Property auctions · Distressed assets · Investment
Property Mentor with Dominic Farrell
Turn your property ambitions into a practical action plan.
Work directly with me through hands on property mentorship, wherever you are in the United Kingdom. Drawing on my experience as an investor and developer buying property since 1999, we work together on real opportunities and a plan built around your goals.
We cover the theory and put it into practice: researching properties, assessing deals, understanding the risks, planning finance and deciding what to do next. You receive personal guidance from me, supported by experienced legal and finance specialists.
Your first investment. Your next acquisition. A portfolio built around the life you want.
Mentoring investors across the UK and overseas.
Dominic FarrellProperty investor. Former British Army Major. Author and podcast host.
Start with what you want to achieve
A property strategy that fits your life.
Retirement income. More time with your family. A full time property business. Your goal determines the strategy.
We begin with your available capital, experience, time and appetite for risk. Then we build a plan you can put into practice. Throughout the mentorship, the aim is to develop your judgement and help you become a confident, disciplined and independent investor.
Know what you are looking for
Define the property, location, buying criteria and exit strategy that suit your circumstances. Focus your research on opportunities that fit.
Understand the whole deal
Bring together price, legal pack, condition, finance and cash flow. Learn which problems can be resolved, and when to walk away.
Put the knowledge to work
View properties, challenge your assumptions and prepare a buying plan. Build confidence through practical decisions on real opportunities.
Real clients · Real purchases
Experience that has helped investors achieve their goals.
These clients describe the support they received and the results of individual purchases made with Dominic’s help.
Conor Gallagher · London
Buying well, with a plan to refinance
- Purchase price
- £75,000
- Mortgage valuation after 8 months
- £120,000
Conor bought a tenanted property prior to auction, with no refurbishment required. He highlighted the continuing conversations and the advice that helped him assess other opportunities.
Kishan P · London
Local support throughout the purchase
- Purchase price
- £75,000
- Mortgage valuation after 6 months
- £110,000
Dominic viewed the property, negotiated the price prior to auction and supported the acquisition. Kishan reported that no works were needed and the existing tenant remained in place.
John Richardson · Surrey
A relationship across 3 purchases
- Purchase price of 1 property
- £65,000
- Mortgage valuation after 6 months
- £95,000
John described 3 purchases through Dominic. His account emphasises local knowledge, straightforward advice and a property that needed no renovation.
Historical client reports. Valuations are not sale proceeds, mortgage advances or realised profits. Purchase costs, finance, tax and other expenditure affect the return. Individual results vary.
Raymond Tan, Singapore · Mentorship client, 2026“He took the time to understand my goals, my budget, and my risk appetite.”
Meet your property mentor
Investor. Developer. Leader. Mentor.
I bring the experience of buying, developing, letting and managing property into every mentoring conversation.
I’m Liverpool born and bred. My property experience began in 1999, and I built a rental portfolio while serving in the British Army. After Sandhurst, I was commissioned into the King’s Regiment, served worldwide and completed an MBA (Defence) at Cranfield University.
I was recognised in the Operational Honours List in 2001 and retired as a Major to pursue property development full time. That background shapes how I work: research carefully, prepare properly and make a decision you can explain.
My experience includes development in Cyprus and the difficulties of the 2008 financial crisis. Those years reinforced the importance of cash flow, risk and a credible exit. Since 2008, distressed assets, auctions and receiver negotiations have been central to my work.
Today, I lead the Property Auction Professional Mentorship at Distressed Assets, drawing on my continuing work in property investment, sourcing and development. My role is to help you make better decisions and develop the skills to invest independently.
Dominic during his Army career. He also served as military script adviser to ITV’s Soldier Soldier.
12 months · Work directly with Dominic
The Property Auction Professional Mentorship
Personal guidance, structured learning and the opportunity to put it into practice.
Our 12 month programme is delivered through Distressed Assets. It combines individual support with a monthly seminar, a 12 module framework and a private community of investors. We agree your goals at the outset and review your progress as your knowledge and experience develop.
One to one mentorship
Work directly with Dominic on your goals, investment brief and decisions. Discuss opportunities and challenges through arranged meetings, telephone calls and Zoom.
Put theory into practice
Join live property viewings in Liverpool. Examine condition, rental demand, location and renovation costs, then discuss what the evidence means for your buying plan.
Monthly seminars and deal reviews
Develop your knowledge through structured sessions. Present a real opportunity to the Deal Den panel and learn to defend the figures, risks and proposed exit.
Legal and finance expertise
Learn from specialist input on legal packs, property issues and funding. Understand the questions to put to your solicitor and broker before committing.
A private investor community
Join the Property Auction Professional Skool community for peer discussion, shared insights, supplementary resources, session recordings and a weekly digest.
Help finding and assessing property
Develop your own research and sourcing process, with guidance on the opportunities you find. Use evidence, comparable values and a full cost appraisal to make decisions.
Further benefits of the programme
Bring a partner: your spouse, family member or business partner can join with you at no extra mentorship fee.
Training access: complimentary access to workshops and training events during your mentorship.
12 months of free property management: for your first qualifying property sourced in the North West under the agreed programme terms.
A professional network: introductions to solicitors, brokers, accountants, contractors and other specialists where needed.
The agreed programme scope is confirmed before you join. Property purchases, finance, professional appointments, works and other separately commissioned services have their own costs.
Explore the 12 module framework
1. How auctions really workMarket structure, auction methods, investor behaviour and choosing your approach.
2. Research and analysisProperty research, locations, valuation evidence and filtering opportunities.
3. Legal packs and riskTitle, leases, Special Conditions of Sale and briefing your solicitor.
4. The numbers that matterAcquisition costs, rental income, cash flow, returns and exit strategies.
5. Finance and fundingFunding routes, completion timetables, liquidity and the refinance plan.
6. Property viewingsLive Liverpool viewings, condition, renovation costs and local demand.
7. Preparing to bidFinal checks, maximum bid and offers prior to auction.
8. The Deal DenPresent a real deal and test its figures, legal issues and downside risks.
9. Live and after auction strategyBidding, negotiations for unsold lots and knowing when to walk away.
10. Trading and sellingPurchase margin, sale routes, transaction costs and the intended buyer.
11. Completion, refurbishment and lettingManage the work needed to put the investment into operation.
12. Review and next stepsAssess your experience and build a plan for your next year.
The programme framework may be refined as opportunities and learning needs develop. Session arrangements are confirmed with participants.
Experience across different strategies
Choose the approach that fits the opportunity.
Dominic’s experience spans individual rental homes, trading, development and more complex acquisitions. The starting point is your objective and the particular property. Each strategy has different demands on your capital, time and professional support.
Buy to let and portfolio building
Assess purchase value, achievable rent, running costs and local demand. Build a rental portfolio around sustainable cash flow and your longer term objectives.
Buy, refurbish, refinance and rent
Plan the purchase, works and intended refinance together. Understand the cash required at each stage and how a different lender valuation would affect the result.
Property trading and renovation
Identify the intended buyer and assess the margin after purchase, renovation, funding and selling costs. Experience includes purchases sold on and homes renovated for sale.
HMOs, holiday lets and serviced accommodation
Compare demand, operating costs, management and the permissions required. Dominic’s experience includes HMO conversions and holiday letting in the Lake District from 1999.
Commercial property and development
Experience includes mixed use investments, new build and commercial buildings converted into apartments. Examine planning, construction costs, funding and the eventual sale or letting.
Freehold blocks and title splitting
Consider whole buildings, their income and the scope to create separate titles for individual units. Dominic’s history includes apartment blocks bought from receivers and retained family investments.
Short leases and property problems
Learn to distinguish an issue that can be priced and resolved from one that defeats the purchase. Neil’s short lease case study shows that assessment in practice.
Property options and negotiated acquisitions
Explore the thinking behind property call options and other specialist transactions, including debt for asset swaps. Legal structure and the specific seller’s circumstances are central to the assessment.
Finding the opportunity is a skill in itself.
We consider purchases prior to auction, on auction day and after auction, alongside receiver and administrator sales and genuine off market introductions. The right buying route depends on the seller, the terms and the evidence.
Wider experience also includes overseas property, purchases off plan, rent to rent and Right to Manage projects. Mentoring discussions focus on the routes relevant to your goals.
The experience behind the advice
A sample of my track record across market cycles.
These three selected projects are a sample of Dominic’s published acquisition and development track record, not the complete record. They include personal and client transactions.
Commercial conversion
Office building to 25 flats
£575,000Recorded acquisition price
A city centre office building with underground parking was acquired through the auction market and converted into residential apartments.
Experience: acquisition, development and creating a viable residential exit.
Receiver acquisition
A block of 12 apartments
£1,000,000Recorded acquisition price
A receivership negotiation secured 12 apartments, each with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, for a client.
Experience: negotiating with receivers and assessing a whole building as an investment.
HMO conversion
A house with a different future
£55,000Recorded acquisition price
A 4 bedroom house was purchased, converted into a 6 bedroom HMO and subsequently sold.
Experience: buying for a specific strategy, managing works and delivering the exit.
These are historical examples from a wider published track record. Acquisition prices exclude associated purchase, finance, works and other costs. Previous results do not guarantee future outcomes.
Investment · Law · Finance
The expertise around your investment.
A successful purchase draws on more than 1 discipline. Dominic leads your mentorship, supported by property law and finance specialists.
Dominic Farrell
Property investment and mentorship
Your principal mentor. BSc (Hons) Economics, MBA (Defence) from Cranfield and Sandhurst graduate. Investor, developer, author of Property Auctions: Repossessions, Bankruptcies and Bargain Properties (4th Edition, 2026) and former British Army Major. Bringing together acquisition strategy, negotiation and practical property experience.
Claire Farrell
Property and construction law
Property and construction solicitor with 25 years of experience. Former Director of Legal at Balfour Beatty Construction, Senior Lecturer in Property and Construction Law at Leeds Beckett University and a property investor.
Claire helps investors understand legal packs, the questions to ask and the issues requiring specialist advice.
Josh Lee
Mortgage and bridging finance
CeMAP qualified mortgage and bridging finance specialist at The UK Adviser Ltd, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Ref: 798920). Josh contributes the funding perspective to acquisitions, auction deadlines and the intended refinance.
His input helps you frame the right questions about affordability, borrowing and the exit from short term finance.
Mentorship includes educational input. Any transaction specific legal work, regulated finance advice or other professional appointment is agreed separately with the relevant provider.
Practical support beyond the purchase.
The mentorship helps you assess sourcing opportunities and plan the steps after purchase, from finance and refurbishment to letting. Where specialist work is needed, you can appoint the appropriate professionals under separate terms.
Get to know the approach
Read it. Hear it. See it in practice.
The book, podcast and workshops give you a useful introduction to Dominic’s thinking before you discuss working together.
The book · 4th edition
Property Auctions
Repossessions, Bankruptcies and Bargain Properties brings together the principles, calculations and judgement behind buying at auction, supported by real examples.
The podcast
The Property Auctions Podcast
Listen to Dominic discuss property auctions, distressed assets, investor judgement and lessons from real purchases. Hear how he approaches the questions investors face.
The workshops
Property auction courses
Learn the essentials of finding value, reviewing legal packs, planning finance and approaching the auction. Training brings together investment, law and finance experience.
Explore the approach
Case studies and practical guidance
Explore the decisions, due diligence and discipline behind our approach to property investing.
Before you get in touch
Your mentorship questions.
Is the mentorship suitable for beginners?
Yes. We begin with your experience, funds, goals and appetite for risk. The programme develops the research, appraisal and decision making skills needed to assess property. Experienced investors can use the same support to refine their process and explore more complex opportunities.
Will I work directly with Dominic Farrell?
Yes. Dominic is your principal mentor and provides one to one guidance alongside the structured group programme. Legal and finance specialists contribute their expertise, with the arrangements and scope explained before you join.
Can I join from anywhere in the UK or overseas?
Yes. The research and buying principles can be applied across the UK. Practical group viewings take place in Liverpool, where Dominic has extensive first-hand market experience. Investors living elsewhere in the UK or overseas can take part in online discussions and agree the practical arrangements.
How long does the programme last, and what does it cost?
The Property Auction Professional Mentorship runs for 12 months. Contact us to discuss suitability, the current fee, payment options and the full programme terms. Your partner can join with you at no extra mentorship fee under the agreed programme arrangements.
Can you help with sourcing and managing a property?
Yes. The mentorship includes guidance and assistance with sourcing your own properties. The programme includes 12 months of free management for your first qualifying property sourced in the North West under the agreed terms. Any additional services and their costs are explained before instruction.
Does every purchase need renovation?
No. Our experience includes tenanted properties bought in good condition. Others require refurbishment, legal work or a development plan. We assess the particular opportunity against your goals and resources.
Your goals. Your next step.
Let’s talk about the investor you want to become.
Tell me what you want property to achieve for you, where you are starting and what is holding you back. We can discuss whether the mentorship is the right fit.
Explore more: Distressed property UK · Property track record · Auction Intelligence