Chant Properties was established in 2018 by brothers Ant and Chris Hunter. Entrepreneurial by nature, the pair’s passion for property stretches back to when Chris made his first purchase in 2008 at the tender age of 19.

Ant, inspired by his older brother’s achievements in successfully buying two properties, refurbishing them himself and letting them out, all within the space of a year, decided to find out more about what opportunities property investment had to offer him too.

The brothers then completed a number of training courses provided by some of the most successful people in the sector, where they learned about the pros and the pitfalls, before creating a family company aimed at building a significant business out of property, and so Chant was born.

“I felt if we were really serious about it, we needed to become expert in it,” explained Ant. “After all, you wouldn’t become a builder or a joiner or an electrician without finding out all about the trade first.”

The brothers learned how to buy property for the right price, how to complete a quality refurbishment on a budget, how to build up a property portfolio in the most tax-efficient way, and how to choose the right areas to invest in. 

Having built their portfolio into the millions, they decided it was time to diversify their business offering and use their expertise to help others with similar ambitions.

“We spent years building the credibility and relationships within the property sector that we needed to be successful,” said Chris.

“As a result, we now have a trusted network of go-to estate agents, accountants, solicitors and funders and, while we intend to continue growing our own portfolio, we have more opportunities coming up than we can take up ourselves. Rather than waste these, we decided there was an ideal opportunity to offer these to other people wanting to get into property, along with the vital helping hand that we are able to offer.”

So, given the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the property market and wider stocks and shares investments, do the guys still believe it’s worth investing in?

“Absolutely,” said Ant. “If you look back to when records began, property has always yielded positive returns of up to 10%, which compare very favourably with any other type of investment asset. Ultimately, the UK is unique in that we are an island with high demand for property and limited demand, so the nation’s love affair with property is unlikely to abate any time soon.”

He added: “The key is to know what you want to achieve from it, and to invest for the long term, because there will be peaks and troughs along the way. But if you’re in it for the duration, you’re bound to do well.”

Additionally, the brothers are clear about the market that works for them and what they are prepared to recommend to their clients.

“Our formula is based on buying the right properties at the right price, refurbishing them to a good standard in order to achieve some capital growth and then letting them out for a strong monthly rental return over the long term.

“There are other, higher-risk types of property investment, such as commercial property and houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) but, ultimately, it is the mid-range, domestic residential properties that we are interested in because we know these offer the best opportunities for our clients over the longest period.”

There is a degree of altruism in what they do, too. “For us, although we do need to make money for the business to be sustainable, it’s not about doing so at all costs,” added Chris.

“We want to grow our business gradually in a sustainably profitable way, while providing good quality housing for people who need it and looking after our tenants in a responsible way. If we can also reach out to people wanting to create themselves a nest egg from property investment, all well and good.”

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