Looking for a change in career? Here’s our expert guide to making it as a real-estate mogul.

Unless you’re 100 per cent happy with your lot in life, we’d hazard a guess that you spend some of your morning commute daydreaming about working in a different job. We’re not talking about moving company or getting a promotion – we mean a different industry entirely. Usually, the more wildly different the occupation, the more attractive it is. Are you a lawyer? You probably wish you’d trained as a carpenter. Psychologist? Why the hell didn’t you become a stock broker?

With this in mind, we decided to look at the industries and jobs that appear to have the most allure – and ask the experts who know them best to reveal their insider tips on how to get started.

Property development is a field we often imagine ourselves getting into, and for good reason. You are your own boss. You can potentially make lots of money. And it can satisfy that common fantasy of getting ones hands dirty for a living.

To find out more, we asked Mr Harry Handelsman ­– one of the world’s most successful property developers, and responsible for the likes of Chiltern Firehouse and St Pancras Hotel – for his advice on how to make a profitable first investment.

“If you wanted to invest in London, for example, the market is somewhat unstable because of Brexit. But then again London is one of the most important international cities in the world. I believe the growth and opportunity will continue to be there in the near future. The opportunity to break into the market is probably better today because the market will continue to rise.”

“You can look at crowdfunding. Or you can approach your friends, family etc. Be wary of lenders with excessive interest rates – say 10 or 15 per cent – that can very quickly cut into your profit and make the whole venture untenable. (However beautiful the property is, especially if it’s a single home or apartment or flat, it may take a while to sell.) If you loan from a bank, I think a logical and acceptable interest rate to pay is five per cent or less.”

“Look at areas that are up-and-coming as opposed to established. Go to a location that is still slightly on the fringes but has an infrastructure – pubs, cafés etc – that makes it a comfortable place to live. I started in property in the recession in 1992. I found a beautiful building which I fell in love with and I introduced a concept of living which didn’t exist in Clerkenwell. Just because other developers hadn’t chosen that area it didn’t make it unliveable.”

“First of all [once you’ve considered all the above] – find a property you would actually live in. If you don’t like it, why would somebody else? By personalising it you get a better product. Look for a challenge that you feel, on the basis of your expertise or advice from friends or colleagues, you might be able to transform into something much more exciting.”

“There is plenty of help available and it doesn’t cost much. Speak to architects and designers. If you’re refurbishing a property, speak to agents, ask what people like in the area, what the demand is. You shouldn’t necessarily go against the trend; you should go with it – provided the trend appeals to you.”

“The most important thing is that you buy well because then you’ll be able to sell well. When I look at property, I look at my risk in terms of losing money; I don’t necessarily look at my profitability. Selling well is a matter of luck and timing; buying well – that’s good negotiation skills. Look for sellers that need to move quickly and take advantage of those opportunities as you might be able purchase below market value. If a property has been on the market for a long time, say you’re interested in buying but not at the price they’re asking.”

“Think of your expectation and think of a minimum (x) and a maximum (y) target price. Ask for y – which might be a high number – and then if someone wants a discount, providing it’s more than x, then sell it.”

“With buy-to-let, the demand for property is relatively high. It means you have less money to reinvest initially, but eventually you can re-mortgage your property and invest some of your profit to buy another property while you’re letting out the first one."