Velvet Estates - The Journey

09/01/2024

I had an advert pop up yesterday for a savings account from one of the big banks saying that their current rate is now 4.9% 🤔 not bad really but what if you could get 10%? 😮

That’s more than double and not only that you would help bring a beautiful building back to even better than its former glory for people to enjoy once again! ❤️

We want to offer select people the opportunity to join us on this wonderful adventure and the best part is it won’t impact on your life at all, apart from seeing a great return at the end and enjoying a holiday in one of our beautifully finished apartments in the Forest of Dean 😍😍

16/12/2023

Not sure about this 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

07/12/2023

I had an advert pop up yesterday for a savings account from one of the big banks saying that their current rate is now 4.9% 🤔 not bad really but what if you could get 10%? 😮

That’s more than double and not only that you would help bring a beautiful building back to even better than its former glory for people to enjoy once again! ❤️

Myself and Angharad want to offer select people the opportunity to join us on this wonderful adventure and the best part is it won’t impact on your life at all, apart from seeing a great return at the end and enjoying a holiday in one of our beautifully finished apartments in the Forest of Dean 😍😍

06/12/2023

With the recent downturn in the economy a lot has suffered!

The one thing that will never suffer greatly is property. Sure there may be a slight downturn but that just means there has never been a better time to start.

Did you know that average property prices have trebled in the last 20 years?

The best thing is that you can invest in property without the need to do anything and just sit back to watch your investment grow.

Myself and Angharad are so hugely excited by our current project I think we actually might burst!

Would you like to know more?
Please drop me a message and we can arrange a call or meet up ( I’ll even buy the coffee😉)

16/11/2023

Joe has been off up North for the past two days with our gorgeous mentor Sarah McDermott for a mastermind…staying in one of her stunning properties whilst getting advice and guidance on our project.

I’ve been stuck in the Hot Tubs Rock and Living by Velvet Estates showroom due to staff sickness and I’ve not been very happy about it, still trying to figure out how he got to go off and enjoy dining with a private chef, staying in opulence and hanging out with our friends whilst I got to answer the phone in the office and pack parcels for TikTok shop 🤣🤣🤣

But the animals have kept me entertained ❤️❤️❤️

13/11/2023

Today we’re sending out an agreement for another investor ❤️❤️❤️

Knowing that not only are we bringing a beautiful building back to life, creating a stunning holiday home that will benefit the local community and businesses but we’re helping people grow their money too is an awesome feeling 😮😮

If you want an investor pack just drop us a message…there’s plenty of opportunity from 25k upwards to be involved and get a fixed return plus all your money back!

12/11/2023

It was my birthday yesterday and this is the first year I’ve not gone away but I had a lovely day nonetheless thanks to my beautiful partner in crime Angharad 😍😍

We’ve got lots going on right now between the businesses so it didn’t feel the right thing to abandon it all even for a day!

I had a meeting with an investor on Friday who are investing in our latest project which is amazing and the main reason for their choice brought a tear to my eye 🥲

They’re customers of ours at Hot Tubs Rock and have seen our journey over the past few years from covid times and then through energy hikes and cost of living crisis but we’re still here and going from strength to strength 💪🏻

They have seen that we have the resilience needed to make a success of everything we put our minds to! ❤️❤️

09/11/2023

Joe is obsessed with this TV he’s found in our conversion project…

Seems mad that in our lifetime this was the height of technology 😮😮

06/11/2023

A year ago…I was sparkly and Joe was a social butterfly 🦋

Is too sparkly a thing? Asking for a friend 😂

Joe and I are quite new members of a very special business community that hosted an awards ceremony in London this weekend…a very swanky awards ceremony so we got our glad rags on and headed off to the big smoke!

Anyone who knows me will be aware that I’m a pretty confident, outspoken person that loves to be the centre of attention…now I don’t know if it’s age or if the fact that I didn’t really know the people who were attending but I was properly out of my comfort zone. I was nervous and didn’t really want to put myself out there…desperately looking for people that I knew so that I wouldn’t have to go through the awkwardness of throwing myself at someone that might not be even remotely interested in meeting me 😮

Joe was swanning around in his velvet tux making new friends all over the place - what the actual f**k?? For anyone that knows him, he’s a self declared social re**rd that just wants to sit at home on his sofa in his pants with his cat whilst watching some sort of nonsense on the telly about digging for gold or pimping up cars yet he happily put himself out there whilst I did my best not to 🙄

It would seem the roles are reversing…and maybe I need therapy 😂😂

Hope you’ve all had a fabulous weekend!!

02/11/2023

Take back the power people…that’s what Joe and I are doing!

30/10/2023

It would seem that people aren’t sure what this is all about…investing with us I mean!

So I’m going to deal with a few misconceptions:

You wouldn’t be investing in the business to have shares in it…

You don’t need to put in hundreds of thousands…investment starts from 25k…

You will earn a great rate of interest as well as getting some Velvet Estates perks…

Get all your money back plus an agreed rate of interest at the end of a fixed period…

If you want to know more then give us a shout! Drop a message here or email [email protected]

29/10/2023

Making friends on our property journey…spending time with the right people is crucial!

We are changing our lives and love having these people around us while we do it 💜💜

Yes Joe is dressed as a Gorilla and I couldn’t cope with the feel of his costume it was like wet cotton wool 🤢 hence not having my arm around him 😂😂😂

And I can safely say this was the first sober party that I really relaxed and enjoyed myself…even did karaoke 🎤

28/10/2023

First investor is on board, agreement in place and now he just has to wait to get his interest paid in 12 months time…then he can get his money back too or leave it in for the next project 😮

I wish I could explain how passionate we are about this project and how much we believe in it…

We are making six HIGH END apartments in the Forest of Dean 🌳 and one of those will be fully accessible ♿️

We are bringing life back to the most beautiful building that has been left neglected and unloved for a very long time.

Being so heavily involved in the holiday let industry for the last eight years with Hot Tubs Rock it’s become obvious that this is the next part of our journey 💜💜

27/10/2023

This first project is in the most beautiful Forest of Dean 🌳

A place I’m lucky enough to call home…we’ve got the stunning Wye Valley on the doorstep too 💚

Have you ever visited?

16/10/2023

Think this bathroom needs a bit of TLC 🤣🤣

We’ve just put the finishing touches to our investor pack after having a little flurry of people putting their hands up to say that they’d love to know more about working with us and making money 🤑

Surprising how many people want to invest in something other than banks…I mean they don’t call it ‘safe as banks’ do they?

16/10/2023

In our first project we are planning two hot tubs…maybe three!

These will be run off air source heat pumps to help with energy consumption but also to speed up changeovers…

It’s so exciting having our own businesses to supply these essential elements to the project.

13/10/2023

Last week we met someone while on holiday - let’s call them Bob. Bob had been in a terrible accident and had lost a limb. It became apparent quickly that holidaying with any kind of physical disability is an actual bloody nightmare….

Places call themselves accessible and you might be able to get a wheelchair in the building but then often using any of the facilities is almost impossible.

We were completely taken aback at how privileged we are and how the things we take for granted are not available to all.

With this new found understanding the decision has been made that on this project one of the apartments will be fully accessible. We’ve yet to figure out exactly what that will entail so any input gratefully received 💜💜

Why should anyone have to compromise?

12/10/2023

We are 3 followers away from 700 😮😮😮

Fancy giving us a share or inviting a friend to follow?

We’d be ever so grateful ❤️❤️

Have a picture of some rude chocolate that’s just landed on the shelves at Living by Velvet Estates 🤣

12/10/2023

This post may be personal but it impacts who I am, how I run my businesses and I feel it needs to be shared ❤️❤️

This week marks 12 months alcohol free 😮

That is not something I thought I would ever say and if I’m honest I’ve been shocked at just how easy it’s been…the not drinking part anyway!

I used alcohol to hide behind. Always known as the life and soul of the party. Usually doing something stupid. Not caring who I offended or what state I got in.

Drink featured in my life early on. I’m told that my Dad was most likely an alcoholic and that I showed the same level of love/dependency on it that he did. My only real memories of him are ones that other people have told me and they all involve being in a pub or drinking - even one story where he crashed his car into a ditch on the way home from the pub with me in it.

When I look back it saddens me how much of the past 30 years has been drunk, I’ve got great stories to tell about all my antics but they weren’t me, they were drunk Angharad - an actual whole other person it would seem. It’s safe to say as I was a bloody nightmare 😬

I’ve woken up in places I didn’t know, destroyed relationships, opened myself up to sexual assault, spent an absolute fortune, killed a few brain cells, lost collective months to hangovers, been arrested, lost my driving licence, made really inappropriate decisions and all whilst telling myself I loved a drink…how fu***ng sad is that?

So here I am learning how to ‘enjoy’ myself, how to decompress after a stressful day, how to find my social confidence and that’s the hard part. So if you see me being awkward at an event or declining social situations just bare with me, this Angharad is still finding her feet ❤️❤️

Here’s a photo from the last time I had a drink…feels like a lifetime ago 😮

I want to thank some people who normalised not drinking at the right time for me to make this decision when the rest of the world normalises a life destroying drug that is part of our culture. Hari Fell, Ellie McKay, Sarah Mcdermott and Emma Coops Cooper - I’m grateful xx

And the biggest thank you to my lovely Joe for not only supporting my decision but coming on the journey with me even it was a week later 🤣🤣

11/10/2023

I was telling someone all about our holiday let project today and they had no idea that they could be getting involved in what we’re doing 😮😮

So I got told off and here I am letting you all know that you too can come along on this journey of excitement and intrigue…

Fancy being a property investor without getting your hands dirty or actually having to buy a property?!

It’s a very simple concept really…you get to grow your money whilst doing nothing. Giving far greater returns than any boring bank account. BUT the best bit in my humble opinion is being part of something 💜

I mean as well as making money there’s perks on offer too like free holidays in the beautiful property you had a hand (indirectly) in bringing back to life…

Anyways I’ll not bore you with talk of inflation devaluing your pounds in the bank or how your money would be as safe as houses but just drop me a message if you want to know more!

Here’s a little gem we found in one of the bathrooms - imagine having a cough and diarrhoea. Could be troublesome 🤣🤣

08/10/2023

When you’re planning a grand design then it makes sense to visit Grand Designs 😮

And yes Joe is carrying my handbag 🤣🤣

04/10/2023

Let’s talk about Mentors…

Joe and I firmly believe that learning from people that have done what you want to do is key!

I wouldn’t go to a skint wealth expert, an unfit PT or an anxious confidence coach so why would we look for a property mentor without the portfolio or the ability to walk the walk 😮😮

Back in June last year we attended a weeklong course run by Sarah McDermott the founder of Maison Parfaite - Luxury holiday homes on high end serviced accommodation. The course was run in one of her stunning properties not some hotel conference room, we were fed by the private chef offered to her guests and we were given the opportunity to hear from people within her organisation as well as outside suppliers.

We’ve become friends with her, her family and with the other amazing people in Sarah’s world that are on the same journey ❤️❤️

And here we are, finally ready to move on our first project (yes we were slow off the starting block) with Sarah supporting us along the way…she’s pulls no punches, takes no prisoners but does it all with a huge smile on her face from a place of confidence, experience and kindness.

What’s the purpose of this post? I suppose it’s to let you all know that whilst this may be our first rodeo, we aren’t doing it blind and we have the right people behind us…our individual experience in business, my background in engineering, Joe’s as an electrician and the best property mentor on the whole planet means this is going to be epic 🔥🔥

Here’s a pic of us in Ibiza…there was one with Joe in too but I looked fat 🤣🤣🤣

02/10/2023

We cannot wait to get to the stage where we can start thinking about furnishings 💜💜

What kind of look to you lean towards when booking a holiday let??

Light and airy
Shabby chic
Dark and opulent

Or something else??

Think I might start a Pinterest thingy 🧐

27/09/2023

I saw a post on FB today where a local business was promoting their holiday let’s and there was a comment from a lady which said nothing other than and for a second I got on my high horse but quickly demounted when I thought about it a bit more…

There seems to be a perception that holiday homes are a bad thing…now I think there’s been some confusion, as to me I think this started with the ‘second home’ boom that we had where properties were left empty for months at a time and people couldn’t afford to buy homes in the towns and villages where they grew up.

Holiday let’s are not this. Well all the ones I know positively impact and contribute to the communities that they are in. Jobs for house keeping, bringing more people in to the area which brings more money, more opportunity, hospitality in particular is given a big boost by tourism and I can’t honestly see a negative point.

And with regards to people not being able to buy their own homes then there’s no one else to blame but our government and the banking system!

So what’s the point of this post. There isn’t one really big I wanted to help people realise that holiday let’s aren’t necessarily a bad thing.

Certainly what we are doing is taking empty, unloved and properties not really suitable for family homes and bringing them back to life with the intention to bring something good to the local area.

So people please don’t go into a panic over holiday let’s….they can be a force for good too ❤️❤️❤️

What do you think??

24/09/2023

We’ve been on this journey for over a year now and whilst we’ve been trying to find the ‘right’ first project we started a whole other business 🤣🤣🤣

It’s kind of what we do!

So I thought I’d tell you about it and why we did it…

Living by Velvet Estates was launched last December while we were looking for a great supplier to help us furnish the holiday let’s when we were ready!

Joe and I were at a trade show and just had a lightbulb moment that it would make total sense for us to be the supplier of our own furnishings so then not only do we control the supply chain but also we can advertise the ability for our guests to take a bit of their holiday home by being able to visit our beautiful showroom and purchase them items they fell in love with during their stay 💚💚

So that’s what we did…I mean it wasn’t quite that random as we already offered outdoor living through Hot Tubs Rock so it seemed like the perfect addition to our existing business!

That’s the reason for the name too…as lots of people ask me and now I hope it makes a bit more sense 👌

The best bit is that we can now offer these beautiful furnishings to others on the same journey as we’ve secured commercial lending and lease options too 😮😮😮

Why not check it out www.livingbyve.co.uk

20/09/2023

It’s been a good six months since you’ve heard from us at Velvet Estates 😮😮

The life of a business owner is chaotic at best and it’s been a rollercoaster of a few months for us…

The house we were proceeding with in West Wales didn’t pan out, when the decision was made not to proceed it actually felt like a relief so we knew it wasn’t the right project for us.

Since then we decided to not look for another property as Hot Tubs Rock needed our undivided attention to keep it on the straight and narrow…and we used that time to also launch Outdoorology which meant extracting various products from the hot tub business so they are easier to market.

What we didn’t stop doing was our monthly training and development of our property knowledge! We’ve been heading off up to Yorkshire every month to spend time with our mentor Sarah McDermott the fabulous founder of Maison Parfaite - Luxury holiday homes 💚💚

Knowing that holiday let’s are where we really can change our lives it’s never far from our mind but the right timing for our other businesses and the right property were a crucial mix…and here we are stood in looking at a SOLD board on the first Velvet Estates project 🥹🥹

Conveyancing is under way, full structural survey has been done, project manager sourced, architect instructed and we are counting down the days till we can get the keys 🔑

I don’t want to give too much away about the house yet until it’s ours as we’ve been here before, however this is THE ONE!

So excited I could pop 💥

22/03/2023

Two months after first viewing this property we are very pleased to say that we have an offer accepted on it!

Hope you’re ready for the journey…it starts here ❤️❤️

05/02/2023

Through this dirty and pretty sh*te window you can just about catch a glimpse of the sea 💜💜

We’ve been back to Saundersfoot…the structural engineer hasn’t condemned the wall and now we’ve had a quote for dealing with the dodgy trees so it’s all systems go 😮😮

Watch this space to see if our offer gets accepted 🙏