Towards the end of 2009, with their substantial yet local residential portfolio in the south of England in "quite rude health" and with their ability to get new mortgage finance un-dented, Angela Bryant was in no mood to stop buying properties. Having been buying properties to let to tenants for almost 15 years, she and her husband had acquired 65 units, with a portfolio at the time worth over £9.5m and cash-flowing "very nicely".

Having always found inspiration in the field of self development, Angela says she became increasingly smitten with the concept of GOALS as with each New Year - especially as goals seem to hold the key to many latent aspirations. So the idea took hold, for Angela to set herself a goal of buying ten properties in the coming year - 2010.

There were just one or two problems with this exciting goal as Angela now describes: "For one thing, my husband did not want me buying any more properties that he would have to manage. Given that he manages all our local properties and does much of the maintenance work himself, I had to concede that he probably had quite enough on his plate; but we both knew that if I bought any more property locally, he could not bring himself to hand over the management to others.