Even celebrities need to sell their houses, but how do estate agents protect their precious privacy?
Insulating themselves against prying eyes is important for those who find themselves continually in the media spotlight.
Whether it is the predations of the paparazzi, or the threat of stalkers, it influences where they shop, where they eat, where they drink.
And yet there is a time when they have to let members of the public into their most private space. When a celebrity sells their home they have to allow people to wander around it doing all the usual gawping that goes alongside any normal house viewing.
No celebrity wants to suffer what befell Princess Michael of Kent. During the sale of her Cotswolds mansion, she was duped by News of the World fake sheikh Mahzer Mahmood, and alleged injudicious comments about the Royal Family were splashed across the newspapers.
SVEN'S REGENT'S PARK VILLA
But the princess had not exactly shied away from publicity, inviting a TV documentary crew into the home to follow her as she tried to sell it, and she was a good sport about the tabloid sting, saying she was "fair game".
The News of the World said only a couple of telephone calls were enough to secure a viewing at the house, but those who deal with celebrities' homes say every effort is made to keep out journalists and rubber-neckers.
One celebrity house currently for sale is arguably as famous as its owner.
Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell's house in Kentish Town, London, was at the centre of a media storm over allegations that a loan taken out on the house was part paid off using money paid to Ms Jowell's husband by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The claims have been vigorously denied.
Years of experience
Alicia Casingena, of agents Day Morris, is the first line of defence against those who would like to visit Ms Jowell's house entirely out of prurient interest, and is fairly sure she could see through a devious journalist or star-struck stalker in an instant.
"Normally I could tell when a person rings up. Some agents couldn't. It is just years of experience. I did have a [suspicious] phone call regarding it. He wanted the details to be e-mailed across. The whole conversation wasn't quite right. I just knew he wasn't kosher. I didn't send him the details because I had that feeling."
TESSA JOWELL'S TOWN HOUSE
Agents are often asked to sign confidentiality agreements by worried stars, Ms Casingena explains.
In Ms Jowell's case, the insides of the house have already been in the newspapers and they reveal a Cabinet minister with a sophisticated taste in decor, with the agents suggesting buyers will be "impressed by the high quality of the decorative state".
Ms Casingena adds: "We have got a lot of interest in the house. The house is absolutely beautiful."
Over at Knight Frank, one of the agents who is dealing with the sale of Sven-Goran Eriksson's £3.1m Regent's Park villa says it is often difficult to keep a celebrity's name secret.
The agent, who does not want to be named, says: "You can only protect your client to a certain degree. It usually does get out. But we never leak anything. We have dealt with very famous people over the years.
"The reason we have such a great track record is we keep it discreet. But some of the lesser celebrities they like to talk about it because it gives them more fame."
This kind of minor-celebrity-sells-pad-as-well-of-cash-runs-dry is a staple of the notorious gossip circular Popbitch.
Unwelcome visitors
But in Sven's case no amount of secrecy on the part of the agent is likely to help - the power of the press is too strong, and the ways it could come out too numerous. In any case, the England manager's address has been public knowledge for some time.
Apart from the ministrations of the paparazzi he has had at least two visits from burglars, and one from vandals since he started leading England.
The agent continues: "I'm not sure Sven is bothered by it [publicity]. He gets paparazzi outside the house anyway. He is never there when we show the house - a dream client."
ESTATE AGENTS' CELEBRITY CODE
One place where they are used to the problems of selling homes that are likely to provide a magnet for the wrong kind of house-hunter is Los Angeles, where areas like Beverly Hills are peppered with the houses of the rich and famous.
Vince Malta, president of the California Association of Realtors, says agents would not just rely on their ability to spot a wrong-un from their voice or appearance.
"We pre-qualify the potential buyers of the property... to make sure anyone who is seeing the property has appropriate assets. That weeds out the paparazzi.
"If you were dealing with, let's say, Michael Jackson's house, imagine the number of people who would want to go through that property just out of curiosity."
Celebrity premium
At either end of the celebrity spectrum there are those who use every legal tool to escape publicity, and those who are sufficiently blasé to use their name to help hawk their house.
Mr Malta explains: "We are able to protect them because many times their name is not on the title to the property. Often it is a holding company where it is held in another name.
"But if a property is selling for a premium... some agents will market the property with the celebrity's name. Frequently when a celebrity sells a property there are press releases that goes out."
Mr Malta's British counterparts are not so sure about the added value of a celebrity home.
As the agent at Knight Frank notes: "People with the kind of money you are asking for these houses are not starstruck."
And Charles Smailes, president of the National Association of Estate Agents, notes: "You could argue somebody might pay a premium but also the converse might be the case, they would wonder whether they are going to have paparazzi who don't know it's changed hands arriving on the door step."
All the agents dealing with celebrity homes are agreed on a few key tips. The client must be consulted as to the level of privacy they expect, pictures and personal effects should be removed during the marketing period, if possible the celebrity should try and stay elsewhere and buyers should be vetted in person if possible.
Beyond that it is down to each agent to use their imagination to try and make sure no snoopers and weirdos get through the net.
As Mr Smailes observes: "You have to have in place within your office systems additional security measures to try and ensure you don't fall foul of the paparazzi who want to photograph the bed, or take photos showing this guy doesn't wash up after breakfast. All sorts of nasties could come out of it."
Oh dear, I have alot of sympathy with the rich and there difficult lives.
Try living on the minimum wage and actually attempting to be able to BUY a house. Then you'll know that you life is hard.
Anon, Manchester
We went to look at a house in Muswell Hill a few years ago. Frances de la Tour answered the door, showed us round her house and that was that. She was pleasant, answered our questions and we did not feel the need to call her Miss Jones, ask after Rigsby or for an autograph. It was a nice house, but not right for us. What is all this celebrity rubbish anyway, they are people just like you and me. Some of them, like Frances de la Tour, even have impeccable manners.
Daisy, London
I am a qualified estate agent - over 30 years. One comment I would make regarding any expensive home is the increasing use by estate agents of photographic 'virtual tours'. On the face of it these seem a good marketing tool - but in my view they are also a burglars tool as they give an oportunity to study at leisure the contents, and to an experienced eye the security arrangements of a property. I would hesitate to recommend unrestricted use of this innovation.
Ray Evans, Sheringham
Half of their lives the so called "celebraties" spend mustering people's attention and getting famous, and the next half they spend wearing dark sunglasses and spending exorbitantly to keep away their attention and invasion into their lives. Its a circle...and so is life! All this keeps us away from our true purpose !
kamlesh Chandra, New Delhi, India
It does not matter what security you put in place, as the one thing you need to be sure of, is actually inside the viewers head.
Restricting viewings to people who could afford the property is not so straight forward. someone could bring in a fake bank statement showing the money in their bank account.
Midhael Shaw, Sheffield, UK
Surely these people are rich enough to move out of the house, erase all trace of their occupancy and employ someone to 'stage' the house? If they can't be botherd or aren't bright enough to do this... they can't be botherd who has a look, or they are fair game!
Liz, yorkshire
As a qualified agent on The French Riviera I can only enforce the fact a client is a client whether famous or not. We take special care when photographing clients properties not to expose photographs of valuable assets or personal effects which might give the identity of the owners away as we are very security minded. I can only encourage potential clients to verify the credentials of the agents they have entrusted their properties to. All good agents will only be delighted by this request.
Deborah Cortey, Cannes France
I fully agree with what anon from Manchester said regarding the rich. these people have no idea how hard it is for the less well-off to be able to get on the housing ladder. I for one have no sympthay for these people
Lee, New Forest, Hampshire
Celebrities, like the rest of us, will soon have to 'fess up, in the Home Information Pack, about how energy efficient (or otherwise) their houses are! So many of them are 'talking the talk' about Global Warming these days, we'll have the edifying experience of finding out who's actually 'walking the walk'!
Candy Spillard, York, UK
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