:00:00. > :00:09.Selling houses is not easy. You are dealing with the most expensive
:00:10. > :00:13.thing people ever buy. There are more of them than ever before. A
:00:14. > :00:17.square foot can be worth ?3,000. Many of us say they are our least
:00:18. > :00:22.favourite professionals. The customer is always right, aren't
:00:23. > :00:26.they? No. We turn to them at most of life's most stressful moments. I
:00:27. > :00:32.can't control it. You can't control it. Yes, we're off. They are the
:00:33. > :00:39.estate agents. You get a better response if you are a mass murderer!
:00:40. > :00:44.This series goes behind closed doors across the UK with the agents... It
:00:45. > :00:51.needs everything doing do it. And their clients... Gary takes us to
:00:52. > :00:58.the streets of London's super rich. My firm has recently sold our houses
:00:59. > :01:03.of let's say ?40 million to ?60 million. It is knockdown prices with
:01:04. > :01:12.Liam in County Durham. It went to auction with a starting bid of ?1.
:01:13. > :01:17.When I tell them they are not getting it, they will come back with
:01:18. > :01:24.another ?500. In London's cheapest borrow, Dagenham, Caroline, Andy and
:01:25. > :01:29.Darren. They had a bonfire in the front room here. This is ridiculous.
:01:30. > :01:34.With unique access, we will learn the tricks of the trade. I class
:01:35. > :01:40.that as a wet room. Find out what's really going on in the UK's crazy
:01:41. > :01:48.property market. I'm rather hoping that the bankers might have taken
:01:49. > :02:01.our place at the bottom of the pile by now!
:02:02. > :02:06.The royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is the address of choice to
:02:07. > :02:11.some of the world's richest home-owners. With an average flat
:02:12. > :02:18.amongst its boutiques and bars costing an eye watering ?1.6
:02:19. > :02:22.million. Estate agents Estate agent Ed Mead works this super rich
:02:23. > :02:30.enclave where the desire to live on the right street means anything
:02:31. > :02:34.where the roof can fetch, big, big money. The garages came on the
:02:35. > :02:40.market for sale. A garage like that you normally expect to get ?200,000,
:02:41. > :02:44.it is a lot of money, but around here when the houses are between ?7
:02:45. > :02:47.million and ?20 million, that's not a huge amount of money. Two of the
:02:48. > :02:55.residents decided they wanted to have a battle to buy it and ended up
:02:56. > :03:03.pushing the price to over ?600,000. There maybe ?500,000 parking on Ed's
:03:04. > :03:07.doorstep. These houses don't sell themselves. Rarely do I recommend
:03:08. > :03:10.anyone to accept an offer on a Friday. Buyers have remorse over a
:03:11. > :03:14.weekend. If they are going to get an offer accepted make sure it is at
:03:15. > :03:18.the beginning of the week. If you asked me what you need to be good at
:03:19. > :03:22.this job, it is the ability to use your ears in proportion to our
:03:23. > :03:25.mouth. You need to listen twice as much as you talk. That's why at
:03:26. > :03:29.Douglas Gordon we employ more women because they are better at
:03:30. > :03:33.listening. There is no macho stuff. One such woman in Ed's office is
:03:34. > :03:37.Eileen Neville who always has her eye on the prize. We've got two
:03:38. > :03:42.buyers in a situation where they are going to go for it. He is going to
:03:43. > :03:49.lose buyers by being a bit stupid. I love working here. I want to get out
:03:50. > :03:54.there and carry on selling. You will always sell something. You just need
:03:55. > :03:56.to get the offers on it. He knew you were getting a best bid this
:03:57. > :04:03.evening, yeah? I come from a relatively big family.
:04:04. > :04:06.The family business is jewellery. We were working since we were about 12
:04:07. > :04:11.in the shops. Even at Christmas I still go home
:04:12. > :04:15.and work in the shop. You always had the sales environment which is
:04:16. > :04:18.amazing. The guys have done this, we have worked with them before and
:04:19. > :04:24.they always do a really, really good finish. Eileen is one of Ed's star
:04:25. > :04:30.negotiators selling ?132 million worth of properties in the la two
:04:31. > :04:35.years alone. It is only 800 square feet, but it feels comfortable. We
:04:36. > :04:39.have a basic salary. And then every six months, we have got to hit over
:04:40. > :04:48.?190,000 worth of commission and once we do that, we get 20% of
:04:49. > :04:53.everything over that. You could be on a good month, Sophie. You are
:04:54. > :04:58.here to sell and achieve your targets. If you don't achieve your
:04:59. > :05:05.targets, you will be called in for a chat. You get warnings and you might
:05:06. > :05:11.be gone. It is early autumn. Traditionally a
:05:12. > :05:17.time when the housing market surges before the Christmas lull. Keen to
:05:18. > :05:22.hit her sales targets before the market goes quiet, Eileen is
:05:23. > :05:27.prepared to take on a building site on sought after Britain Street. We
:05:28. > :05:31.are in a new flat. This is as you can see, nowhere near finished. I'm
:05:32. > :05:37.going to try and not kill myself! OK, so, over here is the
:05:38. > :05:42.open-planned kitchen, eating area. This is the bathroom. Moving the
:05:43. > :05:46.toilet and everything over to that side. Giving us more space for a
:05:47. > :05:51.separate shower which is always quite nice because girls like baths
:05:52. > :05:54.and boys like showers. This will be our biggest challenge because we're
:05:55. > :06:02.trying to get the best price, but we're showing them this. A lot of
:06:03. > :06:05.imagination is required. Within spitting distance of the world
:06:06. > :06:12.famous King's Road, properties here don't come cheap. Develop ers target
:06:13. > :06:18.Chelsea because wealthy buyers mean quick sales and big profits, no
:06:19. > :06:24.matter how small the property. He is converting it into a one bed. It is
:06:25. > :06:29.about 360 square feet and it is coming on to the market about
:06:30. > :06:33.?625,000. At ?625,000, this modest flat is less than half the size and
:06:34. > :06:43.more than double the price of an average British family home. This
:06:44. > :06:49.bit here, that's probably the bones of a square foot. That bit there is
:06:50. > :06:54.going to be about ?1800 to ?1900 on this street. Outside space? No.
:06:55. > :06:58.There is no private outside space. Nearly a quarter of Eileen's work is
:06:59. > :07:03.with developers who see London's lucrative market as a pot of gold.
:07:04. > :07:09.Overseas buyers are battling to invest in London property. They pay
:07:10. > :07:16.whatever it takes, keeping supply low and prices high. Stock levels
:07:17. > :07:22.have been low for ten years. Demands have remained high. Whereas stock
:07:23. > :07:30.has gone... While at Chelsea, a square foot costs ?1900. A Tube ride
:07:31. > :07:35.away in Dagenham, you will only need ?250,000, one of the reasons why
:07:36. > :07:41.this part of town is booming. What prices were they? There is a real
:07:42. > :07:46.bubble in Dagenham. Battling for business here is Darren Griffiths
:07:47. > :07:57.who set-up his no-frills agency five years ago with his mate, Andy. The
:07:58. > :08:03.current owner is a tenant. Alongside them, single mum, Caroline, their
:08:04. > :08:08.sales and lettings negotiator. If I flash a bit of boob. I might have to
:08:09. > :08:12.flash a bit of leg. Will that still work? I don't know. It depends if
:08:13. > :08:16.you are a boob or leg man really, I suppose. Over the years, Darren has
:08:17. > :08:23.become hardened to plying his trade in an industry most people love to
:08:24. > :08:28.hate. It is deeply engrained in people's psyche that estate agents
:08:29. > :08:35.are all scum apparently. Caroline, is the keting the silver -- kettle
:08:36. > :08:42.the silver thing? People think we sit here all day and we are off for
:08:43. > :08:47.our round of golf, make a call, make ?50,000 and be home for tea and
:08:48. > :08:51.that's it. Come on! It is like, one of these guys with plates balancing
:08:52. > :08:57.on loads of sticks. You are trying to keep them all spinning and hope
:08:58. > :09:05.too many don't fall off. All I want to do is click on a bleedin' map! It
:09:06. > :09:08.may only be 16 miles from the properties of Central London, but
:09:09. > :09:14.Dagenham is the cheapest borough in the capital to buy a house. Lots of
:09:15. > :09:18.housing stock. Good transport links. And the Olympic effect have created
:09:19. > :09:25.a bubble and properties are shifting fast. If you don't sell a property
:09:26. > :09:29.within 48 hours, there is either something wrong with it or the price
:09:30. > :09:33.is too high or both which is madness really. Six or seven months ago, if
:09:34. > :09:36.you got ten viewings in the first fortnight, that was really, really
:09:37. > :09:39.good. Now, if you haven't got ten viewings within the first day, you
:09:40. > :09:44.are starting to worry. While doing up properties here, may not fetch
:09:45. > :09:49.Chelsea prices, the Dagenham effect has tempted out home-grown
:09:50. > :09:56.developers. Let's have a look around. It is a year-and-a-half
:09:57. > :10:01.since I sold this place. Serc is a budding property mogul. He has found
:10:02. > :10:06.a good short cut to making money in the housing game. I like the
:10:07. > :10:09.kitchen. That's a lot better, isn't it? Wow, that's a big difference to
:10:10. > :10:17.what it was before. I got it stripped out. That's good, sant
:10:18. > :10:23.isn't it? It was just two years ago that Serc bought this flat through
:10:24. > :10:32.Darren for ?106,500, he is keen to sell it for ?20,000 more. There are
:10:33. > :10:37.some agents that use cameras that make rooms look huge and that's
:10:38. > :10:40.wrong because we are guided by the property misdescriptions Act and you
:10:41. > :10:44.are not supposed to falsely advertise a property which in my
:10:45. > :10:49.opinion, some of these cameras do because they make rooms look huge.
:10:50. > :10:54.The art is to get everything in so you can form a judgement of a room
:10:55. > :10:58.without it appearing bigger than it actually is, but trying to get it in
:10:59. > :11:04.its best light. Everything else is the same. The layout is the same.
:11:05. > :11:11.New carpet, switches and sockets. Serc has got the knowledge on how to
:11:12. > :11:15.make dosh and it seems it runs in the family. I have got this one and
:11:16. > :11:22.one down the road and my mum has one down the road and another one in
:11:23. > :11:26.Romford and just put her house up for sale. We have got to get you the
:11:27. > :11:33.best price. Serc is hoping his revamped kitchen and DIV efforts
:11:34. > :11:39.will bag him ?130,000, ?10,000 more than Darren thinks it is worth. We
:11:40. > :11:49.are pushing the price a bit, but if ever we were going to get top price,
:11:50. > :11:54.the market is now really. Serc's cosmetic changes to the flat could
:11:55. > :11:59.bring him a healthy return. This is the before and after. That's how the
:12:00. > :12:03.kitchen was before. Same work top, same washing machine. I think the
:12:04. > :12:08.units are the same. I think he has been clever. It looks like a
:12:09. > :12:13.brand-new kitchen. This will be a good proof of how much afbubble we
:12:14. > :12:17.are in if this goes under offer at full asking price, it confirms that
:12:18. > :12:21.people are buying pretty much anything, at any price to get on the
:12:22. > :12:31.ladder in case it goes up even more overnight.
:12:32. > :12:37.In the rolling hills of the Cotswolds, thatch equals cash. And
:12:38. > :12:43.having roots in the community matters. I've lived here a long time
:12:44. > :12:47.in this part of the world. I've got to know it well. You've got to like
:12:48. > :12:51.the place and you've got to know it. It is about knowing the patch, I
:12:52. > :12:59.think. I think that's important. In the English market town of Chipping
:13:00. > :13:04.Camden, resides English country gent and estate agent, Mark Annett. I
:13:05. > :13:09.drove it down to Devon a month ago. I did the Torbay Run. I used to do
:13:10. > :13:14.it with my father when he was alive. I used to be the Mayor of Chipping
:13:15. > :13:24.Camden. I wore the red robes and the hat and the chain. I used to ponce
:13:25. > :13:32.about! It gives you access to a lot of people in the community. We're
:13:33. > :13:36.going to have a cup of tea. Cake. You won't get that in London! This
:13:37. > :13:41.is all special stuff here. By the time you got the loud shirt on and
:13:42. > :13:47.the braces and the suit and got the Morris Eight started, well, you have
:13:48. > :13:52.got a profile, haven't you? Whatever that profile is.
:13:53. > :13:57.LAUGHTER Working alongside Mark, is his
:13:58. > :14:06.faithful assistant Marion. Carrot cake. Isn't that lovely?
:14:07. > :14:11.That's just the job, isn't it? Do you think there is any other estate
:14:12. > :14:17.agents that turn up to jobs in a Morris Eight? Mark is unusual in
:14:18. > :14:25.many ways right down to his socks. That's all part of the fun!
:14:26. > :14:33.The rural charm of the wots colds appears to tourists and wealthy
:14:34. > :14:39.second homers. I was in the US recently and some people that I met,
:14:40. > :14:49.who know Chipping Camden, they called it "fairy land" it is what
:14:50. > :14:56.they perceive to be Englishness. Buying in this chocolate box village
:14:57. > :15:01.can take a while and cost plenty. We are selling terrace houses in the
:15:02. > :15:05.high street at ?1.5 million. One such property, just doors away from
:15:06. > :15:10.Mark's office, is a five-bed town house with stunning walled gardens.
:15:11. > :15:19.Mark has just sold the property for ?1.1 million. He has come round to
:15:20. > :15:23.help with the inventory. It has the windows at the back. A lovely house.
:15:24. > :15:29.A privilege to be able to see it. I think it's lovely. Look at the
:15:30. > :15:34.butterflies. Lovely, isn't it. 86-year-old, Audrey, has lived at
:15:35. > :15:39.the property for 19years. She has finally accepted it's time to
:15:40. > :15:43.downsize. She can no longer maintain the spectacular garden as she would
:15:44. > :15:49.like. It has been frustrating because I can't prune or cut or
:15:50. > :15:55.dead-head things like that any more. With the sale complete. By rights
:15:56. > :16:01.Mark's work is done. Mr Community is going all out to see Audrey safely
:16:02. > :16:07.through the move. Do you think what you do with Audrey is what every
:16:08. > :16:12.estate agent does with their client? . I enjoy going the extra mile. The
:16:13. > :16:16.knock-on effect is it's good for the business. I will leave that. I find
:16:17. > :16:20.there are less, certainly in the business world, there are less
:16:21. > :16:26.gentlemen compared with a few years ago. We will leave you in peace. I
:16:27. > :16:30.hope it gets you a few more customers! Thanks, Audrey. OK, dear.
:16:31. > :16:36.I'd like to think people could trust me. I think that's important. And,
:16:37. > :16:41.in terms of doing this job, yeah, I go around and look people in the eye
:16:42. > :16:48.and say - trust me, I'm an estate agent. Mark doesn't just sell houses
:16:49. > :16:54.on his doorstep. His patch covers three counties. Next to a valuation
:16:55. > :16:58.in rural Broad Camden, 36 years in the area, he knows the market inside
:16:59. > :17:04.out. I know this house well. I sold it on three separate occasions in
:17:05. > :17:10.one life or another. So, I've seen it sort of evolve, really. Mark,
:17:11. > :17:16.valuing these unique properties is more about the heart than the head.
:17:17. > :17:20.It's based on opinion. It's not a science. I think it is an art, to
:17:21. > :17:29.some extent much you get a feel for it. That's lovely. I'm not selling
:17:30. > :17:33.modern boxes on estates where there are 50 houses and they are all the
:17:34. > :17:37.same, except one has a red door and one has a blue door. Quite honestly,
:17:38. > :17:43.selling them will be the same whether it's No 43 or No 20. For us,
:17:44. > :17:47.the houses are all different. David and Judith Butterworth have owned
:17:48. > :17:53.their large dream home for five years. In one way we don't want to
:17:54. > :17:59.leave. I think it's more our - will our health catch up with us, is the
:18:00. > :18:04.reason. You want to maintain a nice garden and be able to do the garden
:18:05. > :18:12.yourself. A lot of work involved to keep it to this standard. Lovely,
:18:13. > :18:18.quintessential Cotswolds, England. They won't get you here. Even the
:18:19. > :18:23.splendour of the Cotswolds property market is not immune to economic
:18:24. > :18:27.uncertainty. Mark prices accordingly. Right, value. What is
:18:28. > :18:33.this one worth? I don't think it's quite up to ?1.3. I think it's
:18:34. > :18:41.probably around ?1.2. Yes. That is my view. This is when you say, Mark,
:18:42. > :18:45.but that one down the road is awful. ?1.35. I mean, at the end of the
:18:46. > :18:48.day, all these prices, it remains to be seen, doesn't it. The proof of
:18:49. > :18:53.the pudding is in the eating really. See you soon, David. OK. Having read
:18:54. > :18:59.the news about an upturn in house prices, Mark's ?1.2 million
:19:00. > :19:03.valuation hasn't convinced the Butterworth's. I shall probably
:19:04. > :19:10.advertise it a little bit more than that because I think the market,
:19:11. > :19:14.certainly on the increase. This business of pricing and valuing, it
:19:15. > :19:18.can be difficult. You want to just get the figure right. It isn't about
:19:19. > :19:21.pleasing people, it's about trying to be honest and straight-forward.
:19:22. > :19:29.Yeah, you can get it wrong. I mean, we are only human. You just want to
:19:30. > :19:33.be right. The Butterworth's decide to hold off putting their house on
:19:34. > :19:38.sale until later in the year when they hope prices will be in the
:19:39. > :19:44.house. Contradictory reports about the market frustrate Mark. It's all
:19:45. > :19:48.a muddle, it strikes me. People... People are cautious as
:19:49. > :19:50.a muddle, it strikes me. People... You've got them saying that there
:19:51. > :19:54.will be a property bubble and prices are
:19:55. > :20:12.will be a property bubble and prices is. Five minutes ago, we
:20:13. > :20:14.will be a property bubble and prices Flats and houses are selling like
:20:15. > :20:20.hot cakes. Great for small Flats and houses are selling like
:20:21. > :20:22.hour. Darren Flats and houses are selling like
:20:23. > :20:28.whilst he was sat at his desk typing Flats and houses are selling like
:20:29. > :20:33.it up, 10-15 minutes later, sold, subject to contract!
:20:34. > :20:42.it up, 10-15 minutes later, sold, after Darren took
:20:43. > :20:46.it up, 10-15 minutes later, sold, ?130,000, Caroline has already got
:20:47. > :20:54.the first viewing. I will meet the own and hopefully the buyer. Hello,
:20:55. > :20:55.just me. There is a problem. Caroline's viewers have arrived
:20:56. > :21:01.ahead of her. They have tried to get Caroline's viewers have arrived
:21:02. > :21:05.Serc to drop the price by ?5,000, knocking it below the stamp duty
:21:06. > :21:09.threshold. You are interested in the property. You don't want to pay over
:21:10. > :21:15.the stamp duty. When it comes to negotiating, he can't take a
:21:16. > :21:21.penniless than ?130,000. Stamp duty kicks in when a house sells for over
:21:22. > :21:28.?120,000. All negotiations go through the estate agent. It is
:21:29. > :21:32.their decision in the end. They have gone to have a look. Or go to talk
:21:33. > :21:39.to the owner without me being there. Byers tried to cut the estate agents
:21:40. > :21:44.out of the equation. They grind me! If they were talking to them in
:21:45. > :21:50.private about me being there he will bring the price down. They can
:21:51. > :21:55.negotiate. Despite me telling them that ?130,000 is the bottom line. I
:21:56. > :21:59.want to be up here. Serc is holding out for the full asking price of
:22:00. > :22:06.?130,000. He needs Caroline to get it. I don't think I can accept that.
:22:07. > :22:11.No. I think they seem if they spoke to you in private they could bend
:22:12. > :22:15.your arm. I can't do it. I think there will be a few more offers
:22:16. > :22:20.other than them as well. Attempting to cut agents out of the deal can be
:22:21. > :22:25.a common problem. It's a bugbear for Caroline. That's why people get
:22:26. > :22:28.estate agents to sell their homes. They don't want that awkward
:22:29. > :22:32.conversation in their home with somebody trying to haggle. The
:22:33. > :22:40.agency stands to make just over ?1,000 on Serc's flat. If they want
:22:41. > :22:45.it for about ?5,000 or ?6,000 left on the market, my fees aren't ?5,000
:22:46. > :22:49.or ?6,000, so knocking me out of the equation won't make a difference.
:22:50. > :22:57.With a house lined up to buy, Serc decides, 48-hours later, to go for a
:22:58. > :23:01.quick sell, accepting an offer of ?124,995, under the stamp duty
:23:02. > :23:07.threshold. ?5,000 less than the asking price. It's another speedy
:23:08. > :23:14.deal for Darren and the team. The sign of a good year.
:23:15. > :23:20.In County Durham it's another story much the area has experienced the
:23:21. > :23:27.worst price drops anywhere in the country since the crash. That means
:23:28. > :23:35.less profit for the agents. Right. Let's have a look. Oh, heavens
:23:36. > :23:43.above. I mean, there is probably about 93 hooks. Eight miles outside
:23:44. > :23:46.Durham Lynn manages Robinson's Estate Agency. She is shifting the
:23:47. > :23:51.stock, but achieving the asking prices is a difficult business. Not
:23:52. > :23:56.an easy marketplace to work in. It's very, very price led. There is a lot
:23:57. > :24:01.of houses available. A lot of repossessions, a lot of new build.
:24:02. > :24:07.It is very, very hard. For Lynn, selling houses here requires
:24:08. > :24:13.dedication tenacity, humour and crucially the estate agents survival
:24:14. > :24:17.kit. You have to look your best when you are with customers. You have to
:24:18. > :24:22.smell nice. From time to time when you go into some, shall we say,
:24:23. > :24:25.undesirable houses that aren't in good condition, the smell of the
:24:26. > :24:30.house can linger on your clothes. Hence the perfume. When you are in
:24:31. > :24:35.there for quite some time and touching things, sanitiser, that is
:24:36. > :24:44.what you need. I end up with 3 o 0 plus bites on my legs and stuff like
:24:45. > :24:49.this. -- 30. A flea spray is carried in the car with elastic bands much
:24:50. > :24:54.you can put them on the bottom of the trousers to stop the little
:24:55. > :25:00.mites crawling up your legs. First up a former repo snapped up to let
:25:01. > :25:08.out. Right. We are here to do the inventory on this property. Found
:25:09. > :25:14.cannabis in houses before. Did you find the plants? Yeah! I could smell
:25:15. > :25:21.it. I knew what... I knew what they smelt like. Actually, we had - we
:25:22. > :25:27.did have a dead body in a house. A number of years ago. When the
:25:28. > :25:38.locksmith went round to change the locks, and he opened the back door,
:25:39. > :25:44.there was a dead body in the lounge. Pretty it didn't have a dip on the
:25:45. > :25:54.dashboard. Lynn lived around here all her life and prides herself on a
:25:55. > :25:59.friend atmosphere with her clients. She is my son's old teacher. She
:26:00. > :26:05.recognised me from school. That must be 20 years ago. I remember him.
:26:06. > :26:11.Cried every morning. I used to know her so well, she used to bring him
:26:12. > :26:16.into the classroom. I'm doing your floor plan. Yes. We will get your
:26:17. > :26:19.photographs done. It's important to adapt to the client that you have
:26:20. > :26:24.actually got. You know, whether or not you have a little first-time
:26:25. > :26:27.buyer. Little old lady. A lot of time, once you get talking to
:26:28. > :26:32.people, you end up with a connection with them about something. There
:26:33. > :26:37.will be a copy for you. There is only her unfortunately now. Her
:26:38. > :26:41.husband passed away. Recently widowed, Jackie is wanting to
:26:42. > :26:46.downsize to a bungalow, from the house she has called home for the
:26:47. > :26:52.last 28-years. Since I lost my husband I'm rattling around in here.
:26:53. > :26:56.I was ready to move as soon as she died. Everybody said - it's a bit
:26:57. > :27:01.soon, Jackie, just wait. I don't think I have properly ever grieved
:27:02. > :27:06.and things. A big part of him is in here. Half of all homeowners
:27:07. > :27:11.thinking of selling want to downsize with the cost of living and
:27:12. > :27:17.retirement the main reasons. Moving out of here, we'd been married
:27:18. > :27:22.40-odd years. You can imagine, it's frightening. An average house in the
:27:23. > :27:27.area sells for around ?120,000. Lynn knows this house is unmodernised.
:27:28. > :27:32.That price will be hard to achieve. Things we look for when we value a
:27:33. > :27:40.house is location, condition. Does it have a garage? Is and, we look in
:27:41. > :27:42.the region of ?110,000 and ?115,000. We need to confirm the price when I
:27:43. > :28:04.go back down stairs. Jackie's neighbours are trying to
:28:05. > :28:08.get in first. Well, let's see what we can do for you. Did you hear that
:28:09. > :28:16.knock at the door. Someone wanting to view it? When? He knocked and
:28:17. > :28:30.said, "Jackie how much is the house? " I said, "I don't know ?107,000 or
:28:31. > :28:41.?109,000. ." He said can I view, I said "later today." I told him
:28:42. > :28:46.?109,000 or ?109,000. ?110,000 to ?115,000. You look after yourself. I
:28:47. > :28:51.will see you later. I think it will go quickly. It's priced sensibly.
:28:52. > :28:56.It's lovely and clean. And, you know, we discussed and Mrs Johnson
:28:57. > :29:00.knows it needs a new bathroom and the kitchen isn't as modern as she
:29:01. > :29:10.would like. We have priced it to sell. In an area where ?110,000
:29:11. > :29:16.won't buy you a garage. We need keys, guys. Chelsea agents are off
:29:17. > :29:24.to value a recently redeveloped studio. We are all in black today.
:29:25. > :29:28.Like the Men In Black. All new instructions are viewed by the whole
:29:29. > :29:37.team. Then it's a race to see who can find a buyer first. Located
:29:38. > :29:41.around the corner from Sloane Square. The location is amazing. The
:29:42. > :29:46.fact it's brand new. A lot of clients are foreign. Perfect. Can't
:29:47. > :29:51.be bothered to do the work. They don't live here. This studio flat is
:29:52. > :29:55.selling with just a 60-year lease. After that the buyer has to pay more
:29:56. > :30:01.money to renew it or leave. So, Eileen and the boys have priced it
:30:02. > :30:09.to sell, at ?475,000. Cheap for Chelsea.
:30:10. > :30:16.Hamp Hamptons New York. The developer has been developing
:30:17. > :30:22.properties here for the last three years. He knows how to make the
:30:23. > :30:29.wealthiest wallets open. The people that can afford to buy the ?500,000
:30:30. > :30:35.room, they are expecting top of the range. We put down under scoop fler
:30:36. > :30:41.heating and wut -- underfloor heating and a wet room and as high
:30:42. > :30:45.end without covering it all in gold. There is money to be made as long as
:30:46. > :30:53.you know what you are doing. My goal is to make 10% net after a sale. He
:30:54. > :30:57.may want 10%, but if the flat goes for ?475,000, he stands to make more
:30:58. > :31:05.than double that, well over ?100,000. Now, the three agents will
:31:06. > :31:10.fight it out to find a buyer. Am I competitive? Yes, you have got to be
:31:11. > :31:16.otherwise, what's the point? If I had an offer against Patrick or
:31:17. > :31:24.Nick, I would do anything I could to get it.
:31:25. > :31:31.Back in Dagenham, father of two, Darren is trying to get out of the
:31:32. > :31:34.house to start another busy day. Here is the first one. Come on,
:31:35. > :31:40.darling, you have got to start eating, baby. She is so not a
:31:41. > :31:46.morning person, this one. She takes after the wife! Jack of all trades,
:31:47. > :31:49.Darren has tried his hand at most things, bailiff, delivery driver,
:31:50. > :31:52.Darren has tried his hand at most and carpenter, a never ending quest
:31:53. > :31:56.for job satisfaction. If you are doing a job that you love, I think
:31:57. > :32:01.you're lucky. It is a job that I'm good at. I look back when I was
:32:02. > :32:05.younger and some of the jobs I've done and often I had no money and
:32:06. > :32:10.lived in a council flat that needed everything doing to it. I look back
:32:11. > :32:14.and think, yeah, I have come one million miles from where I was then.
:32:15. > :32:21.I try and forget about work as much as possible when I am at home.
:32:22. > :32:26.That's it nice. Keep facing me, darling. The home and the kids are
:32:27. > :32:33.my release. I look forward to spending time with them. I am happy.
:32:34. > :32:38.I just find it hard to show it! Buying a house is increasingly
:32:39. > :32:42.difficult for many. With more people relying on renting to keep a roof
:32:43. > :32:49.over their heads, this means that half of Darren's business is
:32:50. > :33:51.lettings. I couldn't sleep at night if I just did selling. Lettings is
:33:52. > :33:57.very much the bread and butter. . Darren is not in danger today. The
:33:58. > :34:00.mother and her children are willing to leave. If you are going to the
:34:01. > :34:05.council, you will need to confirm the bailiffs have been in
:34:06. > :34:15.attendance. There is no problem with that, but you need to leave the
:34:16. > :34:18.property today which you want to do. Does it make you feel sad when
:34:19. > :34:23.things like this happen? For the kids, yeah. I can picture your own
:34:24. > :34:27.kids in that position and having the bedroom they had and everything. It
:34:28. > :34:31.is quite sad. Why do you do it then? Because you have to. It is part of
:34:32. > :34:35.the service. You have to be able to look after the landlord's interests
:34:36. > :34:40.and deal with the problems for them rather than the landlords having to
:34:41. > :34:44.do it. Where is she going to go now? To the local housing office and
:34:45. > :34:50.confirm she has been made homeless and been evicted by bailiffs and
:34:51. > :34:55.then start the process of them housing her somewhere. They will
:34:56. > :34:59.probably put her into a bedsit or shared accommodation until they find
:35:00. > :35:05.a property and they will house her somewhere else. Dagenham has one of
:35:06. > :35:10.the highest eviction rates in the country. Being evicted is something
:35:11. > :35:16.is Darren has personal experience of. I have been through that as a
:35:17. > :35:20.kid when my parents had a house getting repossessed with the bank
:35:21. > :35:24.and it is a horrible, horrible experience. We were housed in an
:35:25. > :35:34.ex-council flat. We walked in and there was pigeons in the bedroom and
:35:35. > :35:39.pigeon crucial crap on the floor. It was horrible. It is a few days after
:35:40. > :35:44.the eviction. Darren called in Pearl from the landlords office to conduct
:35:45. > :35:47.her when inspection of the property. I am coming to have a look at what
:35:48. > :35:51.condition the property is in and make a note of everything that needs
:35:52. > :36:00.to be done in order to get it in a nice condition to rerent.
:36:01. > :36:07.Oh my god. I will have to get somebody in. Tricky tenants are all
:36:08. > :36:12.in a day's work for Pearl. We have had a property once where they
:36:13. > :36:18.stripped that property of everything and I don't mean moveable things, I
:36:19. > :36:21.mean unmovable things, sinks went, radiators went, the kitchen went.
:36:22. > :36:28.The showers were ripped out of the wall. They tried to remove the
:36:29. > :36:36.toilets. They even took the water tank from two floors up. 2 21,000 it
:36:37. > :36:48.took to refurbish that place again. Oh my goodness. My boss hasn't had
:36:49. > :36:53.any rent on this property for over six months. I think it was rented
:36:54. > :36:58.out at ?650 a month. Multiply that by seven and then you know, plus
:36:59. > :37:02.what it is going to cost him to refurbish this place. It is not just
:37:03. > :37:08.damp that's the problem. On closer inspection, there is a nasty
:37:09. > :37:13.surprise lurking. How can they live in a place with cockroaches like
:37:14. > :37:19.that with children and not tell anybody?
:37:20. > :37:21.This is not the kind of thing that the landlord would not do something
:37:22. > :37:39.about if he was told about it. Chelsea SW3, 16 miles from Dagenham,
:37:40. > :37:43.but worlds apart. You know I'm married. There is very little chance
:37:44. > :37:49.you have got with me. It is five days since the three-way battle
:37:50. > :37:56.commenced on the flat and no prizes for guessing who won. How is the
:37:57. > :38:07.battle going? Rvingts Who is winning that one? I won that one. Eileen's
:38:08. > :38:11.buyers had their offer of ?470,000 accepted, ?5,000 below the asking
:38:12. > :38:15.price. The particular buyer that's buying it lost out on three
:38:16. > :38:19.different properties. So she was kind of, she was the perfect buyer.
:38:20. > :38:23.She has come in and given proof of funds and has her solicitor's
:38:24. > :38:28.details and offered a really good offer and she can exchange within
:38:29. > :38:37.two weeks. Eileen is not the only one delighted with the speedy sale.
:38:38. > :38:43.Gem make big bucks -- Gem made big bucks. I am happy to sell it at
:38:44. > :38:54.?470,000. He made 23% or in real money, ?102,000. No wonder he is
:38:55. > :39:03.such a happy chappie! Eileen struck gold with Thackery Court. She has
:39:04. > :39:09.had no offers on the building site. She is off to check on its progress.
:39:10. > :39:13.The electrics. The kitchen and the flooring should be done. I'm hoping
:39:14. > :39:21.that's going to be the case. I'm really pleased with the bathroom. He
:39:22. > :39:25.has go got these really funky tiles. Plenty of space in the bathroom. I'm
:39:26. > :39:29.really pleased. In Chelsea, every inch of space counts, but to
:39:30. > :39:36.maximise profit, developers need to be creative. How this works OK, you
:39:37. > :39:40.have got this door which during the day, during the evening sorry, you
:39:41. > :39:44.will close over and this will be your bedroom. During the day, what
:39:45. > :39:48.you will do is you will close it this way so this then becomes your
:39:49. > :39:54.living space which looks awesome. It seems to be a good kitchen
:39:55. > :40:03.installed. Fridge freezer here. We have got a dishwasher here and
:40:04. > :40:09.washer-drier there. From building site to one bed luxury pad and
:40:10. > :40:16.despite a price tag of ?625,000, Eileen is confident it will be
:40:17. > :40:21.snapped up. Hopefully ?630,000. I was holding them off until it was
:40:22. > :40:26.more ready. Yesterday, the lights weren't in. I wanted to make sure
:40:27. > :40:32.they saw it at its best. For those who can afford to live
:40:33. > :40:36.here, cost is not the issue. The main selling point is location.
:40:37. > :40:41.Location, location, location, it is unbelievable. It is a lovely tree
:40:42. > :40:45.lined streets, beautiful buildings and you are right in the centre of
:40:46. > :40:54.London. With prices so high, it is an area most of us can only dream
:40:55. > :41:41.of. Do you want to live in Chelsea? No I don't think so. I love the
:41:42. > :41:48.area, but I I'm going to take the details and photographs so that I
:41:49. > :41:55.can work the brochure. I am not sure about taking pictures with the fairy
:41:56. > :42:00.lights. You don't want people to think it is Christmas. Despite slow
:42:01. > :42:06.sales in the area, if they can find a buyer, the owners could make a
:42:07. > :42:17.tidy sum. We bought it in 2007 for ?615,000. Just about top of the
:42:18. > :42:23.market. Mark valued it at ?695,000. If we get near the asking price, we
:42:24. > :42:28.will come out on top. ?80,000 in six years may delight them, but a 13%
:42:29. > :42:32.increase is small fry compared to three times that seen in Central
:42:33. > :42:41.London over the same period. In this house, one of the best features are
:42:42. > :42:45.the views both front and back. How many pictures do you take? It is
:42:46. > :42:49.lovely. With the kids gone, it is time for a change. It is more of a
:42:50. > :42:58.family house than just the two of us. If we stayed here, we would look
:42:59. > :43:05.to down size. We want to buy a place... We want sea views and a
:43:06. > :43:10.beach. House hunters here are buying into the lure of the Cotswolds and
:43:11. > :43:15.want a property to match. Often 50% of the job is selling the particular
:43:16. > :43:21.property that you have got on your books for sale and 50% is selling
:43:22. > :43:22.the area. And selling the area, it is a bit chocolate-boxy, I guess,
:43:23. > :43:38.but it is real. Down sizing is just as important in
:43:39. > :43:47.County Durham where Mrs Johnston is considering a bungalow.
:43:48. > :43:56.Local agent Lynn thinks she found the perfect pad for ?94,500. I will
:43:57. > :44:02.just open these and I will sort out the garage for you. It is beautiful.
:44:03. > :44:06.I would never leave my job because I really enjoy it. I like meeting
:44:07. > :44:09.people. You get satisfaction helping people and when you sell the house,
:44:10. > :44:16.you know, it makes everything worthwhile. Everything was
:44:17. > :44:23.brand-new. Everything, the kitchen, the doors, fireplace, ceilings,
:44:24. > :44:29.lights, everything was new. Houses here are selling at the same
:44:30. > :44:33.rate but average house prices in the north-east are up to ?70,000
:44:34. > :44:37.cheaper. To let you know where we are at the minute. Another girl
:44:38. > :44:42.would like to have a look. We are waiting to get times from her. Yeah.
:44:43. > :44:46.One way or another, the house is going to be sold. This is a lovely
:44:47. > :44:54.room here. I have the garage door open for you. Oh, right. I can see
:44:55. > :44:59.myself living here. You know. Even though it will be - it will be
:45:00. > :45:01.strange. Less housework for you. It is ticking the boxes for you, isn't
:45:02. > :45:21.it? Oh, yeah. Wasn't that nice? It's looking good for Jackie, in
:45:22. > :45:28.Dagenham there is even something to cheer up Darren. I got you cake. I
:45:29. > :45:35.would get excited but I paid for it. No, you didn't I paid for it. It's
:45:36. > :45:41.the agency's fifth birthday. I feel like I've been here forever. A bit
:45:42. > :45:47.like marriage really. We are not doing any work. It's our birthday.
:45:48. > :45:54.# Happy birthday to us... # Make a wish. Don't wish for early
:45:55. > :45:59.retirement. I did! While Caroline is having fun in the office. Darren has
:46:00. > :46:04.to deal with another eviction. I will get an idea in the first five
:46:05. > :46:08.or ten minutes of what is going to happen. More tenants who haven't
:46:09. > :46:13.paid. It's costing him money. It's not just the income, it at grief.
:46:14. > :46:16.The best case is they have gone. The worse case is if they don't want to
:46:17. > :46:19.go. If they have locked themselves into the property, for whatever
:46:20. > :46:22.reason, then you have to get the police involved and force entry and
:46:23. > :46:27.throw them out. It can get really messy. He has been warned by the
:46:28. > :46:33.landlord that the house is in a terrible state.
:46:34. > :46:50.It rough in there. Are you able to drill the locks, get these locks
:46:51. > :46:54.out? ?200, please! Luckily for Darren, the tenants have already
:46:55. > :47:03.gone. They have left him the aftermath. Oh. OK. It's testing his
:47:04. > :47:10.compassion. Don't understand the mentality of smashing the place up.
:47:11. > :47:14.It makes my blood boil. Just worried about finding nice surprises in
:47:15. > :47:20.here. I know the property wasn't great before the people moved in.
:47:21. > :47:31.This is ridiculous. This is just a complete hovel isn't it. Darren
:47:32. > :47:38.charges the landlord 12.5% %. He would love to a the upset. I can't
:47:39. > :47:42.get my head around bugs. It makes you crawl. I hate it with a
:47:43. > :47:47.compassion. My worry is I bring them home. You are scrubbing yourself
:47:48. > :47:58.down, checking your legs, pants and in your hair. Watch your footing,
:47:59. > :48:04.just in case they have left floorboards. Darren has no sympathy
:48:05. > :48:07.for tenants he thinks are "playing the system." Normal if they are
:48:08. > :48:10.housing benefit they know, they are advised by the local council, that
:48:11. > :48:14.if they are going fob to be housed somewhere else, they need to be
:48:15. > :48:19.evicted. They can stop paying the rent. They know what the price will
:48:20. > :48:23.be. It will go to court. It will take four to five months. Then they
:48:24. > :48:26.know that once the eviction finally happens the council will house them
:48:27. > :48:31.somewhere else. They have a lot of rights. It's probably stacked a
:48:32. > :48:37.little bit too far in the favour of tenants. What is that about?
:48:38. > :48:39.Lipstick, kissing the walls? Evicting a family with children
:48:40. > :48:45.involved is horrible. They are bystanders in the process. That is
:48:46. > :48:50.where my sympathy lies. OK. Just trying to get the positives out of.
:48:51. > :48:56.It the radiators are in place. Windows are not broken. It is decor
:48:57. > :49:02.and clearing. Something in here, be careful when you pick it up. Toilet
:49:03. > :49:13.roll with brown stuff on. There is a chocolate sandwich in here as well.
:49:14. > :49:17.That is a chocolate sandwich. It needs everything doing. If the
:49:18. > :49:21.landlord gives the go-ahead today the work will start tomorrow. I want
:49:22. > :49:25.to concentrate on selling, that is where the money is. I get paid to
:49:26. > :49:29.manage people's properties. It is such a small amount in comparison.
:49:30. > :49:37.The amount of time it takes up on your day. Away, lettings is probably
:49:38. > :49:42.65%, 70% every day what we deal with. Check your trousers first to
:49:43. > :49:47.make sure there is nothing alive on me. Lettings are half his income and
:49:48. > :49:53.take up most of his time. Getting dirty is the price he pays to stay
:49:54. > :49:57.in business. Ouch. If I can turn it around in a week-and-a-half, the
:49:58. > :50:01.work. Completed, redone, cleared, cleaned, painted, back on the
:50:02. > :50:04.market. It will rent quickly. The landlord won't be inconvenienced too
:50:05. > :50:07.much and shouldn't be too much out of pocket. This is one of the better
:50:08. > :50:22.outcomes, believe it or not! Unlike Dagenham, the wildlife in the
:50:23. > :50:29.Cotswolds is a major selling point, but Audrey's spectacular town house.
:50:30. > :50:35.Audrey's sale completed. She has got to go. She can't stay where she is
:50:36. > :50:41.now. Anyway, good to see you. I'm glad it worked out. Robin, Audrey's
:50:42. > :50:47.daughter is over from America to help with the big day. I'm terribly
:50:48. > :50:52.sentimental. I'm sad about this. Look at this place, it's amazing.
:50:53. > :50:56.It's a happy house. I'm sad to leave. I have to be a realist. My
:50:57. > :51:00.daughters are worried about me and the stairs. I had to have carers all
:51:01. > :51:08.the time. I really didn't want that. This is it. We're leaving the
:51:09. > :51:12.building. With the area's slow turnover, houses like Audrey's
:51:13. > :51:18.rarely come up. When they do, the highly desirable GL55 postcode
:51:19. > :51:24.attracts big bucks. There is a premium for GL55, which is where we
:51:25. > :51:33.are here, there are people who will pay more for that premium. That's...
:51:34. > :51:37.Yeah, I think they see this as a special place, and they will pay
:51:38. > :51:42.more for it. It's a jolly nice Place2Be. We are very lucky. The new
:51:43. > :51:46.owner, Mr Campbell, certainly thinks he has lucked out. This is the
:51:47. > :51:49.beginning of a new chapter, to be honest. It's our responsibility to
:51:50. > :51:53.look after it and keep it within the character. It's a listed building
:51:54. > :52:00.anyway. We wouldn't want to spoil the character of the house. For
:52:01. > :52:03.Mark's other clients, the Copes' it's a different story. Their
:52:04. > :52:08.modernised cottage has been on the market for nine weeks. It is proving
:52:09. > :52:11.a difficult sell. Just mopping up for the people viewing the house
:52:12. > :52:17.today. Marion is back for another viewing. There have been no offers.
:52:18. > :52:29.Mark's prediction of an arching of six months to sell is looking spot
:52:30. > :52:36.on. -- average. Nice scenery it may have, the temporary retainer is
:52:37. > :52:42.putting off Cotswolds fans. This is very unlikely. Very unlikely.
:52:43. > :52:46.Another day, another viewing, and no sale. I said to them - would you
:52:47. > :52:50.like to come back and have another viewing. They said, no, it wouldn't
:52:51. > :52:54.be of interest to them. They don't like the contemporariness of it.
:52:55. > :52:58.Chocolate box homes are the most desirable in this area. Instead of
:52:59. > :53:02.the much fancied Carmel swirl this house is becoming the less
:53:03. > :53:07.appetising orange one that's last to go. It doesn't worry me. As time
:53:08. > :53:10.goes on, obviously if we don't have any viewings then I think one has to
:53:11. > :53:16.face the fact there is a problem somewhere. When they say to me - how
:53:17. > :53:21.long will it take to sell the house? You can't answer it to be sure, how
:53:22. > :53:25.do you know. I have said to people recently, it's a minimum of six
:53:26. > :53:31.months. We've got one or two houses over the last three or four years,
:53:32. > :53:33.difficult economic climate, that have taken longer than that. One was
:53:34. > :53:49.18 months. Over in County Durham it's eight
:53:50. > :53:54.weeks since Mrs Johnston put her three-bed house on the market. And
:53:55. > :54:04.she sold it to young parents, Karly and Ben, for the full asking price
:54:05. > :54:08.of ?112,500. What about these hedgehogs, orangements. I will keep
:54:09. > :54:14.a couple of my favourites. It's another precious sale. The houses
:54:15. > :54:17.are cheap as chips compared to the Cotswolds to keep business on track,
:54:18. > :54:22.Lynn has to shift at least 10 a month. For Jackie, the house is not
:54:23. > :54:28.just a number. It's a new home. The money has been transferred. So now
:54:29. > :54:37.the bungalow is mine. And this is Karly's.
:54:38. > :54:51."I hope you are as happy here as I have been." Jackie just needs the
:54:52. > :54:55.keys and Lynn's job is done. I can't even think of the thought that house
:54:56. > :54:59.there is not mine any more. I know. You have a nice bungalow. Everything
:55:00. > :55:05.is new inside. Oh, I know. You will love it. Parties and things I might
:55:06. > :55:13.be having. You might be a raver. You never know! Thanks very much, love.
:55:14. > :55:20.You're welcome. Look after yourself. Thank you. Take care. Bye. It's the
:55:21. > :55:26.end of the year, and Chelsea are gearing up for the Christmas slow
:55:27. > :55:31.down. Who doesn't like Christmas? I love Christmas. All of London is
:55:32. > :55:36.closed. No-one is hassling me for deals. That is what I love about
:55:37. > :55:44.Christmas. The former building site on Britten Street sold for ?15,000
:55:45. > :55:50.below the asking price but pushing sales driven Eileen to her target.
:55:51. > :55:58.So far in my pot in exchange about ?142,000. I need to get ?190,000 to
:55:59. > :56:10.hit target. In Dagenham, at least one agent is trying to feel festive.
:56:11. > :56:14.Christmas time is like Mr Scrooge. I'm putting decorations up, getting
:56:15. > :56:22.into the spirit. He is just sat there at his desk... The rub
:56:23. > :56:29.ish-strewn house with the evicted tenants has been renovated and relet
:56:30. > :56:31.to a young family. -- rubbish. All in all, it has been a successful
:56:32. > :56:47.year for Darren and the gang. So, what better way than to
:56:48. > :56:54.celebrate than a Christmas kneesup at the Dougs. - Dogs. Keep going,
:56:55. > :57:00.son. Go on! Each year we have kind of done better and better. I hope
:57:01. > :57:04.next year will be even better. Dealing with people's properties is
:57:05. > :57:08.a gamble. Having your own business in the estate agency is the biggest
:57:09. > :57:15.gamble. This year actually has been a good year. Do you like a gamble?
:57:16. > :57:19.On tonight's evidence, no. Despite the odds, steady sales mean Darren
:57:20. > :57:24.is on track to make a healthy profit in the coming year. Lucky ticket.
:57:25. > :57:42.It's all going to change on this one. Mr No, not number two. No! No!
:57:43. > :57:48.I got the last two again. Just to prove how rubbish I am at betting,
:57:49. > :57:59.all those are losers. For a minute I thought there was a dog run ing
:58:00. > :58:03.called: With Darren's interesting strategy for picking a winner,
:58:04. > :58:13.perhaps he is better off sticking to the day job. Next time - agent life
:58:14. > :58:17.continues apace. Anybody who says estate agents don't work hard for
:58:18. > :58:21.their money hasn't a clue about estate agency. I have 27
:58:22. > :58:26.appointments. There are demanding Byers. The kitchen is really, really
:58:27. > :58:31.bad. She only only wants houses with certain numbers. She wouldn't buy it
:58:32. > :58:36.because it was number seven, honestly. And hard nose deals.
:58:37. > :58:41.Nobody will cut you a cheque for ?150. For the profession we all love
:58:42. > :58:46.to hate. We all think our houses are worth more than they are, it's human
:58:47. > :58:54.nature. It's business as usual. If you build it, they will come. I
:58:55. > :59:01.think of myself as the Kevin Costner of estate agents.