Ten years ago, Gary and Sally Bassett decided to take control of their lives. They had children starting university, parents who needed caring for and jobs.
Both approaching 50, Sally was on the verge of yet another reorganisation within the NHS and Gary had started a small property maintenance business after exiting the printing sector.
“We lived normal lives and had a normal upbringing,” said Sally. “We’d been given the same advice that everyone had – to work hard, get a house, pay off the mortgage and save for our pensions. But we knew we needed to do something differently.”
The couple decided to embark on a steep learning curve together, reading lots of books and going on lots of courses in the hope that they’d be inspired to make a change. Eventually, they settled on a property investment programme led by Steve Bolton. It was then that he was forming the franchise, Platinum Property Partners.
“We wanted stuff, of course. I wanted a watch, a new car and Sally likes diamonds,” laughed Gary. “But more than that, we wanted to make money doing something we enjoyed and in the right way for the right reasons – to improve our lives and other peoples’ lives.”
Throughout their learning journey, Gary and Sally created a new vision and Platinum Property Partners gave them the opportunity to achieve that vision. They signed up for a five year franchise, and during that time, built a portfolio of four high-yielding and high quality HMOs (Houses in Multiple Occupation).
The time and money freedom their property business gave them allowed them to go out and live life to the full. They walked the Great Wall of China to raise money for Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO), which was a dream come true, and sightseeing in Rome, Sydney and Vancouver and relaxing in Santorini and Crete were just some of their other adventures.
“It was during one of these holidays that we had a reflective moment,” added Sally. “Having dinner on the beach and watching the sun go down, we realised we’d achieved what we wanted to. We could take at least four holidays a year, care for our families and look forward to a comfortable life. So we took a second to text Steve and say thank you.”
Back in 2012, there was no Alumni renewal option from Platinum Property Partners so naturally, Gary and Sally were happy to leave the franchise, thankful for the business and life they’d created. They continued to manage their HMOs and took the skills and knowledge they had learnt within the network to follow different property investment strategies.
Gary said: “I don’t like paperwork and administration, so after we left Platinum, I joined the National Landlords Association and continued to be active within the local council to keep myself informed. It can be lonely and hard work on your own when you don’t have the support of a network around you, especially as the landscape is always changing, but we’d had good teachers.”
A decade on, and the £300,000 of initial investment they started with before joining Platinum Property Partners has turned into a property portfolio worth £3.6 million. This includes their family home, five HMOs, a single tenancy buy-to-let and a caravan (temporary accommodation while they carry out their current venture). They’ve gained £1.1 million in net equity and generate a monthly profit of £8,440 from property alone, even in a challenging rental market.
Gary and Sally have also been able to practice what Platinum Property Partners preaches, and have done lots of ‘giving back’ and have helped a long list of charities and Sally has been able to achieve her dream, which is to do her job as a nurse for nothing, which she did in Goa.
Sally concluded: “We could never have looked after our parents in the way we have done if it hadn’t been for this journey. Our children flourished in university, emerged without crippling debt and we still enjoy lots of family holidays together. We also took Platinum’s underpinning values on board, and are still dreaming and planning, with the next big project being the refurbishment of our own new (old listed) house. It’s definitely been worth it.”
