Exactly a year after his death the face of George Harrison looked down from a large portrait hung over the

Exactly a year after his death the face of George Harrison looked down from a large portrait hung over the stage at the Royal Albert Hall.
Ravi Shankar’s 50-piece choir and orchestra offered a suitably prayerful introduction for what the evening’s musical director, Eric Clapton, explained was to be a celebration of Harrison’s life and work.The rehearsal, according to Clapton, had provided friends and associates with much joy and an opportunity to come to terms with their grief. The owner wasn’t interested in sorting that out; he just wanted things to look nice and get a quick sale.”RedJacks: 0800 0560571 ; Marsh & Parsons: 020- 7605 6890; The Final Touch: 020- 7228 4233 . “I’ve recently been to a flat where I did a cosmetic job tiling a floor so the bathroom looked lovely. The cost of repairs is low compared to their capital value.”Mr McCready clearly loves his job whizzing around London adding value to properties but he warns buyers to scrutinise seemingly well-presented properties. “It’s amazing that many houses in wealthy areas such as Chelsea or Kensington are not in better condition.

An Islington loft apartment valued at £1m sold for £1,295,000 after just £3,000 worth of improvements. “It can seem a large outlay initially but it’s worth it,” Ms Maas says.Vendors are cashing in but RedJack’s roving handyman, Don McCready, finds buyers can be losers. A Notting Hill flat’s valuation shot from £450,000 to £520,00, and sold for £512,000 after its owner spent £2,500 on house-doctoring. Presentation is not just about curtains and cushions, it’s also about those many awkward jobs such as lumpy plaster which can put buyers off.”Ms Maas charges £475 for an initial consultation and £75 an hour for subsequent visits but this gives clients access to a team of trades people. “We’ve sorted out the cowboys and only use skilled, reliable contractors.” The company claims “pretty much” a 100 per cent success rate with clients who have used them before letting or selling.

“A fresh eye is vital because owners are often too busy and tend to neglect their homes. “It’s stereotyping but I don’t need some Sloaney girls playing at starting up their own businesses telling me I need to get the stain on my ceiling repainted.”Lottie Sanger and Suzy Maas run The Final Touch, a house-doctor service based in London. Stains on ceilings sound alarm bells to buyers”Ms Fiore believes using a practical home repairs team has been worthwhile but she is cynical about other home improvement and makeover services such as “house doctors” “I wouldn’t know where to find one,” she says. “We’re marketing the house at £625,000 but I think you could take 10 to 15 per cent off that price if these jobs had not been done. “It’s now a very saleable and lovely house,” the agent, Peter King, says.