Reena Malra
Property Investment Queen
Empowering Women To Build A Better Future.
Hi, I’m honored you’ve taken the time to find out more about me. Read on to learn about my journey, how I set about building my property portfolio, and why my mission has become to empower the next generation of female property investors!
Humble Beginnings
Born in Tanzania, East Africa and brought up in New Delhi, India, it was never my intention to move to England.
With a strict focus on education and sport, I was well set in my native country until I was forced to move to England and leave my whole life behind.
When my Dad got ill, the whole family moved over in search of treatment and what was meant to be a temporary stay inadvertently turned into a permanent one.
Huge upheaval for anyone at any age!
Young, naïve, with broken English and barely a penny to my name, I was thrust into a completely new culture. Things were tough to say the least!
My Values & Beliefs
Unlocking Women's True Potential.
Things are changing but nearly fast enough, that’s why my latest focus has been to empower women to believe they too can build a better future. Property is traditionally a man’s world but it won’t be for long!
Persist until you succeed.
You can’t help but succeed if you don’t give up. Take action, evaluate, tweak and go again. Having a strong and compelling reason for change is what will drive you to persist when things don’t go to plan.
Focus on solutions, not profits.
Property is about people. Due diligence is important but nothing will secure more deals than taking genuine care and interest in someone’s circumstances and helping them with their property problem.
Quality over Quantity.
Growing a portfolio isn’t a competition, it doesn’t matter who has more properties. Cashflow is the only metric that counts, why have 10 properties to manage when you could make the same cash from 5?
Entering The Rat Race
Starting from the bottom, I had no idea what the concept of a ‘rat race’ was but I was soon going to find out!
My sole goal was to get employed but first I had to polish up my skills by educating myself in line with what was expected in this new foreign country. Temporary administrator jobs followed, part-time to full-time, I gained experience slowly but surely.
I was beginning to get a taste of what was to come, my freedom was quickly disappearing and work steadily became my main priority. Things were difficult, everything was so new, and I was relieved of my duties on more than one occasion!
That taught me a lot about job security and the perils of leaving your financial destiny in someone else’s hands…
Landing My Dream Job
After each stint of employment, I’d seek to better myself and improve what I had to offer. I became very ambitious in the workplace and hungry for promotions. Little did I know this thirst to climb the corporate ladder wouldn’t come without great sacrifice and certainly isn’t all it’s cracked up to be either!
After years of giving my all to further my career, I thought I’d finally landed my ‘dream job’, a consultancy role and a well-established IT outsourcing company, where I worked for 14 years.
By this point I had got married, started a family, was well educated, developed a great CV and now had the well-paying job to match. I kept my head down, worked super hard and hit all the traditional milestones.
I thought I’d made it, this is the path everyone is told to take, right?!
The Beginning of the Exit…
Sadly, the consequences of such ambition and desire began to take its toll.
Time was a big issue, there just wasn’t enough of it! I was rushing around everywhere trying to keep everyone happy. The job was stressful enough but on top of it I had to balance my family life, having already waved goodbye to any social life!
I was beginning to resent what I signed up for. The commuting, politics, long hours, stress, travel and lack of freedom… it was all becoming too much for me, I wasn’t able to enjoy what I deemed a reasonable quality of life with my young family!
The trouble was, I needed the money, we had adapted our lifestyles to be dependent on a high level of income, so my job was hugely important. I was well and truly stuck in the rat race and couldn’t see a way out!
The Beginning of the Exit…
Sadly, the consequences of such ambition and desire began to take its toll.
Time was a big issue, there just wasn’t enough of it! I was rushing around everywhere trying to keep everyone happy. The job was stressful enough but on top of it I had to balance my family life, having already waved goodbye to any social life!
I was beginning to resent what I signed up for. The commuting, politics, long hours, stress, travel and lack of freedom… it was all becoming too much for me, I wasn’t able to enjoy what I deemed a reasonable quality of life with my young family!
The trouble was, I needed the money, we had adapted our lifestyles to be dependent on a high level of income, so my job was hugely important. I was well and truly stuck in the rat race and couldn’t see a way out!
The Beginning of the Exit…
Sadly, the consequences of such ambition and desire began to take its toll.
Time was a big issue, there just wasn’t enough of it! I was rushing around everywhere trying to keep everyone happy. The job was stressful enough but on top of it I had to balance my family life, having already waved goodbye to any social life!
I was beginning to resent what I signed up for. The commuting, politics, long hours, stress, travel and lack of freedom… it was all becoming too much for me, I wasn’t able to enjoy what I deemed a reasonable quality of life with my young family!
The trouble was, I needed the money, we had adapted our lifestyles to be dependent on a high level of income, so my job was hugely important. I was well and truly stuck in the rat race and couldn’t see a way out!
Finding A New Way
After thinking long and hard, I decided I needed a new income stream to take some of the burden of my employment and hopefully free up some time.
I’d become increasingly disillusioned with the average way of life, despite all the knockbacks, I still managed to do the classic go to school, get good grades, work hard, get a good job and climb the corporate ladder. It just couldn’t provide me with the lifestyle I so badly craved.
Property investment had always interested me, I knew that most of the wealthiest individuals in the world either become wealthy because of property or later ploughed their money into property when they made it.
I hoped that by buying a few properties, I could supplement my employment income, and this would help better satisfy my needs for greater work/life balance. I wanted to start living life on my terms again, aiming to eventually replace my income and quit the rat race for good!
A few other terms that really caught my attention were ‘financial freedom’ and ‘passive income’. I knew that if I educated myself, took action and was persistent, there was no reason I couldn’t achieve an element of both through property. I wanted to eradicate my money worries and not have to work in order to earn money. It wasn’t just about earning a lot, I needed freedom in terms of time too.
Divorce and Single Motherhood
For years my physical and mental health deteriorated without me appreciating it.
For this and a variety of other reasons, my marriage broke down, but not without a lengthy, bitter and traumatic court case where I temporarily lost custody over my two boys. You don’t require much imagination to understand quite the impact that had on me.
I was left to juggle the ever-increasing demands of my employment with my new role as a single mum of 2 young boys, aged 4 and 10.
I did everything I could to make it work, like every parent, I wanted the absolute best for my kids, but I knew there was no substitute for quality time with them.
Getting The Property Bug
We had bought property before for ourselves to live in and saved and upgraded a few times. Each time we had to sell to buy, I always wished there was a way to hang on to the property to profit from rental income and equity growth. This is where I first got the bug for serviced accommodation!
Over time, I managed to grow a very modest portfolio in the UK, but I didn’t have the time or the resources to do any more than that.
My employment led me to spend some time in the US; by this point, my confidence was growing, and I was looking to further my education in search of better returns. I knew only one way to buy and sell property, but I was open to creative strategies such as ‘below market value’ and ‘lease options.’ I jumped at the chance to grow my portfolio there and looked forward to utilizing the strategies back home.
Getting The Property Bug
We had bought property before, for ourselves to live in, we had saved and upgraded a few times. Each time we had to sell in order to buy, I always wished there was a way to hang on to the property in order to profit from rental income and equity growth. I guess this where I first got the bug for property!
Over time, I managed to grow a very modest portfolio in the UK, but I didn’t have the time or the resources to do any more than that.
My employment led me to spend some time in the US, by this point my confidence was growing and I was on the lookout to further my education in search of better returns. I only knew about one way to buy and sell property, but here my eyes were opened to creative strategies such as ‘below market value’ and ‘lease options’. I jumped at the chance to grow my portfolio there and looked forward to utilising the strategies back home.
Getting The Property Bug
We had bought property before, for ourselves to live in, we had saved and upgraded a few times. Each time we had to sell in order to buy, I always wished there was a way to hang on to the property in order to profit from rental income and equity growth. I guess this where I first got the bug for property!
Over time, I managed to grow a very modest portfolio in the UK, but I didn’t have the time or the resources to do any more than that.
My employment led me to spend some time in the US, by this point my confidence was growing and I was on the lookout to further my education in search of better returns. I only knew about one way to buy and sell property, but here my eyes were opened to creative strategies such as ‘below market value’ and ‘lease options’. I jumped at the chance to grow my portfolio there and looked forward to utilising the strategies back home.
Hitting Rock Bottom
I really thought things were on the up, I’d overcome some adversity, settled into my new role as a single mum and was working hard on exiting the rat race by growing a property portfolio…
But sometimes life has a way of telling you you’re getting too comfortable again.
In 2008, the global financial crisis struck and little did I know I was about to hit rock bottom.
I wasn’t ready to quit employment yet, I thought I needed to earn more from property to be safe, as I couldn’t in any way neglect my children’s future.
Turns out I didn’t have a choice in the matter, as I was made redundant!
My ‘safety blanket’ that I had worked 14 years for was taken away in an instant and my bread and butter monthly income was gone.
That was the push I didn’t know I needed at the time; it was a blessing in disguise. Truth be told I was scared, who did I think I was, a single mother thinking they could leave traditional employment behind to run a property investment business?!
Leap of Faith
Rather than taking the safe route and jumping into another corporate role, I decided it was now or never, I definitely did not want to be sucked back into the rat race!
Property investment was my ticket out, it was the perfect vehicle to offer an escape to become my own boss and give my children the kind of lifestyle that I never had.
I knew it was a risky time to start a solo full-time property venture, but I also knew there was an abundance of opportunity in a down market, I just needed to educate myself.
The banks weren’t lending as the property market had completely crashed, so I couldn’t build my portfolio in the way I had done previously. This is where the valuable knowledge I gained from my trips to the US came in handy and I could see an angle that would help me grow when most people were selling up. I got my head down again and invested in my education, this time travelling to Australia to learn more.
With creative strategies such as lease options, I was able to control rather than buy properties, for the same if not greater benefits and without needing a deposit or to take out a new mortgage. I was simply stepping in to help people in need, who had been badly scolded by the economic situation.
Taste of Success
I began to feel like all the cash and time I devoted towards increasing my property education was starting to pay off.
After making one simple adjustment in my approach, the deals started to flow in. Rather than focusing on how much money I was going to make, I started to focus solely on how I could help provide solutions for people in need instead.
Sounds easy but most people don’t do this!
Of course, doing your due diligence and knowing your numbers is very important but you won’t get close to a deal unless you take time to build genuine rapport and this where I blew the competition out of the water.
These property strategies ensured not only my survival during the financial crisis but allowed me to me to assemble a multi-million-pound property portfolio with a high 6-figure income.
Going into property full-time was possibly one of the best decisions of my entire life!
Taste of Success
I began to feel like all the cash and time I devoted towards increasing my property education was starting to pay off.
After making one simple adjustment in my approach, the deals started to flow in. Rather than focusing on how much money I was going to make, I started to focus solely on how I could help provide solutions for people in need instead.
Sounds easy but most people don’t do this!
Of course, doing your due diligence and knowing your numbers is very important but you won’t get close to a deal unless you take time to build genuine rapport and this where I blew the competition out of the water.
These property strategies ensured not only my survival during the financial crisis but allowed me to me to assemble a multi-million-pound property portfolio with a high 6-figure income.
Going into property full-time was possibly one of the best decisions of my entire life!
Becoming the ‘Queen’
I’ve always been a firm believer in education and a massive realisation for me was that it didn’t have to come from a school or university.
What I was able to learn from webinars, seminars and mentorships is what set me up for the life I have now.
Due to my success with the Lease Option strategy in particular, I was affectionately labelled the ‘Queen of Options’.
This later evolved into the more wide-ranging title of ‘Property Investment Queen’, as people associated me with several different creative strategies such as Rent 2 Rent, Serviced Accommodation & Deal Packaging.
Inspiring Others
My next move was yet another unexpected one, I was very content with life, my boys were growing up and our financial future was very secure thanks to property. I always wanted to be in a position to leave a legacy for them and thankfully I was able to do that.
At this stage, I was regarded as one of the UK’s best known female creative property investors and received many invitations to speak at events across the country.
Without planning on it, as my success became known to more people, I was being asked to train and mentor other students. This was my first foray into the property education industry, and I loved it! I found I was able to inspire people with my story and help deliver results for them, which was awesome!
So now not only did I want to help property owners, my new drive became to help the next generation of property investors, who felt trapped just like I did.
Passing the Torch
In 2013, after 4 years of training and mentoring other people’s students, I decided that with the help of my recently graduated son, I was going to open my own property education company.
It really was a landmark moment for me, after all we’d been through as a family, and I’m proud to say we’re still working together today.
It wouldn’t have been possible for me to grow this new venture alone, as I didn’t want to stop investing in property myself. As an active investor, I’m able to provide my students with the most up to date knowledge and experience, working in the present market.
We quickly developed a reputation for providing a personal learning experience, where I worked very closely with all my students. I’m exceptionally passionate about helping them succeed in changing their lives, just as I did.
We’ve had nearly 3000 students through our education programmes and it’s been a wonderful journey helping facilitate their escape from being overworked and underpaid in their 9-5.
Passing the Torch
In 2013, after 4 years of training and mentoring other people’s students, I decided that with the help of my recently graduated son, I was going to open my own property education company.
It really was a landmark moment for me, after all we’d been through as a family, and I’m proud to say we’re still working together today.
It wouldn’t have been possible for me to grow this new venture alone, as I didn’t want to stop investing in property myself. As an active investor, I’m able to provide my students with the most up to date knowledge and experience, working in the present market.
We quickly developed a reputation for providing a personal learning experience, where I worked very closely with all my students. I’m exceptionally passionate about helping them succeed in changing their lives, just as I did.
We’ve had nearly 3000 students through our education programmes and it’s been a wonderful journey helping facilitate their escape from being overworked and underpaid in their 9-5.
Empowering Women
However, after 6 years of success, one thing really bugged me…. Women were still very much the minority in the property industry!
This was something that really frustrated me and as a woman who made it, I felt compelled to give back to the cause.
This wasn’t an anti-men movement but I wanted to create a pro-women environment and so we opened our doors for women only events to help provide the platform to give women the confidence to springboard from.
Our aim now is to empower women to create a better future for themselves and their loved ones, by helping them to unlock their true potential. Long may we continue to do so!
Reena Malra – Property Investment Queen – Creative Property Mastery Ltd. 2009-2023. All Rights Reserved.
Reena Malra – Property Investment Queen –
Creative Property Mastery Ltd. 2009-2023.
All Rights Reserved.
Reena Malra – Property Investment Queen – Creative Property Mastery Ltd. 2009-2023. All Rights Reserved.