I left school at 15 & escaped UK’s biggest hellhole – the area was ‘too violent for police’, now I earn £52k in months

A WOMAN who escaped the Birmingham estate referred to as ‘Britain’s biggest hellhole’ has revealed how she is turning around £52k in just nine months.

Jessica Crane, 36, grew up in Ward End, Birmingham, which is famed for its gun crime and pitbull fights.

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But the mum-of-two, who now lives in Bristol, is now making huge profits by flipping houses, pulling in £52,000 on her last project.

Jessica, who is a full time business woman and salon consultant, says that it was her rocky start in life that pushed her towards her success.

Speaking in this exclusive interview, she says: “The area (I grew up in) was known for knife crime, drugs, guns and pitbull fights. 

“The police stopped responding to call-outs and at night, I’d struggle to sleep through the sound of sirens and fighting outside. 

“I saw how the women on the estate suffered financial, physical and emotional abuse at the hands of men. 

“Mum and I would often have to spend nights in hostels to flee violence in our home”.

TURNING HER LIFE AROUND

Having worked since the age of 12 and leaving at school at 15 with just two GCSEs Jessica has always had a keen eye for a money-making  opportunity with her latest venture being a total refurbishment of a three bedroom house in Wales.

She says: “My starting point was to research areas that were good value for money, as well as changes in the market, for instance people moving away from cities due to the cost of living and having less need to commute if they’re able to work from home.

“I found this house in Ebbw Vale, a good family town. 

“It’s less than a minute’s walk to the train station and I saw from the start that it had great potential to add value, once I’d given it a new lease of life. 

“It was also a place I would be happy to live in with my family. Even with an investment house, it’s important to have that feeling. 

“We have had a range of property previously from apartments abroad and our previous houses, but this was our first renovation project”.

With an original asking price of £135,000, Jessica negotiated the price down to £105,000 and got to work on renovations.

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“I think when it comes to investment property you need to know your numbers, what you're willing to pay, a budget for the renovation and legal fees and what you expect to profit in value and from the rent,” she says.

“The key is this is not a home you will live in so you can detach emotionally from the purchase and view it entirely as a business investment.”

A DAUNTING TASK

While Jessica got a good price, she admits the renovation felt like a daunting task.

“I joked that we’d be better off bombing and starting again,” she says.

“Now, all that stands from the original building are the walls. 

“It had a new kitchen, new bathrooms and new flooring throughout. The bathroom ceiling was low because it had covered up a rotten old ceiling three times. 

“Once that came down, it opened up a gorgeous space into the rafters.”

Once it was insulated, every wall and ceiling was replastered, a new electric board, boiler, radiators, plug sockets, light fittings, blinds, carpets put in and painted top to toe…the project was finally done - but not without some hiccups along the way.

“The bathroom was a bigger project than expected because the ceiling was so low,” she explains.

“I had planned to rip it out and take it up to the rafters and really open the space - but what we did not expect was that the previous owners had covered up the original ceiling with a new, lower one as there were mouldy timbers and iron sheets that needed taking out - so we would have to sink significantly more time on the project than I originally anticipated. 

“I kept the log burner and open staircase, which was dark wood, as they added character. White paint gave the staircase a fresh, bright uplift. 

“The colour design of the rest of the house is white and light grey, with touches of navy. Internal oak doors add to the high-end appeal.”

HUGE PROFIT

Despite costly renovations, Jessia explains that she stands to make £52,000 profit from her investment after spending nine months on the renovation.

“The renovation cost about £18k and I gave myself six to nine months to complete it,” she says. 

“As I live an hour away and run other businesses, I didn’t want to put too much pressure on the timescale. 

“I’ve been  in the property business for the long term and don’t want to risk burn-out. 

“It can be time-consuming and I used a software programme called Trello to manage the completion of the work and keep all the relevant paperwork filed for easy access.

“Within a few weeks of finishing, the house was let out to tenants for £890 per month. It has been valued at £175,000, so on top of the monthly income, I’ve made a profit of £52k in the short term alone.”

While Jessica’s husband and children are involved with the property business and provide hands-on help, she is the owner and manager on a day-to-day basis. 

APPALLING SEXISM

The fact she bought the house alone didn’t stop some tradesmen’s sexist remarks. 

“Plumbers and plasterers would hand over quotes, saying ‘pass this to your husband’ or ‘you’ll want to check this with your husband’,” she says. 

“On one occasion, I retorted: ‘Can you also give me your wife’s number, so I can see what she says about your plastering?’ He stood there, not knowing where to look.

“I hear similar stories about garages and salesmen all the time. It’s important for women who work in male-dominated industries not to let this behaviour slide. 

“My mum recently had a quote for a new window and when the salesman asked to speak to ‘her husband, the decision-maker’, she replied: ‘I don’t have a husband, so I guess I won’t be able to buy a window after all.’ Men with this attitude need bringing into the 21st century.”

Jessica is keen to encourage others to follow her lead and invest their money in property.

“Make your plan, structure the property in the best and most tax efficient way, seek others to ask for help and support when you have questions - but just go for it,” she says.

“You might be put off by the interest rates but if you put that money in a savings account it would not get you the same return. 

“If I put my £25k deposit in a savings account over 6 months I would earn barely anything on that money - but instead I put it into property and made £50k profit plus a recurring monthly income at a cost of 5%, but I earn more than that cost so it's well worth it.”

Jessica's success has further spurred on her house-flipping ambition and she believes the future lies in smaller properties. 

“My goal is to buy 10 small assets of around £100k each and turn a £1 million property portfolio to £2.5million,” she says.

“With smaller assets rather than two or three larger ones, you have more diversification.

"If you need a cash injection, say at retirement age, you can sell one and still have nine others generating an income.”

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