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

Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to our event on Sunday 15th March.  We aim to earn your continued support by always delivering massive value and great networking, so we hope you found it a worthwhile day! 

A big shout out to Keith and Anita Truman who drove down from Peterborough to attend.  We salute you for your commitment to your property business!

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Pictured above:  Camber Sands beach, East Sussex, voted one of the Top Ten Beaches in the World by the readers of the Sunday Times Travel magazine. 

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Charles Darwin: 1809 - 1882

I was tinkering on the computer last night, when, thanks to the joys of Facebook, an old friend from the music industry, who I hadn’t spoken to for ages, popped up on the instant messaging asking how I was doing.

It was great to catch up with her after so long, but it quickly became apparent that her life had changed dramatically. She told me that she had recently taken voluntary redundancy from her long-term job in the record industry. Her partner was also about to be made redundant from the computer games industry.

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Trust is the scarcest resource there is.  The flip side of that is that with scarcity comes value. 

I think scarcity in our (property) world can be encapsulated in one simple phrase.  “Ethical trading”. 

With the news every week of another property “club” or “scheme” going bust (the latest one being Challenor Properties who are being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office - click here -), you want to know who you can trust in this business. 

When looking to engage with a company, one of the most important things you can look for is consistency of their message.

But if that message is constantly preaching “get rich quick”, “no money required”, “takes no effort”, then the question you must ask yourself, especially in the current market conditions,  is “why are you selling the six numbers to the lottery?”.

 If you genuinely had the answer to a get rich quick scheme, would you tell anybody else, and more importantly, why would you need to?

Therefore, it’s not hard to conclude that the message you should trust is that property is not a get rich quick scheme, that it does require capital input, it’s a long term investment, and that effort and management are required.  Especially when that message has been consistent over several years.  It might not be what you want to hear, but it’s the truth.   You have the choice of buying into marketing hype or reality.   Ironically, being sucked in by marketing hype will end up costing you a lot more than the reality, and not just in terms of money.

Unfortunately, in the property arena, reality is the scarcity.

In our opinion, when you buy into marketing hype and promises of easy riches, you will .... pay large fees upfront, be persuaded to join some kind of club for access to “exclusive” deals (more upfront payments), promised some kind of “secret” that never materialises,  pay for information that can easily be found on the internet, pay to be sold to.

However, when you seek out the truth and work with ethical people you trust, you get real value and real and tangible results.

Example:  Apple.  For years they have traded on one consistent message, that design and function were part of the primary core of aesethics – not fluff and fancy.  Although they had their fair share of hard core followers, they were by no means a market leader through the ‘90’s.  However, due to their on-going consistent message of function over fashion, they now have a world-wide and growing band of followers.  Marketeers soon come unstuck when people realise that their “fluff and fancy” does not deliver tangible results.  You don’t need to market form and function, because it just works.

Our message at 4Walls for the past five years has been very consistent.  Cash flow is king – always has been and always will be.  Property is not a get rich quick scheme.  It is not something that takes no effort on your behalf.  And yes, you do need significant liquidity to invest in property legitimately without the use of “smoke and mirrors” in a NMD format.  On our website, you won’t find dreamy pictures of yachts, fast cars, and couples walking hand in hand down a beach.  You won’t find any “emotional” hooks to appeal to your greed and make you think you’ll be retiring in three years.  You won’t find any promises that you don’t need to lift a finger.  Far from it. 

What you will find are facts and property intelligence that you can actually use.  You will find out why we are successful as Landlords.  You will find out why and how we have built a portfolio based on cash-flow.  You will find out how we have diversified our portfolio to spread risk.  You will find out how we run our business and portfolio in the most efficient manner possible.  You will find out why it is so important to review your portfolio on a consistent basis.  You will find out why there is more opportunity in property now, than in recent history.  You will discover how you can get involved in property safely and profitably.

If you want us help you build a cash flow rich portfolio, we will do.  But we won’t charge you any fees upfront, as we believe we should only be paid on the actual results we achieve for our clients.  We won’t try and wholesale you property, because it can’t be done, unless you’re a blue chip builder like Barratts or Persimmon.  Property is not a case of “one size fits all”, it’s extremely personal to you and your financial situation.  Accordingly, our service is personal and bespoke too. 

We have been consistently operating in an ethical manner for the past five years.  2008 ended on a high note for us.  We completed on three clients’ purchases on the 19th December.  All three clients got a genuine 28% discount (using actual comparables).  All three clients had tenants move into their properties before Christmas, with positive cash flow from the rent.

Because we have been consistently involved in purchasing cash-flow positive properties for the past five years for ourselves, and we live and breathe property 24/7/365, you can leverage our knowledge and time.   We sift through masses of information on a daily basis, and distil it down to the bits that matter.  The result is the 4 Walls website and video channel, which is why you should consistently tune in.

If you’d like to find out how we purchase property, or find out more about what we do, then join our next property networking event, scheduled for Sunday the 8th of February in Guildford.  At our events we have consistently offered investors massive value.  There’s no hard sell, and no presentations that are thinly-veiled sales pitches.  There’s no hype and “ra-ra”, only hardcore property intelligence and information that could make a very real difference to your investment strategy.   You’ll meet other like-minded investors, who will share their knowledge and experience with you, and take pleasure in doing so.

Some things you might like to note:

We are not a property club – we aim to provide free resources to investors and foster positive change within property investment. Our website is part of a greater movement within property and the way people interact on-line.  4Walls exists to spread specific ideas and ethical and transparent investing practices. The more people we can spread these ideas to, the more success we achieve.

We are not building a list of subscribers to sell to – we are building a cult of supporters, each of whom will further support the cause and bring further success to all of us through the momentum of the group.

Ball bearing v's beachball ...

4Walls wishes to remain a ball bearing – small, hard to find and continually in the state of being polished. Our goal is to provide our clients with massive value at every interaction, and with a deep impression when they get hit with it. Conversely, we do not aim to be a beach ball – big, seen all over the place, colourful and yet leaving very little impression when it hits. A beach ball is very fragile indeed and must avoid challenging environments, because it requires so much air to keep it afloat. A weighty ball bearing can withstand both challenging environments along with the pin pricks of adversity. So can a well-constructed, cash-flow rich property portfolio.

So, as 2009 kicks off, you have the choice to engage with marketing hype, or real investors delivering real results.   We look forward to meeting you are our event on Sunday 8th February and supporting you in achieving your property ambitions – in whatever format YOU choose.

Register your seat at our event by emailing registration@4wallsandaceiling.com.

Hi everyone, Nick here. It's been a busy couple of weeks in the fast moving world of property, that's for sure. With the Bank of England base rate and LIBOR rate coming down, this is a positive sign that things are improving within the financial markets, and that liquidity - which oils the wheels of this particular market - is returning. It gives a strong indication of which way rates are moving. There's still a long way to go though and still a great deal of uncertainty. When it comes to Property 2.0, only those who adapt their strategies to reflect this brave new world will survive.

Bank of England Base Rate 3%

LIBOR rate 4.37% (as at 12/11/08)

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Dear Fellow Property Enthusiasts,

With the collapse of four major financial institutions last week, we are entering unchartered waters. It would be easy to get quite worn down by all this doom and gloom. Every day we're receive calls and emails from people who are feeling very down-hearted about property investing. It's interesting to take a different and more lateral view.

For our part, we would like to recommend a book called "The Dip" by Seth Godin. It is totally inspirational and explains how these challenging times can actually be an amazing period of growth and success, if you can push through "the dip" to the other side.

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Dear Fellow Property Enthusiasts,

The countdown is on to our September property investment networking event, taking place in Milton Keynes this Sunday!. Just four days away now! It's never too late to register, so drop us an email at registration@4wallsandaceiling.com.

Below you will find full and final details of the event.

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Dear Fellow Landlord,

My wife Vanessa has been posting a lot of thoughts on various forums and I thought I would share her latest post with you. I hope you find it valuable and insightful.

Here it is:

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