Do you think the credit crunch will do that too?
Yes I do, I think the strongest agents and developers will survive the credit crunch. The fly-by-night guys, the amateur developers, the amateur estate agents, they’re going to go to the wall, there’s absolutely no way that they’ll come through this. You’ll even get new development companies, new estate agents, being able to come up with new concepts. For example why not sell a service to the people who want to sell themselves? For a small fee they can help you sell the property. You need to embrace the changes rather than fight against them. 

Last year you launched an environmentally friendly development, are you still considerate of the environment?
Absolutely, the environment is way up my agenda because I want to make sustainable homes. A lot of people laugh when I say this, but I don’t do it for the money, I don’t do anything for the money. I do things in my life that I enjoy doing and creating homes that are environmentally friendly, sustainable, are a pleasure to live in, that add value to people’s lives and help them, that’s what I want to do. Creating light and space and basically making sure they’re happy living there. The biggest compliments I get are when I go back to my developments to the people living there and they say, “Have you got any more developments coming up? I want to buy into them.” I want to give as much as I can back, because when I got all the material things, I realised that they actually don’t mean that much, it’s people that matter to me.

What would you say are the secrets to your success if you could sum them up?
Well I would say tenacity, perseverance, being smart and being adaptable. It could easily have gone horrifically wrong in the credit crunch, but I took big decisions early on when I saw the writing on the wall. I started doing joint ventures with other companies, slashing prices and coming up with strategies to make sure things go the right way. So being able to adapt and come up with good ideas is another thing. Out of all those I’d say perseverance it the most important, I know a lot of very, very rich guys, and their number one key trait is they never, ever give up, they find a way.
I think a lot of people don’t understand that a lot of aspects of property developing are a total pain, there’s an untold number of hurdles to get over, neighbours, landlords, legal issues, planners, it’s constant hassle. But if you think about it as a complex lock in the door with riches on the other side, you just have to be patient and keep picking at the lock to find a way through.

Have you ever thought about giving up developing?
Never. I totally love property developing. I grew up on a council estate and I used to look at people who owned their own houses outside of the estate and be really fascinated. I really fell in love with property, this is my calling, this is where I want to be.

You’ve become one of the country’s best loved home presenters, are you still enjoying being in the media?
Yes I am, though I was dragged into the media kicking and screaming, I honestly didn’t want to do it! They called me up for Channel 5 to present How To Be A Property Developer and I said no twice before they persuaded me to let them do a screen test at my office, then they came back again with a bigger camera, and next thing I knew they offered me the presenter role. I decided to do the first series as a life experience and then it just kept snowballing. I’m not really sure why they like me so much, but I really enjoy it and I would like to keep it going for sure. It’s become an important part of what I do, though it’s a tricky skill to work in front of the camera. I’d like to get more into the Simon Cowell scenario where I’d develop my own shows and work with production companies. I’ve got a couple of ideas, so I’ll see where they go. No matter what I do I’m always looking to add value.

Have you ever thought about working in America?
I’m actually filming a show now for Discovery called House Wreck Rescue, which is going to be shown in the US and Europe. We’ve got people doing up boats, big colleges, windmills, you name it, and we’re following their journeys. They are doing it more as an investment than for themselves and it’s very interesting in the current climate. I’d like to get out to the States one day and TLC, the company that own all the Discovery channels, were keen for me to do something with them out there, but we’ll see.

You’re always on the go with so many different projects, how do you relax?
I like to spend time with friends and family, who are the most important things to me, and I like to stay fit and healthy. I’ve got really into cycling in the last year or two, it’s amazingly therapeutic, you’re away from everyone spinning along, and you can just feel really relaxed as well as working out. The social side of things is really important to me too, though I’m not doing it as much as I’d like to. But then again you see, I love work, work is not work, it’s like fun. It really, really is fun, and I always wake up with a smile on my face, feeling quite blessed about my life.

Do you feel like you’ve made it?
Ultimately I’d like to get to the Donald Trump level, and before the credit crunch I was on a sort of fast track to that, but now I’m not sure what the future for developing is and when property will kick back in. I’ve only got so many resources, and a lot of the big funders and investors that were there have gone now. You can look at this economic situation in two ways, one, it’s the biggest opportunity of your life right now for developers, but in other ways it’s the hardest time ever to develop. Somewhere in the middle is the right place to be, but I would like to really increase my company and at least try and get to the Trump level, and if I can’t then I don’t care, I’ve had a brilliant time so far. I’m actually shocked at how well I’ve done in life, considering where I grew up, it’s been great. I had a really good childhood, but when I look at what I’ve got now, I feel really blessed and grateful. If it ends tomorrow I’ll still be very, very happy, if it keeps going I’ll be happier.