Director Clear-Investments | Build to Rent | Specialised In Dealing With High Net Worth Individuals In UK & Internationally

I help investors secure genuine off-market London property with speed, discretion, and clean title — not recycled listings.

Trusted by family offices, HNWIs, and private investors, I specialise in sourcing prime residential and BTR opportunities across Zones 1–3 — from Chelsea to Hampstead — through direct-to-vendor relationships that others rarely access.

My approach is simple: deliver real access and real execution. Every deal is structured with clarity, legal integrity, and investor pace — working closely with trusted lawyers, finance brokers, and planners to make decisions happen fast.

Clients work with me because I value trust over transaction and precision over pressure. Whether it’s a single apartment or a multi-unit block, I’m focused on long-term partnerships, not one-off deals.

Outside of property, I’m a competitive cyclist — and that mindset of discipline, endurance, and focus shapes how I operate in business too.

If you’re allocating capital in London residential property or want boots-on-the-ground sourcing with genuine access, let’s connect.

Iftikhar Ahmed

I’m back after a two-month break from LinkedIn.

And a few things changed while I was away.

First, LinkedIn feels louder than before.
More opinions. More noise. Less depth.

Second, everyone seems to be in a rush to sell something.

Faster pitches. 
Shorter attention. 
Quicker judgments.

And third, genuine conversations feel rarer.
But when they happen, they matter more than ever.

But more than all of that, something else happened.

When I opened LinkedIn after those two months, I saw hundreds of unread messages.

Messages saying:

“Ifti, are you okay?”
“Where did you disappear?”
“Hope everything is fine on your end.”
“LinkedIn doesn’t feel the same without your insights.”

I didn’t expect that.

And that’s when it hit me.

Over the last year, without being loud or trying to impress, I had built something real.

Not just content.
Not just visibility.

A small, loyal community of people who cared beyond the post.

And that means a lot to me.

So yes, I’m back.
But things will be different this time.

This profile won’t be about surface-level updates or chasing attention.

I’ll be sharing what I’ve learned from 25 years on the ground in Central London property,
the realities people don’t talk about,
the decisions that protect reputations,
and the thinking that helps trusted advisors serve their clients better.

I want this space to be about meaningful conversations,

with people who value discretion, long-term thinking, and doing things the right way, even when it’s not the easiest way.

If you believe relationships matter more than transactions, and clarity matters more than noise,

we’ll get along just fine.

Good to be back.

P.S. - How has the new year been treating you so far?

Director Clear-Investments| Scaling London Property Portfolios | Bulk Acquisitions & Bespoke Sourcing for Global HNWIs |

One thing I’ve never negotiated with in my life is my health.

Not when work gets busy.
Not when travel gets hectic.
Not even when the days get long.

For me, staying fit isn’t about looking a certain way. 

It’s about clarity, stamina, and showing up fully, year after year.

Cycling has always helped me with that. 

Some days it’s the only time my mind slows down. 

Over the years, I’ve realised that if you want to stay sharp in your career, especially over decades, your body has to keep up with your responsibilities.

If you don’t take care of it, everything else eventually pays the price, focus, decision-making, even temperament.

I’ve seen many talented people burn out not because they lacked skill, but because they ignored the basics for too long.

For me, fitness is not a break from work.

It’s part of how I stay sharp, grounded, and dependable.

And In my opinion long careers aren’t built on intensity alone.

They’re built on sustainability.

And that starts with taking responsibility for your own health, before anything else.

A few years ago, a senior advisor called me late one evening.

He wasn’t asking for a deal.
He wasn’t asking for numbers.

He said, “Iftikhar, I have a long-standing client. 

Very particular, Very private. I can’t afford to get this wrong.”

I knew exactly what he meant.

When you sit in that position, private banker, wealth manager, family office principal, the risk isn’t just financial.

It’s reputational.

You’re not judged on effort.
You’re judged on outcomes.

And the truth is, most advisors don’t lose clients because they lack intent or intelligence.

They lose them because they were forced to rely on the wrong execution partner at the wrong moment.

-Generic agents.
-Over-promised access.
-Or someone who understood the price but not the responsibility.

In Central London, that margin for error is razor thin.

This is why, over the years, I stopped thinking in terms of “transactions” and started thinking in terms of protection.

-> Protecting the client from bad decisions.
-> Protecting the advisor from uncomfortable explanations.
-> Protecting trust that took decades to build.

That evening, I didn’t show listings.
I didn’t pitch.

I asked questions.
I explained what was realistic, what wasn’t, and where patience mattered more than speed.

That client eventually invested. Quietly and Correctly.

And the advisor kept his relationship intact.

This is the part of the business that rarely gets discussed publicly.
But it’s the part that matters most.

If you’re in a position where your name is attached to every recommendation you make, you’ll understand exactly what I’m talking about.

Because in the end, access is important.

But judgement is everything.

What’s the biggest risk you try to protect your clients from, a bad deal or a bad experience?

After all these years, one thing still surprises me.

The most difficult part of this work is not finding opportunities.

It’s knowing when not to act.

Early in my career, I believed speed was an advantage.

Respond quickly. Move fast. Close efficiently.

With time, I learned something different.

The best decisions often come from restraint.

From saying, “Not yet.”
From walking away when something doesn’t feel right, even if it looks good on paper.

When you’re advising people who’ve taken decades to build wealth, haste becomes a liability.

And patience becomes a form of respect.

Some of the strongest relationships I’ve built didn’t start with a transaction.

They started with an honest conversation where the answer was no.

No pressure.
No urgency.
Just clarity.

This approach doesn’t make noise.
But it builds something far more valuable over time, trust.

And trust, in this world, compounds quietly.

There’s something about working with very successful people that no one really tells you.

The money isn’t the hard part.
The emotions are.

When someone has spent decades building wealth, every decision carries history. 

Past wins. 
Past losses. 
Family expectations.
Fear of making a mistake.
Regret. 
Pride. 

And all of that walks into the room with them.

As advisors, we’re often expected to be calm, confident, and certain. 

But behind that, there’s a lot of listening that needs to happen before anything sensible can move forward.

I’ve learned over time that the most important thing you can offer in those moments isn’t a solution.

It’s composure.

The ability to slow things down, to read what isn’t being said, and to know when reassurance matters more than action.

This part of the work doesn’t show up in numbers or reports.

But it’s where trust is either built or quietly lost.

If you’ve ever sat across from someone who had everything to gain and everything to lose, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

One thing that surprises people outside this market is this:

Most Central London deals don’t fall apart at the start.
They fall apart after everyone thinks it’s done.

Price agreed.
Hands shaken.
Client excited.

And then the real work begins.

This is where assumptions surface, expectations clash, timelines stretch, and small misunderstandings quietly turn into big problems.

At this stage, it’s no longer about negotiation skills.

It’s about judgement, patience, and knowing how these situations usually unravel if not handled carefully.

Over the years, I’ve learned that closing a deal is rarely the hardest part.

Protecting it through the final stretch is.

That’s why experience matters most when things slow down, not when they move fast.

Because in this market, confidence is built not on how quickly you agree, but on how calmly you handle what comes after.

P.S- Where do you see deals break down most often, early excitement or late execution?

Everyone talks about off-market property.

Very few understand what it actually means.

In Central London, off-market is not about secrecy or special listings. 

It’s about trust, timing, and long-standing relationships.

Developers don’t “release” inventory quietly by accident. 

They do it because they know 

-> Who can execute
-> Who won’t waste time
-> Who understands the responsibility that comes with introducing the right buyer.

After 25 years on the ground, I’ve learned this:

Access is built long before a deal ever exists.

That’s why relying on generic agents or last-minute sourcing often puts advisors in uncomfortable positions with their best clients.

The real work happens much earlier.

In conversations, credibility, and consistency.

P.S- Do you think off-market is about information, or relationships?

Most difficult conversations in my work don’t start with numbers.

They start when someone says,
“My client wants this… but I’m not sure the market will allow it.”

That gap is where things usually get uncomfortable.

Over the years, I’ve learned that my real role isn’t to push ambition or defend the market. 

It’s to sit calmly in the middle and make sure neither side loses trust in the process.

Clients don’t mind hearing no.
They mind being surprised later.

Advisors don’t mind slowing down.
They mind having to explain things after the fact.

When expectations and reality are aligned early, decisions age well.

They make sense today, and they’re still easy to stand by years later.

That’s the kind of outcome I care about.

Reposting because this one made me smile (and reminded me how many hills I’ve suffered on 😂).

Proof that some of the best professional relationships don’t start in boardrooms — they start in lycra, bad weather, and long conversations halfway up a climb.

Really grateful for the friendship, the miles, the laughs, and the trust that came long before any “business chat” ever did. 🚴‍♂️🤝

Some of the strongest professional relationships start nowhere near an office. 

Mine with Iftikhar Ahmed started on a bike.

We got to know each other through riding for Mearns Cycling Club, where Iftikhar is the club captain, and spending long hours together on the roads. 

What followed was cycling trips overseas, plenty of shared miles, conversations, challenges and laughs.

Over time, that shared passion for cycling and property turned into a genuine friendship. Anyone who cycles knows it has a way of breaking down barriers quickly, you learn a lot about people when you’re suffering on hills together!

At the time, there was no thought of business. But that foundation of trust, respect and shared values eventually made it natural for our paths to cross professionally.

Photo credit: Akbar Mufti 📸

Most of the work I do never shows up in a headline or a listing.

It happens in quiet conversations, usually when someone says,
“I need to get this right.”

At this level, the pressure isn’t about finding something quickly.

It’s about knowing that one wrong move can change how a client looks at you forever.

That’s why I’ve learned to value judgement over speed, and discretion over visibility.

The people I work with aren’t chasing opportunities.

They’re protecting relationships.

And when trust is the real currency, how you move matters just as much as what you deliver.

If you’ve ever felt that weight, you’ll understand exactly why this process exists.

Bill H.

With a foundational career in real estate investment, my expertise lies in spearheading multifamily property acquisitions across New York, Florida, and Tennessee. The core of my work at Hamel and Collecting Real Estate involves strategic asset management and capital raising, consistently expanding a portfolio that has reached a cumulative $70 million in properties.

My passion extends beyond real estate to the discipline of ultramarathon training, mirroring the endurance and commitment I bring to each investment project. We have successfully transitioned from managing smaller assets to focusing on larger communities, leveraging my experience to maximize investor returns and set new benchmarks in the industry.

Owner

We have owned and managed a high volume of multifamily real estate since 1993.  We specialize in Apartment community acquisitions, Asset Management and Capital Raising.

One of my best-performing investments came from a conversation. not a cold call.
A friend and local operator invited me into a project in Upstate NY.

The deal was repositioned in under a year.

We added 40% in value.
And I barely had to lift a finger.

Here’s the lesson:

Relationships drive returns.

You can underwrite all day.
But the right partner with the right playbook makes all the difference.

I’ve spent decades intentionally building relationships in the Capital Region.
Because when good deals pop up?
They don’t hit the market.
They hit your phone.

Passive investing doesn’t mean being passive about your network.

—

P.S. Who’s one person in your network that’s elevated your game?

Tag them below and give them some credit. 👇

Founder @ Hamel Real Estate | Collecting Real Estate Multifamily Investments

Lesson #3 after 30 years in real estate:
Only do deals where everyone wins.

Early on, it’s tempting to focus on your side of the deal.

Your return.
Your upside.
Your control.
But here’s what experience teaches you:

👉 Deals that aren’t win-win don’t last.

If the seller feels squeezed…
If the partner feels misled…
If the investor feels ignored…

That deal will come back around. And not in a good way.

The best deals I’ve been part of?

- Sellers felt respected
- Partners felt aligned
- Investors felt informed and protected

That’s how you stay in business for decades…not deal cycles.

Real estate is a small world.
Your reputation shows up before you do.

—

Each week, I’m sharing one lesson learned from 30 years in real estate.

Follow along for the rest of the series.
And tell me: what does a win-win deal look like to you?

My biggest early investing mistake?
Buying “nice” properties.

In August of 1995, my partner Greg and I bought a fully renovated two-family on North Allen Street in Albany.

And when I say renovated, I mean everything was new.
Foundation. Roof. Siding. Interior down to the studs.

It felt like a home run.

The seller had bought it distressed at auction, fixed it up, and sold it to us.

That part mattered more than I realized at the time.

This was our third property in two years, all purchased straight off the MLS.

Here’s what we learned the hard way:

- Cash flow was thin
- Down payments were heavy
- Equity was tight
- Growth was slow

Buying retail felt safe…but it wasn’t scalable.

Everything changed with our fourth deal.

It was an inexpensive bank foreclosure that needed real work.
A childhood friend in the mortgage business helped us structure a construction rehab loan.

That was the unlock.

More equity.
Better cash flow.
Faster growth.

From there, the pattern was clear:

Vacant estate properties.
Tired landlords.
Mismanaged buildings.
Under-rented assets.

Distress creates opportunity.

If you want to build momentum in real estate, you have to get comfortable buying properties that need work: financially, physically, or operationally.

Buying retail isn’t a strategy.
It’s a ceiling.

—

P.S. What kind of “distress” do you look for first—physical, financial, or operational?

I’ve acquired 500+ units over the years.

The common thread behind every good deal?

Relentless due diligence.

Not just spreadsheets.
Not just inspections.
And definitely not assumptions.

Here’s how we approach it:

We evaluate:

- Operations
- Physical condition
- Financials
- Market dynamics

But the real edge?

👉 We put boots on the ground.

Because what you miss behind a desk can cost you millions.

Every team member has a role:

- Measure every unit
- Photograph interiors, exteriors, and MEPs
- Document condition: unit by unit
- Review leases, expenses, and financials line by line

No shortcuts.

Then we go deeper.

We don’t just underwrite what is…
We model what’s possible by layering in:

- Real operating data from our portfolio
- Experience from similar assets
- Actual market behavior, not broker projections

Great due diligence does two things:

1. It keeps you out of bad deals
2. It gives you the conviction to move fast on the right ones

That conviction is priceless.

—

P.S. What’s the best (or worst) line item you’ve ever found in a T-12?

Those usually tell the whole story.

Passive real estate investing really is passive.

Before you say “obviously”… here’s the difference.

Yes, you still need to do your due diligence.
But that’s true with any investment worth making.

Once that work is done?

Your role is simple.

You invest.
And your money goes to work.

Here’s what our passive investors actually do:

✔ Review the opportunity and ask smart questions
✔ Invest alongside experienced operators
✔ Receive clear monthly updates, without managing anything
✔ Collect distributions and benefit from depreciation and tax advantages

No tenants.
No maintenance calls.
No day-to-day stress.

Just ownership in real assets, operated by a team that does this for a living.
Real estate is one of the most powerful wealth-building tools available.
It doesn’t have to consume your time to be effective.

—

If you want to see how passive investing works in practice,
DM me “Investor” and I’ll add you to our list.

Happy to walk you through it.

taplio

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Bill H.

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The Battle

Iftikhar Ahmed

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