‘I think we disagree more than we agree!’

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Interview

‘I think we disagree more than we agree!’

We chat exclusively with property experts and sibling TV presenting duo Scarlette and Stuart Douglas, who have recently been helping homebuyers make their money go further on Channel 4’s Worst House on the Street and alongside George Clark on Flipping Fast.

About Scarlette and Stuart Scarlette’s property journey began when she bought her first flat at the age of 24. She became an award-winning television presenter with A Place In The Sun (2015) and since then, has been a regular reporter for BBC’s The One Show as well as presenting her own primetime Channel 4 show Holiday Secrets: Is Last Minute Best? (2020).

Former professional footballer Stuart bought his first property in 1999 – a converted hat factory in St Albans. He redesigned, refurbished, and eventually sold it for a healthy profit. This proved to be the catalyst for him to buy and develop in the locations of the football clubs where he played. With Scarlette’s candid input, he has developed and sold numerous properties. Stuart was nominated for Best Debut Presenter at the New Voice Awards 2022.

How did you both get into the property market? Stuart was the one that got into property first, kind of by accident. As a footballer, he invested his money into his first house by renovating it and made a great return without even meaning to. Thirteen years later, he took me under his wing and taught me the ropes. We’ve been developing as a duo ever since!

Tell us about your first experience of buying a property together and how that progressed to a career in television. Our first place together was in Barnet. It was a ground-floor converted Victorian flat; one bedroom that we turned into two, of which we made a good profit. We continued flipping properties and a few years later, an opportunity came up for ‘A Place in the Sun’, who were looking for presenters with property expertise. I did a screen test, got the job and the rest is history as they say!

How would you describe your working relationship as siblings – do you mostly agree with each other on property matters and how do you resolve any differences? I think we disagree more than we agree! We have learnt over the years that compromise is our best friend though! Stuart keeps emotion out of renovations, whereas I try to, but struggle! We’re very good at meeting in the middle and, ultimately, we want the best for our prospective buyers, so we always have that at the forefront of our minds when we may have a disagreement. What’s best for me may not be best for someone else.

Image courtesy of Channel 4, Flipping Fast

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Which is your favourite style of property interior and why? This is such a difficult question because no two properties are the same. I like to be as true to a property as I can. Yes, use elements of different styles and merge designs, but I like to be true to the period and build of the initial property. Traditional features are so beautiful, so enhancing and restoring them rather than removing does so much more justice to the house. If it was a new build? Go as modern as you like, but I would always say be gracious to the era of the house by at least giving a nod to the period here and there.

Which part of a property (inside or out) gets you most excited when making an investment or starting a renovation project? The layout. A floor plan, honestly, is the thing to look out for when wanting to renovate. You can see exactly what can change and what can’t and how to make the most of the space on offer.

Which simple home improvements do you think can add most value to a property? There are a few different ones here. A new kitchen and bathroom always add value to a property, but something that’s not too big of a job is sprucing up the kerb appeal. Having great outside space front and/or back really can add money to your home, and it doesn’t have to be expensive to do.

What’s your biggest property success? Everything I’ve done within property I would like to believe has been a success. I never stop and rest on my laurels and am always seeking to surpass what I’ve already achieved, so I’m not sure I have seen my biggest success as of yet.

And any property mistakes you care to mention? Every mistake is a learning curve so as much as I can’t think of any right now, I wouldn’t change them as I wouldn’t have the knowledge I have to date.

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What are your top 5 dos and don’ts for buying or selling a new home?

1. DO as much research as possible – it’s key to minimising mistakes and errors in your purchase.

2. FAIL to prepare, prepare to fail – if you don’t do your homework, you’re taking a big risk with your investment.

3. DON’T expect everything to be plain sailing – there are a lot of ups and downs with property, so you need to be adaptable (just because your o er has been accepted, doesn’t mean it’s defi nitely going to be yours, so be aware).

4. DO have a contingency fund just in case you need some extra cash along the way.

5. DO make your house look as presentable and appealing as possible to give it the best chance of getting the best o er!