Belfast News Letter has teamed up with Eimear Gourley to bring the latest and best advice on property buying and investing each month.
In this issue, Eimear explains how she got into the business herself.
She explains: “At the beginning of the first lockdown, just after I’d had my third baby, I started my property investment business. I had been planning it for some time and I wasn’t going to let a pandemic get in my way. I have always had a love for project management, hence my career in civil engineering.
“I saw a gap in the market to bring property investment to Northern Ireland in a different way and I went for it.
Social media plays a massive part in my business and was really where it all began, especially on LinkedIn. As my following grew, so did my client list. After a short six months, I took the massive decision to quit my job and go full time in the business. I knew it was a risk, but I honestly haven’t looked back.
“Very shortly after this, I knew that I needed help, as the workload began to grow. My father-in-law, Gerry, had been semi-retired for a few years and had a wealth of experience in managing projects and people. He was the perfect fit to take on a role as a project manager for the business.
“As things progressed further, with property being the hot topic of the moment, I found my diary becoming almost unmanageable and as a result, I decided to take on a PA. This time it was the turn of my mother-in-law. Keego Investments was truly becoming a family business.
“I wanted to ensure that we were always ready to go the extra mile in bringing more properties for our clients. So, we also recruited Beth – who is studying real estate at Ulster University – as a property sourcer.
With a small but mighty team, and the volume of properties available, we have now attracted investment from across the globe. We’re currently working with clients from Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, England and more. It’s great to see so much interest in the NI property market.
“Enquiries about becoming a client have risen by 80% in the last six months alone. We receive lots of interest from NI expats who want to invest at ‘home’, as well as expats who want to build their next home here and so are looking for land.
“Going out and starting my own business was a big decision and was a relatively recent one. In that short space of time, I’ve been delighted to be nominated for a number of awards, including businesswoman of the year and entrepreneur of the year, which is very humbling at this stage of the business.
“Property is well known for being a fantastic investment and so I’m very much looking forward to helping more people learn about it, get into property investment and realise their goals.”
