You might recognise him as one of the stars of the hit series Love Island, but 28-year-old Jordan Hames has taken a different path, away from the spotlight, since appearing on the ITV2 show.
Jordan, from Manchester, starred in series five of the dating programme back in 2019 alongside Molly-Mae Hague, Tommy Fury, Maura Higgins and Amber Gill. But off the back of the show, his party lifestyle left him with no savings and saw him struggling to get a foot on the property ladder.
The TV star then started taking saving more seriously and, after stretching himself to buy his first house, he soon took an interest in property. In a bid to make himself a career that was 'bullet-proof', he began investing in properties and made £100,000 from his first deal alone.
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Since then Jordan has been snapping up houses in up-and-coming parts of Manchester and converting them into high-end family homes.
The 28-year-old property entrepreneur has so far acquired three houses in the space of two years in his home city and has his sights set on bigger developments.
As well as being a property investor, Jordan has also launched his own design company, Jordan Hames Fashion, and has become a style icon.
Since coming out of the Love Island villa, the model has dramatically transformed his image, leading him to carve out a career in high fashion - modelling for big names including Prada, Zara and JD Sports.
He often shares his quirky outfits, including a fishnet top paired with a man skirt, on his Instagram, where he has amassed more than 730,000 followers.
Speaking about his desire to be diverse, Jordan explained: “I looked at all my favourite high-performance celebrities and tried to figure out what the denominator was between them all achieving success over a long period of time. That denominator was multiple businesses.
"Conor McGregor is a good example. He opened his whiskey business, he’s got McGregor Fast where he does his strength and conditioning. He’s got a pub chain, and what’s he not done for the past three or four years? He hasn’t fought because he’s got all these other businesses that are working hard for him."
Jordan added: “I think you’re deluded if you think you can master one thing and that’s the one thing you’ll do for the rest of your life. Not everyone’s Drake.
“So, I always wanted to find a way that I could have another strand of what I’m doing that would give me that security and make me bullet-proof for the rest of my life. For me that was property."
Wanting to break into the property sector, Jordan had a one-on-one VIP crash course with Samuel Leeds, who is the multi-millionaire founder of the UK training firm Property Investors.
“There are a few moments of my life that I will remember but that’s one of them where I got off the phone and I was like… life’s going to be different now," Jordan explained.
“I thank Samuel so much for that. That’s why literally anyone I speak to I’ll sing his praises because he took the time out. He didn’t need to do that, and I’ll remember that forever.”
Jordan’s first property purchase was a semi-detached house in Manchester which he bought for £170,000 after negotiating the price down from £180,000.
It had easy connections to the centre making it ‘perfect’ for a working family, but as the owners had inherited the house from their grandmother, it had been left in a derelict state.
“I don’t think it had been done up for 30 years or so, but it had a nice big back garden. I looked on the street as well and I could see a few people had done extensions," Jordan said.
The former Love Island star spent around £150,000 renovating the house, which included a ‘full rip out’ and a rear extension to form an open plan kitchen and dining area with large bifold doors.
New windows and doors were also installed, along with a new roof, kitchen, bathrooms and floors.
“At the end of the day, I’m young. I’m in a position where I want to take risk and that’s where you make the most money," Jordan said.
"The house was so under the market value I wasn’t worried because I knew at the very least every single pound that I put into it I would get back. It was just a question of how much profit I was going to make.
“So, I was pretty relaxed, but I’d not done it before. It was a lot of work especially when I’m trying to thrive in my day job."
Jordan was left ‘buzzing’ when the valuation came in at £435,000, leaving him with a profit of more than £100,000.
He then went onto buy a two-bed bungalow near Manchester Airport for £240,000 with the plan to turn it into a multi-generational, five to six-bedroom house.
The high fashion model also owns another bungalow which is being redeveloped at the same time, with the aim that both bungalows will be ‘flipped’ and sold for profit.
“It does take time but I’m at a point in my life when I feel with maturity and experience as an entrepreneur I want to move correctly. I’m not trying to make decisions that I’ve not backed up and done all the calculations for," Jordan said.
“In two years, I’ve done three houses but look how right every move has been. It’s put me in a place where I’ve got a much bigger pot to go with. Now I can diversify my portfolio and get some HMOs (houses in multiple occupation) for the passive income.”
Jordan says that his motivation to succeed is his family. As a 10-year-old he remembers his mother saying they could not spend 'more than £51' in the supermarket because they had bills to pay.
“I want to give back to the people who were there for me when I was a kid. But also, when I have kids, I want to go to all the sports days and parents’ meetings. To do that I need to make sure I’ve got the financial backing behind me so I can have that flexibility," he said.
His proudest moment was when he retired his mum and bought a car for both her and his older sister.
“That’s what property enables me to do. I treat it like a business. My proud moments come from when I’m helping the people around me and seeing the smile and the change it puts on their face and in their life," he added.
The property entrepreneur is now keen to pass on his knowledge through his social media platforms where he has been documenting his journey.
“What’s addictive about property to me and what I love about it is that you can be really creative. And I get as much a buzz from it as when I’m walking the catwalk in Milan," Jordan said.
“The other day I saw a [disused] bank I wanted to buy. That’s the point I’m at now. I’m looking at banks that I can build 25 apartments on.
“It’s nice that I can do this now – build something for the future – and then in 10 to 20 years when Jordan Hames isn’t wearing a bomber from Rick Owens anymore, I can work in property.”
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As for whether it is a good time to buy property now, Jordan’s opinion is clear: “If it’s a good deal, then it doesn’t matter when you’re buying it.
He adds: “So many people are scared to take the plunge because they are waiting to see if house prices will dip further. The upside is there is less competition which means there are better deals to be had.
“I bought a house at auction the other day and there were four people I was bidding against. I got it for such a cheap price. So, if there’s less competition you can get a better deal on a house.”
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