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them on. Because of this, I had an excellent rapport with the local estate agents. I believe that if you are honest and ready to commit, they will treat you with respect and, instead of me calling them, they started to call me when a property came up that they thought I would be interested in. I had a great team of builders who I really looked after and it all worked very well. FTB: Where do you live now? MP: I live in my partner’s detached house, which he has lived in for 30 years. It is in the most beautiful location on a lake in Cheshire. It does need some TLC as it has been extended over the years and is rather higgledy-piggledy. We are going to make it a more cohesive home and make the rooms bigger and more open-plan. We have a formal dining room which we never use as I would rather be in the kitchen and chat to friends when they come over while I am cooking, so I use the room as a study. In fact, we really only use half of the house! I love doing renovations so it will be great fun. FTB: Tell us more about your career? MP: I worked as a marketeer for a property company in Knightsbridge called Home Search. I helped people relocate from abroad to live in London. It was a fun job and I pretty much had to do everything to settle them into their new lifestyle. My boss got a call from Brighter Pictures asking him if he knew anyone who could work on a new show they had lined up about helping people relocate to the UK. He told them he had the perfect girl and three weeks later I was filming for prime time TV on the show Get a New Life . That led on to many more shows, but eventually I really upset the directors because I seem to have a connection with people and they would tell me all their problems etc. The directors wanted to film these moments and I absolutely objected to this idea. It was very personal and I know they thought it would make great television seeing people upset, but it was very wrong. So I decided not to do any more TV work. I have always had a strong interest in counselling especially as I haven’t always had a very easy life. I left my partner and I brought up my son alone from the ages of two to 10 and my childhood was far from idyllic. I trained as a counsellor (BACP), as a life coach (CTI) and as a NLP practitioner. And I set up my counselling business to help people, which is amazing. FTB: What can you tell us about your new book? MP: Many people stay in relationships that aren’t working, but I left my partner and
“I MANAGED TO GET A MORTGAGE AND BOUGHT A THREE BEDROOM, MID-TERRACE HOUSE IN STREATHAM VALE, SOUTH LONDON, WHICH COST £137,000 AND WAS ALL I COULD AFFORD”
brought up my son as a single parent. It was hard at times, but he is 13 now and my new partner has just adopted him, which is marvellous. So, the book really came from my own personal experiences. FTB: What advice do you have for first time buyers? MP: Mortgages are not like they used to be, so it is difficult and you have to be creative unless you have the Bank of Mum and Dad or use the Government scheme,
shared ownership. When I worked in central London I always wanted to live in Kensington or Chelsea, but this was just a dream – it is far better to look at up-and- coming areas, where the prices are more affordable, and then aspire to move on and upwards. Don’t whinge and moan but be positive in your outlook and definitely make a plan and stick to it.
melissaportercoach.com @realandroarmelissaporter
First Time Buyer April/May 2024 15
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