Independent Property Investment Advice — A Second Opinion Before Purchase
Independent property investment advice means the adviser earns nothing from the transaction going ahead. We hold no stock, take no introducer fee and receive no developer or lender commission. Our only income is the fee you pay for the analysis, which is what makes a recommendation to walk away possible.
Before offer, exchange or commitment
What your independent purchase review can cover
Send a property you have found, its asking price, rent evidence and proposed finance. We agree the questions, evidence, fee and written deliverables before starting. This is a second opinion on the purchase decision — not a listing service, building survey or legal clearance.
Evidence and missing information
Check price and rent assumptions against comparable evidence; record what is supplied, unverified or still needed from the seller, surveyor, solicitor or lender.
Downside and cash commitment
Separate gross rent from net income. Include voids, repairs, management, compliance, acquisition costs and finance sensitivity; identify the cash buffer needed if assumptions weaken.
A written decision brief
Set out the risks, assumptions, questions before commitment and conditions that could change the conclusion. Your agreed scope defines the analysis, exclusions and decision options.
Bring the questions that could change your offer
- Single-let: does net income still work after voids, repairs and a refinance?
- HMO: are room rents, licence conditions, planning position and compliance costs evidenced?
- Commercial or mixed use: what do lease terms, tenant covenant, breaks, capex and vacancy imply?
- Portfolio: does this acquisition increase lender, location or tenant concentration?
- Overseas: are FX, source-of-funds, ownership and UK/home-country tax questions coordinated before commitment?
Scope first. Fee agreed. No promised return.
Fees depend on the asset, documents, complexity and depth of review. Request a written scope, fixed deliverables, exclusions and fee before instructing. Missing information can limit conclusions; a review cannot remove market risk or guarantee a successful purchase.
Solicitors handle legal diligence, surveyors assess condition, and appropriately qualified or authorised professionals provide tax and regulated financial or mortgage advice. We identify questions for those professionals, not replace them.
Independent property investment advice means the adviser earns nothing from the transaction going ahead. We hold no stock, take no introducer fee and receive no developer or lender commission. Our only income is the fee you pay for the analysis, which is what makes a recommendation to walk away possible.
Who this is for
- You have been pitched a deal and want a second opinion with no stake in it
- You are comparing advisers and want to know who is paid by whom
- You want the conflicts written down before you take advice
Who it is not for
- You want a free consultation funded by a commission on the purchase
- You want an agent to negotiate and transact on your behalf
What it costs: Fees and written deliverables are agreed before instruction, based on asset complexity, evidence and review scope.
Key facts
- No stock held and none placed
- No commission, referral fee or rebate from any third party
- Fee agreed in writing before work begins and unaffected by the outcome
- Sources shown, so every material claim can be checked
- A recommendation to decline is a normal, expected outcome
Last reviewed by the Real Estate Investment Advisor advisory team. Fee-only advice — we take no commission from developers, agents or lenders.
What makes property investment advice genuinely independent?
Three tests. First, the adviser holds no inventory — no off-plan allocations, no developer stock, no assets of their own being placed with clients. Second, no payment of any kind arrives from a third party: no introducer commission, no lender fee, no referral rebate. Third, the fee is fixed before the work starts, so it does not vary with the recommendation.
- No stock held and none placed
- No commission, referral fee or rebate from any third party
- Fee agreed in writing before work begins and unaffected by the outcome
- Sources shown, so every material claim can be checked
- A recommendation to decline is a normal, expected outcome
Why does independence change the advice you get?
Because incentive shapes emphasis long before it shapes honesty. A commission-paid adviser rarely lies; they simply spend more time on the reasons the deal works than on the conditions under which it fails. Independent advice inverts that. The failure conditions are the deliverable.
What does independent advice cover?
The whole decision, not one slice of it: whether to buy at all, what to pay, how to hold it, how it is financed, what it yields under pressure, and how you get out. Where a question needs a regulated professional — tax, mortgage advice, legal title — we say so and tell you what to ask them.
How do you check an adviser is really independent?
Ask four questions in writing: how are you paid, who else pays you on this transaction, do you hold or place any stock, and does your fee change if I do not proceed. An independent adviser answers all four in one sentence each. Anyone who needs a paragraph is telling you something.
How the engagement runs
Scoped, fixed-fee and time-boxed. You know the cost and the timetable before any work begins.
- 1Scoping call — you describe the asset, the portfolio or the question. Same week.
- 2Scope, fixed fee and timetable confirmed in writing before work starts.
- 3Analysis and evidence gathering, independent of everyone selling into the deal.
- 4Written position delivered, including the case against proceeding.
- 5Follow-up call to challenge the conclusion and agree what you do next.
How we differ from agents, sourcers and brokers
The difference is who pays, because that decides which answers are available to the adviser.
| Estate or investment agent | Property sourcer | Us | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paid by | The seller, on completion | A finder's fee on the purchase | You, for the analysis |
| Decision focus | Sale or acquisition instruction | Finding an acquisition | Independent purchase assessment |
| Holds stock to sell | Yes | Yes | No |
| Downside analysis | Ask about scope | Ask about scope | Defined in the agreed review scope |
| Output | Depends on instruction | Depends on instruction | Agreed written review |
Not sure this is the right engagement? Tell us the decision you are facing. If another service fits better — or if you need a broker, surveyor or tax adviser rather than us — we will say so on the first call.
Book a CallAsk for a genuinely independent reading
Bring us the deal, the portfolio or the question. You get one answer, in writing, from someone with no financial interest in which way it goes.
Book a CallFrequently Asked Questions
Related decisions and advisory work
The questions investors usually resolve alongside this service.
Bring Clarity to the Decision
We act as an independent real estate investment advisor in the UK, helping investors assess risk before committing capital.
If you are weighing allocation, risk, or exposure and want a clear, reasoned view, an initial advisory discussion can help clarify how to proceed.