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Property as a Product: The Design Decisions That Increase Profit and Reduce Pain w/ Julian Maurice

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Key Topics Covered:

1. Design as Custodianship, Not Decoration

  • Julian explains that design is about how a property works, not just how it looks in photos.
  • He links design to long term wealth planning: like pensions, it’s too important to leave entirely in someone else’s hands.
  • The goal is performance over years: easy lettings, happy tenants, fewer repairs, and a product that holds value.

2. The Big Mindset Shift: Property Is a Business and a Product

  • Julian challenges the word “investment” and suggests landlords are really buying a business.
  • Each property is a living, breathing product that gets used, abused, and needs managing.
  • If you don’t treat it like a business, it can quietly become a liability over five to ten years.

3. How Properties Become Liabilities Over Time

  • Poor design and poor maintenance create a snowball effect: worse condition attracts worse tenants, which accelerates deterioration.
  • Julian shares examples of developments becoming hard to sell or even “unmortgageable” due to maintenance and management issues.
  • Legacy matters: many children don’t want property, so dumping a problematic asset onto them creates stress, not wealth.

4. Why You Can’t Abdicate Design to Architects and Builders

  • Plans can pass planning and building regs but still be awful to live in.
  • Common issues include impractical layouts, no storage, poor kitchen design, and bathrooms that don’t function properly.
  • Julian introduces the “good, fast, cheap” triangle: you can pick two, but not all three, and landlords pay the price later if they chase cheap and fast.

5. Practical Design Thinking for HMOs and High Use Properties

  • In HMOs, the room is the tenant’s home, so it must support multiple functions, not just sleep.
  • Flow matters: kitchens, waste, smells, and shared spaces can make or break tenant experience and long term value.
  • Lighting and electrics are often done to a builder’s default spec, but that can create uncomfortable living and higher churn.

6. Serviced Accommodation Is an Experience Business

  • Short stay guests want something boutique and memorable, not copy and paste.
  • Julian recommends living in your serviced accommodation for a week to spot friction points: heating controls, WiFi, TV, keys, lighting, and usability.
  • Service quality affects reviews, and reviews affect profitability. He references research suggesting superhost status can significantly lift margins.

7. The Commercial Upside: Small Design Changes, Big Profit and Value Gains

  • Julian shares an example where improving presentation helped increase rent by £150 per month, which translated into a major profit uplift.
  • He highlights how many landlords don’t know their true profit margin, and confuse turnover with profit.
  • Improving existing assets often delivers faster ROI than buying new ones, especially if older stock is dragging performance down.

8. How Julian Helps Investors: Training and Hands On Support

  • Julian trains investors to become “design aware” and “design led” without needing to be designers.
  • He offers remote consults (including Zoom based reviews), layout planning, electrical plans, materials specs, and project support via WhatsApp.
  • His core message: be involved, be informed, and take control of the decisions that shape income and maintenance.

Actionable Takeaways

  • Treat each property like a business product, not a passive investment.
  • Design for performance: durability, usability, flow, and maintenance, not just photos.
  • Don’t assume architects and builders will design a home that works, review layouts with real living in mind.
  • Audit your existing portfolio before buying more, older assets may be dragging your returns down.
  • Know your numbers: profit margin, not just rent, and understand how small rent uplifts can multiply profit.
  • For serviced accommodation, test the experience yourself and tighten service, reviews drive revenue.
  • Adopt the custodian mindset: build assets your children would actually want to inherit.

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