Looking up in London

There is a word (but not necessarily the only word)that I would use to describe the current property market: patchy. The London market has recovered pretty well in the past year or so in terms of both value and demand, particularly in the West End. The City isn't quite so good and out of Central London, well, don't ask.

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Double up to win

I learned early on in my career that it would be almost impossible to make it big in property on my own. I was good at finding the right stock but finding the cash hasn't always been easy. That hasn't changed. Everybody knows that at the moment, the banks are reluctant to lend in any significant way.

I did my first joint venture when I was 20. I found a property, approached someone I knew to put up the money, bought it, turned it and split the profit - all on a handshake. Imagine.

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I'm looking at car parks for new ideas

After a flurry of activity at the beginning of the year, my sense is that the property industry has quietened down again.

It could be post-election lethargy, the prospect of a long-awaited summer, the World Cup or, maybe, most of the population is too busy queuing up for iPads to do any business. It's probably that the market can't take its finger off the pause button because the banks still aren't lending in any meaningful way.

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Expert view: In property, location is still king

I’ve just spent a fantastic holiday in Tel Aviv — and what a place it is. I have to confess that I’ve hardly been there in years and the change is remarkable. As a food addict, it was heaven. The restaurants are amazing. So are the Israelis.

They are having a bit of a property boom over there, so I had a quick look around to see if there were any opportunities. We’ll see.

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Expert view: 'I'm still not buying'

Now that Yom Kippur is behind us for another year I feel relieved and refreshed. I didn’t have to do too much praying because I lead a virtually sin-free life, but I had plenty of time to reflect on two of my favourite things — food (and my resolution, following hypnotherapy, not to eat so much of it) and property.

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Expert View: We are at the bottom now

I am feeling reasonably optimistic. The last few months of 2008 were grim. The recession came as a shock — not the reality of it, but the way I felt about it.

I wasn’t sure I had the energy for another economic downturn. Thankfully, that mood passed. My business has been through a thorough “service”, is fit and healthy and I am up for the challenge of the next phase. If you are an entrepreneur, you cannot sit on your hands. You have to change.

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Expert view: Landlords, keep your tenants happy

Any business needs to keep its customers happy, so why should tenants be any different?

They are the lifeblood of a property company and it’s a brave landlord who would risk falling out with a good occupier today.

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Expert view: Business bad? Go for a workout

When the financial world - as we once knew it - is falling apart around you, being fit and healthy is crucial.

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Expert view: The depression isn’t so depressing

So the property market isn't great. But you know what? We had a pretty good run. Unlike others, I didn't stop buying two or three years back because I didn't want to miss out on a rising market. I might have regrets about one or two buildings we bought at the end of the run, but I did so well on the way up, it doesn't really matter. It's no good being greedy.

Things are horribly quiet at the moment. You can tell that times are bad when people spend more time hanging around at receptions. They are not itching to get back to the office because there's not much to do.

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