How to use this template
This isn't a calculator and it isn't a sales pitch. It's a reflective framework — somewhere to slow down, write things down, and decide honestly whether a property opportunity is worth your time, money and attention. Use it once on every deal, before you move into formal due diligence. If something here makes you uncomfortable, that discomfort is information.
Work through each section in order. Be honest with yourself.
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- Deal Overview
• Property address • Listing source (agent, auction, off-market, referral) • Asking / guide price • Property type and condition • Tenure (freehold / leasehold — and if leasehold, years remaining) • Strategy you're considering (single let, HMO, SA, flip, lease option, R2R, hold) • Date you first viewed the opportunity
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- First Impressions
Before the spreadsheet — what's your gut telling you?
• What attracted you to this property in the first place? • What feels off, if anything? • Are you excited because of the deal — or because you want it to be the deal? • On a scale of 1–10, how calm do you feel about pursuing this?
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- Funding & Cash Position
• How are you funding the deposit? (savings, JV, bridging, refinance pull-out) • Do you have all the funds in place today — or are you assuming? • Stress-test: if costs ran 20% over, would you still cope? • Reserve cash after completion (months of mortgage + bills you can cover with nothing else coming in) • If you needed to exit tomorrow, could you?
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- Numbers & Due Diligence
• Purchase price • Stamp duty / legal / survey / mortgage fees • Refurb budget (and 10–15% contingency) • Likely valuation after works (and the basis for that figure — comparables, agent opinion, both) • Gross monthly rent (realistic, not optimistic) • Monthly mortgage payment at the rate you can actually secure • Running costs: insurance, management, voids, maintenance, compliance • Net monthly cashflow • Yield (gross and net) • Return on capital employed • Break-even occupancy rate
Which numbers are confirmed? Which are still assumptions?
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- Risks & Assumptions
List every assumption you're making and rank each one: Low / Medium / High risk.
• Refurb scope and cost • End valuation • Achievable rent / occupancy • Mortgage rate at completion or remortgage • Planning / Article 4 / licensing • Local market direction • Tenant demand profile • Your own time and attention
For every High risk: what would you do if it turned out the way you fear?
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- Exit & Contingency Planning
• Primary exit (sell on, refinance, hold long-term) • Backup exit if Plan A doesn't work • If the market dropped 10%, what changes? • If interest rates rose by 2 percentage points at remortgage, can it still service? • Worst-case scenario: what would have to happen, and how would you respond?
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- Goals Alignment
• Does this deal fit the goal you actually set for this year? • Or are you chasing it because it appeared? • How much time and attention will it cost you over the next 6 months? • What other opportunities are you saying no to by saying yes to this one? • Will you still be glad you bought it in three years' time?
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- Traffic Light Decision
Based on everything above — circle one:
🟢 PROCEED — numbers, risk profile and goal alignment all stack up. Move into formal due diligence and offer.
🟡 NEEDS MORE INFORMATION — promising, but specific assumptions need to be validated. Note exactly what you need to confirm before deciding.
🔴 WALK AWAY — something doesn't sit right. Write down what so you recognise the pattern next time, then let it go.
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A quiet reminder from Katie
The deals you didn't do almost always matter as much as the ones you did. Walking away is a skill, not a failure. If this template gives you permission to pause when everyone else is rushing — it's done its job.
Katie Chambers · Property Powwow Community