Keys are on hooks by the front door, whack 'em on as I walk in, chuck down the sunnies or hat on the hall table, shoes under it, and then straight in the house. I have never lost any of those items and I always need them. Unlike my male friend who shares the house with me, the constant, "Do you know where my car keys are? or My glasses? or My wallet?" drives me nuts! Soooooo much time wasted searching for things.GAAAAH! To those who say you shouldn't leave keys at the front well, any burglar that gets in isn't likely to be using the keys to get out. I don't have deadlocks. If I did I would still keep them by the front door, in case of a fire. Easy to get out then.

Good question. There is an agent who i have seen at so many homes over the years (I am a bit of an addict when it comes to Open For Inspections) and his genuine nature has helped convince me of his approachability. However, unless i hear from others that he sells houses without being pushy or two-faced, I would still be careful. So many agents have told my friends to lower their expectations RIGHT BEFORE THE AUCTION! This is manipulative and a nasty move when emotions are so high. If your agent can't back themselves to get you the best price available, you chose poorly.

When visiting other people's homes I always gravitate to the photos. I enjoy looking and talking about them. In my own home I have pics of mum and dad in their youth and they are in my bedroom. For my children and grandchildren's pics I have made a collage in the stairwell interspersed with photos of me and my mates in our heyday. It always gives my girlfriends a good laugh as we reminisce old times.

It was great to see a show that highlighted that good design is so important, and that good design doesn't necessarily mean bigger. I was also interested to see the egalitarian way design was shared with the 'masses' through project homes and DIY plans. A peculiarity of Australia. It seems such a shame that good design is now considered out of reach of most people. Having engaged an architect to design our renovation, I can understand why people shy away from the fees, however we're now about to embark on a renovation that keeps the best of the old, creates a space that is more contemporary and suited to our lifestyle, and flows so much better! The footprint of the house stays almost the same, so we will have a lovely big backyard. I'm tipping this may be a selling point in the future. Wouldn't it be great to see volume builders adopt these principles and start to offer better designed multi-functional spaces. Smaller houses are less expensive to run. So excited to see Pettit and Sevitt. I'd love to see Merchant Builders back in Melbourne, they were big on the entire concept, working with a hero of mine, Landscape Designer Ellis Stones. Oh to dream.....