What if you could earn more from property than you ever could from your job—and keep getting paid, even after the work is done? That’s the concept I want to share with you today: Work once, get paid forever. It’s not a theory. It’s how I built my own property portfolio and transformed my financial future.
The Turning Point
Back in 1995, I was working for Cadbury in Birmingham, starting as a graduate trainee and eventually moving into a senior management role. That same year, I bought my first home. I lived in it but also rented out some of the rooms, becoming what’s known as a live-in landlord.
The money I made from renting those rooms far outstripped the income from my corporate job. That realisation changed everything. I began buying more properties, slowly at first, then picking up speed. By 2001, I was earning enough to leave my job entirely.
The day I stopped working for Cadbury, the paychecks stopped coming. That made sense—I wasn’t showing up anymore. But what amazed me was that my properties kept paying me. I wasn’t actively working on them, but they still brought in income every month. That’s the power of working once and getting paid forever.
A Simple, Repeatable Plan
Let’s talk strategy. The average UK property costs around £300,000. If you invest using strategies like HMOs or serviced accommodation, each property could earn you at least £1,000 in monthly profit. Now imagine you buy just one of these properties each year for six years.
By the end of year one, you’re making £1,000 a month. By the end of year six, you’re earning £6,000 a month, or £72,000 a year. This doesn’t require becoming a full-time landlord either. I personally use letting agents to manage my properties so I don’t have to deal with tenants or day-to-day issues. I’m an investor, not a landlord, and I treat my portfolio like a business.
The Long-Term Wealth Building
The other major benefit of property investment is long-term capital growth. In the UK, property values typically double every ten years. That means a property worth £300,000 today could easily be worth £600,000 a decade from now.
If you follow this plan and buy six properties over six years, you’ll end up with a portfolio worth £1.8 million at today’s prices. As those properties double in value, your portfolio could grow to £3.6 million. Assuming 75% of that was financed with mortgages, your outstanding debt might sit around £1.2 million. That would leave you with over £2 million in equity. And remember, this isn’t theoretical—it’s based on real trends that have played out over decades.
Proof It Works: Omid’s Story
You might be thinking six years sounds like a long time. But what if you could achieve the same results even faster? One of my students, Omid, is living proof that you can. He works a demanding full-time job as a chief engineer and barely has time to spare. But in just seven months, he managed to secure seven high-cashflow HMO deals. Five of those were full purchases, and all the money used has already been pulled back out through refinancing.
Despite his intense schedule, Omid built a portfolio that now generates over £146,000 in annual profit. He made it happen by taking consistent, focused action—and leveraging creative strategies like rent-to-rent and low-money-down purchases.
Why Now Is the Right Time
The UK property market right now is a buyer’s market. Sellers are more flexible and motivated, which means better deals are available. But this window won’t last forever. When interest rates start to drop again, likely in 2025, the floodgates will open and buyers will rush back in. Prices will rise, competition will increase, and those golden opportunities will become harder to find.
If you’ve been learning about property or considering it as a way to grow your income and wealth, now is the time to act. Don’t wait for the market to heat back up.
Why Now Is the Right Time
At the heart of everything I’ve shared is one simple truth: the effort you put into building your property portfolio today will reward you for the rest of your life. Property offers cash flow, capital growth, and long-term security. You don’t need to buy dozens of homes. You don’t need to give up your job. And you certainly don’t need to do it alone.
So the question is—how many properties will you buy in the next six months? Or in the next six years?
Your future self will thank you for starting now.