Two sisters have shared how they turned a £150,000 house into a £2m property empire.

Ruth Shipley-Palmer, 32, and her sister Becky, 33, began their property investment adventure as students, when they acquired a pair of houses in their home city of Bristol. The sisters now boast an impressive portfolio, with eight properties totalling over £2 million and providing an annual turnover of £120k.

By 2030, they aim to own 14 properties collectively, pursuing both financial security and the freedom to indulge in the activities they love most. Keen to share their wisdom and experience, particularly with other women, they've launched a podcast called Honest Proper-tea, along with an Instagram account, @honestpropertysisters, sharing useful tips for aspiring investors, reports Wales Online.

Becky said: "Landlords are usually painted badly so we wanted to say we're not all like that. It's good for us to be role models for other women in particular, we're making the most of life.

"We want to represent a different type of property investor and help other people on their way to achieving time freedom and financial security. When we decided to learn about how property works, we didn't know anyone who was investing who could teach us what to do."

"We went on a course in London and we were the only young women in the room - everyone else was a middle-aged man which was quite intimidating. We're wanting to share with other people how to do this for themselves, it's knowledge everyone should have."

Ruth added: "We realised we wanted to find way to keep a freelance career while being financially secure and started looking into how we could do that. When we started, we didn't have any friends buying houses and we ended up managing to buy two houses at same time in Bristol.

"We refurbished them and turned them into self-managed HMOs in 2014. We tried to find an 'angel' investor someone you don't know who funds your investment but we found a family friend who invested in us in the end."

The first properties the pair bought were a four-bed for £150k and a five-bed for £160k in 2014 after a family friend gave them an initial investment for a deposit on the mortgages. They provided a return on this investment by refurbishing the properties and renting them out, providing a 10% return on the initial investment.

After two years, they refinanced the two houses, which gave them an estimated £150k in capital to immediately invest in another property. They used this to to buy another four-bed property for £180k using a mortgage in 2016 which they turned into a HMO.

The siblings have snapped up eight properties worth over £2 million, raking in a tidy £72k annual profit. They've built their impressive portfolio through savvy refinancing, purchasing homes ranging from £150k to £327k. With five of these being buy-to-let and three as serviced accommodation, the pair are on top of their game with interest-only mortgages on all properties.

Their journey into property investment was inspired by their father, Nick Shipley, 71, who worked as a self-employed cameraman. The two also launched a pet care business during their time at the University of West of England, which they sold in 2023 to dedicate themselves to property investment full-time.

Now enjoying financial security and the luxury of working just 21 hours a week, Ruth said: "We're continuing to grow our property business by teaching people how to do it themselves."

Investing in property wasn't just about money for them; it was also about future-proofing their family's wellbeing. Becky emphasised the importance of their role in the industry, saying: "A huge reason why we invested in property is we wanted to look after our parents when they get older."

She also highlighted the significance of representation, adding: "As young women, representation in property is important to us."