Most people starting in property get their education in pieces. One person teaches deal analysis, another knows a good builder, a third has strong views on tenants, and none of them has seen how the three connect. A first-time investor can end up with advice from four sources who have never worked on the same project.
We started Abacus Property Group in the summer of 2019, after several months of heavy research into real estate investment. We settled on Buy, Refurbish, Refinance, beginning with lower-value properties such as 2-bed terraced houses before moving on to larger developments. Starting small meant we met every stage up close, one after another, on our own projects.
Where new investors get stuck on a BRR
The Buy, Refurbish, Refinance (BRR) strategy may sound simple, but many new investors get stuck before they get started in “analysis paralysis” because there is so much that can go wrong.
The most common pitfalls include:
Buying wrong: Paying too much or miscalculating the end value (i.e. GDV).
Refurbishment overruns: Unexpected costs (build extras) and delays (cost of finance) eating into profits.
Valuation shortfalls: The property doesn't achieve the anticipated refinance value (never a certainty in this day and age with RICS surveyors rarely being consistent).
Lending restrictions: Rental stress tests, lender criteria and licensing issues limiting borrowing.
Capital trapped: Investors cannot release enough money to fund their next deal.
The thinking behind it
Seven years and 32 projects in, we source, manage, renovate, and let, for ourselves and for clients. Anyone starting needs those same stages covered in the same order, and we had current, first-hand experience of each. Guiding a new investor or a landlord wanting to grow their portfolio became a natural next step. We help investors navigate each stage of the BRR process, avoid costly mistakes and make informed decisions, from sourcing the right deal to successfully refinancing and scaling their portfolio.
Why the full cycle changes the guidance
When a mentee brings us a deal, we are not judging it against a textbook. We analyse deals constantly, so we can say quickly whether one stacks up and, where it does not, what would need to change. Across the programme, every mentee has sourced at least one deal within their first 90 days, with a projected average ROI of 22%. That is a projected figure, not a realised one.
On the construction side, we manage refurbishments, so we know where costs and timelines tend to move. Planning submissions, layouts, structural decisions and snagging are things we handle on our own sites, which means a mentee hears about them before the first overrun rather than after it.
Lettings is where the full cycle matters most. Because we let and manage what we build, we can tell a mentee at the sourcing stage how a property is likely to let and what will cause trouble with tenants later. Take two hypothetical deals with similar purchase prices. One has generous rooms and a sensible layout. The other needs a costly reconfiguration to reach the same room count. On a spreadsheet, they look close. A mentor who has only ever sourced deals will rate them the same. One who also lets and manages will not.
A decision made on purchase day shows up as a void period months later, and only someone who has seen both ends of that chain will connect them.
How the programme runs
The programme is built to run the way Abacus runs. Mentees work with the same tools we use, such as our own HMO Deal Analyser, and look at a deal the way we would look at it. They are also introduced to the network of trusted clients and collaborators we have built over the years.
The programme is one-to-one and covers five modules: Introduction to Real Estate, Property Sourcing, Project Management, Property Lettings, and Advanced Topics and Specialisations. Sessions run weekly, bi-weekly or as agreed, mostly online, with in-person sessions available on request. Mentees also have a dedicated WhatsApp group for quick questions, and can join site development and open day tours to see the work first-hand.
Mentees join at different points. Some arrive before their first purchase. Others are already mid-project and want a second opinion on one decision. The plan follows what each person needs rather than a fixed route. It is still a small programme, and a hands-on one, built on what we have learned from doing the work ourselves.
That approach has put us forward as a finalist for Best Mentor or Training Program at the HMO Summit & Awards 2025. We are proud of this one, and grateful to our mentees for trusting us to be part of their journey.
What mentees say
Tristan described getting “the clarity and structure I needed to move forward with my BRRRR strategy” [1]. He recently sourced and bought a 7-bed HMO in Coventry, and the mentorship helped lay the groundwork, particularly on planning and layout. The initial planning documents had points that needed correcting, and the parking provision needed a clearer position before the application went to the council. We went through the statements and drawings with him and reviewed them against Coventry’s HMO standards before any conversion work began. When finance and conveyancing followed, the sessions continued to cover each next step. The advice came from our own projects. Most of the useful work on this one happened at a desk, before a brick was moved, which is where a mistake costs the least [2].
Moreover, our latest mentee, Emmanuel, told us the programme gave him “the clarity, confidence, and practical know-how” to kickstart his property development, and that Ray’s insights helped him “steer clear of costly mistakes” [1].
The programme is open to first-time investors and to landlords refining what they already do. To talk through where you are and what you are weighing up, call 07709 073904 or email info@abacuspropertygroup.com.
References
[1] Abacus Property Group. (2026). Guiding ambitions, igniting wealth: Elevate your investment journey with expert mentorship [Brochure]. https://www.abacuspropertygroup.com
[2] Abacus Property Group. (2026). 1-on-1 Mentorship Program: Programme results and process [Internal programme data]. https://www.abacuspropertygroup.com
