International Women's Day: Meet the speakers: Kristina Castellina

Our International Women’s Day celebration is now less than a week away with the last few tickets up for grabs.

This year’s International Women’s Day event, at the Lowry Hotel in Salford, brings together a host of inspiring women from across the world of property, sharing their experiences celebrating achievements and making new connections.

Liverpool-based property investor Kristina Castellina is one of the investors who will be speaking at the event, sharing her story from cruise ship crooner to portfolio landlord.

Kristina will be speaking as part of a panel of women who have all had unique and unusual routes into the industry.

Early challenges

Kristina's journey into property began after attending a  seminar  explaining the key concepts of property investment. Her first property purchase was in her native Blackpool. Kristina secured her first two deals from a retiring landlord – an HMO and a converted house with five studio apartments. With no money of her own, she partnered with a joint venture investor who funded the deals while she managed the renovations and lettings.

Her dealings with tradespeople and all the responsibilities of working within a new sector brought challenges. "I had a very rude awakening with builders," she recalls. "I'd lived quite an easy life – I was getting paid to sing and dance. I'd never dealt with large amounts of money, solicitors, or builders. It was a lot of pressure with a lot of sleepless nights and tears."

She persevered but at a cost to her mental health - after completing handful of HMO deals, Kristina found herself at a crossroads. "I was 30 but I said to myself ‘I actually hate this.’”

Starting again

It marked the end of  one chapter and the start of another.

She sold her share of the business she had helped grow to her joint venture partner and started fresh and on her own terms – with full control and low-maintenance buy-to-lets.

With a modest payout from her first business, she began buying properties at the lower end of the market – her first a one-bed flat for £35,000, followed by houses for £50,000 to £70,000, which she still owns today.

“I started to have a bit of fun with it and then I started to play and started playing with mixed commercial, buying blocks of flats that had shops below and serviced accommodation”

Unsurprisingly for someone who comes from a creative background, she began to experiment.

After building up a portfolio of 12-15 buy-to-lets over two to three years, she went on to purchase what  she calls the crown jewel of her portfolio - Empress Hall, in her native Blackpool.

The property sleeps 20 guests and features a cinema room and games room which she rents as a holiday let via Airbnb.

The £600,000 project was funded entirely through private investment – being able to secure that funding is a skill she prides herself on and a theme she explored in her bestselling book about how to attract investors.

Being a woman in property

Now, with a portfolio of 37 properties, she is able to take stock and reflect on some of the unique aspects of her career, one of which is that even now, some people treat her as the new kid on the block.

"So many I meet assume that it's my first deal," she says. With a young family – she has two boys aged seven and five – she relies on agents to manage her portfolio and one man to help with any troubleshooting in terms of maintenance.

But she’s not done yet, with plans to expand the portfolio up to 100 lets. Even with what she has achieved and continues to plot for a bigger and better future, those assumptions remain.

“I don't want to be like, well, actually, I've got quite a few. So I'm just just happy to go along with it, but with trades, I've learnt how to speak to them in a way that lets them know I am in control.”

How do I buy tickets

Tickets are selling fast for the International Women’s Day event, which includes refreshments and afternoon tea are £15, and you can book your place by clicking here, with all proceeds to be donated to official International Women's Day charities