Extras Sarah Beeny Interview

Date Published:

19/06/2008

We caught a few minutes with Sarah (between her working on-site at her new home and her young children coming home) to chat about the new series of Property Ladder. We asked what she thinks about today's property market and whether people have finally started listening to her...

Hello Sarah. So, tell us about the new series...
There are some really interesting shows - we deal with recycling and a healthy house, and an amazing penthouse in Brighton. Actually, we're still filming that one because it's not quite finished! There's a beautiful house in Ross in the middle of a wood. So there are some amazing inspirational properties, but they're all very different. One couple managed to do a house with less money than I've ever seen, and another couple spent more than I can imagine feasible! It's an exciting series.

What incidents stand out for you?
Probably the quantity of money spent in the show based in north London. The young couple, who are really sweet, spend a phenomenal amount of money.

Was it naivety?
Yeah, I think so. I found it quite frustrating! It was a property that could have been a good deal if they did it differently. They're happy with it, so that's fine, but they won't be able to sell it for a profit.

How do you square something that's ambitious and to one's taste with something that's more economically viable?
To me it's a very clear-cut thing. It's either a business transaction, or it's not. If you don't make a profit you don't have money to buy food. A lot of people find it very difficult to divide that and see the difference, but to me it's black and white. It's either a financial judgement or an emotional one.

Did you notice during making this series whether people had learnt from the advice you’ve been giving?
Yeah - they do, actually. I meet people and they tell me that they've read my books and watched the programmes, and I think, 'How scary'! There are fewer obvious things that they're doing wrong.

You got into property development quite young, at 24. What initially attracted you?
My father was an architect and I'd been on building sites all my life, so I understood the basics of how it worked. My father's a problem solver - to him there's nothing that can't be solved, and buildings are about that. They don't stay up by magic, they stay up because one bit goes on top of another bit - it's all logical. And I love the concept of a home and what it means.