Melissa is a television presenter and has been on numerous shows including Escape to the Country, Countryfile, and Get A New Life on the BBC and Britain’s Dream Homes on Channel 4. She is also a trained counsellor and life coach and has recently published a book, Mastering the Single Parent Game. She talks to Lynda Clark about becoming a first time buyer, her fascinating life, and has some good advice for first time buyers.
Photos: Jonathan Farber
Tell us about your first step on the property ladder?
When I was 21, my father gave me £10,000 and told me to buy some new dresses. He was such a male chauvinist and very sexist too, so I decided to show him that I was made of stronger stuff than dresses and decided to invest the money in a house. 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. I had watched my parents buy and sell properties all my life so I wasn’t afraid of being on a building site! I had to renovate it and I made some terrible mistakes along the way. It was a massive learning curve, especially when I knocked a wall down and the ceiling fell in because I hadn’t realized it needed an RSJ! I had a good job and a good salary and I paid for the renovations as and when I could afford it. After six months, I decided to put it on the market and made £90,000 from the sale. I gave the money my dad had given me back to him, and his response was, “Where’s the interest?” Unbelievable!
What work were you doing at that time?
I was working as a marketeer for Kodak. They had set me a project, which ended up not taking off, but they wanted to rebrand disposable cameras from the existing model to be used for weddings. I was so disheartened when they dropped the idea and I decided to leave and set up my own company doing exactly what they had planned – selling disposable cameras for weddings. It was a huge success and meant that I could buy more properties in Streatham and renovate them and sell.
Where do you live now?
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.
Tell us more about your career?
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 an NLP practitioner. And I set up my counselling business to help people, which is amazing.
What can you tell us about your new book?
Many people stay in relationships that aren’t working, but I left my partner and 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.
What advice do you have for first time buyers?
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.
For more insights, visit Melissa Porter’s website or follow her on Twitter: @realandroarmelissaporter.
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