Naive Questions from Landlords?
I was always taught that there are no daft questions and that being concious of ones own naivety is a step towards wisdom.
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Last night I received an email from an established landlord who said he no longer wanted to receive our Newsletters as he felt the questions raised by forum members were naive, below his level of intellect, and that he felt Property118 was no longer for him.
This made me very sad because Property118 was created to share experiences and best practice so that we could all learn from each other. Nobody knows everything and by helping others and sharing experiences we can all learn something new and useful.
I’ve been in this business for 25 years and I still learn something new every day from comments posted on Property118 by other landlords. Some people have more experience than I do but I still learn things from the fresh thinking of newbies because they challenge my thought processes and keep my mind fresh. There are always new ways to deal with things and as the property market is ever changing and evolving, so is best practice.
This is an extract of what he said …..
“I also consider myself a professional Landlord and find some of the questions posted by some of your readers very naive and showing a very amateurish and cavalier attitude to the job that carries a great number of responsibilities. I simply do not feel I have much in common.”
He also said …….
“I feel that a lot of the responses go in the sense of pushing some various services (such as letting agents/ legal services such as Landlords Action) etc. This may be necessary for a number of amateur Landlords or people who cannot commit the time into the research and learning their job properly.”
I would be very interested to read the thoughts of other members on this.
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Member Since July 2013 - Comments: 154
10:57 AM, 16th August 2014, About 12 years ago
Perhaps we could have his email address, then we could bypass all forums, legal experts, government agencies, local government, central government and the Pope and simply sit, enthralled, at his divine feet.
PS What’s a postal order?
Member Since January 2011 - Comments: 12193 - Articles: 1395
11:05 AM, 16th August 2014, About 12 years ago
Reply to the comment left by “philip allen” at “16/08/2014 – 10:57“:
LOL
Just in case your last question was serious >>> http://www.postoffice.co.uk/postal-orders
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Member Since July 2013 - Comments: 357
9:34 PM, 16th August 2014, About 12 years ago
Hi Mark
I would like to say from me and I am sure very many others this is one of the best forums there is to learn about property.
I recommend to many people. It is of course there choice to use Property 118.
The only loser here will be the gent that has decided not to be apart of this forum anymore. I am sure he had a wealth of knowledge he could have shared to help other fellow landlords.
As being a landlord is changing so much and quickly and from what I have read on here. I have now applied to go on a proper and recognised course to help me become a more competent landlord with a recognised qualification.
I believe in time this will become compulsory and can only be a good thing. I was speaking to a landlord last week and the amount of new rules like landlord registration and tenancy deposit scheme and he knew little or nothing about these schemes. This leaves him liable to heavy fines and possibly breaking the law.
Because of this forum I learned about these making me look more professional amongst my peers.
I personally would like to thank you Mark and all the other landlords who use this site for there support and passing of there knowledge.
Neil
Member Since July 2013 - Comments: 184 - Articles: 1
11:03 PM, 16th August 2014, About 12 years ago
Mark, believe in what you do is good for us Landlords (and tenants).
I actually feel sorry for that guy as he one day will need this site’s help. Kill people with kindness, and thank him for his comments…..(or get a dewalt drill and board up his properties lol!).
I WANT TO PUT ON RECORD THAT I DO NOT SPONSOR DEWALT DRILLS!
Member Since August 2014 - Comments: 21
10:09 AM, 17th August 2014, About 12 years ago
Mark, come on ! either he’s winding you up or you are winding us up- no one is that much of a jerk…..right??
Member Since June 2013 - Comments: 1121
12:29 PM, 17th August 2014, About 12 years ago
Apparently hes the same bloke whos trying to get an independent Scotland and hates landlords…..so yes
Member Since June 2013 - Comments: 119 - Articles: 2
3:36 PM, 27th August 2014, About 12 years ago
A re-assuring thread Mark. Although I have been managing up to 400 units for over 13 years I know that I am still learning…… I have been fortunate to learn about most of the things that can go wrong at my clients’ expense, but am still picking up important tips from yours and other forums.
Despite the current rhetoric I am convinced that most landlords are good people trying to provide quality accommodation for good tenants. The sharing of best practice and detailed industry knowledge available on this site is invaluable to any-one in the game. Keep it up!!
Member Since January 2011 - Comments: 12193 - Articles: 1395
3:17 PM, 1st September 2014, About 12 years ago
Reply to the comment left by “Mark Crampton Smith” at “27/08/2014 – 15:36“:
Thanks Mark 🙂
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Member Since November 2013 - Comments: 37 - Articles: 3
10:44 PM, 1st September 2014, About 12 years ago
Having been away from the site for some time I was surprised to see the reaction to Marks post on “Naive Questions”.
I personally specialise in the Buy to Let market and work with a variety of landlords, many of them have large portfolios but it didn’t happen overnight, it took years during which time they gained their experience as well as knowledge through engaging in discussions and plenty of relevant reading.
I therefore embrace social media and the invasion of websites claiming to help those wanting to financially gain from the property market, however very rarely do I come across one that is managed by a team with such compassion and understanding of the Buy to Let Market place.
It’s all so easy to claim that one does not require any assistance and dare I say, knows it all but surely a true professional of any kind seeks to help others and share their knowledge instead of condemning those less fortunate. More often than not those landlords you see as naive are just starting out and are searching for as much information as possible.
May I suggest Mark could start the thread – Professional Landlords Question Time?
Every day is a learning day!
Simone
Member Since January 2011 - Comments: 12193 - Articles: 1395
8:25 PM, 12th September 2014, About 12 years ago
Thanks again to all for these heart warming responses 😀
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