Episode 29 - The Gaff Goddess: Laura de Barra

We are joined by the inimitable Laura de Barra. She is a three-time best-selling author and "SheIY" expert who is going to tell us everything we should be looking for when viewing property as well as keeping it all running smoothly once you've moved in. So sit back and prepare yourself for a schooling by the Gaff Goddess herself.

Items mentioned:

• Laura de Barra books - Gaff Goddess, Decor Galore, and Garment Goddess
• Lighting - look for lower Kelvins for warm, cosy lighting
• Use smart bulbs for lamps
• Bosch laser measure for accurate measuring
• Cut out fabric templates for bed sizes

About the episode:
Laura shares her journey from the fashion industry to property development. She emphasizes the importance of quality tools, providing advice on using Bosch tools like laser measures and stud finders. She discusses the importance of proper home maintenance, such as resealing bathroom silicone and regular cleaning of appliance filters. Laura also provides practical tips for renters and homeowners, like measuring spaces accurately and utilizing lighting effectively. She advocates for being intentional about home improvements and maintaining a relationship with household items. Additionally, she suggests negotiating rental prices by looking at listings that have been on the market for a while and learning from neighbors about potential issues.

Transcript

  Welcome to Rip It Up, the renovations podcast.  I'm Jenny. I'm Kate. And between us, we've renovated a lot of houses and it hasn't scared us off. In fact, we loved it so much that we can't stop talking about it. So in this podcast, we will give you all the tools and info that you need to tackle your own renovation like a pro.

Today on Rip It Up we are joined by the inimitable Laura de Barra. She is a three time best selling author and a she I Y expert who is going to tell us everything we should be looking for when viewing property as well as keeping it all running smoothly once you've moved in. So sit back and prepare yourself for a schooling by the gaff goddess herself.

welcome back to the podcast, hi Kate! 

Hi Jen.  

And hi Laura, welcome to 

the podcast. 

for having 

We are

thrilled to have you.

Um, I have something of a personal obsession with you, with your style. So, if this gets uncomfortable at any point, you can just rein me back in. That's fine.

I always say all gaff goddesses are just like friends who haven't met yet and haven't gone out for like a cocktail together. Every time I meet someone that likes The books, I'm always like, we'd be friends if we lived near each other at all. 

The excitement when you said yes, Laura, is, is amazing. So, listener, if you haven't

heard of Laura de Barra, maybe stop listening now. Go look her up. Uh, she's the author of one of my favourite books,

Gaff Goddess. I really think it's just such a bible for any homeowner. Um, but there's also plenty to find on your Instagram, at Laura de Barra.

Um, And I know you're, uh, across a whole bunch of radio shows lately and lots of other things. So, um, great to have you and there's going to be just so many. This is going to be a goldmine  of an

I'm excited for this.  

Okay, well maybe we just start from the start because you are,  like, if I go, if I go to look you up for a description,

you're a property

portfolio.  Developer, which is very exciting. 

Also, the most unique speller of the word judge I've ever come across. So will you tell us about your path into property? How did you get into it?

What? What has your work been in it? Tell us 

everything. 

So I studied 

fashion, worked in fashion for a supplier. like 

in high street, um, not all brands will have their own. They'll have a design department, but they won't. Design everything. So they use suppliers who develop ranges with them or give them ranges. So I was working for one of them for an amazing boss, um, a Turkish company.

I was loving it. But as I was getting closer to 30, I was like, you're not like, you're not developing a lot as a designer. You're not paid a lot. It's like, I was thinking there's, I wanted more of a challenge. So I said to him, like, I'm going to leave. I'm going to go work in a boutique brand. And he kept saying, no, like stay you'd like, cause I was heading up, I was head of menswear. 

And I was like, no, I have 

to go. I've spread my wings. I've got to figure it out. I've been here years. And he rang a couple of times and was like, 

you're deadly serious. like, boutique brands are really hard to work for. I was like, I'm fine now. I hated the boutique brand. It was all a lot of like 

office bullying. Like people were just really mean. like, I was like, Oh, I 

hate this, but I'm taking this like bed on myself to get out and like grow a bit 

more. And then on a particularly bad day, he had 

messaged me and was like, Come in, I have an 

opportunity for you. And because I had 

worked with him for years, he was like, I think you'd be really good in property.

All I want you to do, I'm buying 

this big portfolio in a certain like space in London, all different flats. I just want you to

oversee the

operations of it Like you're fine, you're organized, you'll do it. I was like, cool. And then when I started, I just started noticing that we

were hiring companies to Like build all the furniture.

But then I noticed the furniture was all Ikea. And they were charging us. Thousands

per flash. So I

just said like

let me do the next one. And he was like, okay, like don't fuck it off. And I was like, I won't. But he was like, we'll give you an extra day than we normally give them.

So then I was like, well, I'm going to do it in a day

less than what they do.

Like there's a team of

five

people came in 

they built the whole table upside down. Like I would open up cupboards and be like, why is there a 

pane of glass in here? and realize they forgot to put it in. So they try and hide it like under the bed or

like. And I was just like, nah, fuck this. 

I can do this quicker and better myself.

I'm just going to do it. And with the extra money, I can buy 

things that

tenants want, like kettle, toaster. And 

he wanted to target people who had moved to London 

and were coming with a suitcase and they just wanted to move straight

in. And then I was like, let's 

kick it up a notch. Let's Do it for people who want to move into a personality and home comforts.

So with the extra money, I was

like 

doing artworks, candles. You know, when you like, I've moved to

a new country twice and 

your first few nights when you're like, you don't have a candle, you don't do like, you know, they give you like craft knives and forks. So I just started like putting a bit more integrity into.

the furniture packs. 

And then what was happening was agents were showing our properties before anyone else's because they knew that people would get into like the flat and be like, I love it. So

we started just becoming like one of the best in the

area.

And then I noticed that when we were buying,  same thing was happening.

We were just 

outsourcing and being fucked over. So I was like, I really want to start buying So they trained me in on the finances and like asset management side. And

that just took off. I just started buying all their property. Then 

it was cheaper to do it. in house than paying agency fees. and then I during COVID, everything slowed down and I moved to another family office, became their asset 

manager. and we started buying and unflipping flats, like bringing them back 

to what they should have been. If people had kept the integrity of like the eighties when it 

was built or the fifties. And I was just loving that. And now thank God, cause I used to work 

seven days a week. I only work with clients. And I 

just consult on what they need to do so that could be anything.

Somebody could be buying

ten flats in a block. Somebody could just be wanting a commercial property but I just take them on, find them and then like guide them through and I can just chill with it which I like. 

Nice.

Wow,

that's an 

You have carved.

I know anyone.  You have the magic touch.  One thing I like, I love about that and we've talked about this, a few times before because like Kate and I have kind of different levels of DIY expertise and we've had people on before who want to relate DIY. Like what made you think like.

I can do that I can build that IKEA thing better, I can paint better or whatever it is that gets people set up.

Like were you just like I'll give it a go, I'll 

see, 

No, I was scared shitless. 

were you. just brilliant at building stuff when you were 

scared out of my fucking mind because I think like. I was in a new job. I had to pull this off. And then I think I had that kind of like competitive spirit within myself. Like where I'm like, if you're going to do it, do it unbelievably, enjoy it, put on Donna Summer, like figure it out.

But like we used to always say back in the day, 

You know, a sailor never learns in smooth seas. Like if you were like, if one sailor is like, come with me in my ship, I've never seen

a storm. And another one's like, I've been through 

10 storms. You're getting on

the 10 

storm ship. You know, that way people who do, who have fuck 

ups and things go wrong,

they're the 

people that are more experienced. So like, I learned a lot through things going wrong more than through things going right. So 

well this is, sorry. It's all I want to hear about now is things that went wrong. Like there's nothing  because like at the, at the time, if you're building something like I, the way I lose my temper at inanimate objects, like, and I like, and I, I'm all for building like self, you know, flat pack, whatever, like I'll tackle most things. 

But Oh, my God. the fury that builds inside me, like if I, if there's just an instruction that isn't right or something, it's unreal.  So things going wrong, they feel awful at the time, but obviously it's not a big deal. Most things are fixable, you get through it. But like, all I want to hear about is what went wrong.

Like anything major, any like huge fuck 

Loads of shit goes wrong. Like, I think like a lot of it is like, Fixing something that someone hasn't taken care, this is why the books are so important for me, to give people like an overview of what you're doing 

then a step by step guide and always mention what could go wrong because I've been there where like 

you're like let's say drilling into a wall and you're like 

like fuck. So it's like, it's those kind of moments where I would always be like, if I was teaching someone else to do this, like how, like what would I be telling them? Kind of preventative measures. But there's been times when people have like hooked up washing machines behind walls without giving any access panels and  having to fucking deal with it and it's a nightmare.

Like there was flats where every time it rained, the tenants would call me and scream at 

me. Every time it rained,

right? For the entire winter, they would just send 

me loads of abuse. And rightly so because the landlord wasn't fixing it on time, but you'd actually be like, 

it's that stuff and things are going wrong and you actually cannot control it and you can't fix it.

Like there's been stuff 

during flatpacking that's gone wrong. Like I've  

basically an entire wardrobe fell on top

of me and for an hour and a half, I just lay under the wardrobe. Right. For the first like 20 minutes I was like,

I'm dead. Oh my God. I'm

here. I am in the 

afterlife under the wardrobe. like you know that 

couldn't get it 

off you. 

No, and you know that Beyonce song where 

she's like here lies the body like I was like that was like me like under the fucking wardrobe um because Like they always have in most manuals every time I used to see like two people I'd be 

like fuck off like 

and just like Flick to the next page. I'll figure it out Like when I build a bed I always roll up the duvet and stick it under the side of the bed as if it's the other person and then I'm able To keep like the stuff straight like it's

grand but wardrobes

sorry, this is actually my biggest bugbear in life is like, I will not make The bed on my own anymore because it is, I hate it. Like I don't have a cleaner and I would consider hiring somebody specifically just to remake my bed every week. Like I, I just can't, I can't, and I've looked at, I've looked at YouTube tips for, it's putting the thing on the mattresses that are the, the duvet cover on the 

duvet just 

Oh my god, no, 

I'm like, this, shouldn't be 

easy, just turn it inside 

Why? What am I doing? 

you literally just turn it inside out and put your hands in the corners and just pick the duvet up and just shake it over it, and it just flicks down, 

and 

I did see a really cool thing that I want to buy. I saw it at, uh, at this, at a design fair years ago, Maison Leopold and it clips onto your, the, it clips over your door. It has two little grippers and then you clip the sheet onto it, or the duvet onto it and then they clip the duvet cover 

over it and 

you pull it, do it, if you hate making your bed,  get the thing that 

makes you not hate even five minutes of your week, you know, 

my god. 

I actually think there's a business idea in that though. I said that loads of times. Someone to come once a week or once, every two weeks, whatever you change your sheets, and then like, bring a set, take it away, launder it, everything, and change it out for you If I could get into a fresh bed, like every Sunday evening, ready for the week.

Oh. 

Oh yeah, I'm,

having done it.

yeah, 

do you know Brendan

Courtney, Brendan Courtney 

was telling me he changes his sheets every, I think it's every day,  

Oh my

No, okay, that's 

Yeah, no, but like I love when people are like this makes 

me feel good. I do it, especially when it's 

that's a full time 

job. 

Especially when it's something everyone else is like absolutely not, you know what I mean?

They can't do the effort, but I just love it It's like choosing how you want to do your gaff like it's 

amazing.  

Yeah, it is worth it. Little luxuries, lifestyle is worth it. Anyway, okay, so you're stuck under the 

Stuck under the wardrobe

in the afterlife. 

I had fallen Because you know the you've got to pick it up, but there is that kind of stage where you're just

like. And I'd measured everything. It was able to stand back up. Anyway, got stuck under 

it. But there's that fear, first of all, where you're like, have I 

broken something?

Or like, did I bang my head? Like blah, blah, 

blah. Anyway, I ended up kind of getting out from under it. 

Um. But 

it was, yeah, it was 

hell. And then there's been things like I've electrocuted myself. Like

it's, you 

Oh, God. yeah. 

Oh, my sister's a mess.

And you're like, Oh my God, amazing. 

Ring the 

fucking sister. Like, am I dying? Like it's, there's just stuff like that or like, um, getting, oh. There's just, getting locked out of properties is my, is 

like, I've been, I've had like four hours to go, I go out and do the bins, photographer's coming, locked out, 

locksmiths, like I had to learn how to pick a certain 

type of lock as well, like it was quicker just to like watch a YouTube video, like,  yeah, and there's been stuff where like 

I've, Yeah, I've, had stuff 

where I've walked into a flat and someone who wasn't supposed to be there has been in there, like a previous owner and really creepy, like you've got to call the police and like, yeah, there's a lot 

of, there's, property just brings, property brings the most insane surprises.  I've had, I've had tenants who had an illegal, um, wild animal farm behind our backs and it was one of the most stressful things. And I had to, when I went in and opened the door afterwards, there was claw marks on the ceiling.  

On the ceiling.

sentence just got 

Yeah. Yeah. 

illegal, wild, animal, 

Please don't use that as the social clip because I'm always afraid they're going to come after me. So  let's keep that to the podcast. But um, so yeah, like, 

um, you, it's just wild because I guess it's your, everyone, You you 

do what you want in your home, right? And I always think 

like, if you're renting it, this is still my home.

But um, 

the things you see are just, they're nuts. Like, the stuff you see at the end of tenancies, or when people sell, like when you're, when you've

just bought something and you're about to decorate

it. 

It's really interesting. 

How did you find out, like, you knew how to do this stuff? Or like, how did you kind of build the confidence? Because like, you were saying you watch YouTube videos on certain things or whatever. Did you just kind of like Build up kind of the types of jobs you did over time. Was it just like DIY YouTuber channels?

Like how did you learn it?  

I think, like when I was growing up, my dad was always really 

handy. And my mum 

after my dad's had split up, my mum had that attitude of like, well, 

you know, no one's going to do it for us. And you're not exactly 

going to call your ex husband just after you've been divorced to be like, honey. Washing machine's broken.

Like, you're not, like, you know. So, I think I, 

I'd rather just wash it by 

hand. 

honestly,  I'd rather never wash my clothes again. I'd be like, I'm good. I'm trying out something new. But, um, I think, like, watching her just be like, it has to get, like, no one's gonna do it except me. And

then, like, I would

always be, would've always been into fixing things anyway. And then.

Like, I did, in fashion you do

pattern cutting and pattern cutting is all about, like, problem

solving. and you get there in the end, you know, it's like, stop, start, all the way along. My brain just works like that, like, I think I have a more technical, creative brain. So, if something has to be built, like, I'll, I love it, like, and I love, I, I'm obsessed with flatpacking.

Like, I just, 

I think, isn't it just so fucking satisfying? Like, I 

I, I love 

my friends just, one of our friends actually just moved house and she was Like, is there any chance you would come over and just help me build some of the flatback stuff? And I was Like, yes, what would you like me to 

do for you in return for this favour that you're doing me? Like, it's my ideal evening.

adult Lego. 

That's like being asked over for like a million martinis because someone's got a load of gossip. If someone's like, can you build a bed? I'm like, bitch, I

am. I'm there.

I'm your woman.  

You know, those TikToks

for 

asking. 

where it's like, someone goes like. White wine, fries, phones turned round, like a Marlboro light, it all just gets crazier and crazier, and then it's like, I've got gossip.

It would be me with like, drill, flat pack manual, like, just bag of screws, like. 

You were talking about

of paint if things are going to get messy. 

Jen, you mentioned like getting angry at inanimate objects. The one thing though, when I come to the end of a flat pack and there's spare screws, do you know some, some cheaper brands might throw in a few extra of

just throw them in the bin.

I'm like, ah, I'm like, why do I have these? Did I do something wrong?

And then you're almost there. Second guess in your 

work, but 

Yeah, and you've gotta like 

Second guessing, like to say I've lost sleep over stuff like this, I'm like I 

don't 

I count them out at the start. I always do, like an A4 

page, and I 

write down the numbers and thing and then pile them onto it. Because when you're building 

it, when it's other people's money as well. 

Like, other people have bought these flatpacks that I'm

building for them, so like, I'm always like worried about like, you know when you 

finish building a sofa and

you just 

pick up the big screw and you're like,  fuck. 

Like, you're like,

fuck.

like,

this is, this is the screw, like, that keeps like the seat attached to the back of the fucking sofa and then you've got to flick it all over and take it all apart.

It's just, 

Oh, 

no. 

I, I always.

one thing I do do with those though, the screw, any spare screws and then the allen key or whatever else came with it, I always sellotape it to the back of the 

thing, whatever 

And it's there. 

something's going to happen, something's going to come up and you're going to need it. And if you don't, 

whatever. 

it's, but it's easy to tighten up like your kitchen table afterwards or like chair legs. It's just much easier. And on sofas as well, like we used to do one where I used to just 

basically like tack on a hair tie and then I could wrap it around the Allen keys because tenants move the sofas around.

And it's just so, it's 

so much easier.  You know, people throw out sofas that

can just be repaired, like, they can just be tightened up, which is crazy.  

Yeah, 

yeah, yeah. Just a little bit of a rattle or something, like it's So easy to fix. It's like, I know this, this is such a broad question, but like,  what are the biggest things you say to renters? Like someone moving into an apartment who's like, Oh, it's crap. Like the, I don't like the furniture. Like there's rips in the Whatever pleather chairs that.

have been here for five years or like the bathroom's a bit dry Is it like, do you have any major like in your first two weeks just get this done and you're gonna your your whole house Your life is gonna change.

Your whole apartment's gonna turn around 

Hmm  

new, attitude is everything. Like just saying like,

I am going to

make this my space And this isn't going to be like, 

yes, I've got some

shitty furniture here, but this is my home, will change the decisions you're 

making with it. And I always think like, if you have,  

sometimes I've gotten into 

spaces where like landlords

are like, we want to keep the couch. And I'm like, you want to keep that heap of shit? like, that is literally, that's reducing your rental income. 

I'm

going to be doing a video on how 

to get a job in the UK. Sorry, put exactly what you're looking at into Pinterest and you will start to see how other people have decorated, or what the trend originally came from.

I say this in Décor Galore, sometimes you'll be like, I don't like this tan sofa, but when you type tan sofa into Pinterest, all of a sudden you're saying, Oh, that looks really good with the boho style. Oh, that looks really good with this. Oh, I could use like a deep green that. And you start, your eye starts to get trained into it. 

I might not be your style. I also think, like, 

you can't do a 

lot of, with floor space in rentals usually. So I always say, like, shoes up the walls. Like, think about what you can do wall wise. Even with lamps. Like, I don't turn on the big lights in my flat, it's all lamps and it just changes the atmosphere completely.

Like, 

lighting is something that will change everything. Like just light 

up

our language here. 

Obsessed. Like, it is  like, we're out to pick one thing, I think that can have the biggest impact on your house for the lowest cost and lowest investment. Especially now with smart bulbs and spark you know, you don't need to be, like, installing 

anything. 

And it's nice, like, when you rent as well quite 

often. Uh, rental spaces are like Kitchen Come Living in London. And I just think like Turning off the zones as I go through the nights, like I'll turn off my kitchen zone, then I turn off my dining zone, and then I'm just in, and like, this is only about a two and a half meter room, you know what I mean, and I'm turning it off as I go, but my lights have a higher Kelvin, a lower Kelvin, sorry, as I move around, so my melatonin's rising before I get into bed, and my bedside lamps are the lowest Kelvin, so like,  it's just making sure that you feel really like zen by the time you get in, so you can,  and everyone looks better in,

like,  The big light, the big light of me getting interrogated for something I've done that's 

Oh my god, this is I am hammering this drum. 

Like,

I've never looked worse. Any, 

anytime I see like an

interview, you look hideous. 

I 

old and 

nobody looks 

I look 74 anytime. Like, I've seen interviews are like the overhead light. The minute I see it, I'm like, I'm literally gonna look like a goblin. They're going to be like, here's Lord of Arathrum, outer space. Come on in.

It's like, you look. Horrific, whereas like lighting, it's good for you, it's good for your guests, it's good for your mood. It's so cheap to do as well. Like all my lamps I think are, 

looking at them now, I think nearly all of them are second hand. Like you pick a lamp up, like this one I think was 12 quid, including the shade, in a charity shop.

And it's like a big brass lamp, it's like, there's, that's something I always look for. And lamps are nearly always sold in pairs 

traditionally. So getting one usually means it's 

way cheaper. 

Yeah, and lamps, you can do a lot with lamps. You can swap out the lampshades, if you find something that you like in a charity shop just make sure the electrics are up to scratch and off you go. 

Like, 

and it's easy to replace like usually you can buy if it's a lot like that lamp there for example or I've got these other really old ones usually you can just slip out the cord and buy a new one that is pat tested and slip it back in it's like especially with vintage ones but most charity shops won't sell you them unless they've been pat tested and they'll have the sticker on it so it's like it's much better than

buying new I think. 

So is that how you electrocuted yourself or is there a better story to tell? 

The,  the electrocution was, I can't even talk about it, it was awful, it was, it was pretty bad. Like,

electrocuted himself a load 

of times. He's like, he's very similar, he's very hands on, he'll try anything. And he's usually got it up but he has electrocuted himself a couple 

of times. 

It's awful. It was, it wasn't, to be fair, it was me touching something that should have been 

turned off and shouldn't have been live and it was me just like reaching behind something but, uh, it was awful. I actually like fell back with it, it was 

like, yeah.  I know and I could feel it in my finger for, but I didn't know, I didn't even know there was a live wire behind where, anyway.

It was all on the life. 

I remember, I remember seeing an interiors account on Instagram and she was changing the face plates on her light switches.  But she hadn't turned off the power. And I was watching her do it and I was like, Oh my God. And she ended up in hospital. She got such a bad shock.  And I

put all that

she, she was putting it on  as the warning afterwards, but she was sharing it before that. and then there was no stuff. So it obviously happened on one of the switches or something. 

And I was like, Oh my God. Imagine changing the face plates and switches without turning off your power. 

Yeah, 

my washing machine, I turn off the fucking circuit. 

Yeah, I'm really 

paranoid. 

like, I'm so paranoid. And I think it's because, like, you're never going to regret taking an extra safety measure. But you'll always regret if you didn't and something went wrong. Like,  Even if I'm doing something tiny on an appliance, that, not just the appliance is going off, the circuit's going off for me.

yeah, Yeah. 

Yeah. and just double, double down, double down with a little face tester as well, like just to be safe, safe, because like it's, oh, it's, it's no 

joke. It's 

No, those things are more powerful than us, like, you know, it's water and electricity, like.

Yeah, 

are the things I think, that scare people from doing some of this house stuff. Do you know? And like, I think people think that that will happen. You'll get it, you'll get a shock or whatever. So it's like, how do you teach people to kind of. Do that safely, I guess? You know, not knowing how to properly or think you did the right trip switch or you didn't take, switch off the whole circuit.

Like, how do you kind of like build people's confidence to say, no you can do this, but this is how you should learn it and this is how you should do it safely.

I think, I always say, what's behind the walls is none of your business. Like, so just don't even, there's trades who are professionals in that for a reason. And if you think about how long an electrician or a plumber has to basically train for, and like they have to do internships even where they're just shadowing someone, they're not

actually doing anything. and that takes. years. Like when we were working with people, they're always shocked

at how much people just go in and do something like you don't,  if you don't feel comfortable doing it, you're not aware what you're doing. Just don't do

it. If it's something where you're turning off a circuit, like this is why I illustrated like the full circuit board for gaff

goddess and like how everything works and who the mother is and what turns this off and what stops you getting a shock that travels through your body and all that kind

of stuff.

Understanding that will 

help you be like I know the circuits off. I know it's fine. I know what a stopcock is. I know where it's located. I

know how to turn it off. But I think if you start with 

the things that make a massive visual

impact and you get them 

right, like putting up a curtain pole or hanging up a picture or building some flatback furniture, and

you go slow and you go steady.

And when you make a mistake, you question why I made, why did I make the mistake? How do I not make that again? Or if I make it again,

I make a

less of a mistake. Then you'll build

up

to it, but going straight into like installing a washing

machine yourself, it can make, you, it can make, the

stress can make it feel not

worth it. 

Yeah. for sure. And the damage is so huge then if it goes wrong. 

Yeah. And listen, most 

stuff, like you're not putting a roof on a gas, you will be 

okay. Like you will be fine. But when I was doing something 

new, like let's say balancing a washing 

machine, I used to be really scared of because you get videos from tenants sometimes where 

washing machines are walking out of the cupboard door and you're

just like. 

Like what like there's damage to the walls 

everything and when you're balancing it, you're like, how do I know I got this? Right, but I used to 

just watch tutorial after tutorial after tutorial the next time an engineer would come in for a washing machine I'd be like, how do you know it's balanced? They would talk me through it Then I would do it then I would sit and watch like every single i'd 

be like, what's the fastest load?

like what's the one that goes the quickest so that I could make sure it was done, but It is more like just trialing it, going slowly, being thorough. Like you're never going to regret watching an 

extra YouTube video with a warning on it. 

Yeah, for sure.

so much out 

Mm. 

It's all super neat.

Yeah.

Okay. I love that. the building confidence thing. When you're, when you're thinking about like, I love the tips on thrifting for Lamps, making the place your own, all that kind of stuff. Where would you say you'd advise people to make investments in their house?

Be it dec or be it DIY, be it anything.

at all. like, where do you, where do you know, kind of, where is it worth spending the money And where is it worth, or is it not worth it? 

Uh, like it depends, like if somebody was 

saying to me they were, let's, let's do different rooms, right? 

Like in your bedroom, I would always think where I'd be 

investing from, like a furniture point of view, a great 

bed like mattresses are 

up to 

Oh 

God, 

people 

can sleep, no jokes, on a shite 

mattress, stunning.

The mattress is, I feel like, because of social media and a lot of interior influencing, we've been duped into thinking that the mattress is the most important thing in the world and it needs to be firm. And that may not be the case. If you're a side sleeper, you need your hips to be able to dip into it.

But you're getting influenced by people who've never even bought the mattress, they got the mattress for free. about what you need for a mattress. So mattresses I would never kind of 

tell people about but the actual bed making sure that the fixtures and fittings and it's not creaking and it's not moving as you sleep and it's not falling apart every time you go to bed.

Like I would be more inclined to buy a second hand solid wood bed than buy a brand new but then people also if you have a small bedroom buying a thin bed frame so you've got more walking space like really considering. Who your bed is and what she's doing in the room and then walls wise like I would always try and go for A low box paint so like the volatile organic compounds because that's being released at night time Like when you're renting you don't have that much choice I would always make sure that your window dressing Like I would invest and like i'm even what I have here is only

those like 40 pound blackout curtains from ikea but they're hung in a way with like a sheer panel

behind it It's aesthetically nice.

I have two different

options, well three different options throughout the day of where my curtains are. It makes the room feel more like

you can adapt it to you. Then in something like a

kitchen, don't fuck around on

your countertops. Just do not fuck around with the countertops. I would rather not get the expensive handles, get inexpensive handles for the 

first year.

You'll save maybe a hundred quid, put an extra hundred quid onto the

countertop. If you are buying. The big appliance like the oven and the 

extractor and

things like that like you can get them a bit cheaper because

they only will

last, let's say a

certain amount of time, but the countertop and it starts failing is a nightmare And then you've got to get a cut around everything.

So I would really be looking as well at things like, are the appliances fit? For 

you, you know, there's some things that I hate on an induction 

hub when you've got to keep pressing the button to make the temperature go up. I like when there's a glide, like things like that wreck 

my head. Um, when it comes to the living room, your sofa  

in modern life, I just 

think having a spare bedroom.

Why? Unless you have loads of rooms. I just think that is actually a second living room. It's an office. It's a 

hobby room It's a creative room It's a dressing room. So I think like in your living room think of things like sofa beds You know a nice comfortable sofa, but I think a lot of times again, I think this is through Influencing women to consume in a certain way within the domestic sphere.

We are told that we should have certain types of sofas  And they tick a box for being a certain type of homeowner. Whereas you need to think about your body positions with a sofa. Like, are you a reader? Are you a lounger? Do you sit upright? Do you like your legs rested? Do you have 

any ailments that need you to sit a certain way and build your sofa out there?

Um, because there's always a visual 

about what the housewife, what kind of sofa she has at any given time, you know? Um, so that, like in your living room, if

TV is something that you watch a lot. Go for a great sofa. But I think just dividing your home up

into 

like what's my intention for this space and what's the best thing I can do here is ideal. 

There's so much coming through there, Laura, and so much of it is, like, Kate and I say, I think, on pretty much every episode, like, every time you think of any room. First thing is decide how are you.

going to use it. And then you can design all around that. You can worry about the colour last, you can worry about everything else comes later.

But how are you going to use the room? And I think the other thing that's really coming through for me on what you were saying that really resonates with us for sure is  It's a lot about quality, like you're looking at quality. It's not necessarily what's the price tag Or what's the, you know, aesthetic appeal or anything.

It's really like, where's the quality, where's the longevity. And there's so, like you have so much good stuff on your, on your Instagram. but just keeping, I mean, I have jeans in the washing machine there that are going to last a couple of years longer now since your last reel. But, like there's so much you have around like making sure things really last and last well. and 

that you get the best out of things. I just I love that so much because you're right. Like it.  And I say this as somebody who does post on Instagram and who does, like, advise people to buy things. But, like, you have to be careful where you're getting 

influenced. and 

and like it's nice to buy stuff you know I 

think 

for 

you. 

telling people you can't buy, you can't buy anything and you must buy this and you must buy that like no it's nice and people like to hear about things that 

people would advise to shop on and especially 

seasonally. I think the kind 

of trope that like we can only be mindful about our 

stuff, if we tell people to stop shopping. Personally, I think it's 

bullshit. And I also 

think that like, well, we're just kind of like 

designed in a way that we do like to buy something, but I think what we're missing these days is like the shopping 

experience of it, you know, the actual experience where we 

can forget who we are when we're shopping. And I think women for decades have been advising each 

other in a really nice way on what 

to buy. It's just that it got out of hand on a certain part of social media. But it also gave women 

an opportunity to be part of something, i. e. social media and earn more 

than men. So, 

yes, part of me is like the 

consumption has fucked the planet up.

But there is a small positive where women from 

their homes, from the domestic space, have been earning more money than their 

husbands who are going out to work and being seen in society as a better person, you know. It's like, ugh, like 

the cost was the planet. But it is something, you know, where. You know, women advising on

shopping 

is because, I don't know, it's like it's something that's, that we've been, it's either been like bred into us or it's natural, but I do think there's more care when we're advising about stuff, you know, not always, like there is a lot 

of fast consumption out there, but I think when you're buying for 

your home, if I'm buying a frame for my 

hallway

and there's not gonna be much movement around the wall

or anything like that 

like I can buy a

cheaper frame and the lights not catching off because there's no windows in the hallway. I don't mind that it's 

plastic and it. has a glare on it. Although I'm buying a frame in my living room, I don't want glare. It's 

going to be seen all the time. I'm going past that wall all the time. I'll spend a bit more. It's like intention 

for the item. I think the days 

of going into H& M, H& M home and buying everything that's on trend, placing it all around the home 

and then. Getting rid of it at the end of the season and bringing back in another trend. I think it's preventing us living in something that's freely human, which is.  Which is creating a space that lives with us like a relationship with our stuff and I think that's damaging I think if you don't have a relationship with things that are around you be it You only own ten things in your home, but you own a hundred things if you're minimal or not  Having a relationship with stuff is really important because I think it It has a knock on effect into our relationship with our bodies as well.

You know, like looking after things, learning that things fail, learning that things break down, how to repair, how to be gentle with stuff. I think there's a real link between stuff and how we treat our own body as well. 

I saw

I don't think you coined this phrase but you definitely brought it to my attention ages ago was how, how You Do anything is how you 

everything, yeah. I 

And like, I do think about that.

a lot, like it, really sticks with me cause sometimes you'd be, having a day and you're like, oh feck it I'll just get the whatever, I'll just do the whatever, I'm just not gonna work out and then I'm like actually  Like, I don't take it to mean I have to do everything absolutely perfectly, but I do take it to mean, like, just stop for a second and think, like, what, is the right next thing for, for you to do here that's going to work for you today or this week or whatever. And maybe that.

does mean skipping the gym, but then rest instead. Or maybe that does mean, you know buying the cheap item because you've loved it and you've been 

walking past 

And don't beat yourself up. 

keep it and put it somewhere. And Yeah,

exactly. Just, it's just a bit of a stop and thought. I just really, it's really stuck with me that one.

I 

really love 

I love it too. I don't even know where it even kind of came from, but it was something I used to always say. Like, it's a famous phrase for years and years and years, but sometimes when I'm struggling to do something that I know I'll wish later on, like my fucking leaping search, wish I knew it back then, but like, you know, where you're like,  This is something that I, it's an approach.

I always think like how you do anything, how you do everything. Just get through it, just smash it out. You can 

rest afterwards. But I do think like women in general have such a thing drilled into them about things being perfection that instead, how you do anything, how you do everything is your understanding of yourself as well, you know, if you want to like skip the gym, are you going to the gym for, if, if you suddenly start thinking, no, it's cause I want it to get healthier or like to make, you know,  my cardio.

I hate

cardio so this will never be me but like I wanted

to increase my cardio ever. I wanted to increase my cardio this week I just want to

hit that kind of goal. If it's because it's like to do with how your body

looks aesthetically then skip the fucking gym because you're feeding into something that isn't good. 

Yeah. a hundred percent. And it like, there is a word there that you mentioned around intention that I think just matches with that so well, which is one to bear in mind for anyone going through anything really, but especially renovation or decoration or anything is that layer of just stopping, thinking about yourself and your own intention and what you need to get out of this and then progress from there And whatever's right for you. it's a break from the distraction of all the advertising and influencing that's out there, which is all fine, but,

I really love that thought though about like, making the most of what you already have. And even just, I saw someone post recently and it was like, maybe you don't need to redecorate the room. Maybe you need to just switch some stuff around. And they just like, rearrange furniture and, you know, rearrange some stuff on the shelves.

And then it was a whole new room. And it was just like, making the most of what you have. And to your point about like, Maintaining stuff, like, I've renovated a few old houses now and just like the lack of little bits of maintenance, the massive damage that did, like structural damage to timbers and whatever, like the beautiful window box in the house we're renovating at the moment, they just never painted it, so it just rotted through,

so we've so much structural timbers to do.

Yeah, so like that kind of stuff, I'm like, that little bit of maintenance, if you could just learn to make the most of what you already have, rather than bringing more stuff into the mix to make it. That's not better, 

Exactly. It's like if you had 20 boyfriends, right, how could you tell that something's wrong with one of them? So if you've got loads of stuff, how can you keep an eye on what's 

going wrong, right? So like I think like if you bring more and more stuff in and you've got 15 chairs, how do you know that that one chair needs your attention and needs your love? Like, we 

start to, miss what our home is crying out for if we're covering it in stuff. and I also think like I'll 

pass in a hallway. Transcripts provided by Transcription Outsourcing, LLC. Also, it means that tiles are getting ripped out, things are being destroyed that don't need to be destroyed. It's not just like the effort and the money that's being spent or the insurance claim.

Like, you're just destroying! stuff that didn't have to go to landfill. Because the maintenance, simple maintenance, ripping off the silicone, reapplying  it with a bath full of water, would have just saved that, you know.  

yeah. 

I love that as well, there's there's so much in there around intention and like just respect for your home as well. You have like so many DIY tips. Is there anything that you like somebody listening to this episode right now, is it, maybe you're in your home, maybe you're walking home from work, whatever it might be, but you're like, I would just love to do a little 

walkthrough of my home, my home, my house, whatever, and think about where could I.

Give it a bit of love and attention. Like, where do you see the biggest areas that you're like, You know what, you just have to do this every few months, few years, whatever. And it's easy to do. 

like that one 

repair wise, yeah. 

I need to do that right now.

Um, 

One of the 

biggest updates you can give your bathroom, and it's a pain in the fucking hole to do. It's a horrible job, because when you're taking it out, you have to take it out immaculately, or the new silicone won't stick to the surface. Then you, when you think it's off, it's not off.

Go around it again. Then you've 

got to get, like, all different 

products. Like, it's It's a lot, but when it's done, it refreshes like 

that. Even when you're a renter, you can do it as well. Your landlord's never gonna 

fucking know. Like, refreshing tiles. I do this, like, S method when we go into places where you're gonna take in, like, the ceiling along the walls and along the floors.

And you just take a note. There's, like, a checklist in Gaff Goddess. We're just taking a note of everything even like under your sink You can be knocking your

stopcock the whole time through when you're taking a floor cleaner And it's not actually exactly where you need it to be and it's affecting the flow of your water throughout your home And you don't even realize or like under your kitchen sink We're knocking those pipes all the time when you're putting hot water

through the pipes are expanding coming back together And they can

lead to leaks which can end up

damaging a lot of stuff But just knowing that you're checking in on

that tightening all the bends

up, making sure you don't have a leak under

there.

It's kind of like peeking

into the places, 

trying the, your chargers in

every single socket,  even like vacuuming down parts of your home and

getting to know what's there. Sometimes you'll see a little bit of mold

and like you'll see something in a in like a bathroom or the back of a wardrobe. There's mold, there's mold on 

clothes.

You need to check that humidity. You need to make sure that there's 

not that much moisture in the air. Getting into spaces that you're not walking through, like, every day, I think 

is super important. So, like, sweeping through the rooms and just 

checking. But Gath Goddess does have a great checklist and it divides it into, like, times of the year as well.

You know, like, you wouldn't be doing your gutters, 

like, at certain times of the year. You know, you'd be doing it before winter starts. You'd be clearing it out. And there's different times of the year that you should paint in. But I do think that we

don't check in on our homes enough.  

mm, 

No. we really 

No. Like, we should, we should be, like, your extractive on. 

You should be, like, most, like, I live in a flat, so we don't have extractor recirculation fans, and most people don't know

the difference. And recirculation fans means every time it's taking it up into the air, it's going through a 

grease filter, a charcoal filter, and the charcoal filter is deodorizing and it's sending the air back into my living room to surround me.

And If you don't replace that charcoal filter, it's crap air, it's not 

being, the odour's not coming out of it and it's coming back in. But cleaning those filters should be at least once a month. Your dishwasher filters should be rinsed weekly. Your washing machine filters should be done quarterly. 

We don't do these things and that 

dirt is just staying stagnant and reducing the lifetime of the appliance. like, we're not taught to check in on these things. 

Totally.  And it, Like it's a big one as well at the moment. It's always a big one because you always want to, prevent problems before they occur. It's so much cheaper. It's also bloody impossible to get anyone out to do anything these days. like I always laugh at Kate, Like my, a plumber recently was trying to, I was trying to get my upstairs sink wasn't draining properly and he ghosted me.

The plumber ghosted me. like he just was like yeah, yeah, I can fix that. and I was like, brilliant. and then I just 

never heard 

No, it's awful. People say that 

followed up so many times and he 

was

when people are like, oh, dating is so hard out there. I'm like, you've never had to hire trades.  

Yeah!  

You, I am rock solid. I can be ghosted to fuck for the rest of my life because I have dealt with trades for eight years. Like, you know, I'm, I have waited.

You've never, people like, I just dressed up for a date. He never showed. I'm like, try standing next to a leak for two days and no one showing up. It's funny. Like it is so hard because emergencies. come up, you know, like, and they're taking a better paying job. I get it. But, um, yeah, it's, it's tough out there. 

It's hard, yeah, 

And just prevention is always better than cure. So there's just something so important during maintenance and just like getting ahead of any little black spot you see in your shower or any little drip of water you see under your sink or anything. Plumbing is probably the number one I think I know you mentioned electricity as well But like  Nothing messes up a house or an apartment like plumbing or bad 

ventilation. 

hidden water, like where something's been just dripping away without anyone realizing is, is so scary. 

Yeah. 

we have rotted floorboards and everything. It's a disaster.  Okay, off the back of that then, I'm really curious to know like,  what, we kind of touched on this at the start, but like, what do you see  Like, is there something you just want to take home owners or renters and just shake them and be like, you eat it, like, did you not know?

How do you not know how to do this? Like, what do you see, mistake, biggest mistakes do you see people making that you know would just help them  have such a nicer

home life? 

think 

experience?

Ah, 

just don't take in measurements, something as simple as that. Like,

and, you know, even friends of

mine. 

times listener three times 

even when you measure for like a wardrobe, like I have friends of mine,

super clever like they, they're pretty 

wise people, but they measured their wardrobe once,

twice, three times, but they haven't taken in the

skirting boards and they can't remove the skirting boards.

They're renting, 

they can't get slimmer skirting boards. So the whole wardrobe, like spent. When you're buying a wardrobe you spend weeks researching that or like not take like they'll take in the 

measurement for the bed mattress but they won't take in how thick the frame is and how wide the frame is and

how it impacts

everything else in the room.

I think properly like

what I used to 

do is I used to have two beds that I used to install for One family office, and I actually cut them out in tarps.

So one was a king and one was a double, not mattress, the actual bed frame. 

And I used to carry them around in two poly pockets in my bag. And when an agent was like, what do you think of this property?

I used to like fling it out onto the floor and be like, right, it fits the double. It doesn't fit the 

King. So when people 

are buying or going to rent, and if you've non negotiables like sofas, beds, like dining tables, 

bring a cut out of it or bring a bedsheet that's pinned into the same 

shape or taped into the same.

Take tape in the same place. 

And put it out onto the floor and see if things actually fitted. Like if it's a proper non negotiable, like, an antique or like a family heirloom, or something you have to live with for next few years. The duration of the tenancy. Bring it with you, because Iranian Turkish Delivery Dominic What it used to be, you know, we do a lot on screens and a lot of stuff just like slots together for us in other ways.

But I think we've become bad at managing space and I also think people don't manage their lighting. But like we've already covered that. I think like I don't think people realize like the difference that soft lighting and lamps can make just makes a house seem so much more enjoyable and expensive. 

yeah. on that measuring thing, I remember I'm sitting at my dining table now and I had just like a roll of of, uh, masking tape and Just like big sheets of paper. And I was just like, like literally marking out, like, where could I put in the bench seating that I'm sitting on here? Like what size dining table can I actually fit?

What does that mean for the dining chairs? Like, am I going to be able to fit two or three? Are people going to be like banging themselves off the kitchen countertop like walking behind me or what? But like,  measuring is hard. We mentioned before on a previous episode that you can get like a laser measure on Amazon for like 50 quid and it is a really good investment.

Especially if 

you're, you know, if you're doing up a house and you've got a good few things you 

can buy. 

The botch one's cheaper and it's even better the botch one you for 50 quid you can get the laser measure It also like fits almost like a lipstick into your bag. It is like fucking stunning and then they also have a like a Pipe

cable and stud finder and you can get the two of them in a pack together And then you can for 70, Add in one of the lasers that you can do straight lines 

when you're doing painting and hanging, and I've had 

the Bosch MA me Laser, me, Jesus Christ, the Bosch laser measurer I've had for 

I'd say six years.

I've only changed the batteries maybe twice in it. It's incredible and it's so worth it. 

Yeah, 

it. I think mine is Bosh as well. I think it's unreal. I use it. 

all the 

time. 

They're great, they're really good. 

Yeah. I was, that, that was actually going to, that was actually going to be my next question. What are your favorite tools? But you've just said them. 

I love Bosch, and like, when Bosch, like, because I don't do much like, spawn and stuff, I get really like, oh, like, it takes me a while to figure out if I really want to work with the brand, and sometimes the brand is just launching something new, so I'm like, well no, like, I don't want to just be in touch with you to launch something new, but when Bosch got in touch, they were like, We noticed like in all your videos, you're using Bosch and that you like, you go, I go like, Oh my God, it's Bosch appliances in this new flat that we've just bought at work.

And they were, I think they were just like, this is gas because I'm like, this means I'm not getting called on a Sunday morning because the washing machine is broken. I'm not getting tenants in tears because the dishwasher has leaped all over something 

like I just know they're reliable. So like when they were like, let's 

work together.

And it's not for a particular product, like we just want to work together. I was like, this is like a dream come true. Like I know the 

way people like have other dreams, like they want to be taken to Paris and proposed to the Eiffel Tower, but like me getting 

to wash, wash. wash. I was like, so like they are the tools that I almost always use, but that's the advice I always give people kind of going into DIY.

Buy the best tools you can afford. Like if you can spend.  12 pounds on a hammer, get the hammer that's 12 pounds. Even if you see one that looks the same for eight, there will be something in that hammer. Like I have a guide in Gaff Goddess on like, you know, what ounce the hammer should be, what extra features you should be buying if you're going up in price, things that make the job easier.

Like painting with cheap rollers and brushes will take you longer. If that's all you can afford, no problem. But if you can add an extra, cause in tools, sometimes an extra two pounds makes a massive difference. Like in a roller. Spending an extra 1. 50. You'll have a roller that's not like, you'll rinse it beforehand anyway, but it's not losing a lot of um, fibers onto the walls.

It's, those, like a few quid, I don't think people realize how much of a difference, because with everything

else, like with makeup, clothes, accessories, when you're spending,

when you 

need to go up a level, it's like 10, 5, and that's a lot overall. But if you spend an extra 10 to 15 on your entire painting kit, the difference in the final result and in how you feel during it, like silicone ing a bath with the three 50 silicone gun is sore on your hand, it's really hard to get the finish.

Doing it with a 5. 50 

silicone gun, bitch. It's like Porsche. Honestly, like, the handle rotates around the edge, you 

can like click the button to turn it off really quickly. Like the 3. 50 one doesn't care about you. It doesn't care about you, it's just there in physical form. The rotating one is like the best lover you have ever had.

Like, it's like you are, you're in the zone. Like, it's, So good. I play like pull up to the bumper every time I silicone. I swear to God, it's like the most erotic thing I do at work. I am obsessed with silicone ing. 

brilliant,

my Friday evening

yeah, 

for 

Girls, 

Jen's like, Jen's like, I'm off to be in Q. See you later.

yeah, yeah. Straight out. See you later, lads. 

one that feels good in the hand is my best advice.  

So that is words to live 

Honestly, what you're looking for is weight, girth and a rotating head. Stunning.  

Story of our lives. 

Just in case people just joined, we are actually talking about hand tools. 

We're talking about silicone exclusively.  Much to your disappointment, potentially.

Yeah. Brilliant.

Do you have a tool kit? Do you have a tool kit 

that you bring 

I have, so I have a mini that I'll bring with me 

if we're like, we're doing viewings for

example I'll always bring

like a small kit like I'll bring the stud

and laser finder just to make sure you

can tell if 

something's like a 

supporting wall, but 

it's like it does this wall have brains behind it Like is this a key wall in the house?

It's like hooking a lot of stuff up 

or is this an internal stack for other flats? I'll have that for that I usually bring like a marble so you can see if the wall if the floors are like even or not Cause the state

aides are always like,  the gas lighting is unbelievable. You know, they're like, that is the most level floor that you've ever seen your entire life.

And the marble is like

rolling like this along it. And you're like, okay, babe. But like, I'll bring, and I'll bring like measure tape and a few other 

bits. Like sometimes you will

bring a screwdriver because there'll be panels. You're like,

what's behind that, And you can flick it off. But my regular toolkit is just the one that's in Gaff Goddess with like, like hammers, Allen keys, all of that. just the stuff that I need at work, but I store it all.

I, have like a, space isn't exactly like a thing in my flat. Everything, every cupboard has to be so strategic. So I have like

this pullout, it's on wheels, like a rail with all different

shelves and I have like all my 

tools on the bottom shelf. I 

just make sure that it's near one of the air vents, like 

just there's, there's air circulating around it. I love my tools, but it's next to my sewing kit and they're both things that like, on a rainy Sunday in January, I'll bring it all out and like, rub everything down and I, put everything away and like. 

Clean down my sewing machines and my overlockers and my drill. I just like, just, you know, I like to look after them. 

Nice. Nice.

final question, Kate, you might have more but that is something you were saying there about like, you know, levering something off or rolling down marbles.  For someone who's looking for a house, be it to buy or to rent a house or an apartment, do you have any, like, top tips for what to look for, like, get under the hood and just check for this and if you see it, walk away or be cautious or anything like that? 

so like I call 

it like let's swish fish and it's like basically it's on, I'm sure it's on my website, the rental one, but um, what you're 

looking for is You want to see, I won't even do it in order now, but 

like, you want to see if there's um, the 

Wi Fi and everything is set up for your phone contract. We have a lot of tenants that move in and they're like, my phone just doesn't work in the flat. Like you want to make sure that, and I have had so many people move out to, oh, we got a plot of land through family. We have no Wi Fi now for the 

next four years until Wi Fi comes into the area. Just check services like that.

Check hot water and heat. So when 

you want, um, let's say the  If it's electric. Are you Okay. with the expense that electric is? Are there many heaters that are throwing enough 

heat? Like in this home, for example, there's a lot of heat on this side of the room, but not a lot there, so I had to make sure that it was triple glazing on that side, that I'd be warm, and I wasn't paying 

to heat up the whole room.

With hot water, check if it's instant. A lot of homes, it's not instant hot water. Especially if you're renting, are you okay for the next year or two years having to preheat your water? Does that suit you at night? Does it suit you in the morning? Um, I would always check that security wise, like, check the front door.

Watch the agent open it up and close it. So many times I've seen the agent like fiddling with it or it looked really unsafe. That's like a big no no for me. If it's on the ground floor or all the windows secure, is anyone overlooking you? Can somebody hop the wall? You have to make sure that the home feels really secure.

Um, obviously I'm looking at space and appliances as well. Like, check out the washing machine, like, your clothes are going in there. Like, is it something you can actually clean? Like, the oven is the same. Is it stuff you can actually live with on a day to day basis? Um, I'm trying to remember what else is in that list. 

It's, they're just like, they're the main things, you know. Like, I think, also Whenever I'm searching for something, I basically will put in my budget and then I search oldest first, because if there is a rental flat on the market for the past four months, and let's say it's two grand a month, they've lost eight grand already being on the market.

So you're immediately able to negotiate because if they stay on another one, then it's 10 grand you're affecting their yield. So I would straight away be going into oldest on the market first.  And let's say your budget is. 15 hundred a month, set your budget to two grand oldest first and I guarantee you will get stuff that are two grand a month for 1500 because they're kind of desperate to get them rented.

They've just, yeah, properties only have this, I call it like 

I'm sure that works for, for purchasing property too, like somebody who's been sitting on a property that's on the market for a while. Maybe there's a reason, be careful going eyes wide open, but, you're, you know, you're probably doing them a favour, you can, you've got a better 

chance of 

there's a glow time, right? There's like a, there's about like a 2 to 4 week time in property if you go on at certain times of the year where you are the new bitch in town. Everyone's talking about you, everyone wants to see you. But then the other, like the next wave of properties come out and if you don't have a hungry enough agent or there's a bit of a disconnect with your agent, you can end up dropping off and you can't keep that momentum.

And if you're not bringing your agent to say, change my front picture because people think they've seen me before. Let's make them think it's another property. So they click in. If you're not proactive and your agent's not proactive, the agent's going to rely on you dropping your price to bring you back up into the market.

If you don't want to drop your price, you end up stagnant. And then that's where people who want to buy or rent can start negotiating with you. So always look for oldest first. They're the people who are probably open for it or have been too stubborn on their price and need to come down anyway. 

Great tip. And I always think as well, like, if you're not sure, or you're like, everything looks fine, I just don't trust you for whatever reason, always go And talk to the neighbours, they'll tell 

you.

And the neighbors 

tell you it's because there's, like, foxes freaking out in the back garden in the evenings or something, you never know.

But if they say it's fine, then it usually 

probably is. 

Or they'll say, my unlucky one is nearly always, they're like, well, when he died in the front bedroom, we all knew. And I'm always 

like, because the agents always say, Oh, it was a couple, like they work in it and they've moved to the countryside because of COVID. And then you get in and you find like the death certificate in the ashes.

And you're like, okay, brilliant. Like they forgot to pick these up. Like these aren't two hipsters who've moved to Bath. Like, you know what I mean? I now have a ghost to help me flap back. Brilliant. Brilliant. 

Oh, brilliant.  Ha ha ha. And with that, I think, ha ha ha, And with that, I think we should, probably wrap up. Ha ha ha. 

I got 

you should come to work for a day with me. Come to work for a day with me. 

I, not joking, I would love that. When 

can we do 

Oh my god we have to and then we end in a martini. I'll take you to like the best, kind of like really low light. We'll love it. Tiny lamps. Stunning martinis. And then  📍 we can just like 

the 

lowest Kelvins in London. I

Yeah, yeah, yeah,

for that. 

ha. Brilliant. 

Okay. Thank you so much. I, we're just going to have to do this again. I don't 

know. 

Next 

it really hard to cut off the conversation. So please come back.

Um, and thank you so much. And listener, thank you so much. And we'll see you in two weeks. 

Bye!   I f you found that episode useful, please do us a huge favour by giving us a like and a few stars and especially click that subscribe button. Thank you!