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SUCCESS STORY

From Dreaming Gas Engineer To A Substantial Multi-Strategy Property Portfolio

Darren Andrews had wanted to be a property investor all his life. From the age of 16 and completing a plumbing and heating apprenticeship, he worked on a number of projects with a number of property developers and was truly inspired.

Fast forward a few years, Darren now has his own successful property business and support from Touchstone Education means he is embarking on his 14th project.

We spoke to Darren to find out more…

Darren Andrews

Gas Engineer To Property Investor

“My name is Darren Andrews and I own a property development and investment company called Della Estates with my partner Ella,” Darren began.

“At the age of 16 I had finished school and did a three-year modern apprenticeship in Plumbing and Heating. I moved on to high end bathroom installations and finally on to being a gas engineer.

“I worked for so many property developers at that time in my life that I soon realised they were not the ones fitting the heating system or installing the kitchens, and that’s when I knew I would be a property developer.”

Travelling The World and Full-Time Property Investing

Darren began his property journey soon after.

“I bought my first project at 22,” Darren said. “It was a basic apartment flip.

“Then I moved on to a bigger, three bedroom house that was also a flip.

“Fast forward a few years of travelling the world and backpacking across continents, and me and Ella decided to up our game and go into full time property investment.

“I sold my business at the time which was a sports car dealership and invested every penny into property and education.”

Darren Andrews

Fourteen Properties and Allowing Families To Create Happy Memories

Darren turned to Touchstone Education to provide him with the property knowledge that he needed.

“The reason that I use Touchstone Education is because I know that everyday is a school day and there is always something new to learn. Touchstone has an impressive team who really walk the walk and invest in property heavily. The professionalism of the company is second to none.

“Our most recent project was commercial to residential redevelopment (commercial conversion) on the South coast. We turned a disused office space above an estate agency in to a huge 4 bed apartment ready for the serviced accommodation market.

“The building took about 6 months and the numbers are below.”

Purchase: £120,000
Refurbishment: £80,000
Other/legals: £10,000
Refinance: £250,000

Darren Andrews

“This left in just over £20,000. We already had another apartment situated around the corner and listed on AirBnB that nets £1,500 per month as serviced accommodation. This new property is twice as big, so we should be able to comfortably pull all our money out within the first year of it being let out.

“On the whole, the project went very well. It was simple and straight-forward.

“It is our 14th project now, so we know what to expect.

“We did have challenges with the builders finding inadequate flooring which resulted in us just replacing the whole lot. It was an extra cost, but worth it in the end.

“We now have another cash generating property to add to our ever-growing portfolio. It is finished to a nice standard and ready for families and groups to enjoy and make some ever-lasting, happy memories.

“We are always looking for the next project, investment or joint venture partner and would like to thank Touchstone Education for all their help so far. We have pretty much done every strategy out there, apart from our own personal new build – which is certainly on the vision board!’

What Can Touchstone Education

 Do For You?

If you want to follow in Darren's footsteps and take those all important first steps on your property investment journey, download your complimentary copy of our founder Paul Smith's best-selling book, Wealth Through Property now.

 

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