Franchise Focus Go Platinum
Liz Bunton has never looked back since investing in a Platinum Property Partners franchise and, with a number of properties in her portfolio, now enjoys a monthly income she set her sights on
InvestMent level: £52,970
destinations sounds glamorous, but Liz Bunton, 55, says all she craved at the time was her “own home and a cup of tea”. As the film industry changed, Liz
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decided that she wanted to carve out a new a career that would give her more time at home and a far more flexible source of income. She says: “My life was no longer my
own, and I became dissatisfied with all the travelling and my hectic schedule. In 2009, as the industry got tougher following the economic downturn, I decided to try something different which would give me a better quality of life, and more time to spend at home.” Having already invested in property
and the stock market over the previous decades, Liz was very clear that bricks and mortar would form the basis of her new venture. She explains: “I’ve lost more money in the last 30 years in the stock market than I’ve made. Conversely, I’ve always made money in property. To me, it’s a safe investment.” With her home in Battersea, south-west
London, substantially rising in value since its purchase in 1992, together with her other buy-to-let investments, long-term capital generation wasn’t the issue for Liz, but rather the desire to create a regular decent income. While her current portfolio was
performing well in terms of capital appreciation, it simply didn’t generate substantial monthly sums. As Liz says: “If I was going to give up my day job, I would need a regular income. That’s when I started to research alternative property investment strategies.” Liz’s initial research led her to discover
Platinum Property Partners (PPP) and establish a dialogue with the team to
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Businessfranchise.com | March 2012
orking in the film industry for more than 30 years as a line producer and regularly globe- trotting to far-flung
had accomplished was really helpful in my decision-making process.” For Liz, however, the potential to
generate her sought-after monthly cashflow proved the determining factor. She says: “I saw that with the right backing and support, I could make a good income from property, which I wasn’t achieving at the time on my own. It became apparent that the professional house-sharing model was the only way forward if I wanted to generate cashflow. I’d been put off the HMO [houses in multiple occupation] model previously due to the poor reputation of student lets and bedsits. But when I saw first-hand what PPP were doing, which is so different, I thought: ‘I can do this!’. Crucially, I also realised I could be in business for myself, but not by myself. I would have the support and contacts I’d need to make it happen.” It was this network of expertise and
Liz Bunton
support that was to prove invaluable to Liz over her first few months as a franchise partner. With her first purchase in south- east London, Liz needed to apply for change of use from the council in order to have her HMO licence granted but faced constant bureaucratic obstacles and feared that she would not be able to overcome them and gain the licence. She recalls: “The Platinum team supported me all the way. As it was my first property I was absolutely petrified that I wouldn’t get my money back after having invested thousands of pounds. I needn’t have worried. The support from PPP head office was amazing, and one of the other local franchise partners offered me exceptional support. She came to all the hearings with me, as well as providing practical help and advice. I couldn’t have got through it without her or the PPP team.” Even with a portfolio of four HMO
“I received so much advice and good-quality information from the Platinum team”
find out more about the franchise. After several long conversations with PPP, she felt reassured enough to attend a Platinum Discovery Day. Liz says: “I received so much advice and
good-quality information from the Platinum team and I also met some of the other franchise partners and saw what they had achieved in relatively short periods of time. Without doubt, being able to get first-hand experience of what other people
properties and the regular monthly income she desired, Liz isn’t about to rest on her laurels. “I’ll probably buy and redevelop another two properties in the next 12 months or so,” she says. “Although saying that, I am a little busy. I’m studying the history of art, something I’ve wanted to do for years. I had four holidays last year, and I’m able to indulge my passion for going to the theatre and the opera. At last, I can actually plan my life and have time for me. That’s the biggest luxury of all.” n
ppp
Website:
www.platinumpropertypartners.co.uk email:
info@platinumpropertypartners.co.uk Phone: 01202 652 100 classification: Property investment franchise
Investment: £50k-£100k
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