What Can Rome Teach Us
About Property?
What Can Rome Teach Us About Property?
By Ella Thompson | CEO, ECT Investments Group · 4 min read
When people think about the Roman Empire, property development probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. We think about emperors, gladiators, roads, aqueducts and huge buildings. But I’ve always found the way the Romans built interesting. They weren’t just putting buildings up. They thought about how people moved around, where water came from, how cities functioned and how different spaces connected. And thousands of years later, some of what they built is still standing. Obviously, I’m not planning on building an aqueduct anytime soon. But there is something about that mindset that I really like: Think properly before you build.
The Romans Had a Plan
Roman towns weren’t simply collections of buildings thrown together. Infrastructure mattered. Roads connected places. Water systems supported growing populations. Public spaces gave people somewhere to meet, trade and live. There was a bigger picture. Even Roman housing reflected different lifestyles. Wealthier Romans could live in private
townhouses known as domus, while many people living in cities lived in multi-storey apartment buildings called insulae. I find that particularly interesting because, even thousands of years ago, growing cities were already having to think about space, density and how different people lived alongside one another. Of course, modern property is a completely different world, but some of the basic questions feel surprisingly familiar.
Before I get excited about what a property could become, I want to understand how it actually works. Where is it?, Who wants to live there? How well connected is it? What does the local area offer? And most importantly, do the numbers make sense?
Because you can have a beautiful property in the wrong location or spend a fortune creating something the local market doesn’t actually need.
Then Come the Numbers
This is probably the less exciting side of property development. Spreadsheets aren’t quite as impressive as the Colosseum. But they matter. A property can look like an amazing opportunity and still be a bad deal. There is the purchase price, refurbishment, professional fees, finance, licensing, running costs and all the unexpected things that have a habit of appearing once a project gets started. So I don’t want to make the numbers fit the property. I want the property to fit the numbers. If it doesn’t stack up, I’m prepared to walk away.
Building Around People
Something else I find interesting about Roman cities is how much of them was built around everyday life. Homes were only one part of the picture. There were markets, baths, public spaces, roads and places where communities naturally came together. Property today is obviously completely different, but I think the human side still matters. Especially with HMOs .It’s easy to look at a floor plan and immediately think: How many rooms can we get in here?
I prefer to ask another question too:
Would someone actually enjoy living here?
Is there enough storage? Does the room feel comfortable? Are the communal areas somewhere people would actually want to spend time? Is there good transport nearby? Does the whole property feel like a home rather than just a collection of bedrooms? That’s where my creative side comes in. I naturally look at a space and start imagining what it could become. But the creative idea still needs to work practically and financially.
Build for More Than Today
The Romans probably weren’t sitting around discussing property yields. But they did understand the value of infrastructure that could serve people for years. That’s something I want to take into my own approach to property. I’m not interested in doing a project just so I can say I’ve done one. I want to build ECT Investments Group around well-researched opportunities, good relationships and properties that have been properly thought through. That also matters when working with investors. For me, an investor relationship should be clear from the beginning. What are we trying to achieve? What are the numbers? What are the risks? And what happens if things don’t go exactly to plan? There will always be risk in property. I don’t think there’s any point pretending otherwise. The important part is understanding what you’re walking into, doing the groundwork and making informed decisions
What I Take From It
My biggest takeaway from looking back at Roman cities is actually pretty simple. Good property has never just been about four walls. It’s about location. Infrastructure. The people using the space. How everything connects. And having a plan for how it’s all going to work. Those principles are thousands of years old, but they’re still relevant when I’m looking at property today.
Some Things Don’t Really Change
Property has changed massively since Roman Britain. Thankfully, so have the bathrooms. But underneath all of that, I think there’s still a simple idea that makes sense: Location matters. People matter. Planning matters. And what you build should have a purpose. I’m building, asking the right questions and growing my network along the way. I might be working with spreadsheets instead of stone tablets, but the principle is pretty similar. Do the groundwork first. Then build something worth keeping.