A true Gemini, Gary McCausland is a blend of opposites – as self-assured as he is modest, as frank as he is calculating, as content as he is driven. Born into humble beginnings, it was pure, relentless ambition and a knack for good decisions that drove him to the top of the property ladder. Therefore it’s no surprise that he was coveted by Channel 5, and now the BBC, as a presenter. After a reluctant start onscreen, it’s the same sincerity that he brings to the interview that has firmly established him as a national property guru, enthusing amateur property developers all over the country.

You’re described in the media as an “expert property developer”, is that how you feel?
I do think I’m an expert in that I’ve got an incredibly wide range of understanding. I’ve been in property now for more or less 20 years, so with the television shows as well I’ve seen every scenario under the sun.
After school I did an Estate Management degree and a postgraduate in Accountancy, then I managed property in the corporate world for 10 years, towards the end of which I set up my own property company. Now I’ve written two books and live, breathe and run my company on a daily basis – legal issues, evaluation issues, the banks, everything – so in terms of a rounded across the board expert, yes I think am.

Do you think the extra training you had in the corporate world and accountancy has helped you manage your portfolio now?
Definitely. I think the accountancy and the corporate world has given me prudence, and made me quite risk-adverse – accountants are incredibly risk-adverse – and also understanding the numbers, I understand balance sheets, profit loss. It’s a complicated area but understanding the basics is enough for you to do detailed spreadsheets, cash flows, understand tax implications, which again are absolutely fundamental when you’re property developing.

Do you think being a successful developer is as much about mindset as it is knowledge?
That’s tricky. Being a successful developer for me is being incredibly prudent. There’s an old saying, ‘Don’t let the perfume of the profit mask the odour of the risk’. So you’ve got to look at everything with the rose-tinted glasses off. The best developers I know who have stayed in the long term are very prudent, and in the good times they’ve stayed steady, and in the bad times they’ve stayed steady.

Do you ever take risks?
I’m not a risk taker; I’m incredibly risk-adverse. There are risks every day of the week, but I’m a very, very prudent person. I will always look at the worst-case scenario rather than the best. I always start with an exit strategy; almost reverse engineering when I look at deals. I work my way back from, how do I get out and make money? If that stacks up for me then I can go ok, let’s look at the upside and decide whether it’s worth taking the risk. I take calculated decisions with a small amount of risk.

What advice would you give anyone looking to begin developing now?
I’m not a big fan of saying invest here, invest there, what I will say is go back to the basics in property. Make sure you’re getting it for the right price, that the location stacks up, that you can add value, that your timing is right, that you can get finance; you put all those things together and you can usually find a bargain. There are thousands of bargains out there right now, that’s for sure. But it’s keeping to the basic principles rather than going, ‘This area is going up, I’m going to invest there,’ because right now virtually everywhere is going down. There are one or two anomalies, but on the whole things are moving in a downward cycle. I’ve just bought one new site, which was unbelievable value but apart from that I’ve geared things down and it’s going to be just very steady for the next year or so.

When you’re looking to develop a property, are there any particular key features you’d look for?
You should always be looking for ways to add value and certain things add more than others, loft extensions for example because you can put in an extra bedroom with an en suite. You can build extensions to the rear, or you can even go underground now. Adding rooms and floor space is a great way to increase the value, as long as the cost doesn’t exceed what you can sell it for. For example if you only sell something for £100 per square foot in a market and a location, there’s no point spending £125 per square foot doing a refurbishment. But if you sell it for £500 per square foot, and only spend £125 per square foot, you’re making £375 profit. Basic developing would be just refurbishing the house, making sure it’s tidy, not cluttered and as bright and spacious as possible.

Would you recommend buying at auction?
I’m not a huge fan of auctions because it’s a place where emotions can run riot. You can lose a fortune like that, but you can pick up bargains as long as you do your homework, your research, don’t bid too early, set your price before you go in and don’t exceed it. Just keep all the fundamentals, it’s all about the five developing rules to make sure you’ve got the right price, location and you can add value.

Do you think it’s important to consider staging the house for sale?
I think the bottom line is the better the house looks, the better chance you have of selling it. We all like to think people have good foresight and vision, but for most people out there if you show them round the house and it’s a junk room instead of a bedroom they’ll go, ‘Well it’s a junk room not a bedroom, can I even get a double bed in there?’ But if you have a double bed in there, all of a sudden it’ll feel bigger, more spacious, and the viewer will go, ‘Wow, that’s a nice bedroom’. You’ve got to make sure the house is looking as good and pristine as possible, and really consider the front of the house. Kerb appeal can make or break a sale, so make sure there are no dead plants, the rubbish is tidy and consider freshly painting the outside. Really consider your audience too, make the house aspirational for them. People like to see a flat screen TV and champagne bottles in the kitchen, because it becomes a place that they covet. People buy into a lifestyle; it’s kitchens, bathrooms and lifestyle that sell houses.

In March you launched a series with the BBC called Axe The Agent?, would you recommend homeowners do the marketing of their property themselves?
The format is basically people who are disillusioned with estate agents, they have negative equity and they need to sell it themselves or they’ll end up owing money to an estate agent. We go through the whole process with them – telling them how to improve their property, doing mock viewings, marketing their property, helping them with real viewings and then trying to get the offers. I give them feedback the whole time, it’s kind of a tough love show.
In the UK currently 5% of people are selling their home themselves, and that’s targeted to grow to 25 percent in 2020, so it’s a huge growth area. I’m actually pro-agent because I think estate agents are incredibly important. People don’t realise how hard a lot of estate agents work. If you’re a good estate agent Axe The Agent? is a question, they’ve nothing to fear. A lot of people in the show go back to using estate agents, but if you are a bad agent, well I’d want to get ready of you anyway so this show will help sort out the wheat from the chaff.