Nicole Bremner

EP148: We've been selected as one of 2,500 guinea pigs for the BP5000 programme. What is Blueprint and what is the BP5000 programme? You might have heard of Bryan Johnson, a tech multimillionaire who sold a company to Paypal for gazillions. Over the last couple of years he has spent over $2m a year testing everything there is to test with a team of medical professionals. His goal is to try to slow the aging process with a range of medical and dietary interventions which cost millions and take up, it seems, most of his time. Some of it is quite controversial but when I'm trying to make sense of the science I do find myself asking, what would Bryan do. The logic is that Bryan and his team will have looked into every option and optimised his diet, supplements and lifestyle to achieve this goal of slowing down the aging process.Here I go through what it is and what testing I've had so far. I'll be keeping you up to date of the progress of being a human guinea pig on the BP5000 and the outcomes

EP147:  2024 has started well for the UK property market, as there is definitely an appetite for property. House price forecasts for 2024 remain relatively positive, with most institutions believing that prices will remain flat. In December, Knight Frank had initially forecast a decrease of -4% for 2024, but have revised this forecast to +3% growth for the year.House prices: Nationwide, Halifax and Rightmove have reported: -1.8%, +1.7% and -0.7% over the last 12 months. What is interesting is that Halifax and Rightmove show that prices increased from last month (on a monthly basis). Halifax reported increases over 3 consecutive months. ONS figures show increases of -2.1% nationally and -6% in London. Rental market: Rents have increased by 8% nationally and 6% in London. They are predicted to increase by 25% over the next 2 years, as more people will be renting due to the higher cost of borrowing. Interest rates: The Bank of England rates have remained on hold at 5.25% for the fourth consecutive month, and is

EP146: "It’s too early to say the market is turning but all signs are very positive. One week of good results are great. Two weeks is a coincidence, three weeks a trend. So we’re waiting to see what the next few weeks brings. Right now the market is thriving." "If you’re going to sell typically people wait till spring. It’s pretty miserable this time of year. If you wait for spring there's more competition...so that could impact your price. There are buyers who are keen now who perhaps paused for thought last year and now they’re ready and you really can make the most of them. I think later in the year, as with every election year, you get closer and it's people start to think I’ll just wait till the election decision into early 2025."There are many gems in this conversation with industry veteran and MD of John D Wood & Co., Polly Ogden Duffy. She talks about: Becoming the first female MD of John D Wood & Co. in the company's 150 year history. How good mentors helped

EP145:  With over 25 years experience in property sales and development, Jerome Roith started in estate agency in a central London eventually founding his own agency. In this discussion Jerome shares his expertise on why he believes the best strategy in property development doesn't even involve breaking ground. Known as planning gain, this is the process of identifying and acquiring prime properties, and managing the planning permission process. He also talks about the importance of maintaining time efficiency and assessing the viability of pursuing certain developments. KEY POINTS:Jerome takes as through his six step planning gain process from identifying opportunities, gaining exclusivity, legal conditional deals, sub-sale transactions, marketing protocols, and finding buyers.The importance of systemisation in the property development business. Jerome stresses the need to track processes, maintain fair timelines, and highlights the crucial role of communication in closing deals.How the complexities of

EP144: New year, new name, new focus.  I launched my podcast nearly seven years ago. It has kept me sane and connected during some tough times. Thankfully I’m in a much better place and have loyal listeners, thank you. But as my career has evolved I’ve struggled to find the right name and focus. Finally I’ve come up with a name which is the perfect intersection of my interests and, I hope, that of my listeners. Over the coming days my podcast will be relaunched as Health, Wealth & Wisdom. Why?

EP143:  We ended 2023 on more positive news that inflation has fallen again to 3.9% from 4.7% in October, which will ease the pressure on the Bank of England to raise rates further. Welcome news to those 2 million people due to remortgage over the next 12 months.House price forecasts at the beginning of 2023 were mostly incorrect. Knight Frank and Savills were forecasting decreases of 10%, and Capital Economics forecast an even more gloomy 15% decrease. Unfortunately, the mainstream media picked up on these negative predictions and scared us into paralysis. The good news is that prices in the UK were much more resilient and only decreased by 1.2% overall.KEY POINTSHouse prices: Nationwide, Halifax and Rightmove have reported: -2.0%, -0.6% and -1.1% over the last 12 months. What is interesting is that monthly figures actually show that prices increased from last month. Nationwide and Halifax reported increases over 3 consecutive months. ONS figures show increases of -1.2% nationally and -3.6% in London. This O

EP142: While many find their future life partner online, amidst the virtual roses hides a sneaky villain - the online romance scammer. These tricksters play with emotions, taking advantage of those just looking for a much desired connection. In this episode, Becky Holmes, the hilarious writer behind the @deathtospinach X/Twitter account talks about how she exposes fraudsters in (hopefully) funny ways.  What started as a lockdown boredom buster turned serious when she discovered the heartbreaking stories of scam victims. We talk about her X adventures, dealing with the scammers and explicit photos, and the bizarre world of script-bound scammers. Keanu Reeves pops up as the most impersonated celebrity and we explore the dark side of romance scans, funding other shady dealings.Becky spills on the toxicity of X, the safer but not-so-safe LinkedIn, and how her experiences result in her first book 'Keanu Reeves is not in love with you' coming out in January 2024. We dive into the challenges of writing, fr

EP141: At the risk of being a broken record once again the two biggest stories from the recent data is that some price data is actually showing a small increase in house prices. Second, rents continue to increase."There is positive news with the rate of inflation in the UK dropping to 4.6% from 6.7% last month. The Bank of England is under less pressure to increase interest rates, and there may be rate cuts during the first half of 2024. House prices remain resilient, defying the forecasters such as Knight Frank, Savills and Capital Economics who all predicted decreases of 10-15% during 2023." Eyeedul HaqueKey points: 1. Nationwide, Halifax and Rightmove have reported: -3.3%, -3.2% and -1.3% over the last 12 months. What is interesting is that monthly figures actually show that prices increased from last month. Nationwide and Halifax reported increases of 0.6% and 1.2% respectively. 2. ONS figures show increases of -0.1% nationally and -1.1% in London. This ONS data has a 3-month lag time, as it rec

EP140: I was seeing the other brokers in the industry presenting businesses for sale.  As a broker, we value on turnover, but as a buyer, you value on profits because you want to see what profit you can generate from that business.If you're interested in buying or selling a lettings or estate agency Lucy Noonan is the expert with over 20 years of experience in the industry, having worked with big names like Belleville, LSL, Hunters, and the Lomond Group. Having left corporate life, Lucy founded Atomic Consultancy, specialising in the sale of lettings and estate agency businesses nationally.In this episode, Lucy shares insights into the acquisition process, emphasising the importance of understanding numbers, preparing for due diligence, and the value of goodwill in transactions. She reflects on her journey in the estate agency industry, from starting as a negotiator to working on large-scale acquisitions. Lucy also discusses the growth of Atomic Consultancy, revealing the challenges and experiences.For t

EP139: Two biggest stories from the recent data is that some price data is actually showing a small increase in house prices. Second, rents just continue to increase. We dig into why. Key points: Prices starting to level off. Rightmove is showing prices are actually increasing on a month on month basis. How much of this is lack of supply?HMRC transaction levels are 20% lower than a year ago. Most of this is down to a lack of availability of credit due to interest rates being so high. Sellers are also sitting out with only those who desperately need to sell selling.Interest rates remained at 5.25% for the second month in a row. While inflation still not at the 2% target, 6 out of the 9 Bank of England members decided to keep rates on hold. Commentary from the BoE show that they believe the interest rates have topped out. Mortgage rates have come down about a percent since June. Rents increased 12% nationally y/y and are forecast to increase another 25% over the next two years*. People are unable to afford mort

EP138: What struck me this month in my discussion with Eyeedul is the continued strength of the rental market. Nationally rents increased 10.3% y/y while in London it's 13%.  “It isn’t just tenants who are feeling the financial strains of increasing rental prices. The exacerbating economic issues around rental prices are also leaving landlords with increasing rent arrears, resulting in struggles to make mortgage payments and other expenses. It really is a vicious circle, with very few winners. We see no end to the madness, with rental supply coming under more pressure as Landlords try and exit the market.” Andy Halstead, CEO HomeLet & Let AllianceI asked Eyeedul: "We are seeing again, the number of renters increasing dramatically. In August alone, there were 50,000 new tenancies added to the market. The number of renters chasing each home has jumped from 20 to 25 in the last five months according to Rightmove. In 2019 there were six phone calls or email requests per property and that rose to 20

"I was a little bit surprised to be diagnosed. It became quite a difficult journey for a period of time. My response on the January 19th 2021 was naïve. They asked me to go in to get results and I didn't realise that meant bad news. My response was 'this had better not kill me' and it had a 40% chance of killing me...better odds than some are facing." EP137: It was lovely to have Susannah back on the pod. When asked why she has been so quiet of late she revealed that she’d had not just one, but 3 1/2 cancer diagnoses. Since then she has been going through the slow process of rebuilding her body, mind and business. What got Susannah through this difficult time, financially at least, was her property portfolio which we discussed at length. Particularly how she managed a rapid restructuring following the first diagnosis and whether she in-sourced or out-sourced and her learnings from that time. I also asked Susannah how she got through the awful criticism she received at the hand of a we

EP136 : Once again I'm joined by property expert Eyeedul Haque to discuss the recent data on the UK property market, with a focus on recent developments related to mortgage rates, inflation and property prices.We discuss: - Mortgage payments are set to increase by £500 for approximately 1m households.- The Bank of England's interest rate has reached a 15-year high at 5.25%.- Inflation stands at 8.7%, and the government aims to reach a 2% target.- Effectiveness of the monetary policy in dampening inflation, noting that it might be causing inflationary pressures.- Rental market is seeing significant rent increases due to rising costs in the economy.- Prediction that interest rates will likely hit 6% by the end of the year, with some sources suggesting rates may reach 6.5%.- Housing market is not experiencing a hard landing or freefall but rather a levelling off.-  Continued shortage of new homes.- New 100% mortgages aimed at first-time buyers suggest confidence.Key moments: 1:37- Nicole asks about the

EP135: As interest rates soar, inflation rises, and labour shortages continue, homeowners are left wondering what the future holds. Property consultant, Eyeedul Haque, reveals the data behind the headlines about the state of the housing market and the impending mortgage payment increases."What has actually happened is the rate of growth has slowed but it's nowhere near the Knight Frank’s and the Savill’s with their very negative forecasts; that's a huge positive."In this episode, we:·      Delve into the complexities of the housing market and who is actually impacted by mortgage rate increases. ·       Discuss the climb in interest rates and impact on inflation. ·       Dissect the mismatch between market data and realistic pricing, its significance, and repercussions. ·       Predict future investment opportunities and the course of house prices and rents. The key moments in this episode are:00:00:00 - Impact of Mortgage Rate Increase 00:02:34 - Effectiveness of Monetary Policy00:05:09 -

EP134: "Nationwide, Halifax and Rightmove all reported increases of 7.2%, 8.3% and 7.2% over the last 12 months. Compared to last month, the annual figures were 9.5%, 9.8% and 8.7%."  But prices are showing the first signs of slowdown. Some pundits are saying prices will drop by 30% over 2023. What about rental demand? Take a listen to see what the data is indicating. What do house price movements mean for you? I was joined live by Eyeedul Haque of My Property Consultant and we discussed: Which indices are going up or downWhat the forecasters are saying and why they differ so widelyWhat is happening with rental demand and whyComments from a conveyancing lawyer about the two year lag in Land Registry dataComments from another conveyancing lawyer about the time delays to property transactions and how they compare to other countries - spoiler alert - dismally! All that and more. Follow me on LinkedIn to be notified of the next live discussion on 22 December where we look back at the indices for the yea

EP133: "I think most people appreciate someone making a purchase easier for them. Selling is not about persuading someone to buy something that they do not need but making a decision easier. ‘People buy from people,’ is a common saying and our job is to ensure that people buy us and not the product."Meet Bob Harvey, now non executive director at SeventySeven Wealth Management after 25 years in management at St. James's Place. In this interview he reflects upon his career in sales and why it's now seen as a dirty word as well as wellness and his views on retirement. "Compared to 30 years ago, the consumer is far better off. The industry is regulated, and people are more financially aware. The financial adviser is also treated as a professional person (which was not the case 40 years ago). There has been a shift in perception from financial advisers as product salesmen to genuine professionals."In this interview we discuss: the importance of saleshow Bob's father was one of th

EP132: "Nationwide are quoting a 9.7% increase this month compared to 10% last month. Halifax are also quoting 9.8% this month compared to 11.5% in the previous month. So the rate of change of house price growth is slowing, but there's no evidence of this massive downturn that people are talking about."I met with Eyeedul Haque of My Property Consultant for a live discussion on the UK house prices. Each month Eyeedul puts together a tracker plotting the changes in the major house price indicators. On a single page you can see the latest data from the Halifax, Nationwide, ONS and others. Live on my LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube, we discussed:- The indicators, what they are and whether they're leading, lagging or real time- What September's indicators are, well, indicating- The reversal of the Truss government's mini-budget and appointment of Michael Gove as housing minister- Potential interest rate increases and how they will impact house prices- Making sense of the current turbul

EP131: “I need to push myself to build that and get myself to a point where I feel that I am financially secure. And probably that's one of the main drivers for why I'm so passionate about encouraging people to learn about money and understand money and be empowered by it so that they can reap benefits later on.”Louise co-founded GoHenry in 2012 when she realised that her children needed to learn how to manage money in an increasingly digital world. At the time her son was eight and her daughter was 11. Louise was so frustrated by how much they were buying online without realising the implications that she would pin Apple invoices to the fridge door to help them understand why their £4 a week pocket money was now just 50p. Fast forward ten years and GoHenry now has a community of 2 million customers in the US and UK who fiercely believe that good money management is a vital life skill.“It’s always fantastic when a customer contacts us and says that their kids' behaviors changed or decisions hav

EP130: Olive recently celebrated her 94th birthday and is still in fine form. Her active mind and unfussy approach to life is refreshing in people of any age, not least those in their 10th decade. She narrates her story in exactly the same way, and even when tragedy strikes - for example the loss of a dear cousin and step-sister in a car accident - she is able to see the bigger picture. This is a lively and spirited account of a long life lived to the full. Olive's story is a remarkable one. Beginning in the north east of England in the late 1920s, her life encompassed the aftermath of the First World War, the upheavals for Word War Two and the unexpected post war opportunity to travel and see the world. Born in Morpeth, Northumberland, in March 1928. Her parents had suffered the hardships of a working class upbringing but at the time of her birth were happy and settled into family life. This was all to change with the death of her father, who died in 1934 of TB, the result of a chest weakened by a gas a

EP129: "We are in a very interesting time. On one side, we have the Chancellor trying to encourage house sales with fiscal stimulus. And on the other, we have the Bank of England using monetary policies to control lending. What makes the decision of when to invest more interesting is exchange rates."In the first of a new monthly series I met with Eyeedul Haque of My Property Consultant for a live discussion on the UK house prices. Each month Eyeedul puts together a tracker plotting the changes in the major house price indicators. On one page you can see the latest data from the Halifax, Nationwide, ONS and others. Live on my LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube, we discussed:- The indicators, what they are and whether they're leading, lagging or real time- What September's indicators are, well, indicating- Recent changes in the Truss government's mini-budget including SDLT and tax rates- Recent interest rate increases and how they will impact house prices- Making sense of the current turbul