Liz Taylor has made a name for herself as a renowned events planner, with celebrity clients ranging from Take That stars and Coronation Street cast members, to even being trusted to plan Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright's wedding. But, prior to running her successful events business, Taylor Lynn Corporation, the mum-of-two from Didsbury started out with just £200 in the bank.
Not only has she grown her company from the ground up over the years, but the self-made entrepreneur has also climbed from the very bottom to the top of the property ladder. After selling her family home of over 30 years following her last divorce, Liz took the plunge and bought a rather old-fashioned apartment in Bowdon on her own for £525,000.
She set to work renovating it, and fast-forward six years, it has been valued at a whopping £1.3 million. Liz spoke to the Manchester Evening News as part of our Where I Live series, where each week we speak to a different homeowner about their journey up the property ladder, and look at how they've made their home their own.
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"I started out with nothing and I’ve worked my way up. I had £200 in the bank, two children and have been through some challenging times. I set up my business and from there it’s all been self-made," Liz, who also hosts her own podcast, told the Manchester Evening News.
Speaking about her journey onto and up the ladder, Liz explained: "The first house that I bought was in Sale, then when I married the father of my children when I was 27, we pulled our resources together and bought a home in Hale. After we divorced when I was 32, I took my chunk out of the property and I bought a small terraced house in Hale Barns for £80,000. I was very keen to stay in the area because I had the mindset of ‘location is key’."
In the coming years, Liz extended the terraced house which went on to become her family home - where she lived for 30 years and saw her two daughters grow up. "Over the years it became a bit like a tardis. We extended it and it got much bigger and it ended up being a four-bed house," said Liz.
Liz remarried when she was 38, but after 22 years together, the couple divorced in 2017. "The house was mine, it was my family home. I didn’t want to move but it was a very trying time, and I just felt like if I didn’t move then I’d be stuck in the past and I didn’t want that," she said. "But what I didn’t want to do was leave with any bad memories because it was where I’d brought my girls up."
Deciding she needed a fresh start and with her kids all grown up, Liz took the plunge to put her family home on the market and started house-hunting for her own place. "A friend of mine took me to see a load of terraced houses but they were all tiny and narrow, and I didn’t like any of them."
Liz then went to view a penthouse apartment in Bowdon, but said it felt like being trapped in a '1960s movie'. "An elderly couple had lived there so the decor was quite old fashioned and dull," she said, "It had this long blue 60s carpet and the eaves felt like they were falling on my head, it felt quite claustrophobic. It was like being trapped in a 1960s movie."
Liz continued: "It was 2300 sqft, in a brilliant location and had the most spectacular view over the Cheshire plain so it had potential, but on the first viewing I couldn’t see it. I burst out crying and told my friend I wasn't interested." But, after sleeping on it, the next day Liz went back to view the apartment once more. "I went again but this time with my design head on, and then I decided to go for it," she recalls.
After putting her four-bed family home up for sale, it sold in just two days for £750,000. Liz then bought the penthouse apartment for £525,000. "My house sold very quickly and there was no mortgage on it. After buying the apartment I still had over £200,000 left from the sale to spend on doing it up."
As the apartment was unoccupied when she bought it, Liz was able to start work in between the exchange and completion. "All I knew was that I wanted to open it all up, so I got a builder to start knocking all the walls down. Within three months I had moved in, but at the time there was just one bathroom done, the floors were in and the walls were out."
Since then Liz has worked tirelessly to make the space her own, transforming it into a stylish open-plan single-living space that suits her style perfectly. "Since moving in six years ago, I’ve knocked every possible door and wall down that I could, ripped up the carpet and put down a wooden floor."
Liz continued: "I got rid of everything that I owned in my old house, every sofa, every chair and started all over again. Everything was a reminder of my old house and I didn’t want that. My taste had also changed since my last house, so I really enjoyed doing it all up."
Giving us a tour around her home, Liz explained: "The lift goes straight up into my apartment. It's all one big open space. I've got a brand new kitchen, sitting area and dining area with my white grand piano which I’ve had since I was 13 in the corner as a feature.
"I entertain a lot, so I decided to build a cool cocktail bar with every drink you could possibly need, then I’ve got seating on an outside terrace with a fire with stunning views over Cheshire. It’s got one bathroom and three bedrooms, but one of them is dedicated to handbags and shoes, the other is a guest room."
Liz says the interior style of her apartment is inspired by The Hamptons, and she shopped the globe to find unique pieces for her home. "My style has also adapted going from a house to an apartment. I'd say it's now contemporary but comfortable. I've invested in art which I never did before and I’ve got some gorgeous pieces.
"There's a gallery in New York called Eden which is very contemporary, and I’ve brought some really fun pieces from there. One is a huge glass handbag and inside it they press designer bags. Mine’s got a Hermes bag in with coke bottles, it’s really cool. My apartment is mad and colourful and that's exactly who I am."
After spending around £300,000 renovating, Liz' penthouse has recently been valued at around £1.3 million. "It’s been a really great investment but it's not so much about the money. It's the fact that when I go home, I adore it," she says. "I'm really happy here. I travel a lot with work and I find the location is ideal, I feel safe and all my friends are here."
Speaking about her plans for the future, Liz said: "I’d only ever lived in houses before and for me I always thought living in an apartment was the stairway to heaven. But now I think that apartment living is so very different and cool. I have considered, I don’t know whether I’d do it, but moving into the city centre."
Liz added: "I think developers are making it very tempting for both first time buyers and even people with children because there are apartments in town now where you've got swimming pools, gyms, concierge and all those facilities. I never saw myself living in an apartment but I couldn't see myself living in anything but now."
Aside from her own homes, Liz has built up an impressive portfolio of 12 houses. "Every time that I’ve been able to take a dividend from the business I have bought a terraced house," Liz said, "So I’ve now got a little property portfolio of 12 properties that will hopefully continue to bring me income when I retire. Property has always been the safest investment for me. If you’re clever and sensible then it gives you that safety net."
