The Homeless Landlord With 12 Properties

He owns 12 properties. He lives in his mate's spare room. And he accidentally bought a Chinese restaurant from an airport while flying back from Japan.

🏠 In this episode of the Scottish Property Podcast, Nick and Steven sit down with Isaac Cross — a former offshore worker and CERN technician who saved £140k, came off the Scottish Property Podcast course in January, and went all in on property faster than almost anyone they've had on the show.

This one is raw, honest and genuinely funny. Isaac doesn't just talk about the wins. He talks about the bridging nightmare on five properties at once, the deals he overpaid for, the sourcing fees that didn't add up, the solicitor with 98 problems to solve — and what he'd do differently if he was starting again.

🕐 TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Welcome to Isaac Cross & the 52 properties in 52 weeks goal

02:04 – Growing up between Aberdeen and Lanarkshire with a single mum

04:35 – ADHD diagnosis as a kid — and how it shapes the way Isaac works

05:21 – Wanting to go offshore like his dad

06:28 – Electrical apprenticeship & how he was the only one who applied

10:55 – Life offshore: earning £90k in his early 20s

16:20 – Moving to Switzerland for the CERN job

16:29 – The best job title, the most boring job

18:59 – First property: Holytown two-bed at 20

21:14 – Bad mortgage advice, blowing the profit, starting over

26:16 – The power of a good power team

33:24 – The Dennistoun flat — bought at home report in peak Covid

35:04 – Social media, personal brand & why Isaac went all in on content

36:38 – The January networking event that flipped the switch

44:04 – First deal in Aberdeen on a plane to Australia

52:07 – Five properties on one bridge — and 98 problems to solve

60:19 – The Chinese restaurant accident

62:53 – Bidding at auction from Heathrow flying back from Japan

66:45 – The community hub plan for the Carluke commercial unit

71:55 – First private investor on board & what comes next

🔑 KEY TOPICS

✅ How Isaac went from zero to 12 properties in 3 months

✅ Bridging five properties at once — the fees, the problems, the lessons

✅ Why cheap Aberdeen stock served a purpose but he'd do it differently now

✅ Sourcing fees that don't add up — and how to spot them

✅ Accidentally buying commercial property at auction

✅ Building a private investor relationship from scratch

✅ Why social media is already bringing the right people to Isaac

✅ His honest advice to anyone thinking about starting

📲 CONNECT WITH ISAAC

Follow Isaac's property journey on Instagram — @isaaccrossproperty

📅 NETWORKING EVENTS

First Wednesday of every month

📍 Aberdeen | Dundee | Edinburgh | GlasgowFollow our socials for speakers and details

🎙️ ABOUT SCOTTISH PROPERTY PODCAST

Real conversations with real Scottish property investors. No fluff — just honest stories, market updates, and investor journeys.

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💬 Would you have bought the Chinese restaurant? Drop it in the comments 👇