The Daily Life of a Trader

The Daily Life of a Trader

People often ask what a typical day looks like for me as a property trader. They usually expect routines, systems, maybe a checklist. The truth is far less structured and far more constant.

The Day Doesn’t Start with Property

When I wake up, the first thing I want to do is empty my head. If there’s something in there, a thought, an observation, an idea.

I’ll write it down or dictate it. Not because it’s content, but because it’s noise. Until it’s out, it gets in the way of thinking clearly. I’ll usually have some breakfast and stick Bloomberg on in the background. I’m not watching for specifics. I’m sampling mood.

 Headlines. Tone. Body language. The way things are being spoken about rather than what’s being said. I do the same subconsciously on social media and news feeds. I’m not consciously “checking markets”. I’m sensing whether anything feels slightly off.

If something doesn’t quite sit right, I’ll dig a bit further. Not deeply, just enough to see if it’s real or just noise. That process doesn’t stop. It runs all day, whether I’m aware of it or not.

Stock Hits My Inbox — And I Decide in Milliseconds

I get sent properties constantly by agents, people I work with, and delegates. I know within milliseconds whether something is worth any attention at all. It’s usually based on very little information.

If something’s been on the market for a year and hasn’t been reduced, that tells me everything I need to know. There’s no motivation there.

If someone says, “It’s a desperate landlord,” I immediately switch off. Desperate to sell is very different from desperate on price.

Language like that is usually exaggerated.

What does get my attention is inconsistency.

• “It’s been on a while, had a couple of buyers… and there’s a crack in the wall.”

• “No building regulations on the extension.”

• “Buyer’s about to fall out and it’s coming back to market.”

Those things make me stop.

An ordinary house with ordinary problems doesn’t interest me. Damp roofs, cosmetic work, that’s noise.

Things that stop people from getting a mortgage, like regulation breaches, structural issues, that’s leverage.

I’m not looking for below market value. I’m looking for why this exists at all.

Circumstances reveal opportunity. Price doesn’t.

The First Thing I Ask For Is the Postcode

Before photos. Before descriptions. Before opinions.

Give me the postcode!!

A postcode unlocks everything. Within a quarter of a mile I can see:

• What’s for sale

• What’s under offer

• What’s sold

• Whether demand is strong or weak

• Whether the data is even meaningful

If there’s nothing nearby, it might be too remote. If there’s lots sitting unsold, that tells me something else.

Context matters more than certainty.

I Assess While I’m Talking

If something’s pre-market, about to come back on, or hasn’t been widely seen yet, timing becomes critical. I want control before everyone else knows about it.

So I’ll call the agent, and while I’m on the phone, I’m running the numbers in the background. Sold prices. Demand. Leverage. It’s not sequential. It’s simultaneous.

I’m also listening very carefully. Not just to what’s being said, but why it’s being said.

Problems Don’t Scare Me. Unsolvable Ones Do.

A crack doesn’t scare me, I love cracks!

But what kind of crack, where it is, and whether it’s old or new, that matters. Some issues are manageable. Some are blight.

I once bought a property near a mine shaft. I wouldn’t do that again. Everyone knows about it. You can’t really fix it. It limits the exit.

That’s not fear, that’s experience. Every problem gets filtered through the same lens:

• Is it solvable?

• At what cost?

• With what risk?

• And how does that affect the exit?

• Can I live with the downside?

When I Make an Offer, I Back It With Action

This is something most people underestimate. When I make an offer, my solicitor is already engaged. I’ll have an email from my solicitor land in the agent’s inbox either before, during, or immediately after the offer conversation. That carries enormous weight.

Agents don’t consciously think, “This buyer is credible.”

They feel it through behaviour, speed, alignment, and Control. It’s not about what you say, it’s how you move.

Agents are subconsciously asking:

• Can I trust this buyer?

• Will they do what they say?

• Will this actually complete?

The offer is only part of that equation.

It’s also why people choose to work with me. They’re not just making an offer, they’re borrowing my certainty. They know I’ll guide it, back it, and see it through. Click here for more info

Price Is Secondary. Positioning Is Everything

Most people misunderstand pricing, They think it’s about being clever, It isn’t. It’s about being the only credible option.I’ve been outbid many times and still bought the property because the agent and seller knew I’d get it done.

I don’t scattergun low offers, I don’t try to steal. If I’m offering less, it’s because there’s real leverage, and I’ll explain exactly why.

If I know someone will take £40k and I can still make a decent profit at 50k, then to me it’s worth £50k, I’ll pay £50k. It may seem counterintuitive, but my reputation is at stake, it’s got me more repeat business with an agent.

Also, I have to live with myself. That approach builds trust, and trust gets deals done.

From Offer to Exchange, I Trade the Timeline

Once an offer is accepted, I’m watching very carefully where the urgency really comes from. Agents often want speed, vendors often want certainty, but I don’t take urgency seriously until the contract arrives. Once it does, everything becomes real. At that point, I’m already thinking ahead:

• When can this exchange?

• Which auction catalogue does it land in?

• How long is the money out?

That’s not impatience, it’s money management.

Why Auction Still Matters

An auction gives me certainty; when the hammer falls, it’s exchanged, and that matters. It means I know the money is likely coming back in. A good auction result isn’t excitement or a headline number. It’s finality.

The Emotional Reality

A bad trading day feels like losing money, and I don’t like it; it might annoy me for an hour or two, sometimes I don’t even realise I’m in a bad mood until later.

Then I deal with it. Reset. Move on.

A good trading day isn’t about profit size; it’s when you notice something nobody else does, when a comment, a detail, a throwaway line reveals something hidden in plain sight.

Those are the days I enjoy most, and if that makes a profit, I can be just as satisfied making £500 as £50,000 if it came from seeing something others missed.

What Most People Don’t Realise

What most people don’t realise about trading property is that it’s actually very simple, not easy, but simple. It’s about noticing what sits between the lines; it’s like the Matrix slowing everything down, and once you see it, it becomes obvious.

And until you do, it never is.