Most investors I speak to think they need a deposit. They do. But the deposit is only part of it. Here is exactly where your money goes on a Sheffield buy to let. Using a real off-market property sourced exclusively by us at £102,000. Purchase price: £102,000 Deposit (25%): £25,500 The minimum for a buy to let mortgage in most cases. SDLT: £5,100 This is the one that catches people out most consistently. On a second property the additional surcharge applies in full from pound one. Legal fees: £3,000 Your solicitor handles the legal process. Title checks, searches, contracts, land registry. Sourcing fee (3%): £3,060 This is how I find, assess, negotiate, and present the property to you before it reaches the open market and support you to completion and beyond if you wish. Non-negotiable. Mortgage and finance costs: £1,500 Covers the broker fee and valuation. A good broker gets you access to rates you would not find going direct to a lender, but build in their fees. Refurbishment: £0 This property came fully refurbished and tenant-ready. Nothing to spend before the first rent lands. If you need a refurb, you need to build this in and subtract it from the street value to realise what you offer price must be. Total cash required: £38,160 Monthly mortgage interest at 5.5%: £351 Estimated gross rent (conservative): £750 per month Estimated net monthly cashflow before management: £349 Estimated ROI before management: 11% The numbers work. You just need to know all of them before you start, not after the offer is accepted. This is only a snippet of what our assessment pack looks like before any client is asked to make a decision. Every number on the table. No rounding. No best case. Don't work with a 'sourcer' who quotes you a deposit figure and leaves the rest as a surprise. Work with a Partner who puts every cost in front of you before you commit to anything. Sensible Investments, Unrivalled Support™ Comment COSTS and I'll send you the full acquisition cost breakdown for your own target price. Must be connected. #TheTeacherLandlord #GoldilocksZone #BuyToLet

Posted by James Lovell-Smith at 2026-07-13 09:05:52 UTC