Owning a majestic castle was never really on the cards for a young boy raised on a council estate in the 1990s but that’s just one of several unexpected turns in the life of property guru Samuel Leeds.By Samuel’s own admission, he’s nothing special and, given his fairly typical start in life, it would be hard to disagree at first glance. Born and brought up in themarket town of Walsall, he didn’t shine at school but left with some B and C grades and trained to be a plasterer.
It’s quite a turnaround from living on a “rough” estate, “failing” at school and driving less than reliable “old bangers.” In fact one of his closest school friends even predicted that their lack of academic promise meant they’d both be lucky if they worked as binmen. His earliest days in the business involved gaining as much experience as he could. He managed properties free of charge by making enquiries, taking photographs and advertising online to save owners the time and trouble of doing the job. Only later did he feel justified in requesting a fee for his service.
Not long afterwards, he started giving talks about his experiences and strategies, often attracting more than 1,000 would-be investors to venues around the country.