Think You're Too Skint for Property, Think Again with Carla Eve

In this episode of Girls in Property I'm joined by Carla Eve, who went from having bailiffs at her door to building a property portfolio worth millions. Not by luck. Not by some secret nobody else has access to. But by starting exactly where she was, with the little she had, and refusing to stay there.

We talk about the early days when money was tight and resources were thin, and how she borrowed from family, leaned on the skills she already had and learned the rest through sheer necessity. She shares the creative strategies that changed everything for her, from title splits and bridging finance to turning properties into luxury mid term rentals for film and TV professionals. And we get into Project Gail, her most recent development, including the planning refusals, the community pushback and how she kept pivoting until it finally came together.

But this episode is about more than numbers. Carla weaves energy work and personal growth through everything she does, and her message is simple. Your strategy should follow your strengths, not the other way round. Because when you align your resources, your skills and your passions with real intention, success has a way of catching up with you.

If you're standing at the start of your own journey wondering whether someone like you could ever build something like this, this one is for you. Press play and let Carla show you what's possible.

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Transcript

0:02

Good morning everyone and welcome to another episode of the Girls in Property podcast. I'm currently tuning in from Spain and I am being joined by the most wonderfully beautiful inside and out person I can share with you today. Now, a lot of you girls actually will know this person that I'm going to be talking to today. It is her debut podcast, so please be kind. She did come on and go, This is edited, right? So if I mess up, everything's gonna be fine. And I just said to her, nope. Everything is unedited, everything is real, so um whatever comes out comes out today. But the reason I wanted to get this person on the podcast is because for me she's such an inspiration, what we're going to show you today. I've had quite a lot of you DMing me at the moment, particularly who are mums, um, you know, have young children who are really, really struggling at the moment in terms of financially, in terms of going Athena, I don't know if I should be investing, I don't know if I should be um spending on the kids, I don't know my identity anymore. And this person has such a story that I'm gonna give her the microphone, she's gonna share it herself. But this story of really going from being, in her own words, a skinned mum with bailiffs at the door to now building an incredible property portfolio for herself. And I really want her to inspire you all today to show you that you can do this as well, and that it isn't just for the certain elite or anything like that, it is for all women and really, really shining that spotlight today. So I think you'll all agree in absolutely beautifully welcoming the fabulous. Carla Eve. Hey Carla. Hi, Athena. Thank you so much for that beautiful introduction. I feel very honored. oh I'm actually just pinching myself because I started listening to the podcast when you first started, I believe it was sort of three years ago. And it's been a big part of my journey, very inspirational. Like you and the podcast was something that really inspired me to take property and do it as a full-time thing. So. So yeah, it's a bit of a pinch me moment being here on your podcast. So thank you for having me. Pleasure's all mine, absolutely. And also let's hopefully inspire, as it once inspired you, somebody else today to really think, do you know what? Because Carla did it, I can do it too. Um so Carla, let's hand the microphone to you then. So, first of all, tell us a little bit about you and what happened to you in terms of you know, you you you said to me, you know, Athena, there was a time when I was literally a skimp mum and bail us at the door and everything and and to the Could you please talk us through that story, as it were? Tell us about you um and yeah, just inspire everyone today. The floor is yours. Sure. Okay, so going back maybe sort of 10, 15 years as a single mum, I really was struggling. My parents didn't live near me. My ex-partners family, we weren't close. So I really was doing it on my own and I had to find a childminder to help me go to work. And it was just very challenging having two small children trying to hold a career down. And at the same time, my grandmother got very sick and was... unfortunately terminally ill with cancer. So I was caring for her as well, which meant that I couldn't work as much. So it became very, very difficult. And probably one of my lowest point was when I managed to rack up quite a number of parking tickets. And one day, bailiffs turned up threatening to take, you know, take all my possessions. I only had a small house at the time and I was living with obviously just me and the kids. And I just remember having a panic attack at the door. The kids were screaming next to me, both of them really tiny. em And the bailiffs just saying, you know, we're coming for your stuff. And that was like a rock bottom moment. And I just felt like had something absolutely had to change at that point for me to, you know, gain my financial freedom. I felt like I was completely trapped. And obviously it was very, very scary and distressing for the children. You know, we were both having like anxiety at that time. All of us were having anxiety at that time. So it was kind of that point where I thought I've got to do something different. I was working really hard in um the TV and film industry as a makeup artist, doing special effects makeup and just running all around the country as well and being away from the kids, struggling to get childcare. And I thought, what can I do that's going to allow me to, you know, be at home with my family more, but also have that financial freedom where I don't feel I'm so stressed and worried about how the bills are going to be paid. So I'm not going to say it was an overnight journey. It took me many, many years, but my first property that my first home that I lived in, I borrowed some money from a family member uh and paid her back interest every month to buy the house. And I renovated it myself. So I literally hired a sander, did the floors myself, stripped all the wallpaper myself. You know, a lot of the time I was just on my own doing this decorating. And, you know, with the, with a bit of the luck in the market as well, I was able to make quite a big profit on that house when I sold it. And then sort of over the years, I kind of, moved around a lot. Let's just say that I was dragging the kids around the country, buying properties that needed a bit of work and basically flipping. So going from one to the one, one to the next and adding value. And it was the roundabout COVID time. I would say the biggest um profit I made on one house was when I converted the garage and I put a studio in the back garden, did a lot of work and I managed to sell that property for 200,000 profit. And so I was like, do you know what? I actually think I could do this. Like this could be a thing. I'm kind of making money. It's very sort of by accident. And it just so happened at the time that my my mum was selling her house, which she was an accidental landlord and she had a small HMO. And so I said, I've made this money. I've got this extra money. I'm going to buy that from you and take over your business. And so that's where it really started. I bought the HMO. I've had service accommodations that came from that. uh And yeah, and so then, and then that led onto my latest project, which is the biggest one I've ever done. And Yeah, that was a risky one. That was a risky one. But I think I should go back a little bit because as I say, when I started thinking about doing property as a, you know, a full-time thing, a full-time career, I started listening to the podcast. I was like, right, I need to find a mentor or do some education. And so that's what I did. I really did read all the books, go on to the website, YouTube, everything, research, research, research, managed to find a really good mentor and And that was what I would say would push me from the kind of like amateur figuring it out, winging it to actually having a strategy and feeling confident in knowing what I was doing. So, you know, with the finance and how to buy a house with very little money, you know, I wasn't going to be putting in a lot of my own money. This latest project, I use a bridging loan. I also had some investor finance in there and Yes, so that was, that was, think, big turning point is being getting educated in property was a huge, it made all the difference. So yes, back to most recently, this, this project was quite a risky one in terms of investment, all in it was 965,000. And we just had the revaluation done. And it was 1.15 million. So I made a profit of 185K in six months and now looking at the next deal. So my portfolio now is around 2.8 million. So when I look back and I think there's that rock bottom moment of, you know, not knowing how I was gonna pay the bills, not knowing if someone was gonna take my car, my TV, my kids' things to actually feeling really secure and... looking to increase the portfolio and do further projects and do deals. And actually my children watching me, you they're older now. My daughter's 23, my son's 19. And, you know, they've watched this whole journey and they can see that, you know, anything, you can achieve anything. You you've got to just have laser focus, confidence in yourself. I said balls earlier, but I don't like to say balls because that's a man thing. So if you know everything, you just have to have that confidence in yourself, get educated and you can do this. Yeah, gorgeous. What a story. What a story. I love that. And you are definitely going to be perking so many ears up right now, Carly. You really are. Um, I kind of just want to go go back a bit. So when you're talking about the first property that you got, because I think what's really important to say is is whenever we hear these stories like yours and others, as it were, I really, really want the conversation to be around how do we just start? What's the first step to really help the the listeners listening today? So actually what you mentioned was was that when you decided to actually make a change and to go and get this, you actually borrowed some money from a family member that you paid back in interest. So you immediately, because you didn't have the money yourself, you immediately looked to actually get what's known as basically an investor, essentially. So how how did that work? How did you manage to get somebody to trust you with the money when you haven't even done it before, hadn't even started it? How did that all come about? To know what I think I'm very passionate when I believe in something, when I want something, I found the perfect house and it was a, it was sadly a repossession actually and someone was being repossessed, but it was very good price and I could see the potential in it. It was in a very good location, great schools and I could just see if I could do my own thing there, refurbish cheaply myself. and add so much value to it. And so I almost went and sold that was to my auntie. I almost went and sold that to her. And I said, look, you can own half the property with me. We'll split it and then I'll do all the work, uh refurb it. And then, you when we sell, you'll also get half the profit. And then whilst I'm living there, I was paying her, I think it was around about five or 600 pounds a month. So she had that as... uh interest on her money, I would say, like we called it rent, but it was interest on her money. So it was a win-win situation for her because when I sold the house, made, not only was she making five or 600 pounds a month during the time I lived there, but then she got an extra 70K at the end. So she was happy, I was happy, and then I had, you know, a pot to go on and do the next one. So yeah, that was it really. I think I just felt so passionate about it. And obviously when you're desperate, and you're like I need to get myself out of this situation what can I do it you know you have a little bit of a fire in your belly and you'll go and you know seek it out so that's that's what happened with that yeah Fantastic. I love that. Okay, so I'm just doing this this this picture. So that's that's fabulous. And again, it was the way that you actually went and you said to her, I almost feel like Carla and 'cause I know you very well, I almost feel like you were like this is happening. Like with or without you energy type thing. Like I'm moving into this property. Um what I love is the fact that it it wasn't just a buy to let, it wasn't just an investment. It was the fact that it was your home that you were going to be living in and you were like, I need you to basically front this and to help and this is how we're gonna do it and and I think that that is such a beautiful story and I I I say to quite a lot of people when people say Athena knowing what you now know how would you start in property personally if I was to go and start in property now I 100% and I'm probably gonna end up doing this when I get back from Spain actually going and finding a property that needs work doing it and living in it as my home and then maybe flipping it in two to three years and then moving on. Because when it's your own home, there's no capital gains tax. There's so many advantages to doing it that way, 10% deposit over 25. Like there are huge benefits to doing it that way. And I think it's a fantastic way to actually start in property is to make it into your own home. Um, Carla, one question I've got for you is is, you know, how do you just sort of start going, I'm gonna sand this myself, I'm gonna do this myself. How do you learn those skills? Again, it was sheer necessity, really. I couldn't pull anyone in to help me and I just YouTubeed everything, how to do it, researched it, went to the hire shop, hired a sander. The funny thing is, is walking into the hire shop and they're like, you're gonna do this yourself, like Missy. I don't think so. I was like. you watch, I'm gonna be doing it. Was it the best sanding job in the world? Probably not. mean, there was, you know, it wasn't perfect, but it looked great. It looked good enough. And, you know, it saved me a lot of money doing it myself. But again, I think you just have to have that kind of, when you're in a desperate situation, you do have that fire in your belly. just, you know, pull up your socks and get on with it. Yeah, I'm not gonna say it was all like roses because I think there were many times that I actually felt quite alone in it. I remember there was a time when I was up a ladder with the wallpaper stripper and thinking, if I got electrocuted right now, no one would know that I was dead on the floor. It was kind of that feeling of being quite alone. But also the sense of achievement that you get doing it by yourself and you haven't had. you know, some guy coming in and rescuing you. You've just, you know, you've actually done it. It does feel very good, like a sense of achievement. And it gives you that confidence to then go on and do bigger and better things. Cause you think, fucking hell, I can do anything now. So yeah, you just got to do it. Love that. And then what was it like kind of juggling life at that time? Because I presume that you had a full time job at that time as well. What I had done is that I had also trained as a hair and makeup artist so that I could be a little bit more flexible with my hours. So I could pick and choose the jobs that I wanted to do or that I had time to do. And so that was doing, I was juggling it between, you know, those things and obviously working on the weekends in the evenings whenever I could do a bit. I was there for a few years, I was there for like over two years I think at that particular property so it did take me a bit longer um but yeah it was just fitting it in, fitting it in around everything and you know kids, it's full on. So I know, I know. I've got so much more to talk to you about and of course this project that you're now working on because it is a fantastic project and I want everyone to hear about it. Just before we do that, what would you say, Carla? Because you know obviously I listen to this podcast, you know that we always talk about celebrations because celebrations is what girls on property is all about. You know, as as women, as mums, as people, we we sometimes rush to the next thing and always thinking about the next thing, the next thing. So if we were to take a moment today, what is it that you're actually celebrating? very much celebrating the end of that project and getting the valuation because at the moment, uh some of you will be aware, but there are a lot of down valuations happening and to have the valuation that it came in there or thereabouts of what I wanted, what I needed. So that was a big celebration, but also another big one for me is my own personal transformation. So it's been a big challenge. do other work, so I do energy work as well. And I work with women on their Kundalini energy. And for me, juggling the two, the very masculine energy work with property and the more feminine energy with the flowing and the Kundalini work has been quite challenging. I really feel like I have... I have got that now. I have, so that's celebration for me. I feel like I've actually been able to integrate the two. And yesterday I was at a somatic healing session and I had this, I had this vision of what I'm going to do next and it's going to be integrating the two. So it's very much going to be integrating the property world and the business with my other healing energy work and helping other people to go through their own transformation. So it was a real moment of like, Yes, I can see it, I can feel it, and that's what I'm going to do next. So it's not just going to be all about money and the next deal. It's going to be about how can I help people and how can I help to heal people, help them to go through their own transformation as well. So yeah, it's a really beautiful moment. Mm, how gorgeous is that? And I feel like the last time you almost had this was at the beginning of the journey of when you obviously with the kids and the bailiff at the door, and that was when you're like, No, this is my next chapter. And feel like maybe this is you again saying, Right, I've done that bit now. What is the next thing for me? And I really feel that energy for you. So oh, this is exciting. Well, Carly, you know I'm massively into this at the moment, you know, in terms of like my subconscious work, my healing work. Um so sign me up, I'm first there always, you know that. in terms of what I'm celebrating at the moment, you know, I'm celebrating life. I really am. I'm just celebrating life. I mean there has been so much that has happened for me recently. Um, so of course I'm out in Spain at the moment. Um the intention was to be here for from the beginning of June to the end of July, but I've just extended it for another 10 days, so I'm not coming back until sort of mid July. Um, purely because I have a dentist appointment. To come back for that, I keep putting.

Um, it's the only reason I'm coming back, and then I'm actually hosting two events: 18:25

my mastermind and my accelerator. So we've got the CEO days for those, so I've to be back for that. But I'm just celebrating life, and I'm I'm obviously out here on my own, and it's just a really beautiful thing to actually just be like, right, let's be out here, let's continue the podcast. I'm celebrating the fact that I've I've been able to host still my community calls, my mastermind calls, my accelerator calls. I've been invited on other people to host. Like work has continued. And I think what it's proven to me is all I need is a laptop and a mobile phone. And this was the vision I always created for myself. Like whenever I did my vision to victory, I created this life that said, I want to be anywhere in the world, but I want the business to be running. I want the business to flow. I want the business to succeed. And you know, I've got my team now in the UK and they're doing an amazing job, and we obviously do check-ins. But essentially I'm able to do exactly the same amount of work, whether I was sat in the rain in the UK or sat in a beach in Marbella. The work is the work, it's it's no different. And I'm celebrating the end of a chapter which is that I completed on my old home. Um, you know, last Friday after six years of my life, which was a huge chapter that I went through, and that's now closed. Um obviously that's put a cash injection back into my bank account as well, so I'm now looking for my next project that I'm going to be investing in. which is very exciting. So I got three tattoos as well. So some people are like, Athena, you're either going through a midlife crisis or you're living your best life, or they're the same thing. So within twenty four hours I've got three tattoos. so I'm celebrating life at the moment, Carla, I'm celebrating life. Yeah. you. I'm celebrating your glowing, your radium and yeah, I'm here for it, everything, the tattoos, all of it, the living space. Yeah, congratulations, on completing on your house. I was very happy for you. Well, thank you, my girl. Yeah, it's a long time coming. So again, in this market, a lot of people have said like the fact that what I was able to complete and two able to actually not make a loss was was something. So thumbs up all round, I'm very, very, very happy. so let let's talk about then this this project. So we're calling it Project Gail, aren't we? Is that her name? uh She sadly passed away. It was her house. I had looked to split the house into two flats and buy one of the flats. She was living in the other part of the house. She wanted to release some equity from the house and I was already in my flow with the property. said, okay, we'll just split the title and I'll buy the top flat. And so sadly, during the process of that, you know, she sadly passed away. And um so I basically decided to buy the whole house at that point. I didn't think I was gonna be able to afford to buy the whole house, but um speaking with my broker, he was like, no, you can do it like this. You know, there's strategic ways to do it. And yes, so I bought the whole house. It was on one title and... but it was configured as two flats. Now the original strategy that I had planned to do was to create a nine bed HMO uh because I have a small HMO. I would say it's more co-living. It's like a luxury HMO. So it's not your standard sort of bed sits. And I wanted to recreate that with this property just on a bigger scale. So a nine bed HMO in Bromley. very much needed. I'm getting asked for rooms all the time, you know, have you got anything like what you're doing here? And I've only got five rooms. And so I thought, well, this is perfect. But Romley is an article for area. And when we put in for planning permission, it basically came back and said, we're going to put it for refusal. So it was very disappointing, but I wasn't surprised. And all of the neighbors were chipping in and saying, we don't want an HMO. I did. whole package with CGI images of, know, the rooms, how beautiful they would look and it's for professionals, et cetera. But people do tend to have a negative opinion of HMOs. And so I had to pivot quite quickly at that point because it was like, right, what are we going to do? We need to change tact. How am I going to make this property work? And so because it was already configured as two flats physically, The quickest and easiest way to do it for planning would be to just refurbish it as it is and then split the title. So splitting the title is probably the quickest way to get the uplift. You know, there's often properties you can split the title without actually doing any work at all. You're you know, creating two addresses out of one and you automatically get that uplift. So that was something I thought, well, this is great. I'm already getting uplift from that. And then I refurbished the two flats to a really high standard, uh very luxury high-end finish. And during this process, at one point I was gonna sell them, I was gonna sell one and then I was gonna rent one. I decided that the best strategy for this would be midterm corporate tenants. So what I'm feeling and I'm coming from film and TV. my contacts in that industry, we talked about it and they're always looking for two to three to four months at a time, cast and crew, the directors and the actors, somewhere to live as a home, but like a nice, really luxury finish. That turnkey solution, you walk in and it's beautifully furnished, there's inspiring art on the walls, you've got a nice coffee machine and everything's like... just really quality. So they're looking for those types of properties and they don't want to live in a hotel. You know, they're going to be there for substantial amount of time. They want to cook, wash their own clothes. So this is what I've provided. So basically the, the return on investment is, is much higher than it would be. It was a standard by flat. So in Bromley, the yield is fairly low because the property prices are high and you can't really get, you know, the rental income up too much. So this was a way. to retain the asset, keep the property and get great cash flow. So, you know, the rent on the midterm corporate lets is really good. So that's where we're at. I've got one of them rented out at the moment. The other one just tweaking a few things and then that's going to be um on the market very, very soon. I'm having some photographs done now, but. I'm really, really, really happy with it. It's stunning. Everyone who comes in is like, we live here. So it's, yeah. And also I get to retain that asset. So it means that, you know, in Bromley, the capital growth is, has always historically been very, very good. So four or 5 % per year. So each year, you know, it's increasing in value as well. But you know, if it doesn't work out, I can always... I can always sell one and release the equity that way. So there's always options, there's always exits, but for now I'm keeping them and yeah, that's my plan. oh got so much to ask you about this, so much. Um so first of all, I didn't realise that you actually did a title split on them. So you actually did do that. So they're now on two separate titles. What do you know when when you spoke to the lenders in terms of like the uplift that that actually provided with it, you know, was it more than seventy five percent with sort of like the uplift like where where was it? Well, so what they do is they, when I originally had the valuation done before I purchased the property, it was valued as one whole house. And so going through the process of doing what I was doing, when they came out to revalue, they then valued it as two flats. So as a house, you know, it was worth, it was worth 600-ish. And obviously it was very, very dilapidated at that point. was complete. Someone had tried to work on it really badly. So it was obviously a lot lower than it would have been, know, if it was a house in great condition. But obviously then we split it, you know, each flat is then worth 500, 600. So you're already getting, you know, that uplift. They will do the, the lender will do it on an aggregate. So they will... they'll give you the value of the two separate flats added together, basically. So yeah, it was, and I'd already done it as well to the house next door with my HMO and my bed slate. I split the title on that, so I knew. And with that one, um I actually didn't do any work at all. I just split the title and I added 200K value to the, just splitting it. So I'd already done it once and knowing that I could do that. And... And yeah, having a really good power team is essential. regular solicitors don't always know or want to get involved into in title splits. So you have to look with people that have got experience in that and also having the right company structure as well. That was really, really important. So how you, you know, if you've got the, uh, the freehold in, in your company name, then you have to have. the lease, the lease hold flats in a different company name. So there's all of that sort of structure stuff that you need to figure out. And also having a great broker, know, then knowing what they're doing and going to the right lenders. So yeah, power team, would say is really, really important when, when splitting the titles because it is quite complicated. Can be. Well, this is the thing, you don't always need to know everything. You just need the power team to know everything. And then to tell you what they need from you. I mean, that is a secret to it. And let's face it, we we've all kissed a lot of frogs, you know I mean? We've all been through power teams where we're like, Oh God, this was not a good power team and and the thing is you're not just gonna land on your feet first time and go, I found them, they're amazing. Like it is literally like dating. You are gonna kiss a lot of frogs before you actually find, you know, a a good un as it were. So yeah, I think true. You can really go through. I've been in some really sticky situations, just listening to bad advice. And also you don't know what you don't know to you. You just don't know what you don't know. So when you're starting and you, you know, you're trying things out, you're going to make mistakes, but that is how you learn, you know. um And also would say education comes in again at that point is really just find out from people who've done it before, you know, cut out some of those mistakes if you can. to to people who've walked the path and they can guide you in the right direction. Absolutely. So if we're thinking about this mid to long term contract, so first of all, the one thing I want to say to you is, and I say this to a lot of people when they're starting out, what I love about you, Carla, and what you just expressed there is you use your previous knowledge of the industry that you worked in in order to see the gap in the market to say, Well, hold on, from my from my experience of new from TV and film, this is actually what they're looking for. I'm going to talk to my contacts there and I'm going to create it. And this is what I say a lot of people. It's like if you're a teacher or if you're a nurse or if you've got some sort of like background experience, what is it that you think is actually needed within your industry and how can you then go and get it? And I think you've just given a really beautiful example of that one. So how's it gonna work then? So they're predominantly not on ASTs, they're on mid solo mid-contracts. So these are service accommodation units is what you're saying. Exactly. Yeah. So it's called a license to occupy. So we will have a license to occupy rather than an AST or it's AT now, isn't it? So that also, you know, that prevents any issues with the, the rent is rights reform situation. So I don't have any problems with that, with this particular strategy, because, you know, it's, it is literally in service accommodation and you do, there are certain rules, you need to comply with that. And that is regular cleaning. you know, I have a cleaner once a week and they do the bed linen change. And so, yeah, it's actually like a service department. Sounds wonderful. I might move into them. I'm like, I'm homeless, Carla. I'm like, I might move into this. My bed sheet's cleaned once a week. You know, brand new coffee machine. I'm like, listen, girl, I need a home. Where am going? This is great. very attractive. It's true, and there's so many people in that situation, they might have relocated or they're over here for a contract, a business contract, film and TV. A lot of filming is happening in the area in South London and Bromley. We've had a couple of em big-ish films that have been shot in Bromley. And so, there is a need for it. And if you're, what I would say as well, another kind of... tip from me is to really cut yourself above like everybody else. you know, because we always think the market's saturated in a certain field. It's okay, it might be saturated, but if you can do it better, you know, then they're gonna come to you. Just do it to your best and do it better than everyone else. And they will still come to you. You know, they'll find you. They'll find the quality product and they will always buy the quality product. I was saying to someone, Yesterday, it's like, imagine if you were a Chinese restaurant and it was like, you're not gonna come in and go, I can't do, there's so many Chinese restaurants, the market's saturated. They're not gonna say that, they're gonna come in and go, right, well, my Chinese restaurant's different, it's better, it's got, it's nice ambience or the food quality or whatever it is. You just have to do it better than everyone else and then they will still come and find you. They will, they really, really will. It's like Airbnb, for example. You know, I've been looking at Airbnbs in Malaga, you know, and Marbella. And there's so many that you can choose from, but obviously, you know, if you wanna wanna have a really beautiful one, it's gonna really stand out above all the rests. So I completely hear you. Um, when you're thinking then, I was gonna ask you about this. Oh, the bridging, that's what I wanted to ask you. So you said that that you used bridging for this. So Talk to me about the bridging side of things, because obviously, you know, you did it in a six month period and actually converted this, but how long did you take the bridge out for? You know, how did you find it? What were the real good things that happened? What what were the scary things that happened? Because I really want people to know that there are lots of different options when you don't have money. Yes, you can get private investor finance, yes, you can get bridging, yes, you can do this. Like, what what in terms of bridging would your advice be on this one? Okay, so bridging is expensive. It's an expensive way of doing it, but obviously, you if you haven't got any alternatives, it's there and it's really helpful. And, you know, as long as you're adding enough value and you can make the numbers stack, then, you know, it's, it's a very useful product, you know, the bridging loan. um They can be very particular about what you don't, you know, they kind of on you, they want reports. So they want monthly reports. with photographs and updates and they want to know all of the planning updates and everything. So they're kind of on your case a little bit. Obviously they've got a charge on the property as well. So that can sometimes be an issue when you are doing things like title splits because of the timing of that. um But, you know, overall it's been great for me. I don't know if my next one I'll need a bridge. I think I'll go along. the um investor finance route, just because it's much cheaper and you don't have a lot less red tape as well. So yeah, it's there for you. um Don't be scared of it, but also, yeah, find the right broker who's gonna lead you and look after you in the process as well. Because I have had a sticky situation with a bridging known with a broker that it wasn't, you know, I didn't know what I didn't know. And there was some planning issues and it got to the point where I was like, you know, possibly going over the 12 months. It was a 12 month loan. They usually are. And once you get past the 12 months, like you're going to be paying big penalties, big fees. uh So I luckily had an investor come in and pay off the bridge for me. And then I paid him back when I had it. But, you know, that was my first time. That was the original one that I did. And yeah. Big lesson there. But this is the thing, it's it's all learning. Bridging can be fantastic. It's you know it's short-term loaning, it's from the bank, you know, you can get it. It's it's it's quite fairly with the with the right broker, it's quite fairly easy to actually obtain. It's just as you say, you must have the right exit strategies, you must keep an eye on it, so that you you even if you need it for example, six months, for example, you're like, this project's only going to take six months. I always say to people, do not take it for the six months. You take it for nine months, you take it for twelve months. I always take it for longer because if you don't need it you can just repay it early anyway. Whereas if you actually go over, it's gonna be really expensive. So always, always take it for a longer period of time would be would be the advice on that one. But I love the fact that you did bridging, Carla. What were you gonna say? thing is that, and I don't know if some people might not be aware of it, is that I was also able to get bridging finance for the build. So not only was I able to use it for the purchase, I bought the property with the bridge, but we calculated what the build cost was going to be. And then I had that pot set aside to draw down whenever I needed to. I actually didn't use it. had my own, I read mortgaged another property and I was using my own funds. oh But it was there and it was like, it was nice feeling to know that that pop was there that I could draw down. It was just obviously more expensive than my other cash. oh So yeah, it's another way of, you see a property, you know that it's gonna be so much to purchase and then you're like, well, it's gonna be this much to build. all your calculations, send it all to your broker and he will, you get the right product for you in terms of bridge and build. It's fantastic. And do you know the other thing? Like I get a lot of people asking me recently in terms of, you know, they're like, Athena, I need to find a strategy. I need to learn this strategy. I want to find out what strategy I do so that I can do it. I think what you've also proven here, Carla, in the most beautiful way, is like the strategy genuinely chooses you. And I keep saying this over and over again because it wasn't the fact that you chose the strategy of service accommodation or you chose the strategy of five to let's or you chose the strategy of HMOs or whatever it was. It was like you looked at your resources, first of all, and you're like, right, what are my skills? What is my knowledge? What do I know about? And then you literally fit the strategy to actually fit you. And I feel like where a lot of people go wrong, and I constantly say this, is they feel like and I understand why, because at school we have to choose our GCSEs, we have to choose our subjects, we have to choose our things, and then you're stuck with learning German for GCSE, or stuck with learning in a good way, Spanish. For GCSE, and you're like, I don't want to learn German, I don't want to learn Spanish, I don't want to learn geography. Here you have the opportunity to actually go, well, hold on a minute, let's start with me, let's start with my resources, my skills, my knowledge, and then let it choose you. And what you've beautifully demonstrated is you didn't choose service accommodation, you chose the market. You said, what is the market doing? What do I know? And then literally the strategy then chose you as a result. And I think that's such an important thing to say, isn't it? really important and I totally wholeheartedly agree with you. I think you really need to play to your strengths. And what's been apparent over the years, obviously from flipping my own properties that I was living in over the years, was that I do have a flair for design. And I come from a creative industry working in makeup, in film and TV. And so it's about having a really good eye, a good eye for design. And so, you what better skill to have for something like this, service accommodation. It's going to look beautiful. It's gonna look like someone can't wait to live there. It's like sumptuous environment, inspiring you every day. So that is what I feel like is absolutely spot on. Really play to your strengths. If it's design that you're good at, you might be better at more analytical stuff, the number crunching or the structural side or whatever it is. That's where you need to go. You need to be... playing to your strengths and then also it's fun and it feels good. Like you want it to be enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, there was big parts of this project that I really just wanted to just get up and walk away because I project managed it myself and I had a site manager who did the build. But you know choosing paint colours and picking the flooring and you know designing the kitchen myself, designing the bathrooms, know whilst it was scary and I wasn't really sure exactly how it was because it a big scale this one. I also love that. And I just always say with any of my properties, I create them as if I'm living them in myself. I wouldn't put anybody in a home that I wouldn't live in myself. And that's just my personal ethics. And so when you do that, your passion comes through. And I think that's the decider between a project that's gonna be okay and just about get by or one that's actually really thriving and... very successful. Hmm, I love that. Absolutely beautiful and beautifully said as well. So what would your advice then, Carla, be to a to a listener listening to this today who is let's say where you were at? Let's say that she is absolutely terrified. Let's say that she doesn't know the direction. She's getting she thinks that she's seen these property things and she's found this podcast, welcome by the way, and you know, she's like, Athena, Carla I am you, but three years ago I've just found the podcast. I I need some inspiration, I need some help. She's absolutely terrified, she's got no money, um, she is absolutely terrified and scared. You know, what is it gonna be that we can advise her on today to just take that step forward to just say, you know, what is the first thing that she can do to really get herself moving just one percent today? I think first things first is join a community, become a part of a community and get yourself in the rooms, go to the events if you can. There's plenty of just smaller scale property events that you can join if they aren't as expensive. Get into the rooms with people, start talking about it. Someone will be able to spark something in you. Keep an open mind about what you're gonna do. You don't need to... find your strategy straight away, but talk to people, like, you know, get other people's opinions and advice. And also, you know, you're making connections with people that might be able to help you, you might be able to JV with. uh I would say that, and you know, there are strategies you can start with some very small pots of money, you know, like the rent to SA. strategy you could do, that's a very good way of starting if you don't have any assets or you haven't got the capacity to buy your own property straight away. They're the type of smaller strategies that you can begin with. uh But really, really starting and beginning is get into groups that you feel um comfortable in, that you can ask questions, make friends, and pick people's brains. People actually genuinely want to help. Like we, we've been... doing this for a while now, like we will always impart our knowledge. I always try and help people who are coming up the ranks with anything that I can. So don't be afraid to just reach out and ask questions and ask for help. I think that's the biggest thing. You can't do this on your own. It's important to have that community. It really is. And like, you know, well well said, Carla, as well. And of course, you know, we have the girls on property community, which you are beautifully a part of, Carla, as well, as you have done literally from day one. You know, you're one of my OGs. And I always see you in the community, always imparting your wisdom, always giving back. And it's so beautiful, isn't it? Where like we have this section which is called I Ask the Community a question. And you really see people asking all sorts of questions in there, don't you? You know, whether it's looking for let's say a title split um solicitor recommendation or an auction specialist or um a good broker or they're asking about a floor plan and design and hey I'm thinking about turning it into this and what do you think and then somebody coming back and like almost like redesigning it for them who's an actual architect being like actually have you thought about this it it's almost like I get such pride from it Carly because I always just sit back and just watch the community respond and then I sort of like then chip in after that. community first. Like it is beautiful, isn't it, with that? And you just never know by asking a question, someone somewhere within that community might have a little piece of knowledge, you know, so without asking, you're never going to know. And I would say also like, have a look at what you've got. Have a look at what you've got within, you know, your own family network and also like ask people, ask friends and family as well. you know, is there, has someone got property that they might want to rent out that, you know, you can take it on and run it as a service accommodation. You know, just talk about it. Keep talking about it. Ask questions, ask for help, reach out. And yeah, I love the community. I think it's a really great place. And I remember beginning and starting and thinking, I haven't got anything to say. I'm not doing anything. And then as time goes on, it was like, Oh, okay. Well, I've picked up some information along the way. I've got a power team and I've got some. knowledge and you know and it's really nice to be able to share that and give that back in the community as well. It's just gorgeous and and like you said, it doesn't all just start overnight. It's not always about an overnight success. You know, this whole this whole thing that people try and show you where, you know, so don't get me wrong, some people can do, you know, get like five HMOs and in six months or whatever it is, but at the same time, like it's not real. And I guarantee you, because I know it, right? Those people who who scale at a rapid, rapid pace, my god, do they come with all sorts of challenges? That they probably don't talk about online, but I guarantee you they call me and talk to me about it. So don't always compare yourself to everybody else, okay? Always just go slow and steady. I think that property is a long game. I really do. I think it's slow, I think it's steady, I don't think it should be rushed. I think that it's it's a fantastic strategy when done in the right way, and done in a way that doesn't cause burnout, doesn't cause anxiety. Like this is big money that that that you're playing with here. needs to be done specifically. So I agree with you. I think mentorship, I think community, um, you know, the community is there, guys. I mean we've got a hundred and a hundred and thirty-five members now all over the UK. So, you know, I always ask everybody but when when you know they ask to join the community, I always say, whereabouts are you based? I always ask a question and they'll say to me Reading, Essex, Yorkshire, wherever they tell me. And I'm like, great, you need to connect with this person or this person or this person or this person. And then they all connect. And obviously Amy helps Amy Miller, who's the community leader, then connects them all up. And it's beautiful because it really is all over the UK. And then they all meet up and do their own things. But I agree with you, Carla, also, like you know, separate to girls in property. Have a look at Eventbrite, for example, you know, what's happening in your local area? Um, is it a female specific event? Also, I would actually recommend not just looking at property events, I personally would recommend looking at property and business. I actually now predominantly go to business events over property events. big f mainly because I'm actually I find that investors really sit within the business world and also women wanting to enter property sit there. So think about your intention of why you're going. Like any anything that you ever do, whether it's an activity, an event, anything, why are you going? What's your intention? What's your hope to get out of it? So I would look at Eventbrite and I'd look at proxy events and business events if it was if it was me. and then if you want any information of course about joining the girls with property community, you can either DM me the word community or just go to www.girlswidproperty.co.uk um forward slash community or just the the standard sort of website of girlsandproperty.co.uk. But it's all there, it's only £30 plus VAT a month, which writes out the £36. But I just think it's a great way to start because at least then you talk to people and you can learn from people like Carla, learn from other people to just be like, well, what are they doing? What can I do? And actually, to gain access to people like that is absolutely priceless. It really, really is. But yeah, Carla, I've I've I love your story. I always have. I think you're a beautiful soul inside and out. Um, I've loved watching this actually, because I remember talking to you about this particular property when we were in LA together. And you remember, and and we spoke all about this, and now it's sort of come to its fruition. Um, I tell you what, I've got I've got one more question for you actually, which I don't ask many people this question, I only ask it to a certain few, but I'd be so interested to hear your answer. So I will pre-warn you. This was a question, by the way, that was asked to me on a podcast once upon a time, and it stumped me for about three minutes where I just was in silence. I was like, I was like, I don't know what the answer to that question is. Um, so I want to see what your answer to it is, right? Which is what's one question that nobody has ever asked you that you wish that somebody would have asked you. Hmm. That is a very good question. Hmm, I think no one's really ever asked me, you know, by why. I know that might seem like an obvious one, but I've never been asked why are you doing this? Like, why are you, you know, stressing yourself out or, you know, pushing yourself in this direction with property? um Because I often ask myself that question. I think it's a really, really good question. And my why is always my children, the legacy for my children and my grandmother who passed away. She's a big inspiration to me. was a property. She came basically, she was an immigrant. She came to this country of not a penny and then built a small portfolio from nothing. So I feel like she's my inspiration. And also, I genuinely care about people and the homes that they're living in or the experiences that they're having. I feel like it's a responsibility for people in the property industry to provide beautiful homes, homes that you wake up in and feel inspired and just uh a um living experience that is quality. I think they're my whys, those reasons. And yeah, I think it's with heart. this business is with my heart. And I think that's really important. Whatever you do, you have to have heart. Do you know what I mean? You have to have a, it has to be your purpose. So yeah, I'm surprised no one's ever asked me that before, but it's never actually come up. And I think... I always check in with myself and remember why I'm doing it. You can get lost as well with it all. When you're in the thick of it all and it's like really crazy, it's like, why am I doing this? And it's good to come back to it. And often like the people that live in my homes, my tenants, they come to me and they with the most beautiful um thank yous and gratitude. And it really does remind me why I do it and why I do it the way I do it. So yeah. I hope that was kind of what you meant by that Russian. It was a beautiful answer. It was absolutely beautiful. And and do you know what? I completely hear you because I I often sub have to check in with myself as well. You know, whenever I go to like launch a new thing or to do a new thing, and if something feels quite heavy and sticky, I sit with it and I go, Why is this feeling sticky? And nine times out of ten, it's because I lose my why. You know, it becomes more around this notion of well we've got get a cash injection in or we've got to do this, we've got to do this, and it's like, yeah, but that's not your why, Athena, it's never been your why, and like that actually isn't who you are as a person, so don't lose yourself. And I and and there was a time, as you know, Carlos, you've known me for some time when I was doing the whole rent to rent pitch modes and rent to rent essay, and I was mentoring and I was speaking and I started these networking events, and my god, I was so unbelievably burnt out. Unbelievably burnt out, and I completely lost my own why. Terms of what I was doing it for. And you know, I've been really looking into this in terms of healing work at the moment, in terms of us as female entrepreneurs, we always say that we have such drive in ourselves, like are so driven as women, and this notion of when people say to you, Oh, you're smashing it, you're smashing it, you look like you're smashing it, right? And it's like, where does that drive actually come from? And in my own healing work, I'm learning that sometimes it can be quite um trauma-based, really trauma-based when you actually become this really driven individual. And when you actually reflect and you go, what is it that you're who is it that you're actually trying to prove something to? And what is it that you're running away from? And why do you not stop to just take a moment to be in stillness as opposed to moving on to the next thing and the next thing? And why are you just launching product after product after product? Why are you moving from one to the next to the next to the next? What are you afraid of? What are you afraid to sit still with? And that has been such a journey for me in terms of learning that and kind of going, Whoa, like I didn't even know half of this stuff that actually existed in my body, you know? And so it's crazy. So when you say what is your why, I encourage every single person that is listening to this podcast to sit with that question and to sit with your heart first. I if there's one thing that I now know. True to me is that the money will come. The money will always, always come. It's about sitting in your truth because when you do it, you stand out head and shoulders literally above the rest. The investors will pick up on it. the properties will come to you, the law of attraction will help, the universe will hear you. And so I think that's a really, really gorgeous answer that you just gave. Because look, Carla, look how everything is now falling into line for you, and you're just like, huh. Who am I? What is my why? And you know what? I'm I'm really tempted to ask this question when I go on dates again, like when I start dating again. I want to sit with a guy on a first date and be like, what's a question that no one's ever asked you that wishes someone would ask you? Because I think they're gonna have fascinating answers. It's a really good question. It's a really good question. It brings up probably the most important thing that you can think of, you know? So I love what you just said about that. And it's that real self-awareness that's really, really important, isn't it? Just taking a step out of yourself and looking, you know, I really love that. It's really important to keep doing those check-ins. Yeah. And because your personal transformation is like beyond everything else, it's the most important thing. and other things just fall into place around that. And this is and honestly, Carla, this is what I'm literally talking about all the time with all the girls and everything is this notion of if you do not start with yourself, what are you actually starting with? And you know, it I get this all the time where people will always message me and call me, and even the girls in the mastermind and accelerator, and we have to pull them back because they're like, my god, Athena, I feel so behind, I feel like I'm losing time, I feel like everyone's ahead of me. And I just see them so clearly, I see them clear as day because I used to be them. And even when I'm seeing um, you know, girls on Instagram that are going very fast and they're like now hosting these networking events and now doing this, and I just sit very, very quietly looking at these looking at these women going, I see you, I see you. I wonder how long it's gonna last for. And then when they like go off the face of the earth or they start to pull back, I'm like, There you go. You go now, you're just gonna balance yourself like a little seesaw, and it's completely normal because I think that we're conditioned in society and we're conditioned as women, again, potentially through healing trauma and god knows what to be these women who are like masculine, like badass, off we go. And it's like, yeah, but what about life? What about enjoyment? What about you? And I think you know, I'm in this new chapter of my life as you are, Carly, you where I'm And I've come out with a six-year relationship, and I'm 34 years old, kind of going, Well, what was the whole point of it? Like, what's the point of this? What is it we're actually trying to achieve here? And this is what I'm teaching the accelerator and the mastermind, where I'm teaching them to actually live life and then to make money around that. And my God, can you make money? If there is one thing I have learned, you can make money. And I am making money while I'm out here in Spain, and it is beautiful. And The money comes because you just embrace life and you're just like, Well, you can have both. Who told you you only had to have one or the other? I didn't. Both. Yeah. true. And that is another thing that I teach as well is being a magnet. We know when you are in your pleasure, in your sensuality, in your pleasure, you become a magnet for the same stuff, the good things. You're attracting the good things. So it's really, really important to live life connected to your body, really embodied and feeling. everything, know, feeling the pleasure and feeling, you know, feminine and being a feminine creature that we are, you know, we are this way. So it's really important to hold on to that. And, know, you'll magnetize all the good things and money will come, as you say. Beautiful. Well, you did an amazing job for your first podcast. Well done. Fabulous. Um so many people are gonna want to get like in touch with you. Like you are an inspirational woman. So where is the best place for people to find you? Well, at the moment it's on Instagram, it's just Carla Eve. um And I have, I do have some things coming up with my Kundalini embodiment work. So if anyone's interested in learning more about that, I'm always happy to talk about that too. um But yeah, I'm on there, my property journey's on there, my energy work's on there. And yeah, anyone can reach out and ask questions. I'm always happy to help people that have just started as well. You know, I know what it's like being there. So, you know, reach out if I can help with anything I will. Beautiful. Do you have another Instagram account also? I it's your other one. I've got, I've got my main one is Carla Eve, then I've got Madre Properties is my property one. And then I've got Eve's Retreats, which is my energy work. I'm working on combining them. So it's a bit more holistic, but at the moment I've got those and they're all kind of connected. So yeah. beautiful, I love that. And as always, guys, I am Athena Dobson underscore official on Instagram, girls and property on Instagram as well. And then don't forget, check out the website www.girlsandproperty.co.uk. There's loads of things about working with me. I've literally got an online course on there as well, which is the Girls and Property Online Foundation course. So if you're listening to this episode and you're thinking, how the hell do I just start? I literally built an online program um only for £997, which you can do. And literally, it talks you through the seven stages of how I went from absolutely nothing to building it out. And it talks you through those seven stages. I've got the community. I also offer some 90-minute deep dive calls. Um, so if you want to book a 90-minute deep dive call, you can with me. I've got some VIP days as well that you can book in. So it's all on there. Have a look at it, but also just DM me on Girls and Property on Instagram or on um Atheme Dobbs undoficial if you want Ask any questions. I'm also on LinkedIn under my name and I'm also on Facebook. So as everybody knows, I live on social media. Come and find me. I'm also starting a TikTok channel. TikTok is coming. probably like what are we gonna do? Like probably beginning of August. Um, Sarah's gonna be managing that for me. So I am getting on TikTok as well. so building out a whole power team of my own to be like, right, team girls and property, where are we? But yeah, more content creation is needed. podcasts are needed, um and com real conversation. Real conversation like this is what I'm really, really after as it were. Um so Carla, thank you so much for coming on today. I want to give you the parting words for all the listeners. So what are your parting words? Responsibility, I'd like to say, I mean, it's cheesy and cliche, but believe in yourself. Just the fact that you're a woman means you're a badass. I mean, what we can do with our bodies and what we can achieve is incredible. It's nothing short of a miracle. So if you can do that, you can do anything. So just go out there and give it a shot. There you go, you heard it from Carla herself. Get out there, give it a shot. Um, right, ladies and gentlemen, have the most amazing week. As always, you know where I am, and Carla is if you need us. Come and check us out, come and join the community, and just go and be your fabulous self and remember your intention, remember your why, and just go and absolutely fly. Have a great week, everyone. Saying hello to love, bye for now.