If they happen to be across the street or two blocks away from your venue, FS will let them know that your business gives special treatment to foursquare users and that they should swing by for a visit, again driving more traffic to your business.

FourSquare are currently developing some analytic tools to help businesses get the most out of the application.

Property-related examples:

If you are an interior designer, how about writing a short appraisal on FourSquare of the interior design of the premises you visit? The business owner may well see it, but so will everyone else in the area. A simple way to get visibility for the service you provide.

Or you may be a lettings agent.  How about having visibility in the localised web "High Street" where people are constantly checking in and may need your service?

As a customer yourself, every time you check-in or create a FourSquare comment/tip, you can tweet this out on Twitter and FB, thereby providing easy content generation to keep your feeds active and share your experience of that venue/business. Another "lifestyle web impression" that is as individual as you are.

I see so many opportunities with this tool in the property industry. It's a global site with highly localised relevance.

It's all about leaving a "lifestyle" imprint on the web that will give you enhanced visibility and facilitate deeper insights and greater context to what you (and/or your business) are all about. It's another way of making easy and targeted connections. It's another way to leverage those all-important user generated media impressions.

Your customers will generate your social media for you. You and/or your business can generate more lifestyle imprints to enhance your own visibility.

It will tell your customers what they want to know, when they want to know it, sometimes it might even be so targetted, that it tells them before they even realise they want to know it!

A bit like you didn't know you wanted a Versace tie until you came across it while searching for something else on E-Bay!

99% of your competitors are not even aware of this capability ... yet.

Do you see opportunity here?

I do. I see this site becoming the user-generated "Yellow Pages" of the social web.

Having the right knowledge at the right time determines how successfully you play the business game.

Might this be another way of leveraging FREE web tools to build a highly successful business by pre-empting your customers' needs, without resorting to pushy sales techniques or needing a large marketing budget?

Certainly seems that way to me.

I hope you have found this blog thought-provoking?

These are the kind of insights we share and discuss at our Surrey Social Media Tribes networking events.

None of us is as smart as all of us ... so come and join us at THIS month's event.

Date: Thursday, 15th April 2010

Venue: Club Suite, The Holiday Inn, Egerton Road, Guildford.

Time: 18.30 to 21.30.

Parking: Ample and free

This month's subject: How to use free web tools and new highly sophisticated software to "listen" on the social web.

Price: £10.00 in advance or £15.00 on the door on the night.

Please click >>> here to register and pay....

And don't forget to check-in to "Surrey Social Media Tribes" via FourSquare when you arrive!

However, if you have already seen the light with regards to social media and you're ready to get going with it, then check out my "How to implement a social media strategy for your business" training day, taking place near Milton Keynes on the 17th April. There are a few places left on this ground-breaking course and your first customer generated by social media engagement will pay back the £149.00 including VAT course fee.

We are so confident in the quality and value of our training that we happily offer a 100% money back guarantee that your course fee will be refunded in full if you do not feel it was value for money or that social media is not for you. So you have no risk and nothing whatsoever to lose ... but everything to gain.

Please click >>> here for full details.

Thanks for reading this blog.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to join the discussion on Property Tribes >>>> here.

Nick Tadd

We are delighted to hear that Upad and their associated twitter stream @avoidthevoids are organising a social media based webinar titled "Death of the Amateur Landlord".

It is taking place on-line on the 29th April at 1.00 p.m. and can be viewed via video stream or on Twitter at #DOTAL.

Hosted by Richard Bowser of Property Investor News, the event will form a panel discussion around encouraging landlords to learn how to run their property portfolio as a business.

The panelists are:

Ray Boulger - John Charcol

Read More...