What do Bond girls do when it's time to hang up their bikinis? Well in the case of Fiona Fullerton, who strutted her stuff in A View to a Kill, the answer lies in bricks and mortar. Early in her career the actress began dabbling in property and now runs her own successful business buying, renovating and letting flats in London and Surrey. That has spun off into a media career presenting several property and style-related TV series on UK television and writing on property in the Telegraph newspaper. She has now written a book How to Make Money from Your Property (Piatkus £16.99 sterling) and, even if you have no plans to become a property mogul, it is full of smart advice on every aspect of the property business from identifying an up-and-coming area to transforming your kitchen, from choosing an estate agent to figuring out if a conservatory is worth the investment.
As it is her business, the book is strongest when it comes to finding and doing up flats for the private rental sector. The basic rule, she says, is know the type of tenant you're after and then buy the appropriate property. She divides the market into student lets, middle market and upper end and advises how to kit out your flat accordingly. For example, in the middle market she says the more neutral everything is the more successful it will be. So go for neutral colours but add one or two good pieces of furniture to lend the flat an air of class and larger mirrors are a must. The secret is to make it look carefully thought out without being too designer conscious.
She lists her top 10 mistakes made over her 20 years in business: Don't carpet the bathroom floor; don't paint the walls in very strong colours, don't use cheap door handles or knobs (they fall off); don't buy a nice flat in a naff location; don't use cheap furniture; don't buy furniture from auction rooms that doesn't comply with fire regulations; don't overclutter the kitchen, don't buy cheap curtain tracks; don't skimp on plumbing and don't try to let it yourself.
The first rule in buying any property, she says, is trust your interests. If the house gives off bad vibes don't buy it and if the house has had several owners in a short time find out why. They're the broad strokes. Even Ms Fullerton admits that when it gets down to it's the oldest property chestnut around that really counts location, location, and location.
As the buying and selling season here gets into its stride after the summer lull, one chapter, tantalisingly called "How to sell your house in one week" should appeal to prospective house sellers. "Kerb Appeal is first," she says, so spruce up your house to ensure first impressions are good even to casual drive bys. She quotes research that says blue front doors are the most successful for selling houses - it's calm and smart at the same time - so, if need be, apply a coat of gloss on the front door. Clean the windows, remove any obstacles such as buggies and bicycles from the paths and porch and replace the light bulb in the porch with a higher wattage for winter evenings. Once you've cleaned up outside, the next thing to do is de-clutter your house, bearing in mind that estate agents say most people make a bee-line for the window once they enter a room so anything that gets in the way such as a stray or occasional chair will irritate. Then clean the house from top to bottom paying particular attention to the kitchen, bathroom and windows.
She mentions some of the tricks of the trade, such as taking down curtains to let more light in - her rule is no curtains is better than bad curtains. There are quick fixes for every room. In the bathroom, for example, paint the walls, install a huge frameless mirror, regrout tiles and replace a funky looking shower curtain. Admittedly, nothing cosmetic you could do to your house would guarantee that you'll sell within a week but taking the ex-Bond girl's advice will undoubtedly make any house more saleable.
