Moving up the property ladder thanks to founding a CIC.

As a CIC coach I want you all to know what's possible. I am living proof of what I preach! You can start a CIC and design a new life for yourself.

Ten years ago I was a probation officer and I owned a one bed flat surrounded by one of the poorest council estate roads in the country. Last weekI moved to my new house, a detached 4 bed in a village by the Cornish coast. So what were the steps to getting here? 

My one bed flat was a great pad when I was 20 something single and working as a probation officer 9-5. I had a 30 year mortgage. I could never have afforded to move up the property ladder unless I got a partner with a good job. 

Only a year into having my CIC I was able to leverage myself to sell the flat and buy a three bed house. I used my pay for work I did from a grant as my deposit and I paid the deposit to myself in three PAYE monthly salary payments. This ment I qualified for a mortgage on a new build three bed with a ‘help to buy’ loan to help with the rest of the deposit. 

It was a great house. I remember my first morning. I woke up feeling like I had won the lottery! For a single 30 year old from a working class background to buy a three bed house was unheard of in my peer group. So it was pretty impressive. I lived there for nine years. By the end, I had a partner and he has a little girl who lives with us part time. We are both artists and I work from home. So I outgrew the space. 

My dream was to be closer to the coast and to see fields around me. I wanted a peaceful village life. The estate I lived on was ok but it had its issues. Redruth is an economically depressed place and the high streets here are so depressing I avoided going as much as possible. A night out in the pubs was trouble. You couldn't feel safe. 

The house sold straight away and I also got a buyer for my shop I had previously renovated. My partner had debts but because of our extra CIC income. (We both have a CIC and apply for grant funding as artists.) We were able to clear his debt and raise enough to buy an amazing house. 

In fact we only just got this house by luck. We were in a bidding situation with another family who put in an offer by because my partners CIC had just secured Lottery funding, that would pay him a lump sum, we were able to up our offer. 

Last week we moved in and it is bliss! 

The views are gorgeous. Field and the sea in the not too far distance. Huge garden and an extension and huge workshop to house our creative work. This is a dream. I have never lived somewhere where the neighbours knock on the door to introduce themselves! 

Location makes it! 

I really feel like I have designed my dream life and it's come into reality which is an amazing feeling. 

You can manifest your dreams. I speak to so many of you who are feeling trapped in housing or areas you want to leave. So many of you in the cities tell me about the terrifying crime and huge rents. Our society is broken. But we still have opportunities. If I can achieve all this you can as well. 

CIC's are unique as you have the grant funding option that gives you lump zones to invest. This is the game changer! The entrepreneurial element means you can hustle and earn an unlimited amount. Breaking away from the 9-5 salary model breaks the economic restriction and grind people get stuck on. 

My advice is. Do it all, get the grants in but also be entrepreneurial and business minded and make income from selling products or services. I chose a small CIC model. I kept it to some small grant funded projects and worked at other income streams until I phased out the grants. For some of you, coming off of UC benefits is the dream. For others, keeping the day job and using a CIC to gain side hustle income is the path to paying off debts or getting a mortgage. 

It’s all super exciting isn’t it! 

Get thinking about your goals and what you want to do to leverage yourself financially. If you want to move then focus on gaining as much extra income as you can. You will need paye pay slips to get a mortgage from your CIC which isn’t classed as self employed. This makes a CIC a great vehicle to get a mortgage and move. 

I hope this helps inspire 🫶🏼