A complicated miscarriage. A goodbye in a hospital room. Two years of everything going wrong. Then they bought their first property β Claire eight months pregnant, the world in lockdown. π
In this episode of the Scottish Property Podcast, Nick and Steven sit down with Claire and Dan MacDonald of Cladan Property β a husband and wife team who started investing in 2020 with no strategy and a sold car, and have quietly built a portfolio of 24 properties in five years.
This one isn't about overnight success. It's about a slow, steady, intentional approach β two young kids, a teaching job, a brand new mortgage advisory business, and a portfolio that's just gone through its biggest and most challenging growth phase yet.
π TIMESTAMPS
00:00 β Welcome to Claire and Dan
02:02 β Growing up in the Highlands & how they met
06:39 β The honeymoon that sparked the business idea
07:54 β One-day property events & the financial advisor who said don't bother
14:05 β Claire's teaching career & the stress behind it
17:59 β The difficult years: loss of Dan's mum
24:26 β The complicated miscarriage & why it changed everything
00:20 β Claire starts investing eight months pregnant in lockdown
19:06 β First deal: analysis paralysis & what pushed them through
19:14 β Analysis paralysis & the first purchase
21:23 β Releasing equity to fund deals three and four
22:07 β Selling the car to fund the second property
32:13 β Working with Jillian and Darren Green β mindset & clarity
33:36 β The vision: cash flow number, lifestyle goals & what they're building toward
34:36 β Dan's civil engineering background & the move into property
39:11 β The pivot to short-term lets & the Highland cottage
41:04 β The cottage flat STL in Cardonald
41:14 β 8 months to get the STL licence β what they learned
43:26 β Winter cash flow struggles & the unpredictability of STL
43:40 β The Joseph Todd liquidation post & what it meant for the market
49:25 β Speaking at the April networking event β how it led to two portfolio deals
49:31 β Direct to vendor: the portfolio acquisitions that changed everything
53:31 β Tenanted portfolio β when the cracks started appearing
55:59 β Butting heads as a couple & how they're working through it
1:00:56 β Dan's mortgage advisory business & where to find them
π KEY TOPICS
β
Starting a property portfolio with savings, a sold car & family equity
β
The real challenges of buying a tenanted portfolio β what nobody talks about
β
ADS savings through portfolio deals of 6+ properties
β
Short-term lets: the cash flow highs, the winter lows & the licensing uncertainty
β
How speaking at a networking event led to two direct-to-vendor portfolio deals
β
Balancing a marriage, young kids, teaching and a growing property business
β
When to pay someone to project manage a refurb (and when their fee pays for itself)
β
Why Claire and Dan prefer quality and cash flow over chasing numbers
π² CONNECT WITH CLAIRE & DAN
Instagram: @cladanproperty
Mortgage enquiries: reach out via Dan's Instagram
π
NETWORKING EVENTS
First Wednesday of every month
π Aberdeen | Dundee | Edinburgh | Glasgow
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π€ SPONSORED BYPrime Property Auctions β know someone selling a property? You could earn Β£1,500 just for making an introduction. John and Lewis handle everything from the first call to the sale. Over Β£350,000 in referral fees paid out so far.π https://primepropertyauctions.co.uk/
ποΈ ABOUT SCOTTISH PROPERTY PODCAST
Real conversations with real Scottish property investors. No fluff β just honest stories, market updates, and investor journeys.
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π¬ Are you investing as a couple? Drop your experience in the comments π
