Channel 4 TV presenter and property expert Stuart Douglas has offered his best advice to get on the property ladder in 2026 as he reveals his latest interactive initiative
Stuart Douglas is ready to make someone’s dream come true with a history-making launch. The Channel 4 property expert, who is often seen alongside sister Scarlette Douglas, is launching a first-of-its-kind Keys or Coffee interactive property prize draw – but also has some advice for those on the lookout for a property.
Stuart admitted it’s hard to get on the property ladder nowadays and wants to give someone to opportunity to win a home for the price of a coffee. But he also offered a top tip for those hoping to find their dream home in 2026, admitting: “It’s not easy. The budget has probably made it harder, if I’m honest.
“The property market right now isn’t in the best position that it’s been in, but that means that it’s a buyer’s market. It’s a buyer’s market now. It’s definitely not a seller’s market. So if you’re buying because the property market moment is a bit flat, there will be better deals to be had, and you’ll definitely be able to negotiate on prices more.
“Have patience. Save money. Just keep trying to save as much as you can. Don’t be afraid to negotiate. I’m hoping that 2026, will be a better year.”
Now, he has admitted his mission is to “make homeownership accessible, meaningful, and exciting” with his new idea. “I’ve spent years helping people turn houses into homes on TV,” he said. “Now with Keys or Coffee, I get to do something a bit different. We’re putting the power in people’s hands. Your votes, your choices, your ideas will shape a real home.”
Speaking of the concept, Stuart revealed he has enlisted the help of pals, including Jeff Brazier, Adebayo Akinfenwa, Stevo the Madman and his sister Scarlette, to be the faces on the interactive side. And they are planning on giving the public the opportunity to create their dream home before it goes up for a prize draw.
He admits that doing this should help “appeal to the majority”. Stuart said the public will have three choices for each room, voting on each. The most popular design at the end of the vote gets turned into a reality for the end home.
And he admits that doing it this way is important. “I think it’s really important that you embrace that change,” he told us. “And also property shows have always done extremely well on television, because as a nation we love everything property-related and interior design. We have a hunger and a desire for it.
“But because the landscape in television is changing, I think it’s really important to embrace the change and say, Okay, I love doing property. I do property shows. I do property off-camera, and there’s no reason why I can’t combine property with the participation of the public for something that’s totally new, totally innovative, and it’s really our USP.
“Listen, property prize draws, they’re not new, but what we’re trying to do is get the engagement of the audience. We don’t want them to be spectators anymore. We want them to participate in what we’re doing. And really to do that, to really capture the imagination. At the end of the design, you have actually got the chance of winning that home for three pounds.
“Hopefully people will be educated along the way, if they see the renovation. But for me, also, I’m learning in this, because this is the first time I’ll really get to listen to what the public want and what their design styles are, rather than just assuming that we’re getting it right now, we’ll know exactly the direction that the public wants to go.”
Stuart admits the concept is a step away from life on camera with his sister; something he loves but never planned on being involved in. He said: “If I’m brutally honest, I had no intention of being a television presenter. I used to play professional football for Luton Town.
“Then when my legs started to go and you’re not playing as well as anymore, I then decided to transition, and I became a physiotherapist… My sister Scarlett has been on television for the last eight, nine years now, and they were researching her to do a TV show with George Clarke. Then, when they were researching my sister, they saw me and we have a property website. We used to do property together.
“I’ve never had the opportunity to work with my sister. So I thought, Oh, this is a good opportunity to maybe do something. I learned so much from George and my sister and the show was a hit.
“We were then given our own television show that was a hit, and we’ve literally just snowballed from there. So I can’t lie and say it was my dream. It wasn’t. It was more a case of I had an opportunity to work with my sister. I thought I’d take it and like I say, I thought, if I’m gonna regret anything, I regret for saying yes, I said yes, and I’ve had no regrets ever since. So it’s taken me to where I am now.”
The first Keys or Coffee prize draw will launch on the 27th December, with weekly interactive design polls available on social media. Every entry supports partner charities including the Pink Ribbon Foundation, ACLT, Furnishing Futures and Mary’s Meals.
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