Episode 5 Under Offer: Estate Agents on the Job

Selling houses is not easy. You are dealing with the most expensive

thing people ever buy. There are more of them than ever before. A

square foot can be worth ?3,000. Many of us say they are our least

favourite professionals. The customer is always right, aren't

they? No. We turn to them at most of life's most stressful moments. I

can't control it. You can't control it. Yes, we're off. They are the

estate agents. You get a better response if you are a mass murderer!

This series goes behind closed doors across the UK with the agents... It

needs everything doing do it. And their clients... Gary takes us to

the streets of London's super rich. My firm has recently sold our houses

of let's say ?40 million to ?60 million. It is knockdown prices with

Liam in County Durham. It went to auction with a starting bid of ?1.

When I tell them they are not getting it, they will come back with

another ?500. In London's cheapest borrow, Dagenham, Caroline, Andy and

Darren. They had a bonfire in the front room here. This is ridiculous.

With unique access, we will learn the tricks of the trade. I class

that as a wet room. Find out what's really going on in the UK's crazy

property market. I'm rather hoping that the bankers might have taken

our place at the bottom of the pile by now!

The royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is the address of choice to

some of the world's richest home-owners. With an average flat

amongst its boutiques and bars costing an eye watering ?1.6

million. Estate agents Estate agent Ed Mead works this super rich

enclave where the desire to live on the right street means anything

where the roof can fetch, big, big money. The garages came on the

market for sale. A garage like that you normally expect to get ?200,000,

it is a lot of money, but around here when the houses are between ?7

million and ?20 million, that's not a huge amount of money. Two of the

residents decided they wanted to have a battle to buy it and ended up

pushing the price to over ?600,000. There maybe ?500,000 parking on Ed's

doorstep. These houses don't sell themselves. Rarely do I recommend

anyone to accept an offer on a Friday. Buyers have remorse over a

weekend. If they are going to get an offer accepted make sure it is at

the beginning of the week. If you asked me what you need to be good at

this job, it is the ability to use your ears in proportion to our

mouth. You need to listen twice as much as you talk. That's why at

Douglas Gordon we employ more women because they are better at

listening. There is no macho stuff. One such woman in Ed's office is

Eileen Neville who always has her eye on the prize. We've got two

buyers in a situation where they are going to go for it. He is going to

lose buyers by being a bit stupid. I love working here. I want to get out

there and carry on selling. You will always sell something. You just need

to get the offers on it. He knew you were getting a best bid this

evening, yeah? I come from a relatively big family.

The family business is jewellery. We were working since we were about 12

in the shops. Even at Christmas I still go home

and work in the shop. You always had the sales environment which is

amazing. The guys have done this, we have worked with them before and

they always do a really, really good finish. Eileen is one of Ed's star

negotiators selling ?132 million worth of properties in the la two

years alone. It is only 800 square feet, but it feels comfortable. We

have a basic salary. And then every six months, we have got to hit over

?190,000 worth of commission and once we do that, we get 20% of

everything over that. You could be on a good month, Sophie. You are

here to sell and achieve your targets. If you don't achieve your

targets, you will be called in for a chat. You get warnings and you might

be gone. It is early autumn. Traditionally a

time when the housing market surges before the Christmas lull. Keen to

hit her sales targets before the market goes quiet, Eileen is

prepared to take on a building site on sought after Britain Street. We

are in a new flat. This is as you can see, nowhere near finished. I'm

going to try and not kill myself! OK, so, over here is the

open-planned kitchen, eating area. This is the bathroom. Moving the

toilet and everything over to that side. Giving us more space for a

separate shower which is always quite nice because girls like baths

and boys like showers. This will be our biggest challenge because we're

trying to get the best price, but we're showing them this. A lot of

imagination is required. Within spitting distance of the world

famous King's Road, properties here don't come cheap. Develop ers target

Chelsea because wealthy buyers mean quick sales and big profits, no

matter how small the property. He is converting it into a one bed. It is

about 360 square feet and it is coming on to the market about

?625,000. At ?625,000, this modest flat is less than half the size and

more than double the price of an average British family home. This

bit here, that's probably the bones of a square foot. That bit there is

going to be about ?1800 to ?1900 on this street. Outside space? No.

There is no private outside space. Nearly a quarter of Eileen's work is

with developers who see London's lucrative market as a pot of gold.

Overseas buyers are battling to invest in London property. They pay

whatever it takes, keeping supply low and prices high. Stock levels

have been low for ten years. Demands have remained high. Whereas stock

has gone... While at Chelsea, a square foot costs ?1900. A Tube ride

away in Dagenham, you will only need ?250,000, one of the reasons why

this part of town is booming. What prices were they? There is a real

bubble in Dagenham. Battling for business here is Darren Griffiths

who set-up his no-frills agency five years ago with his mate, Andy. The

current owner is a tenant. Alongside them, single mum, Caroline, their

sales and lettings negotiator. If I flash a bit of boob. I might have to

flash a bit of leg. Will that still work? I don't know. It depends if

you are a boob or leg man really, I suppose. Over the years, Darren has

become hardened to plying his trade in an industry most people love to

hate. It is deeply engrained in people's psyche that estate agents

are all scum apparently. Caroline, is the keting the silver -- kettle

the silver thing? People think we sit here all day and we are off for

our round of golf, make a call, make ?50,000 and be home for tea and

that's it. Come on! It is like, one of these guys with plates balancing

on loads of sticks. You are trying to keep them all spinning and hope

too many don't fall off. All I want to do is click on a bleedin' map! It

may only be 16 miles from the properties of Central London, but

Dagenham is the cheapest borough in the capital to buy a house. Lots of

housing stock. Good transport links. And the Olympic effect have created

a bubble and properties are shifting fast. If you don't sell a property

within 48 hours, there is either something wrong with it or the price

is too high or both which is madness really. Six or seven months ago, if

you got ten viewings in the first fortnight, that was really, really

good. Now, if you haven't got ten viewings within the first day, you

are starting to worry. While doing up properties here, may not fetch

Chelsea prices, the Dagenham effect has tempted out home-grown

developers. Let's have a look around. It is a year-and-a-half

since I sold this place. Serc is a budding property mogul. He has found

a good short cut to making money in the housing game. I like the

kitchen. That's a lot better, isn't it? Wow, that's a big difference to

what it was before. I got it stripped out. That's good, sant

isn't it? It was just two years ago that Serc bought this flat through

Darren for ?106,500, he is keen to sell it for ?20,000 more. There are

some agents that use cameras that make rooms look huge and that's

wrong because we are guided by the property misdescriptions Act and you

are not supposed to falsely advertise a property which in my

opinion, some of these cameras do because they make rooms look huge.

The art is to get everything in so you can form a judgement of a room

without it appearing bigger than it actually is, but trying to get it in

its best light. Everything else is the same. The layout is the same.

New carpet, switches and sockets. Serc has got the knowledge on how to

make dosh and it seems it runs in the family. I have got this one and

one down the road and my mum has one down the road and another one in

Romford and just put her house up for sale. We have got to get you the

best price. Serc is hoping his revamped kitchen and DIV efforts

will bag him ?130,000, ?10,000 more than Darren thinks it is worth. We

are pushing the price a bit, but if ever we were going to get top price,

the market is now really. Serc's cosmetic changes to the flat could

bring him a healthy return. This is the before and after. That's how the

kitchen was before. Same work top, same washing machine. I think the

units are the same. I think he has been clever. It looks like a

brand-new kitchen. This will be a good proof of how much afbubble we

are in if this goes under offer at full asking price, it confirms that

people are buying pretty much anything, at any price to get on the

ladder in case it goes up even more overnight.

In the rolling hills of the Cotswolds, thatch equals cash. And

having roots in the community matters. I've lived here a long time

in this part of the world. I've got to know it well. You've got to like

the place and you've got to know it. It is about knowing the patch, I

think. I think that's important. In the English market town of Chipping

Camden, resides English country gent and estate agent, Mark Annett. I

drove it down to Devon a month ago. I did the Torbay Run. I used to do

it with my father when he was alive. I used to be the Mayor of Chipping

Camden. I wore the red robes and the hat and the chain. I used to ponce

about! It gives you access to a lot of people in the community. We're

going to have a cup of tea. Cake. You won't get that in London! This

is all special stuff here. By the time you got the loud shirt on and

the braces and the suit and got the Morris Eight started, well, you have

got a profile, haven't you? Whatever that profile is.

LAUGHTER Working alongside Mark, is his

faithful assistant Marion. Carrot cake. Isn't that lovely?

That's just the job, isn't it? Do you think there is any other estate

agents that turn up to jobs in a Morris Eight? Mark is unusual in

many ways right down to his socks. That's all part of the fun!

The rural charm of the wots colds appears to tourists and wealthy

second homers. I was in the US recently and some people that I met,

who know Chipping Camden, they called it "fairy land" it is what

they perceive to be Englishness. Buying in this chocolate box village

can take a while and cost plenty. We are selling terrace houses in the

high street at ?1.5 million. One such property, just doors away from

Mark's office, is a five-bed town house with stunning walled gardens.

Mark has just sold the property for ?1.1 million. He has come round to

help with the inventory. It has the windows at the back. A lovely house.

A privilege to be able to see it. I think it's lovely. Look at the

butterflies. Lovely, isn't it. 86-year-old, Audrey, has lived at

the property for 19years. She has finally accepted it's time to

downsize. She can no longer maintain the spectacular garden as she would

like. It has been frustrating because I can't prune or cut or

dead-head things like that any more. With the sale complete. By rights

Mark's work is done. Mr Community is going all out to see Audrey safely

through the move. Do you think what you do with Audrey is what every

estate agent does with their client? . I enjoy going the extra mile. The

knock-on effect is it's good for the business. I will leave that. I find

there are less, certainly in the business world, there are less

gentlemen compared with a few years ago. We will leave you in peace. I

hope it gets you a few more customers! Thanks, Audrey. OK, dear.

I'd like to think people could trust me. I think that's important. And,

in terms of doing this job, yeah, I go around and look people in the eye

and say - trust me, I'm an estate agent. Mark doesn't just sell houses

on his doorstep. His patch covers three counties. Next to a valuation

in rural Broad Camden, 36 years in the area, he knows the market inside

out. I know this house well. I sold it on three separate occasions in

one life or another. So, I've seen it sort of evolve, really. Mark,

valuing these unique properties is more about the heart than the head.

It's based on opinion. It's not a science. I think it is an art, to

some extent much you get a feel for it. That's lovely. I'm not selling

modern boxes on estates where there are 50 houses and they are all the

same, except one has a red door and one has a blue door. Quite honestly,

selling them will be the same whether it's No 43 or No 20. For us,

the houses are all different. David and Judith Butterworth have owned

their large dream home for five years. In one way we don't want to

leave. I think it's more our - will our health catch up with us, is the

reason. You want to maintain a nice garden and be able to do the garden

yourself. A lot of work involved to keep it to this standard. Lovely,

quintessential Cotswolds, England. They won't get you here. Even the

splendour of the Cotswolds property market is not immune to economic

uncertainty. Mark prices accordingly. Right, value. What is

this one worth? I don't think it's quite up to ?1.3. I think it's

probably around ?1.2. Yes. That is my view. This is when you say, Mark,

but that one down the road is awful. ?1.35. I mean, at the end of the

day, all these prices, it remains to be seen, doesn't it. The proof of

the pudding is in the eating really. See you soon, David. OK. Having read

the news about an upturn in house prices, Mark's ?1.2 million

valuation hasn't convinced the Butterworth's. I shall probably

advertise it a little bit more than that because I think the market,

certainly on the increase. This business of pricing and valuing, it

can be difficult. You want to just get the figure right. It isn't about

pleasing people, it's about trying to be honest and straight-forward.

Yeah, you can get it wrong. I mean, we are only human. You just want to

be right. The Butterworth's decide to hold off putting their house on

sale until later in the year when they hope prices will be in the

house. Contradictory reports about the market frustrate Mark. It's all

a muddle, it strikes me. People... People are cautious as

a muddle, it strikes me. People... You've got them saying that there

will be a property bubble and prices are

will be a property bubble and prices is. Five minutes ago, we

will be a property bubble and prices Flats and houses are selling like

hot cakes. Great for small Flats and houses are selling like

hour. Darren Flats and houses are selling like

whilst he was sat at his desk typing Flats and houses are selling like

it up, 10-15 minutes later, sold, subject to contract!

it up, 10-15 minutes later, sold, after Darren took

it up, 10-15 minutes later, sold, ?130,000, Caroline has already got

the first viewing. I will meet the own and hopefully the buyer. Hello,

just me. There is a problem. Caroline's viewers have arrived

ahead of her. They have tried to get Caroline's viewers have arrived

Serc to drop the price by ?5,000, knocking it below the stamp duty

threshold. You are interested in the property. You don't want to pay over

the stamp duty. When it comes to negotiating, he can't take a

penniless than ?130,000. Stamp duty kicks in when a house sells for over

?120,000. All negotiations go through the estate agent. It is

their decision in the end. They have gone to have a look. Or go to talk

to the owner without me being there. Byers tried to cut the estate agents

out of the equation. They grind me! If they were talking to them in

private about me being there he will bring the price down. They can

negotiate. Despite me telling them that ?130,000 is the bottom line. I

want to be up here. Serc is holding out for the full asking price of

?130,000. He needs Caroline to get it. I don't think I can accept that.

No. I think they seem if they spoke to you in private they could bend

your arm. I can't do it. I think there will be a few more offers

other than them as well. Attempting to cut agents out of the deal can be

a common problem. It's a bugbear for Caroline. That's why people get

estate agents to sell their homes. They don't want that awkward

conversation in their home with somebody trying to haggle. The

agency stands to make just over ?1,000 on Serc's flat. If they want

it for about ?5,000 or ?6,000 left on the market, my fees aren't ?5,000

or ?6,000, so knocking me out of the equation won't make a difference.

With a house lined up to buy, Serc decides, 48-hours later, to go for a

quick sell, accepting an offer of ?124,995, under the stamp duty

threshold. ?5,000 less than the asking price. It's another speedy

deal for Darren and the team. The sign of a good year.

In County Durham it's another story much the area has experienced the

worst price drops anywhere in the country since the crash. That means

less profit for the agents. Right. Let's have a look. Oh, heavens

above. I mean, there is probably about 93 hooks. Eight miles outside

Durham Lynn manages Robinson's Estate Agency. She is shifting the

stock, but achieving the asking prices is a difficult business. Not

an easy marketplace to work in. It's very, very price led. There is a lot

of houses available. A lot of repossessions, a lot of new build.

It is very, very hard. For Lynn, selling houses here requires

dedication tenacity, humour and crucially the estate agents survival

kit. You have to look your best when you are with customers. You have to

smell nice. From time to time when you go into some, shall we say,

undesirable houses that aren't in good condition, the smell of the

house can linger on your clothes. Hence the perfume. When you are in

there for quite some time and touching things, sanitiser, that is

what you need. I end up with 3 o 0 plus bites on my legs and stuff like

this. -- 30. A flea spray is carried in the car with elastic bands much

you can put them on the bottom of the trousers to stop the little

mites crawling up your legs. First up a former repo snapped up to let

out. Right. We are here to do the inventory on this property. Found

cannabis in houses before. Did you find the plants? Yeah! I could smell

it. I knew what... I knew what they smelt like. Actually, we had - we

did have a dead body in a house. A number of years ago. When the

locksmith went round to change the locks, and he opened the back door,

there was a dead body in the lounge. Pretty it didn't have a dip on the

dashboard. Lynn lived around here all her life and prides herself on a

friend atmosphere with her clients. She is my son's old teacher. She

recognised me from school. That must be 20 years ago. I remember him.

Cried every morning. I used to know her so well, she used to bring him

into the classroom. I'm doing your floor plan. Yes. We will get your

photographs done. It's important to adapt to the client that you have

actually got. You know, whether or not you have a little first-time

buyer. Little old lady. A lot of time, once you get talking to

people, you end up with a connection with them about something. There

will be a copy for you. There is only her unfortunately now. Her

husband passed away. Recently widowed, Jackie is wanting to

downsize to a bungalow, from the house she has called home for the

last 28-years. Since I lost my husband I'm rattling around in here.

I was ready to move as soon as she died. Everybody said - it's a bit

soon, Jackie, just wait. I don't think I have properly ever grieved

and things. A big part of him is in here. Half of all homeowners

thinking of selling want to downsize with the cost of living and

retirement the main reasons. Moving out of here, we'd been married

40-odd years. You can imagine, it's frightening. An average house in the

area sells for around ?120,000. Lynn knows this house is unmodernised.

That price will be hard to achieve. Things we look for when we value a

house is location, condition. Does it have a garage? Is and, we look in

the region of ?110,000 and ?115,000. We need to confirm the price when I

go back down stairs. Jackie's neighbours are trying to

get in first. Well, let's see what we can do for you. Did you hear that

knock at the door. Someone wanting to view it? When? He knocked and

said, "Jackie how much is the house? " I said, "I don't know ?107,000 or

?109,000. ." He said can I view, I said "later today." I told him

?109,000 or ?109,000. ?110,000 to ?115,000. You look after yourself. I

will see you later. I think it will go quickly. It's priced sensibly.

It's lovely and clean. And, you know, we discussed and Mrs Johnson

knows it needs a new bathroom and the kitchen isn't as modern as she

would like. We have priced it to sell. In an area where ?110,000

won't buy you a garage. We need keys, guys. Chelsea agents are off

to value a recently redeveloped studio. We are all in black today.

Like the Men In Black. All new instructions are viewed by the whole

team. Then it's a race to see who can find a buyer first. Located

around the corner from Sloane Square. The location is amazing. The

fact it's brand new. A lot of clients are foreign. Perfect. Can't

be bothered to do the work. They don't live here. This studio flat is

selling with just a 60-year lease. After that the buyer has to pay more

money to renew it or leave. So, Eileen and the boys have priced it

to sell, at ?475,000. Cheap for Chelsea.

Hamp Hamptons New York. The developer has been developing

properties here for the last three years. He knows how to make the

wealthiest wallets open. The people that can afford to buy the ?500,000

room, they are expecting top of the range. We put down under scoop fler

heating and wut -- underfloor heating and a wet room and as high

end without covering it all in gold. There is money to be made as long as

you know what you are doing. My goal is to make 10% net after a sale. He

may want 10%, but if the flat goes for ?475,000, he stands to make more

than double that, well over ?100,000. Now, the three agents will

fight it out to find a buyer. Am I competitive? Yes, you have got to be

otherwise, what's the point? If I had an offer against Patrick or

Nick, I would do anything I could to get it.

Back in Dagenham, father of two, Darren is trying to get out of the

house to start another busy day. Here is the first one. Come on,

darling, you have got to start eating, baby. She is so not a

morning person, this one. She takes after the wife! Jack of all trades,

Darren has tried his hand at most things, bailiff, delivery driver,

Darren has tried his hand at most and carpenter, a never ending quest

for job satisfaction. If you are doing a job that you love, I think

you're lucky. It is a job that I'm good at. I look back when I was

younger and some of the jobs I've done and often I had no money and

lived in a council flat that needed everything doing to it. I look back

and think, yeah, I have come one million miles from where I was then.

I try and forget about work as much as possible when I am at home.

That's it nice. Keep facing me, darling. The home and the kids are

my release. I look forward to spending time with them. I am happy.

I just find it hard to show it! Buying a house is increasingly

difficult for many. With more people relying on renting to keep a roof

over their heads, this means that half of Darren's business is

lettings. I couldn't sleep at night if I just did selling. Lettings is

very much the bread and butter. . Darren is not in danger today. The

mother and her children are willing to leave. If you are going to the

council, you will need to confirm the bailiffs have been in

attendance. There is no problem with that, but you need to leave the

property today which you want to do. Does it make you feel sad when

things like this happen? For the kids, yeah. I can picture your own

kids in that position and having the bedroom they had and everything. It

is quite sad. Why do you do it then? Because you have to. It is part of

the service. You have to be able to look after the landlord's interests

and deal with the problems for them rather than the landlords having to

do it. Where is she going to go now? To the local housing office and

confirm she has been made homeless and been evicted by bailiffs and

then start the process of them housing her somewhere. They will

probably put her into a bedsit or shared accommodation until they find

a property and they will house her somewhere else. Dagenham has one of

the highest eviction rates in the country. Being evicted is something

is Darren has personal experience of. I have been through that as a

kid when my parents had a house getting repossessed with the bank

and it is a horrible, horrible experience. We were housed in an

ex-council flat. We walked in and there was pigeons in the bedroom and

pigeon crucial crap on the floor. It was horrible. It is a few days after

the eviction. Darren called in Pearl from the landlords office to conduct

her when inspection of the property. I am coming to have a look at what

condition the property is in and make a note of everything that needs

to be done in order to get it in a nice condition to rerent.

Oh my god. I will have to get somebody in. Tricky tenants are all

in a day's work for Pearl. We have had a property once where they

stripped that property of everything and I don't mean moveable things, I

mean unmovable things, sinks went, radiators went, the kitchen went.

The showers were ripped out of the wall. They tried to remove the

toilets. They even took the water tank from two floors up. 2 21,000 it

took to refurbish that place again. Oh my goodness. My boss hasn't had

any rent on this property for over six months. I think it was rented

out at ?650 a month. Multiply that by seven and then you know, plus

what it is going to cost him to refurbish this place. It is not just

damp that's the problem. On closer inspection, there is a nasty

surprise lurking. How can they live in a place with cockroaches like

that with children and not tell anybody?

This is not the kind of thing that the landlord would not do something

about if he was told about it. Chelsea SW3, 16 miles from Dagenham,

but worlds apart. You know I'm married. There is very little chance

you have got with me. It is five days since the three-way battle

commenced on the flat and no prizes for guessing who won. How is the

battle going? Rvingts Who is winning that one? I won that one. Eileen's

buyers had their offer of ?470,000 accepted, ?5,000 below the asking

price. The particular buyer that's buying it lost out on three

different properties. So she was kind of, she was the perfect buyer.

She has come in and given proof of funds and has her solicitor's

details and offered a really good offer and she can exchange within

two weeks. Eileen is not the only one delighted with the speedy sale.

Gem make big bucks -- Gem made big bucks. I am happy to sell it at

?470,000. He made 23% or in real money, ?102,000. No wonder he is

such a happy chappie! Eileen struck gold with Thackery Court. She has

had no offers on the building site. She is off to check on its progress.

The electrics. The kitchen and the flooring should be done. I'm hoping

that's going to be the case. I'm really pleased with the bathroom. He

has go got these really funky tiles. Plenty of space in the bathroom. I'm

really pleased. In Chelsea, every inch of space counts, but to

maximise profit, developers need to be creative. How this works OK, you

have got this door which during the day, during the evening sorry, you

will close over and this will be your bedroom. During the day, what

you will do is you will close it this way so this then becomes your

living space which looks awesome. It seems to be a good kitchen

installed. Fridge freezer here. We have got a dishwasher here and

washer-drier there. From building site to one bed luxury pad and

despite a price tag of ?625,000, Eileen is confident it will be

snapped up. Hopefully ?630,000. I was holding them off until it was

more ready. Yesterday, the lights weren't in. I wanted to make sure

they saw it at its best. For those who can afford to live

here, cost is not the issue. The main selling point is location.

Location, location, location, it is unbelievable. It is a lovely tree

lined streets, beautiful buildings and you are right in the centre of

London. With prices so high, it is an area most of us can only dream

of. Do you want to live in Chelsea? No I don't think so. I love the

area, but I I'm going to take the details and photographs so that I

can work the brochure. I am not sure about taking pictures with the fairy

lights. You don't want people to think it is Christmas. Despite slow

sales in the area, if they can find a buyer, the owners could make a

tidy sum. We bought it in 2007 for ?615,000. Just about top of the

market. Mark valued it at ?695,000. If we get near the asking price, we

will come out on top. ?80,000 in six years may delight them, but a 13%

increase is small fry compared to three times that seen in Central

London over the same period. In this house, one of the best features are

the views both front and back. How many pictures do you take? It is

lovely. With the kids gone, it is time for a change. It is more of a

family house than just the two of us. If we stayed here, we would look

to down size. We want to buy a place... We want sea views and a

beach. House hunters here are buying into the lure of the Cotswolds and

want a property to match. Often 50% of the job is selling the particular

property that you have got on your books for sale and 50% is selling

the area. And selling the area, it is a bit chocolate-boxy, I guess,

but it is real. Down sizing is just as important in

County Durham where Mrs Johnston is considering a bungalow.

Local agent Lynn thinks she found the perfect pad for ?94,500. I will

just open these and I will sort out the garage for you. It is beautiful.

I would never leave my job because I really enjoy it. I like meeting

people. You get satisfaction helping people and when you sell the house,

you know, it makes everything worthwhile. Everything was

brand-new. Everything, the kitchen, the doors, fireplace, ceilings,

lights, everything was new. Houses here are selling at the same

rate but average house prices in the north-east are up to ?70,000

cheaper. To let you know where we are at the minute. Another girl

would like to have a look. We are waiting to get times from her. Yeah.

One way or another, the house is going to be sold. This is a lovely

room here. I have the garage door open for you. Oh, right. I can see

myself living here. You know. Even though it will be - it will be

strange. Less housework for you. It is ticking the boxes for you, isn't

it? Oh, yeah. Wasn't that nice? It's looking good for Jackie, in

Dagenham there is even something to cheer up Darren. I got you cake. I

would get excited but I paid for it. No, you didn't I paid for it. It's

the agency's fifth birthday. I feel like I've been here forever. A bit

like marriage really. We are not doing any work. It's our birthday.

# Happy birthday to us... # Make a wish. Don't wish for early

retirement. I did! While Caroline is having fun in the office. Darren has

to deal with another eviction. I will get an idea in the first five

or ten minutes of what is going to happen. More tenants who haven't

paid. It's costing him money. It's not just the income, it at grief.

The best case is they have gone. The worse case is if they don't want to

go. If they have locked themselves into the property, for whatever

reason, then you have to get the police involved and force entry and

throw them out. It can get really messy. He has been warned by the

landlord that the house is in a terrible state.

It rough in there. Are you able to drill the locks, get these locks

out? ?200, please! Luckily for Darren, the tenants have already

gone. They have left him the aftermath. Oh. OK. It's testing his

compassion. Don't understand the mentality of smashing the place up.

It makes my blood boil. Just worried about finding nice surprises in

here. I know the property wasn't great before the people moved in.

This is ridiculous. This is just a complete hovel isn't it. Darren

charges the landlord 12.5% %. He would love to a the upset. I can't

get my head around bugs. It makes you crawl. I hate it with a

compassion. My worry is I bring them home. You are scrubbing yourself

down, checking your legs, pants and in your hair. Watch your footing,

just in case they have left floorboards. Darren has no sympathy

for tenants he thinks are "playing the system." Normal if they are

housing benefit they know, they are advised by the local council, that

if they are going fob to be housed somewhere else, they need to be

evicted. They can stop paying the rent. They know what the price will

be. It will go to court. It will take four to five months. Then they

know that once the eviction finally happens the council will house them

somewhere else. They have a lot of rights. It's probably stacked a

little bit too far in the favour of tenants. What is that about?

Lipstick, kissing the walls? Evicting a family with children

involved is horrible. They are bystanders in the process. That is

where my sympathy lies. OK. Just trying to get the positives out of.

It the radiators are in place. Windows are not broken. It is decor

and clearing. Something in here, be careful when you pick it up. Toilet

roll with brown stuff on. There is a chocolate sandwich in here as well.

That is a chocolate sandwich. It needs everything doing. If the

landlord gives the go-ahead today the work will start tomorrow. I want

to concentrate on selling, that is where the money is. I get paid to

manage people's properties. It is such a small amount in comparison.

The amount of time it takes up on your day. Away, lettings is probably

65%, 70% every day what we deal with. Check your trousers first to

make sure there is nothing alive on me. Lettings are half his income and

take up most of his time. Getting dirty is the price he pays to stay

in business. Ouch. If I can turn it around in a week-and-a-half, the

work. Completed, redone, cleared, cleaned, painted, back on the

market. It will rent quickly. The landlord won't be inconvenienced too

much and shouldn't be too much out of pocket. This is one of the better

outcomes, believe it or not! Unlike Dagenham, the wildlife in the

Cotswolds is a major selling point, but Audrey's spectacular town house.

Audrey's sale completed. She has got to go. She can't stay where she is

now. Anyway, good to see you. I'm glad it worked out. Robin, Audrey's

daughter is over from America to help with the big day. I'm terribly

sentimental. I'm sad about this. Look at this place, it's amazing.

It's a happy house. I'm sad to leave. I have to be a realist. My

daughters are worried about me and the stairs. I had to have carers all

the time. I really didn't want that. This is it. We're leaving the

building. With the area's slow turnover, houses like Audrey's

rarely come up. When they do, the highly desirable GL55 postcode

attracts big bucks. There is a premium for GL55, which is where we

are here, there are people who will pay more for that premium. That's...

Yeah, I think they see this as a special place, and they will pay

more for it. It's a jolly nice Place2Be. We are very lucky. The new

owner, Mr Campbell, certainly thinks he has lucked out. This is the

beginning of a new chapter, to be honest. It's our responsibility to

look after it and keep it within the character. It's a listed building

anyway. We wouldn't want to spoil the character of the house. For

Mark's other clients, the Copes' it's a different story. Their

modernised cottage has been on the market for nine weeks. It is proving

a difficult sell. Just mopping up for the people viewing the house

today. Marion is back for another viewing. There have been no offers.

Mark's prediction of an arching of six months to sell is looking spot

on. -- average. Nice scenery it may have, the temporary retainer is

putting off Cotswolds fans. This is very unlikely. Very unlikely.

Another day, another viewing, and no sale. I said to them - would you

like to come back and have another viewing. They said, no, it wouldn't

be of interest to them. They don't like the contemporariness of it.

Chocolate box homes are the most desirable in this area. Instead of

the much fancied Carmel swirl this house is becoming the less

appetising orange one that's last to go. It doesn't worry me. As time

goes on, obviously if we don't have any viewings then I think one has to

face the fact there is a problem somewhere. When they say to me - how

long will it take to sell the house? You can't answer it to be sure, how

do you know. I have said to people recently, it's a minimum of six

months. We've got one or two houses over the last three or four years,

difficult economic climate, that have taken longer than that. One was

18 months. Over in County Durham it's eight

weeks since Mrs Johnston put her three-bed house on the market. And

she sold it to young parents, Karly and Ben, for the full asking price

of ?112,500. What about these hedgehogs, orangements. I will keep

a couple of my favourites. It's another precious sale. The houses

are cheap as chips compared to the Cotswolds to keep business on track,

Lynn has to shift at least 10 a month. For Jackie, the house is not

just a number. It's a new home. The money has been transferred. So now

the bungalow is mine. And this is Karly's.

"I hope you are as happy here as I have been." Jackie just needs the

keys and Lynn's job is done. I can't even think of the thought that house

there is not mine any more. I know. You have a nice bungalow. Everything

is new inside. Oh, I know. You will love it. Parties and things I might

be having. You might be a raver. You never know! Thanks very much, love.

You're welcome. Look after yourself. Thank you. Take care. Bye. It's the

end of the year, and Chelsea are gearing up for the Christmas slow

down. Who doesn't like Christmas? I love Christmas. All of London is

closed. No-one is hassling me for deals. That is what I love about

Christmas. The former building site on Britten Street sold for ?15,000

below the asking price but pushing sales driven Eileen to her target.

So far in my pot in exchange about ?142,000. I need to get ?190,000 to

hit target. In Dagenham, at least one agent is trying to feel festive.

Christmas time is like Mr Scrooge. I'm putting decorations up, getting

into the spirit. He is just sat there at his desk... The rub

ish-strewn house with the evicted tenants has been renovated and relet

to a young family. -- rubbish. All in all, it has been a successful

year for Darren and the gang. So, what better way than to

celebrate than a Christmas kneesup at the Dougs. - Dogs. Keep going,

son. Go on! Each year we have kind of done better and better. I hope

next year will be even better. Dealing with people's properties is

a gamble. Having your own business in the estate agency is the biggest

gamble. This year actually has been a good year. Do you like a gamble?

On tonight's evidence, no. Despite the odds, steady sales mean Darren

is on track to make a healthy profit in the coming year. Lucky ticket.

It's all going to change on this one. Mr No, not number two. No! No!

I got the last two again. Just to prove how rubbish I am at betting,

all those are losers. For a minute I thought there was a dog run ing

called: With Darren's interesting strategy for picking a winner,

perhaps he is better off sticking to the day job. Next time - agent life

continues apace. Anybody who says estate agents don't work hard for

their money hasn't a clue about estate agency. I have 27

appointments. There are demanding Byers. The kitchen is really, really

bad. She only only wants houses with certain numbers. She wouldn't buy it

because it was number seven, honestly. And hard nose deals.

Nobody will cut you a cheque for ?150. For the profession we all love

to hate. We all think our houses are worth more than they are, it's human

nature. It's business as usual. If you build it, they will come. I

think of myself as the Kevin Costner of estate agents.