In a country where access to housing is the main headache for millions of Spaniards due to high prices and low salaries, a figure emerges who has been able to read the market: Natalia Forest.
This Catalan architect, based in Paris, has gone from not being able to afford a studio in the French capital to managing a portfolio that exceeds 20 homes between England and France.
Contracts with city councils, rent to rent and real estate flips
“They teach us that you have to get good grades to have an organized life, but it didn’t happen like that to me,” Natalia confesses in an interview for the channel Real Estate Adventures. Realizing that her salary as an architect in an expensive city did not allow her to project the future she wanted, she decided to look for passive income.
Their adventure began in England, specifically in peripheral neighborhoods of Scotland and Nottingham. There he applied strategies that today have become a trend in Spain due to the lack of supply: guaranteed rent through city councils or associations where the State directly pays the rent; he Rent to Rent and real estate flips (buying, renovating and dividing buildings to multiply the value of the asset).
8 floors and 11.5% profitability
One of Natalia’s most recent milestones is the acquisition of a building in the north of France for 230,000 euros. The project consists of 200 square meters and will be transformed into eight apartments that will be divided between studios and one-bedroom apartments.
The numbers that this investor manages are enviable for any saver looking to get a return on their money, especially in a market as complex as the current one. Its strategy is based on a profound transformation that includes the installation of state-of-the-art thermal insulation, the total renovation of the electrical system and the assembly of modern and functional kitchens that immediately increase the value of the property.
Thanks to this level of reform, Natalia estimates a minimum income of 3,600 euros per month for renting a single building, even putting herself in the worst possible scenario. This figure translates into a net profitability of 11.5%, an extraordinary performance that demonstrates that creating quality homes is the key to ensuring a powerful and constant cash flow.
Natalia’s strategy
Natalia’s competitive advantage lies in her ability to see volume where others only see debris. “If you walk into a house and want to run away because it’s in ruins, that’s where the opportunity is,” he explains. In one of his most successful investments, he bought an abandoned town house and, after studying the plans, he managed to get three independent apartments that he now exploits through tourist rentals on platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.
For Natalia, the key to success has been training and support. “I didn’t have anyone in my family to explain to me what cash flow. I had to look for mentors,” she says, encouraging other women to take the plunge to achieve the necessary independence that allows them to dedicate time to what really matters.
The keys to this woman’s success are buying cheap, renovating to her liking and knowing how to finance herself. And his great trick is the division of units: he buys huge houses that no one wants and turns them into several modern mini-flats, much easier to rent and with brutal profitability. Thus, it allows you to keep your savings safe while the business grows.