🎙️ Episode Highlights

🌍 From the Shetland Islands to Scaling a Business

-Gavin shares what it was like growing up in the Shetland Islands and why leaving at 18 was almost inevitable if he wanted to build a business.

-With limited local opportunities and a strong entrepreneurial drive, he moved south and began experimenting with online ventures early on.

-Those early years laid the foundations for a mindset focused on independence, problem-solving, and long-term thinking.

🏗️ Building Yatter to Sell — Not to Be the Face of It

-After years of growing a personal brand, Gavin made the strategic decision to build Yatter as a business that could be sold without him.

-He deliberately separated himself from the brand, focused on systems and processes, and avoided relying on his own profile to win work.

-Every decision — from hiring to operations — was made with exitability in mind.

👥 Hiring, Culture & Scaling to a 12-Person Team

-Yatter grew methodically from a one-man band to a 12-person agency without external investment.

-Gavin discusses why he often hired for attitude over experience and trained people internally.

-He challenges the idea that culture is “values on a wall”, explaining that real culture is behaviour, energy, and how people feel walking into the office.

🌐 The “Halo Effect” of Long-Term Marketing

-Some of Yatter’s best clients didn’t convert for months — sometimes over a year — after first seeing ads.

-Gavin describes the “halo effect”, where repeated exposure builds familiarity and trust long before a buying decision is made.

-He explains why attribution is often misleading and why not everything that works can be tracked perfectly.

🤖 AI, Personal Branding & Cutting Through the Noise

-As AI-generated content explodes, Gavin believes personal branding is becoming more important, not less.

-People are increasingly drawn to real voices, real experiences, and genuine opinions.

-He shares how he uses AI as a thinking partner, productivity tool, and decision aid — while warning against relying on it to replace authenticity.

💼 Selling Yatter — A One-Year Exit Process

-Gavin walks through the reality of selling an agency, from hiring M&A advisors to packaging the business for buyers.

-The deal took a full year and was completed one minute before midnight ahead of major tax changes.

-He reflects on the emotional toll of the process and the relief that came with finally closing the deal.

🏡 Property, Wealth & Why Business Came First

-Although Gavin successfully renovated and flipped several properties, he chose not to scale a large portfolio.

-He explains why, for him, capital and energy delivered better returns inside a business than in property.

-Property became a wealth preserver rather than a growth vehicle — a strategic decision based on skillset and time.

🧠 Life After Exit, Identity & What’s Next

-After stepping away completely, Gavin shares the unexpected challenge of redefining identity without a business to run.

-He talks openly about slowing down, spending time with family, and reintroducing sport and balance into daily life.

-The episode closes with a look ahead to his next venture — a tech-led healthcare business built around solving real-world problems.

In this episode of the Scottish Property Podcast, Nick and Steven jump on the mics for a no-guest, no-filter conversation covering what they’re seeing right now in the Scottish property market.

From landlord sentiment and ADS frustrations, to interest rates, buyer behaviour, tenanted sales, and why so many people are quietly exiting the sector, this episode is a candid market update based on real conversations with investors, agents, and landlords across Scotland.

It’s an honest, boots-on-the-ground discussion about what’s actually happening — not what headlines or politicians claim is happening.

🎙️ Episode Highlights:

📊 What’s Really Happening in the Scottish Property Market
-Nick and Steven discuss how the market feels on the ground versus what’s reported in the media.
-While demand is still strong in certain areas, confidence among landlords has clearly shifted.
-Many investors are sitting on their hands, waiting for clarity around legislation, rates, and long-term direction.

🏘️ Why So Many Landlords Are Selling Up
-The guys unpack the growing number of landlords choosing to exit — not because property has “failed”, but because the rules keep changing.
-ADS, tax pressure, compliance fatigue, and uncertainty are pushing small landlords to cash out.
-This is especially true for older landlords who didn’t plan for constant legislative change.

💷 Interest Rates, Stress Tests & Affordability
-Discussion around how higher interest rates have changed deal analysis.
-Stress testing is now non-negotiable — thin-margin deals no longer stack up.
-Nick and Steven explain why yield matters more than ever, and why “hoping rates fall” isn’t a strategy.

⚠️ The Ongoing ADS Problem
-ADS continues to distort the market, especially for portfolio landlords.
-The hosts explain how ADS discourages purchases of tenanted and empty homes — exactly the opposite of what’s needed to improve supply.
-They highlight how simple policy tweaks could unlock thousands of properties without costing the government much at all.

🏠 Selling Tenanted Properties: The Reality
-Nick and Steven talk openly about the challenges landlords face when selling with tenants in situ.
-Poor presentation, lack of documentation, and unrealistic pricing are common mistakes.
-They also explain why specialist agents and realistic expectations are crucial in this part of the market.

🧠 Why Education and Adaptability Matter More Than Ever
-Those still doing well in the market are the ones adapting — not complaining.
-The hosts stress the importance of understanding different strategies, cashflow models, and exit options.
-Standing still in today’s market is effectively moving backwards.

🗣️ Online Noise vs Real Life
-Nick and Steven touch on how social media outrage and comment sections don’t reflect reality.
-Most successful investors are quietly getting on with it, adjusting their models, and making rational decisions.
-The loudest voices online are often the least active in the market.

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In this episode of the Scottish Property Podcast, Nick and Steven are joined by Russel Godferry, a hands-on property investor who shares an honest account of navigating the realities of property investing through changing market conditions, COVID disruption, and shifting tenant behaviour.

Russel talks openly about lessons learned from deals that didn’t go to plan, how his strategy evolved over time, and why resilience, adaptability, and realistic expectations matter far more than hype. This episode is a grounded, experience-led conversation that cuts through “Instagram property” and focuses on what actually happens once you’re in the game.

🎙️ Episode Highlights

🏠 Getting Started in Property — And the Reality Check
Russel shares how he entered property investing with optimism, only to quickly realise that real-world property is far messier than most online success stories suggest.
Early assumptions were tested once properties were live, tenants moved in, and unexpected costs appeared.

🦠 The Impact of COVID on Property Plans
Like many investors, Russel saw plans disrupted almost overnight during COVID.
The episode explores how lockdowns, uncertainty, and tenant issues forced rapid decision-making — and why flexibility became essential for survival.

📉 When Deals Don’t Perform as Expected
Russel speaks candidly about properties that underperformed and why projected numbers often fail to reflect reality.
Void periods, maintenance, rent collection issues, and management challenges all played a role.

🧠 Learning the Hard Way — Then Adapting
Rather than quitting, Russel adjusted his approach.
The conversation highlights the importance of learning from mistakes, reassessing assumptions, and not blindly copying strategies that worked for others in different markets or cycles.

👥 Tenants, Communication & Expectations
A strong focus is placed on tenant relationships and communication.
Russel explains how misunderstandings, poor alignment, or lack of boundaries can quickly turn a “good deal” into a stressful one.

📊 Why Numbers on Paper Aren’t the Whole Story
Nick and Steven dig into why spreadsheet deals can look brilliant but still fail in practice.
Operational reality, personal capacity, and tolerance for stress matter just as much as yield.

🗣️ Honesty vs Hype in Property Education
The episode challenges overly polished property narratives online.
Russel’s experience reinforces that property success is rarely linear — and setbacks are normal, not failure.