Extras Sarah Beeny Interview

Date Published:

19/06/2008

Do you see yourself as a bit of an entrepreneur?
I don't know - Richard Branson's an entrepreneur. I'm not quite as successful as he is!

So are you more interested in making homes than making a business making homes?
No, I'm quite interested in making businesses - businesses are exciting. But I'm probably too lazy to be a proper entrepreneur. I enjoy my quality home time too much! I like to spend weekends not doing anything and the evenings with my children.

What led you into TV?
I was just asked to do it - I didn't know anything about TV. I met somebody at a party and her sister-in-law rang me the next day and asked whether I wanted to be the front face for a new series. I didn't really know what she was talking about but I went for a screen test anyway. They offered it to me, but I still wasn't sure what it was all about!

At that time property shows like this were very new...
Yes - at the time there was Changing Rooms and Grand Designs and that was it. We were the first show that dealt with the issues of developing. And I actually said that I didn't think they'd be able to make a series about developing – 'I think you should make a programme about something else'! I just thought that no one would be very interested in it.

What do you think the appeal of Property Ladder is?
To me there's no shame in not understanding something, so I'll always ask people to explain a word or a process. It makes me sound pretty stupid sometimes, but that's OK! So I think on Property Ladder the information is clear and anyone can understand it. People learn things from the programme, and that's why they like it.

Do you enjoy managing people?
I love managing people when it doesn't go wrong. I hate difficult situations. There's always the endless money argument on a building site and I just hate it. But I enjoy managing my own sites - making it all happen at the right times. And I quite like the crisis moments when you have to solve difficult problems. And I get a big kick out of buying and selling.

Is it ever an issue gaining respect on a building site as a woman?
I don't know that I've ever found it difficult - I don't know really whether people respect me or not. A few years ago when I was on site a lot more I think people respected me because I was there, working hard, even if I wasn't as good at it as them. If you're a grafter they respect that.

Do you think the property market is risky at the moment?
It's not really viable to buy to rent now. With today's rental returns you'd be better off with money in the Post Office, really. But I don’t think now is a risky time to buy a house as a home. People who sell off to wait for the market to 'come down' I think are mental. I think the key is to stay in the market once you're in. But if you're not a professional, to play the property market is a very stupid thing to do.

You're interested in how property development affects the environment - how can developers be more responsible?
Recycling old houses is environmentally friendly. One of the terrible things that goes on is pulling old houses down for no reason other than the stupid VAT laws in the UK - you don't have to pay VAT on new-build houses. So it's cheaper to knock it down and start again, which is environmentally criminal.

The other simple thing to do is insulate your house. It's not expensive, it's easy to do and there are some fantastic insulation products out there. Environmental issues are only becoming mainstream now and you have to find out a lot for yourself, so it can be difficult.

You have a new dating website called mysinglefriend.com. How's it going?
Really well! We launched last August and it's been phenomenal. We've got 40,000 people online - it's pretty successful, and the quality of the people on the site is high. We do have more girls than boys - twice as many, actually, so the boys are having a great time!

Doing a website seems quite a departure from what you're best known for doing - did you find your skills from property development crossed over?
Yeah, I think they did. It's all about people and relationships, really. I didn't actually build the site so I don't understand the mechanics behind it. My business partner, Amanda, does all that. I'm the dummy she runs the site by - if I can work it, anyone can! I've always been obsessed by setting people up - and running building sites is about relationships with people, too. I love people - people are interesting.

How have you found balancing all your different work projects with your home life?
It's hard - you get to points where you have to give things up. My temptation is to say yes to everything, but you have to take stock now and then. I work on the train, the Tube or in the car. You'll never see me walking down the street without talking on the phone. I never sit anywhere without my laptop out. That's probably how I fit it in.

Thanks for speaking to us, Sarah.