A man who used to dread buying drinks at social events because of how expensive they were says swapping the chaos and high costs of living in London for a new life in Grimsby was one of the best decisions he has ever made.
Property investor and entrepreneur Martin Adams, 31, packed his bags and moved from the outskirts of the capital to Grimsby in January “on a whim” after he researched the area and learned that some properties are sold for as little as £40,000.
Keen to do something good for the community that has welcomed him so warmly, Martin has now purchased several homes around Grimsby and is in the process of renovating them before renting them out at a low cost to those most in need.
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Having lived in the area for four months, Martin now plans to stick around for good thanks to the friendliness of locals, cheaper cost of living and better work-life balance.
Speaking to Grimsby Live, he said: “[The move] was a huge whim. I’m involved in property and I was fed up of having to go through the financial hurdles of continuously trying to make as much money as I can just to purchase a property. I looked at Grimsby for a while and the opportunities that were here and I packed my bags and jumped in the van and drove up here three weeks later.
“It’s a huge, drastic change. A lot of things are very different up here, sometimes it feels like I’m in a foreign country. I didn’t realise why I was moving up here until I moved up here. I didn’t know anyone here so it was a blind decision.
“London is so expensive and you’re expected to be happy whilst having pretty much nothing. People are working 40 hours a week just to have the bare minimum, but there’s enough opportunity here to be able to live comfortably and still not have to work every hour of the day.”
Martin said the first thing he noticed about Grimsby was how friendly the locals are and how much cheaper day-to-day living is.
“The first thing I noticed is how friendly people are, and there’s no divergence between the wealthy and the more financially strict people. It’s been lovely to come here and be made to feel so welcome,” he said.
“Down south, there’s a very clear difference between people who are financially struggling and people who do have money, who want nothing to do with you. It’s nice to walk down the street and talk to people. People here are happy to greet you and talk about their day-to-day life, but down south people keep their heads down and don’t speak.
“I’ve met a few people up here at networking events and people laugh at me because down south I used to dread having to buy a drink at a social event because it’s so expensive. A pint of coke here costs about £2.50 and down south it costs about £4.75. Your money goes so much further here.”
Following his big move, Martin now rents out his house in the south, with his tenants paying more for one room than it costs to rent a three-bedroomed house in Grimsby.
“When I talk to people around here they give me a funny look because they think I’m overcharging my tenants down south, but that’s just the market we’re in at the moment,” he said.
“Here, you can rent a nice three-bedroomed house for £650 to £750. It’s crazy to think that will only get you a double bedroom in a house in London.”
In a bid to give something back to the community, Martin plans to rent out the properties he has purchased in Grimsby to people most in need.
“We’re purchasing properties actively at the moment to give back to communities at a more affordable rent rate,” he said.
“We’re working with [North East Lincolnshire Council] and local housing associations just to try and help some people who are less fortunate, by getting them off the streets and into permanent accommodation.
“We’re buying houses between £40,000 and £50,000 that no-one wants to live in, spending a bit of money doing them up and making them liveable, and giving them back to the community at an affordable rate rather than hiking the prices up, which a lot of bigger companies do.”
To find out more about the scheme, you can visit the M3 Property Investments website here, and follow Martin’s journey through his Instagram here. Anyone who is keen to discuss residing in one of Martin’s properties is asked to contact him on martin@m3pi.co.uk.
