How it started: the story behind HW Property

How it started: the story behind HW Property

We didn’t start HW Property with a big masterplan. Like many things in the property industry, it began by accident.

We’re Ruth and Dan, the people behind HW Property, and this is our story of our involvement in property and how we established our company.

How HW Property started - our property investment journey so far

We were both working full time in demanding corporate roles, travelling frequently and doing what we were ‘supposed’ to do – or in the corporate rat race as they say. Ruth built a career in marketing over more than 20 years, while Dan works in senior sales management within the retail sector. On paper, everything made sense - but long term, we knew we didn’t want to rely solely on salaries for our future.

While we always had ambitions to do something different, when we had our daughter it brought a sharp realisation and gave us the urgency to act – which was the realisation that the most valuable currency isn’t money - it’s time.

We wanted flexibility, choice, and the freedom to spend more time together, travel, and create meaningful experiences, without constantly worrying about money. Property is where our knowledge and passion came together to make that possible.

We’d both always had an interest in property. For Dan, it began with an inheritance and the unexpected responsibility of becoming a landlord. For Ruth, property had always been part of the background – moving frequently during childhood and seeing homes not just as places to live, but as spaces with potential to be shaped, improved, and added to.

Ruth bought her first house at 19 and sold it five years later for twice the purchase price – helped by always looking at a property through the lens of potential and improvement. That mindset never left.

Later, together, we bought a house with additional land, secured planning permission, and built our own home. By that point, property was no longer just an interest, it was something we understood, valued, and genuinely enjoyed doing well.

HW Property was born from that journey, and from a clear decision to do things differently.

From the outset, we knew we didn’t want to build a property portfolio at any cost. We wanted to operate in a way that aligned with our values; ethical, socially responsible, and focused on the long term. That means treating houses as homes, being fair with tenants, and working with investors, developers, and partners who share the same outlook.

HW Property is about building something sustainable - for us, for the people who live in our properties, and for those who choose to invest alongside us. It’s not about short-term wins or shortcuts, but about taking a thoughtful, long-term approach to property investment.