Warren currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer for United Kingdom Property Partners. His other roles include:
• Property Sourcing Agent for Investing North( UK)
• Property Investor and Director at We Buy Your Home( SA)
• Property Coach and Director at Freedom Through Property
He is also a host for the South African Property Investors Network and the CEO and Director of Brusse Property Limited based in the UK.
Tell us about your studies and career I studied Civil Engineering at the University of Witwatersrand and completed a Masters in Engineering Management at the Rand Afrikaans University( now the University of Johannesburg). This has provided me with a sound knowledge of construction and finance.
During my 14-year corporate career, working for DHL Supply Chain, Imperial Logistics, Ernst & Young, Colliers International and Knight Piesold, I fulfilled various management roles and at times managed teams of more than 30 people. I also consulted to various multi-national executive teams ‒ for companies like Premier Foods, Mondelez, Johnson & Johnson, Kimberley Clarke, Namibian Breweries, Kellogg’ s, Anglo American, to name a few.
I was the Real Estate Manager and Strategy Director for DHL Supply Chain for three-anda-half years. Here I was responsible for strategy alignment and business planning regarding real estate investments, development agreements and lease agreements. At the time, I was responsible for property developments of more than R200 million(£ 11 million) and the management of properties valued at more than R1,0 billion(£ 55 million). I was also behind many of DHL Supply Chain flagship properties within South Africa.
What got you interested in property investments? My journey as a property investor began in 2001, with my first buy-to-let investment in Johannesburg, South Africa. From there on I was absolutely hooked! Over the next 12 years, I set out purchasing properties from Sheriff auctions, refurbishing them, selling them to raise seed capital or re-financing and renting them to expand my buy-to-let portfolio. I also‘ speculatively’ purchased vacant coastal land, with a long-term view that it would escalate in capital value.
In 2013, I re-evaluated my investment strategy and realised that my South African property portfolio was cash flow neutral, my vacant coastal land was‘ stealing’ from me and I was not enabling the financial freedom of my family.
I then decided to restructure my property portfolio in South Africa through selling non-performing assets and re-financing assets with available equity. Through this restructuring and expanding my income property portfolio within the United Kingdom, I am now financially free and able to focus on helping other people and further expanding my wealth.
In 2016, I cofounded a private equity partnershipbased business, United Kingdom Property Partners, which focusses on helping people invest in highyielding residential investments within the United Kingdom.
I have personally concluded over 40 residential property acquisitions and coached over a 100 people in property investment. My own mentors have included Harry Barclay, a residential property investor and developer in the United Kingdom. Harry previously had a buy-to-let portfolio of more than 250 properties and now focuses solely on larger scale developments within London.
How do you manage work-life balance? I ensure that I dedicate 20 % of my time to my family ‒ spending time with my children is important to me ‒ and 30 % to helping people through one-onone property coaching. I give the rest of my time to expanding my property portfolio and property-related businesses. I also love to travel and have travelled to 18 countries in Africa, Europe and Asia. I also enjoy playing golf, cycling and running. I am an adamant Springbok supporter too!
Tell us more about your property coaching services My one-on-one property coaching service is specifically tailored to help people diversify their wealth and increase their passive income in UK property. I coach them on raising capital through both development and capital flip projects in South Africa.
When people come to me for coaching, I assist them with developing a clear property investment strategy, aligned to their personal goals and targets, and with structuring their investment portfolio to ensure the right balance between asset protection, tax efficiency, estate planning and leveraging finance. I also help with area searches, marketing plans, deal evaluations, property viewings and the like.
RESOURCES
Freedom Through Property
www. reimag. co. za MARCH 2017 SA Real Estate Investor 41