For Natalie and Sue Windsor, a joint Platinum Property Partners franchise supplies them both with a decent income now and a nest egg to invest for future generations
They say never work with family. But for Natalie and Sue Windsor, family was the key driver in their decision to join the long-standing property investment franchise Platinum Property Partners.
As a busy working mum of two with a high-pressure full-time job, Natalie already kept a fair number of plates spinning. When she joined Platinum Property Partners at the end of 2019 alongside Sue, her aunt, she added a whole crockery set to her already busy life.
But the great thing about franchising, and Platinum, in particular, is having the additional support network and expertise on hand to help keep those plates upright and in motion. A robust and proven franchise business model, operational support and bespoke property management systemisation are coupled with mentoring and training from experts in buying, renovations, planning, and lettings management.
“I believe in the Platinum business model, as it’s helped so many people join the network and build successful property portfolios,” says Natalie, who combines her busy home life with her role as Platinum’s head of partnerships and commercial. “I was always planning to join as soon as I had enough equity in my home.
“As it happened, Sue relocated back to the UK from the west coast of the USA after a major life change and wanted to invest some of her own money. She wanted a secure investment, something that would enable her to pass down her wealth to future generations. So, we decided to pool our resources and skills and go for it sooner than planned.”
Joint benefits
With Natalie’s knowledge of the co-living sector (houses in multiple occupation, to use the more official name) and Sue’s natural instinct for creating beautiful homes, their combined skillset saw the pair offer and complete the purchase of their first property in March 2020.
Less than a week later, the country was plunged into the first COVID-19 lockdown.
“The lockdown was a stressful time,” reflects Natalie. “Not only did we have this property and no way of pressing on with renovating it, but I was also combining my job with home schooling my daughter and looking after my three-year-old son. Evenings were spent looking at floor plans, architect’s drawings, and quotes.
“But while it was a hugely busy time, it did allow us to study the finer points of the property and think about what our potential tenants would want in a home, post-COVID. Developing a property investment strategy in co-living is complex, so having our Platinum mentors with us at this point was an amazing safety net.”
Job satisfaction
Fast forward nine months to just before Christmas 2021, and Natalie and Sue’s first project was completed, with six housemates moving in.
“We feel proud to have created this incredible home,” says Natalie. “Of course, for us, it’s a business too, and our numbers with the first property stacked up well, enabling us to start work on second and third properties nearby.
“There’s no way we could have built a three-property portfolio so quickly, without all the expertise and guidance we’ve had from Platinum.”
Although properties two and three are in renovation and both are due to open their front doors to a new batch of housemates in 2022, the first property will always have a special place in Natalie’s heart.
“It’s been incredibly hard work, but mainly it’s been really good fun,” she admits. “Sue and I have different strengths and weaknesses and work well as a team. But it’s also that feel-good factor of creating nice homes for our tenants to live in.”
“And a big part of the satisfaction for both of us comes from knowing that, financially, what we’ve created with Platinum has provided a safety net – not only for the whole family now, but for generations to come.”
At a glance
Established:
2007
Number of franchised outlets:
400+ franchise partners
Location of units:
N/A
Investment range:
£175,000
Minimum required capital:
£175,000
Contact:
info@platinumpropertypartners.co.uk
