He bought a £450k apartment for £250k!

If you’re trying to build wealth in the UK by working harder, earning promotions, or jumping jobs for 10–20% pay rises, I have news for you — you’re playing the wrong game.

That’s not a knock on ambition. Increasing your income absolutely matters — it can improve your quality of life, give you breathing room, help you support a family or start a business. But income alone doesn’t make you wealthy. And it certainly won’t make you financially free.

Like Professor Scott Galloway often says:

Incomes get taxed. Assets appreciate. That’s the difference.
Salaries pay for your life.
Assets build your life.

The sad reality? Most people in the UK are taught to optimise for income, not ownership. We’re taught to be good employees, chase promotions, celebrate raises, and climb ladders. We’re rarely taught to think like owners.

I did a great video on my youtube below, including the recent viral video on a man who bought a £450k house for £250k only possible in property below:

The Math of Income vs Assets

Let’s say you’re on £60k a year. After tax and NI, you’re taking home about £3,500/month. Not bad. But how long would it take you to build wealth on that alone?

Now let’s say you bought a flat in 2016 for £250,000 in a gentrifying part of South London. You put down 10% — £25k — and rented out a room to help with the mortgage. By 2024, that flat could easily be worth £450,000. You’ve made £200k in equity, just by owning an asset in the right market and holding it.

That’s over three years of post-tax salary — without clocking a single hour of overtime.

The reality is, owning property is still one of the most reliable ways to build wealth in the UK — even if you’re starting with average earnings. Not fast wealth. Not flashy. But real life changing wealth.

Why This Matters More Than Ever in the UK

If you’ve been paying attention to wages in this country, you know they’ve stagnated for years. Real earnings haven’t kept pace with the cost of living. Meanwhile, property values in many parts of the UK have doubled.

The wealth gap isn’t just about rich vs poor anymore.
It’s about owners vs renters. Its asset owners vs asset borrowers.

Those who bought — even modestly — are now sitting on serious equity. Those who didn’t are spending an increasing chunk of their income just trying to stay afloat.

How I Did It (And How You Can Too)

When I realised this, I made a decision:
I was going to play the ownership game.

I didn’t just buy any property, I’m not sure how much natural price appreciation we’re going to have in the coming years hence why I focused on buying undervalued properties — below market value — where I could force the appreciation through smart renovations.

Here’s what I’ve done so far:

• ✅ Bought my first property for £360k, it was actually worth £450k

• ✅ Renovated it and refinanced, pulling out £70k of cash, property now worth £500k

• ✅ Used that to buy a second property for £375k, also worth £450k, after renovation worth £50k

• ✅ and now getting ready to do it again.

I walk through exactly how I did this — step by step — in my first YouTube video:

In the video, I break down, How I find below market value properties

and in subsequent videos I’ll explore, How I calculate the numbers before buying, How I structure the renovation to maximise refinancing potential: and Mistakes I made and what I’d do differently

If you’ve ever wondered how people actually “pull money out” of a deal and keep moving, I’ll cover it all in detail.

Final Thought

The bottom line: You won’t get wealthy by trading your time for money forever.
You build wealth by owning things that grow while you sleep.

For most people in the UK, property is the most accessible path to doing this — but you have to approach it strategically.
It’s not about overpaying in a bidding war. It’s not about timing the perfect market.
It’s about buying well, improving the asset, and using leverage wisely.

Your salary is your fuel.
Ownership is your engine.

If you’re serious about making this shift — come check out the video. I genuinely believe it can help you.

(If you do watch it, let me know your thoughts in the comments — I’d love to hear your perspective.)

Until next time,
Paulo