A property professional who entered estate agency at the age of 19 and has bought and sold 3,500 properties in his career, has written a new book about development for novices.
John Howard runs the Fine & Country estate agencies in Norfolk and is also a shareholder and director of Auction House UK.
He is also director of a new estate agency brand, Exquisite Home, which is to be franchised nationally and is headed up by Mike Bidwell.
Howard’s new book is called John Howard’s Inside Guide to Property Development & Investment for Newcomers.
Howard, 56, has also been the recipient of the largest ever loan (£15m) from the Homes and Communities Agency to a private property company.
This is for his most recent acquisition, a £25m investment in ‘The Winerack’ on Ipswich marina, destined to become 150 flats, offices and a restaurant.
His book provides inside information on how to avoid the common pitfalls that can engulf the novice investor, as well as busting a few myths about the profession.
Howard said: “I won’t tell you what colour to paint the walls or which type of brewed coffee smells best in order to help sell your properties.
“But what I will do is give you straight-talking, hard-nosed, real life advice from someone who’s been developing property for 35 years, rather than the opinion of a TV presenter or celebrity footballer with barely any experience in the subject.
“This book is written in a way that can be understood by everyone, from the total novice to somebody who has dabbled in property development already.
“I wanted reading it to feel like a conversation – so if it feels like having a chat in a local pub, that’s precisely the effect I was looking for.”
Howard followed his father into the world of estate agency and made his first property deal at the age of 18. He took over the business when he was 19, trebling its turnover in three years. By the age of 24, he had sold it to concentrate on property development.
He explains: “Property has always been a good long-term investment.
“Back in 1979, my first purchase was a two-bed maisonette in Felixstowe for £9,500.
“If I’d spent that money investing in gold, it would now be worth around £76,000. But if that same property went on the market tomorrow, it would be worth around £225,000.”
Howard became one of the youngest directors of a football league club at the age of 25 when he joined Cambridge United FC – a post he was to hold for 18 years.
In 2007 he acquired and opened a number of Fine & Country estate agencies across East Anglia specialising in the upper end of the market.
Tips in his new book include picking the right property, putting deals together, how to add value to a building, negotiating to buy, securing funding, buying to rent, working with builders, solicitors and estate agents, and buying or selling at auction.
He also covers how to trade in a rising or falling market and gives advice on the best time to get out of the market as well as – just as importantly – to get back in.
He said: “I wish a book like this could have been around when I started developing property. It would have saved me a lot of money.”
John Howard’s Inside Guide to Property Development & Investment for Newcomers (just published by Troubador Publishing Ltd, £9.99). It can be ordered direct from:
“But what I will do is give you straight-talking, hard-nosed, real life advice from someone who’s been developing property for 35 years, rather than the opinion of a TV presenter or celebrity footballer with barely any experience in the subject…”
Oooo, ya bi-yatch.
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