The 20 Quickest Ways to Lose Money on Your Property

Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan present the ultimate guide to how home improvements can increase the value of a property, including modernising a kitchen to create the illusion of space. A garden or outside area is also a great selling point, as is the location and a parking area, particularly in the city. With contributions from Ann Maurice, Antony Worrall Thompson, Linda Barker and Damon Dash.

The quickest way to lose money on your property is Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan’s steamy tip-toe through the minefield of house-owning horrors as glimpsed on The 20 Quickest Ways ... There Colin and Justin pointed out the pitfalls ranging from giant leather sofas in booth-sized living rooms to avocado bathroom suites. The themed bedroom (from "Caesar’s Palace" to "Mexican boudoir") received the thumbs down. Fake period features - cottagey inglenooks and polystyrene oak beams - were so passé. Was it simply a matter of personal preference? Yes and no. A bunch of experts joined in a chorus of slagging. And while it follows that in the privacy of our homes we are all entitled to have the décor of our choice, the ultimate arbiter here was dosh - what sells and what won’t.