Have you always been interested in property?
Yes I have, I moved house a lot when I was younger, my parents like to renovate houses and then sell them on, so I spent quite a lot of my youth on building sites. I think I’m one of the few people in Britain who actually enjoy moving house. 

Moving house can be a traumatic experience, do you have any tips?
Be as organised as possible. Use moving as an excuse to de-clutter, there is no point packing up junk you don’t want, moving it to your new home and unpacking it all again. A good way to make sure all the packing boxes go in the right rooms in your new house is to number them. Say the kitchen is number 1, so all boxes from the kitchen have a big red 1 written on them and the kitchen door of your new house has a big red 1 sign on it, the master bedroom is number 2 etc. Then there is no confusion, and it’s easier for the removal team to get the boxes in the right places.

What advice has your sister Kirstie given you?
If a house is very cluttered with furniture and you can’t get a sense of the true proportions of a room, lie on the floor and look up at the ceiling. You will then get an exact idea of the size of the room. 

What does home mean to you?
It’s a cliché but home is where the heart is, for me it means where your family and loved ones are. I own a flat in Shepherds Bush, London which I rent out, as I currently live in Scotland with my boyfriend, and my two cats. So at the moment home is a Victorian cemetery keeper’s cottage in Edinburgh. 

How did you choose it?
I was very lucky with my flat in London, it jumped out at me. It was within my budget, in the location I wanted, on a quiet street. It had big windows, lots of character and a garden. 

Are there any important factors or pitfalls that people should look out for when buying a house? 
There can pitfalls when buying a house but they can be reduced if you do your homework. When you’re buying you should have a structural survey carried out prior to exchange of contracts, this will give you a better overall idea of the condition of the house. It should tell you about the state of the roof, whether there are any serious damp issues, subsidence or major structural faults. A local authority search will alert you to any building projects in the immediate area such as roads, housing developments etc… But you should also check with your local council to see whether you are in a conservation area as this could affect any future planning permission. It is also very important to check with the environmental agency as to whether your house is in a flood plain and to seek their advice.  Due to the horrendous nationwide flooding in the last few years insurance companies can be unwilling to insure some homes or if they do so it is at the highest premium, and you don’t want to find yourself, knee deep in flood water six months after completion. 

And selling?
My advice to sellers is be flexible. If you can’t budge on price then try and be accommodating about the completion. If your buyers would like to move fast and complete contracts within a month and it is in your power to do so try and make this happen. And never throw away a sale over the fixtures and fittings list I’ve seen it happen before. A vendor wants £400 for their washing machine and the buyer only wants to pay £300, neither party will budge and in the end the sum of £100 pounds scuppers a £400,000 sale, madness. 

Are you a country or city girl?
If push comes to shove I’m a country girl. I like the diversity and range of choice you get in cities – great shops, restaurants, museums, galleries, pubs and clubs. However, I love the quiet and seclusion of the country – the wilder and woollier the better.  I spend a bit of time every year on the west coast of Scotland a place I feel is one of the most beautiful spots in the world. Turn off the mobile, ditch the laptop and just relax.

Do you prefer new builds or old builds?
There are many fantastic new builds around that are environmentally friendly, beautifully designed, practical and cost effective, but personally I prefer old builds.  I love how you get a feel of history, and a sense of the passing of time in old buildings.

What renovations have you made?
I made the master bedroom slightly smaller so I could free up space to create a bathroom. Then I knocked through the wall between the existing bathroom and galley kitchen and created a much better sized kitchen.