Investing in Bali Property: Freehold, Financing and Why Developers Go Bust | Rasmus Holst

Coco Development Group founder Rasmus Holst is fine with Bali having almost no mortgages, while Matt thinks it will stunt growth. Rasmus Holst joins Matt Haycox to explain how a Danish kid who made his first million kroner at 12 reselling second-hand luxury goods, ended up founding Coco Development Group in Bali. He arrived three and a half years ago, flipped a rented villa, then built his first co-living project of three villas and 14 apartments. Coco now numbers 1,500 people and has hired someone new every day and a half on average. Its Coco Lifestyle Resort opened on 1st June and ran at 96% occupancy, with almost half its bookings coming direct. They talk about what works in Bali real estate right now, from why so many developers have gone out of business to why Rasmus thinks nine out of ten build for the investor rather than the guest. He explains the casino logic behind Coco's public facilities, how a 200-strong marketing team puts out more than 5,000 pieces of content a month, and why leasehold versus freehold matters more than headline returns. The few mortgages on offer carry around 16% interest and can't be used off plan, and Rasmus makes his case for keeping it that way. **Chapters** 0:00 - Coming Up 0:15 - Intro 0:46 - Zero Meetings in the Diary 5:02 - How Rasmus Recruits A-players 10:18 - Office vs Remote Teams 11:40 - His First Million at 12 13:22 - The Festivals: Selling Out in 40 days 17:38 - From Festivals to Bali 19:17 - Getting into Bali property 24:33 - Who's buying: Investors vs Living in 26:13 - Where the investors come from 26:59 - Price points & what €90K gets you 31:08 - How the units get rented out 32:17 - Why Bali developers go bust 36:27 - Leasehold vs Freehold 40:19 - Mortgages & Financing in Bali 45:22 - The New Licensing & Airbnb Rules 47:45 - What's Next: Lombok & Other islands 50:03 - Final Thoughts & Where to find Rasmus **About Rasmus Holst** Rasmus Holst is the founder of Coco Development Group, which builds lifestyle resorts and co-living in Bali. Before property he ran festivals in Copenhagen and built Accounting Hero, doing the accounts for more than 1,000 Danish companies and growing from zero to 35 people in six months. As a kid he was the sixth-best table tennis player in Denmark, and he says he has never had a job. **Follow Rasmus** Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rasmus\_holst\_\_/ Coco Development Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coco\_development/ Coco Website https://cocodevelopmentgroup.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rasmusiholst/  ======================== **Connect with Matt Haycox, No BS Business Podcast Host & 8-Figure Entrepreneur.** I’m Matt Haycox, entrepreneur, investor, and your straight-talking guide to building a business that actually works. I’ve raised over £750M, built (and rebuilt) 8-figure companies, and learned the hard way what it really takes to win. On *No Bollocks with Matt Haycox*, I cut through the bollocks to bring you raw conversations with 7–8 figure founders, investors, and experts who’ve been there, done it, and got the scars to prove it. No hype, no theory, just actionable strategies you can use today to start, grow, and scale your business. Whether you’re stuck in your 9–5, building your side hustle, or trying to hit your first £100k month, this is your go-to podcast for **entrepreneur tips, startup growth strategies, raising capital, building a personal brand, and avoiding the costly mistakes most founders make**. 📩 **Get Matt’s free business newsletter** for weekly strategies, mindset shifts, and behind-the-scenes lessons → https://nobollockswithmatthaycox.beehiiv.com/subscribe ▶ **Instagram** – https://www.instagram.com/thematthaycox/ ▶ **YouTube** – No Bollocks Podcast - YouTube ▶ **LinkedIn** – https://www.linkedi...