Samuel Leeds is a UK investor in the property market. He runs courses teaching people how to do what he does. I know some people have sued him so I was wondering if anyone has hands on experience and is he legit?
I’ve been looking into different ways to diversify my investments beyond traditional stocks and bonds, and real estate keeps coming up as one of the most popular options.
What interests me about real estate is that it can provide both potential appreciation and cash flow through rental income. However, the market seems much more complicated now with higher interest rates, changing demand, and different opportunities depending on the location.
For those who have invested in real estate, what has your experience been? Do you think direct property ownership is still worth it, or are alternatives like REITs, crowdfunding platforms, or private real estate funds better options for most investors?
Would love to hear how experienced investors are approaching real estate today.
My thoughts on crypto are that everyone who invests does so because they hope its value will increase and they will sell it and get rich. I do not think most people invest because they see crypto as a transactional tool capable of replacing money. For anyone who buys crypto, do you see it as the next form of currency, an alt investment worthy of diversifying into or some other reason why do you buy it?
I live in the UK so looking around I wonder if their are any kinds of investments that the UK specifically can benefit from. If I was in country with consistent sun light like African countries or Caribbean countries I would want to invest in solar energy technologies. In the UK I think that insulation based industries are a good alternative investment based on our energy bills and cold months.
Where are you from and are there any alternative investments you could be specifically beneficial to you based on what you know about your country?
Art investing is probably one of the alternative asset classes I understand the least.
With stocks, real estate, or bonds, there are relatively established ways to compare investments and analyze performance. With art, it seems like the value can depend on things that are much harder to quantify.
The artist's reputation matters, but so does the specific work, its condition, its history, provenance, rarity, and even what is happening in the broader art market.
That makes me wonder how experienced art investors actually approach it.
Do you treat art primarily as an investment and analyze potential appreciation, or do most people buy pieces they genuinely like and consider any financial return to be secondary?
Another thing that interests me is liquidity. If you own a stock and decide you want to exit, selling is relatively straightforward. With an expensive piece of art, finding the right buyer could take considerably longer, and transaction costs can also be significant.
There’s also the question of expertise. It seems like someone without a strong understanding of the art market could easily overpay simply because they don't know what they’re looking at.
For anyone here who has invested in art, what was the learning curve like?
Did you start with relatively inexpensive pieces before putting more money into it, and what would you tell someone who is interested in the asset class but has absolutely no background in the art world?
I’d be particularly interested in hearing about mistakes people made early on, because those lessons seem much more useful than simply hearing about successful investments.