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Hello, and welcome to the show. | 0:00:02 | 0:00:03 | |
Now, property prices are on the up in certain parts of the country, | 0:00:03 | 0:00:06 | |
which is great news if you're a seller, but if you're a buyer, | 0:00:06 | 0:00:09 | |
well, it makes getting a bargain a little harder. | 0:00:09 | 0:00:12 | |
Oh, it certainly does, Martin. | 0:00:12 | 0:00:14 | |
You've just got to do your homework to get the right area | 0:00:14 | 0:00:17 | |
for the right price... | 0:00:17 | 0:00:18 | |
Martin, where is a good place to search? | 0:00:18 | 0:00:21 | |
At the auction. | 0:00:21 | 0:00:23 | |
I'm in the village of Waunlwyd, South Wales, in Ebbw Vale. | 0:00:49 | 0:00:53 | |
An area where the communities and culture | 0:00:53 | 0:00:56 | |
grew around coal and other heavy industries, like steel. | 0:00:56 | 0:01:00 | |
The bad news, economically speaking, | 0:01:00 | 0:01:02 | |
was the closure of the steelworks in 2002. | 0:01:02 | 0:01:06 | |
Well, this whole area was once badly blighted by pollution | 0:01:07 | 0:01:11 | |
from the Ebbw Vale Steelworks nearby. | 0:01:11 | 0:01:14 | |
But since the closure of those steelworks, | 0:01:14 | 0:01:16 | |
the environment has generally got a lot more pleasant and, | 0:01:16 | 0:01:20 | |
in terms of redevelopment, there's some very good things going on. | 0:01:20 | 0:01:24 | |
A brand-new sports centre has been built, | 0:01:25 | 0:01:28 | |
new housing and a new shopping centre. | 0:01:28 | 0:01:31 | |
So, this could well be a place for a developer to keep an eye on. | 0:01:31 | 0:01:35 | |
# Whoo whoo whoo Keep an eye | 0:01:35 | 0:01:38 | |
# Keep an eye | 0:01:38 | 0:01:40 | |
# On your close friend... # | 0:01:40 | 0:01:42 | |
Well, on offer at auction, in a very pleasant location, | 0:01:43 | 0:01:47 | |
was a three-bedroomed mid-terrace. | 0:01:47 | 0:01:50 | |
This is it. | 0:01:50 | 0:01:52 | |
The guide price, though, | 0:01:52 | 0:01:54 | |
£18,000. | 0:01:54 | 0:01:57 | |
That's not a lot. | 0:01:57 | 0:02:00 | |
What's the catch? | 0:02:00 | 0:02:01 | |
# You're as cheap as the perfume | 0:02:01 | 0:02:05 | |
# That you wear... # | 0:02:05 | 0:02:07 | |
Ah. | 0:02:07 | 0:02:09 | |
Well, that's an interesting design style... | 0:02:09 | 0:02:12 | |
-..the building-site look. -HE LAUGHS | 0:02:13 | 0:02:16 | |
Clearly it's a property that is partway through being renovated. | 0:02:16 | 0:02:20 | |
Um, but it's odd to see things like these great piles of sand, | 0:02:20 | 0:02:23 | |
and cement mixers. | 0:02:23 | 0:02:25 | |
It's obviously a work in progress... | 0:02:25 | 0:02:29 | |
One big, big, big room at the front here, though, which I actually like. | 0:02:29 | 0:02:32 | |
It's got a really good feel to it, really open-plan with these stairs, | 0:02:32 | 0:02:36 | |
probably relocated from where they were originally. | 0:02:36 | 0:02:38 | |
At least somebody's started it in the right kind of way. | 0:02:38 | 0:02:41 | |
You don't know how well the work's been done, but, yeah, I like... | 0:02:41 | 0:02:44 | |
Well, actually, strangely enough, I like it. | 0:02:44 | 0:02:47 | |
Hmm. That said, I'd like it a lot more if it had a bathroom... | 0:02:49 | 0:02:55 | |
which it doesn't, | 0:02:55 | 0:02:57 | |
and...a kitchen, | 0:02:57 | 0:02:59 | |
which it also doesn't. | 0:02:59 | 0:03:00 | |
Open sewer there, lovely. | 0:03:01 | 0:03:04 | |
What does it matter? | 0:03:04 | 0:03:05 | |
Well, you know, the whole house is being completely refurbished anyway. | 0:03:05 | 0:03:09 | |
The fact it hasn't got a kitchen or a bathroom, though, | 0:03:09 | 0:03:12 | |
means it's unmortgageable, | 0:03:12 | 0:03:13 | |
which means you're going to have to fund this with cash | 0:03:13 | 0:03:16 | |
and then, maybe, apply for a mortgage once the work's done. Er... | 0:03:16 | 0:03:19 | |
At least it's a blank canvas on which you can do whatever you want. | 0:03:19 | 0:03:23 | |
# Just be patient | 0:03:23 | 0:03:25 | |
# I'm a work in progress... # | 0:03:26 | 0:03:28 | |
So, upstairs and no surprises. Lots of work needed to finish things off. | 0:03:31 | 0:03:36 | |
But, like downstairs, lots of space. | 0:03:36 | 0:03:38 | |
A big double bedroom to the front, two slightly smaller bedrooms | 0:03:38 | 0:03:42 | |
towards the back, but some nice design features. | 0:03:42 | 0:03:46 | |
For instance, both of these rear bedrooms access | 0:03:46 | 0:03:48 | |
this little flat-roofed area. | 0:03:48 | 0:03:50 | |
Now, I don't know if you can sit on it or walk on it, | 0:03:50 | 0:03:54 | |
but that would actually be quite pleasant because... | 0:03:54 | 0:03:56 | |
..there's actually a really nice view across the garden | 0:03:58 | 0:04:01 | |
and upwards to the hills. | 0:04:01 | 0:04:03 | |
Perfect! | 0:04:03 | 0:04:05 | |
Actually, you'd need to do a safety check on it | 0:04:06 | 0:04:08 | |
and then it would be perfect. | 0:04:08 | 0:04:10 | |
But there are some imperfections - | 0:04:10 | 0:04:13 | |
you shouldn't be able to see your bedroom from the kitchen, | 0:04:13 | 0:04:16 | |
for example. | 0:04:16 | 0:04:17 | |
Let's ask along a local property expert for his thoughts. | 0:04:17 | 0:04:21 | |
The market is difficult round here, | 0:04:23 | 0:04:25 | |
so to try and separate this from the competition, | 0:04:25 | 0:04:28 | |
putting it into the best standard possible | 0:04:28 | 0:04:30 | |
will be beneficial for the developer. | 0:04:30 | 0:04:32 | |
Bearing in mind that tough local market, | 0:04:32 | 0:04:34 | |
what kind of resale value could you get once renovated? | 0:04:34 | 0:04:37 | |
I think the property could be worth in the region of £75,000. | 0:04:39 | 0:04:43 | |
And what could you get for lettings? | 0:04:43 | 0:04:46 | |
If the property was rented as a three-bedroom, sort of, | 0:04:47 | 0:04:50 | |
fully modernised, fully renovated property, | 0:04:50 | 0:04:52 | |
it should achieve in the region of £425 per calendar month. | 0:04:52 | 0:04:56 | |
Well, it's not often you find an auction property | 0:04:57 | 0:04:59 | |
with a ready-made place to play with your toys. | 0:04:59 | 0:05:02 | |
But that's certainly what you get here. | 0:05:02 | 0:05:04 | |
What you also get, more seriously, is a bit of a project. | 0:05:04 | 0:05:08 | |
Let's see who fancied it when it went under the hammer. | 0:05:08 | 0:05:10 | |
Lot number 36. | 0:05:14 | 0:05:16 | |
You'll have looked at it and made up your mind, | 0:05:16 | 0:05:18 | |
lot of interest in this, guided at just £18,000. | 0:05:18 | 0:05:20 | |
Notice there's a bit of a hush descended over the room. | 0:05:20 | 0:05:24 | |
We actually have a proxy bid on this, so I'm going to just | 0:05:24 | 0:05:26 | |
make my life easier by starting with the proxy bid at £20,000. | 0:05:26 | 0:05:29 | |
At 20,000, now one, can I see from somebody? | 0:05:29 | 0:05:32 | |
21, 22, | 0:05:32 | 0:05:33 | |
23, 24, | 0:05:33 | 0:05:35 | |
25, 26, | 0:05:35 | 0:05:36 | |
27, 28, | 0:05:36 | 0:05:37 | |
29, 30, | 0:05:37 | 0:05:38 | |
31, 32, | 0:05:38 | 0:05:39 | |
33, 34, | 0:05:39 | 0:05:41 | |
35, 36, | 0:05:41 | 0:05:42 | |
37, 38, | 0:05:42 | 0:05:44 | |
39, 40, | 0:05:44 | 0:05:45 | |
41, 42, 43... | 0:05:45 | 0:05:47 | |
I'm going to say 45. 46? | 0:05:47 | 0:05:51 | |
46. Right, then. Proxy bidder's out. £46,000? | 0:05:51 | 0:05:55 | |
47 now to somebody? | 0:05:55 | 0:05:56 | |
At 46, then, it's...with you, sir. | 0:05:56 | 0:05:59 | |
That was short and sweet, wasn't it? | 0:05:59 | 0:06:02 | |
If only they were all like that. At £46,000, then, for the first time. | 0:06:02 | 0:06:05 | |
At £46,000 for the second time. | 0:06:06 | 0:06:09 | |
Third and last time, at £46,000, there we go. | 0:06:09 | 0:06:13 | |
Number 14, thank you very much. | 0:06:13 | 0:06:14 | |
Wow! You don't see that every day at the auctions. | 0:06:14 | 0:06:17 | |
And the buyer, Andy, certainly won't have seen that before, | 0:06:17 | 0:06:20 | |
as this was his first ever auction. | 0:06:20 | 0:06:23 | |
His successful bid of £46,000 got him his first project | 0:06:23 | 0:06:28 | |
and I met up with him at the property, | 0:06:28 | 0:06:30 | |
or should that be building site? | 0:06:30 | 0:06:32 | |
-Andy, good to meet you. -Hello. | 0:06:32 | 0:06:34 | |
-Congratulations. -Thanks. | 0:06:34 | 0:06:36 | |
-So, tell me why you wanted to buy this place. -I... As an investment. | 0:06:36 | 0:06:40 | |
-Er, to basically do up and sell on. -Right. | 0:06:40 | 0:06:43 | |
Have you got expertise in that kind of thing? | 0:06:43 | 0:06:45 | |
Um, I'm a bathroom and kitchen installer, um, | 0:06:45 | 0:06:49 | |
so I do this sort of thing generally, but for somebody else. | 0:06:49 | 0:06:52 | |
It's perfect, then, because it hasn't got a kitchen or a bathroom! | 0:06:52 | 0:06:55 | |
No kitchen, no bathroom. Definitely not. | 0:06:55 | 0:06:56 | |
So tell me the process. What are you going to do to make it liveable? | 0:06:56 | 0:07:00 | |
Er, we have builders coming in...shortly. | 0:07:00 | 0:07:04 | |
Um, we have to do some drainage, we have to repoint part of the outside, | 0:07:04 | 0:07:10 | |
re-render the outside. | 0:07:10 | 0:07:11 | |
Obviously, it's going to need a huge clean, decorate, | 0:07:11 | 0:07:14 | |
there's still plastering to finish off. | 0:07:14 | 0:07:16 | |
And then you've obviously got the flat roof area, | 0:07:16 | 0:07:19 | |
which is accessed upstairs, | 0:07:19 | 0:07:21 | |
that looks like it's been leaking, or something... | 0:07:21 | 0:07:24 | |
-Yes, certainly. Yeah, absolutely. -What are your plans for that? | 0:07:24 | 0:07:27 | |
Er, the builder's coming to have a look at that, basically, | 0:07:27 | 0:07:30 | |
in a couple of hours' time... | 0:07:30 | 0:07:32 | |
When he does have a look at that, I also want him to tell me | 0:07:32 | 0:07:35 | |
if it's structural, if we can stand on it, | 0:07:35 | 0:07:39 | |
because it does appear that they've made it | 0:07:39 | 0:07:41 | |
as if you were going to have a balcony from there. | 0:07:41 | 0:07:43 | |
-Yep. -With twin, sort of, patio doors going on to it. | 0:07:43 | 0:07:46 | |
-Which could be quite pleasant. -So, hopefully, turn it into a balcony. | 0:07:46 | 0:07:50 | |
'Andy will continue working on fitting kitchens and bathrooms, | 0:07:50 | 0:07:53 | |
'while developing this house. | 0:07:53 | 0:07:55 | |
'But he also has another reason for being here.' | 0:07:55 | 0:07:58 | |
I am in South Wales quite often | 0:08:00 | 0:08:02 | |
because I go kayaking around this area. | 0:08:02 | 0:08:05 | |
Oh, right, is it good for kayaking? | 0:08:05 | 0:08:06 | |
It is, a little bit further over, but, yes, it is good round here. | 0:08:06 | 0:08:09 | |
'I reckon Andy is certainly NOT going to be | 0:08:09 | 0:08:11 | |
'up a creek without a paddle with THIS property. | 0:08:11 | 0:08:15 | |
'However, there is one major issue.' | 0:08:15 | 0:08:17 | |
I'm in Letchworth, Hertfordshire. | 0:08:18 | 0:08:20 | |
-Not local at all, then? -No, no. | 0:08:20 | 0:08:22 | |
It did mean a very early start this morning. | 0:08:22 | 0:08:24 | |
That must be a two, three, four hour, even, commute, is it? | 0:08:24 | 0:08:28 | |
Er, three hours and a bit, three and a half. | 0:08:28 | 0:08:31 | |
And how are you going to, sort of, manage that, then? | 0:08:31 | 0:08:33 | |
Driving down, staying with friends | 0:08:33 | 0:08:35 | |
and then... when this is vaguely liveable, | 0:08:35 | 0:08:38 | |
I'll come in here, sleep upstairs, | 0:08:38 | 0:08:40 | |
install things and paint, and stuff like that, at the same time. | 0:08:40 | 0:08:43 | |
'Now I'm worried it's his car, | 0:08:43 | 0:08:45 | |
'and not his kayak, he's going to be spending all his time in. | 0:08:45 | 0:08:49 | |
'He's going to have to factor in added time and petrol costs | 0:08:49 | 0:08:52 | |
'to the equation. | 0:08:52 | 0:08:54 | |
'In my experience, | 0:08:54 | 0:08:55 | |
'you want to spend more time renovating than accelerating. | 0:08:55 | 0:08:58 | |
'Andy plans to sell this on and he has his eye on | 0:08:58 | 0:09:02 | |
'a retail price of £90,000, based on a local sale. | 0:09:02 | 0:09:06 | |
'So, how much does he plan to spend?' | 0:09:06 | 0:09:09 | |
12 to 15 to do it up. If I can spend any less, obviously, I will. | 0:09:10 | 0:09:16 | |
It's going to be very different when we return. | 0:09:16 | 0:09:18 | |
-I hope so. -When will that be? How many months? | 0:09:18 | 0:09:21 | |
Oh, there's a very good question. | 0:09:21 | 0:09:22 | |
It depends on my workload back at home. | 0:09:22 | 0:09:26 | |
So, two or three months or so. | 0:09:26 | 0:09:29 | |
Um, it should be... | 0:09:29 | 0:09:32 | |
easily done, but that's famous last words. | 0:09:32 | 0:09:35 | |
-Well, congratulations. -Thank you. | 0:09:35 | 0:09:36 | |
-Good luck with it. -Thanks a lot. | 0:09:36 | 0:09:38 | |
-I look forward to seeing how you get on. -Cheers. | 0:09:38 | 0:09:40 | |
Well, it seems that Andy has the perfect skills needed | 0:09:40 | 0:09:44 | |
to sort out a place that would faze a lot of people. | 0:09:44 | 0:09:46 | |
He's a kitchen and bathroom fitter, | 0:09:46 | 0:09:48 | |
it doesn't have either of those, so, fantastic. | 0:09:48 | 0:09:51 | |
The only challenge will be making sure | 0:09:51 | 0:09:52 | |
he doesn't spend too much time in his kayak, locally, | 0:09:52 | 0:09:56 | |
rather than sorting the house out. | 0:09:56 | 0:09:58 | |
How will he get on? You can find out later in the show. | 0:09:58 | 0:10:01 | |
Welcome to West Dulwich in Southeast London. | 0:10:07 | 0:10:10 | |
The area is thriving with shops, bars and cafes, | 0:10:10 | 0:10:14 | |
and is very popular with young professionals and families, | 0:10:14 | 0:10:17 | |
thanks in no small part to the train station, | 0:10:17 | 0:10:20 | |
which will get you to London Victoria in 14 minutes. | 0:10:20 | 0:10:24 | |
Well, so far I AM feeling positive, because this... | 0:10:24 | 0:10:29 | |
Well, it's a lovely residential road and West Dulwich's shops and cafes | 0:10:29 | 0:10:32 | |
are only a five-minute walk away from here. | 0:10:32 | 0:10:35 | |
But will that feeling continue? | 0:10:35 | 0:10:37 | |
Well, I am here to see a one-bedroom flat | 0:10:37 | 0:10:40 | |
and it had a guide price of £190,000. | 0:10:40 | 0:10:43 | |
And it's in THIS lovely Victorian building. | 0:10:43 | 0:10:46 | |
Looks great from the outside. | 0:10:46 | 0:10:47 | |
It goes up one, two, three storeys. | 0:10:47 | 0:10:50 | |
No, I'm not going all the way UP, | 0:10:50 | 0:10:53 | |
I am going DOWN into the basement. | 0:10:53 | 0:10:56 | |
Now, basement flats can be quite dark and dingy. | 0:10:56 | 0:11:00 | |
Fingers crossed it's not too bad down there. | 0:11:00 | 0:11:02 | |
# Get down, deeper and down | 0:11:02 | 0:11:05 | |
# Down, down, deeper and down... # | 0:11:05 | 0:11:07 | |
One positive is that the side entrance | 0:11:07 | 0:11:10 | |
means you do have your own access to the property. | 0:11:10 | 0:11:12 | |
But will that entrance just lead to a dark flat? | 0:11:12 | 0:11:15 | |
Oh, wow! | 0:11:18 | 0:11:20 | |
What is not to like? | 0:11:22 | 0:11:24 | |
This is a big surprise. | 0:11:24 | 0:11:25 | |
What you have to get right with a basement flat is lighting. | 0:11:25 | 0:11:28 | |
It's so important that it's not dark and dingy, | 0:11:28 | 0:11:31 | |
and it's a nice, light and bright space. | 0:11:31 | 0:11:34 | |
This is almost like it's recently been renovated. | 0:11:34 | 0:11:37 | |
You've got a fabulous bathroom through there. | 0:11:37 | 0:11:39 | |
I mean, look at that! I fancy taking a shower in there myself | 0:11:39 | 0:11:42 | |
and I rarely say that on Homes Under The Hammer. | 0:11:42 | 0:11:45 | |
-And the kitchen! -SHE GASPS | 0:11:45 | 0:11:46 | |
I'm going to investigate! | 0:11:46 | 0:11:48 | |
Yeah, the kitchen looks great, | 0:11:48 | 0:11:50 | |
with a modern boiler and very new appliances. | 0:11:50 | 0:11:53 | |
The bedroom is a good size, too, | 0:11:53 | 0:11:55 | |
with clean fitted carpets, | 0:11:55 | 0:11:57 | |
and the lounge has a really nice feature fireplace | 0:11:57 | 0:12:00 | |
and looks like it's been freshly painted. | 0:12:00 | 0:12:03 | |
But what really brings the whole flat to life | 0:12:03 | 0:12:05 | |
and stops it feeling like a classic basement flat | 0:12:05 | 0:12:08 | |
is that there's a brilliant combination | 0:12:08 | 0:12:10 | |
of big windows and good lighting. | 0:12:10 | 0:12:14 | |
# Light up, light up | 0:12:14 | 0:12:18 | |
# As if you have a choice... # | 0:12:18 | 0:12:23 | |
Goodness, this feels like we've filmed it after rather than before. | 0:12:23 | 0:12:27 | |
But I have noticed some worrying signs | 0:12:27 | 0:12:29 | |
that could be a real issue for this flat. | 0:12:29 | 0:12:31 | |
Come here. Just have a look down here. | 0:12:31 | 0:12:34 | |
THAT is white mould caused by damp. | 0:12:34 | 0:12:37 | |
All of that. And there are signs of it in all the rooms, everywhere. | 0:12:37 | 0:12:42 | |
Now, I would employ a damp specialist straight away | 0:12:42 | 0:12:45 | |
to assess the cause of the problem. | 0:12:45 | 0:12:47 | |
It might not be too much to worry about, | 0:12:47 | 0:12:49 | |
but, if it is, well, you might need to strip back the whole flat, | 0:12:49 | 0:12:53 | |
the flooring, say goodbye to that nice kitchen, | 0:12:53 | 0:12:55 | |
and that lovely bathroom. | 0:12:55 | 0:12:57 | |
That could cost thousands and thousands and thousands of pounds. | 0:12:57 | 0:13:02 | |
So I'm going to deliver some news | 0:13:08 | 0:13:10 | |
that every London flat owner would like to hear. | 0:13:10 | 0:13:13 | |
This property comes with a bit of garden! | 0:13:13 | 0:13:15 | |
Now, there's 38 feet to be had of this lovely, | 0:13:15 | 0:13:19 | |
well-kept, outside space area. | 0:13:19 | 0:13:21 | |
So I think that's up to about here. | 0:13:21 | 0:13:24 | |
So, great news if you'd like to have a barbecue, | 0:13:24 | 0:13:26 | |
sit outside on a sunny day, | 0:13:26 | 0:13:28 | |
I mean, really fantastic for a little London flat like this. | 0:13:28 | 0:13:32 | |
As well as this outside space, | 0:13:32 | 0:13:34 | |
there's a 99-year lease to go with it. | 0:13:34 | 0:13:38 | |
That damp is the only downside of this basement flat, | 0:13:38 | 0:13:41 | |
guided at 190,000. | 0:13:41 | 0:13:43 | |
So, what does a local estate agent think? | 0:13:44 | 0:13:47 | |
If this flat was to come back to the market in good condition | 0:13:47 | 0:13:50 | |
throughout, I would expect this to achieve | 0:13:50 | 0:13:53 | |
circa £325,000 | 0:13:53 | 0:13:55 | |
to £350,000. | 0:13:55 | 0:13:57 | |
Wow! That's a lot of profit potential. | 0:13:57 | 0:14:01 | |
And for rental? | 0:14:01 | 0:14:02 | |
In good condition presented back to the market, | 0:14:02 | 0:14:05 | |
I can see this flat achieving between £1,150 per calendar month | 0:14:05 | 0:14:08 | |
to £1,250 per calendar month. | 0:14:08 | 0:14:11 | |
No, it's not too dark and dingy in here | 0:14:12 | 0:14:15 | |
and, on face value, it looks pretty good. | 0:14:15 | 0:14:18 | |
But the damp issue could easily transform this | 0:14:18 | 0:14:22 | |
from a straightforward project into a real money pit. | 0:14:22 | 0:14:26 | |
Let's head to the auction | 0:14:26 | 0:14:27 | |
and find out who was prepared to take this on. | 0:14:27 | 0:14:30 | |
Basement flat is next. | 0:14:31 | 0:14:33 | |
The self-contained, lower ground floor flat, this one. | 0:14:33 | 0:14:36 | |
What shall we say for it? Will you start me at 200 for it? | 0:14:36 | 0:14:39 | |
You will, thank you. Straight away, 200. | 0:14:39 | 0:14:41 | |
202 now. 200 I have. | 0:14:41 | 0:14:44 | |
202. 204? | 0:14:44 | 0:14:46 | |
204. 206. | 0:14:46 | 0:14:47 | |
208? | 0:14:47 | 0:14:49 | |
208. 210? | 0:14:50 | 0:14:52 | |
I'll take 210 from you, madam. Thank you. 212...? | 0:14:52 | 0:14:55 | |
'This lot proved popular and that guide price of £190,000... | 0:14:55 | 0:14:59 | |
'Huh, well, it became a distant memory. | 0:14:59 | 0:15:01 | |
'We now rejoin the bidding at 272,000.' | 0:15:01 | 0:15:05 | |
Yours, madam, at 272, at the moment. | 0:15:05 | 0:15:08 | |
275 anywhere else? | 0:15:08 | 0:15:09 | |
Against you, over here. | 0:15:09 | 0:15:11 | |
Yours at 272. | 0:15:11 | 0:15:13 | |
275, 278, 280. | 0:15:13 | 0:15:15 | |
Are you sure? | 0:15:17 | 0:15:18 | |
278 with the lady here for the first. | 0:15:18 | 0:15:20 | |
278 for the second. | 0:15:20 | 0:15:23 | |
Third and final time... | 0:15:23 | 0:15:26 | |
Your flat, madam. 278,000. Your bidder number, please? | 0:15:27 | 0:15:30 | |
Getting the property for £88,000 | 0:15:30 | 0:15:32 | |
over the guide price was Julia. | 0:15:32 | 0:15:35 | |
This £278,000 purchase | 0:15:36 | 0:15:39 | |
is the third property in her portfolio. | 0:15:39 | 0:15:42 | |
She's a primary school teacher, | 0:15:42 | 0:15:43 | |
so I'm hoping she's going to go to the top of the class | 0:15:43 | 0:15:46 | |
with the research she's done on this flat. | 0:15:46 | 0:15:49 | |
-Julia, congratulations. -Thank you very much. | 0:15:50 | 0:15:53 | |
Lovely to meet you. | 0:15:53 | 0:15:54 | |
Now, you look like a happy person that's bought a flat that they love! | 0:15:54 | 0:15:57 | |
I'm so happy. | 0:15:57 | 0:15:58 | |
I was expecting it to be really run down, damp. | 0:15:58 | 0:16:02 | |
So, this one, I was just pleasantly surprised. | 0:16:02 | 0:16:05 | |
I mean, that's the first thing that struck me. | 0:16:05 | 0:16:07 | |
You walk through the door and it's like somebody's renovated, | 0:16:07 | 0:16:11 | |
-decorated and made it look nice to sell. -Absolutely. | 0:16:11 | 0:16:14 | |
Now, I am just going to backtrack a little bit, cos you said "damp". | 0:16:14 | 0:16:18 | |
-Yeah, there's... -There is a damp issue here. | 0:16:18 | 0:16:21 | |
Now, how do you feel about that and what do you know about damp? | 0:16:21 | 0:16:24 | |
Not much. | 0:16:24 | 0:16:25 | |
I'm just going to go out and find a damp specialist | 0:16:25 | 0:16:28 | |
and, hopefully, he can come and do his magic, | 0:16:28 | 0:16:31 | |
and fix the problem, I'm hoping! | 0:16:31 | 0:16:33 | |
Oh, I love your positivity! | 0:16:33 | 0:16:35 | |
You see, I'm thinking basement flat equals damp, equals... | 0:16:35 | 0:16:40 | |
This is what I don't want to happen to you, that you have to | 0:16:40 | 0:16:42 | |
bring everything up, i.e. pull your kitchen out, | 0:16:42 | 0:16:45 | |
pull your bathroom out, | 0:16:45 | 0:16:47 | |
everything that looks fabulous, all this flooring, | 0:16:47 | 0:16:49 | |
-everything has to all come up... -It's possible. | 0:16:49 | 0:16:52 | |
..and you then have to treat the damp. | 0:16:52 | 0:16:54 | |
Now, that would be worst-case scenario for you. | 0:16:54 | 0:16:56 | |
'Oh, Julia, I love your positivity, | 0:16:57 | 0:17:00 | |
'but this could be a very expensive lesson. | 0:17:00 | 0:17:02 | |
'However, once this flat is sorted, it will become brilliant. | 0:17:02 | 0:17:06 | |
'But I think treating the damp could be a large and costly job.' | 0:17:06 | 0:17:10 | |
So what sort of budget have you got for the work here? | 0:17:10 | 0:17:14 | |
Well, I was hoping, when I first looked around, | 0:17:14 | 0:17:16 | |
when I did the viewing, I thought, | 0:17:16 | 0:17:19 | |
"Oh, it's only going to be a couple of grand, a bit of paint", you know. | 0:17:19 | 0:17:22 | |
I could see a bit of damp but I thought, "It doesn't look too bad." | 0:17:22 | 0:17:25 | |
So, I'm hoping it's just going to be a couple of grand. | 0:17:25 | 0:17:28 | |
But I really don't know at this point. | 0:17:28 | 0:17:30 | |
What's your timeframe for this? | 0:17:30 | 0:17:32 | |
Well, I've got a big, fat mortgage on it, | 0:17:32 | 0:17:34 | |
so I'm hoping to do the work as soon as possible, | 0:17:34 | 0:17:37 | |
in the next two to three weeks, hopefully. | 0:17:37 | 0:17:40 | |
-Possibly a month. -Mm-hm. | 0:17:40 | 0:17:43 | |
I've got enough for a couple of mortgage payments. | 0:17:43 | 0:17:45 | |
And then you're desperate to rent this flat out? | 0:17:45 | 0:17:47 | |
Yeah, I need to, cos, you know, | 0:17:47 | 0:17:49 | |
every month I've got to find that money, haven't I? So... | 0:17:49 | 0:17:53 | |
So will you be doing any work to the flat in the short term? | 0:17:53 | 0:17:56 | |
No, there's no point until they've sorted out the damp. | 0:17:56 | 0:17:59 | |
Julia, Julia, Julia, I'm going to keep my fingers crossed for you. | 0:17:59 | 0:18:02 | |
-Yeah, me too. -Will it be really bad damp | 0:18:02 | 0:18:05 | |
or not so bad damp? | 0:18:05 | 0:18:06 | |
We will find out. | 0:18:06 | 0:18:07 | |
-Time will tell. -Thank you. | 0:18:07 | 0:18:08 | |
Lovely to meet you today. | 0:18:08 | 0:18:10 | |
Lovely to meet you, too. | 0:18:10 | 0:18:11 | |
-Thank you. -Cheers. | 0:18:11 | 0:18:12 | |
Unfortunately, I think Julia has taken on a little more work | 0:18:12 | 0:18:17 | |
than she intended here and I really hope her spirits aren't DAMPENED | 0:18:17 | 0:18:22 | |
when she gets to the bottom of this flat's issues. | 0:18:22 | 0:18:24 | |
Join me later in the programme and you can find out | 0:18:24 | 0:18:27 | |
if we can award Julia an A for effort | 0:18:27 | 0:18:30 | |
when all her hard work has been done. | 0:18:30 | 0:18:33 | |
Coming up - in Workington, it might have an ordinary layout, | 0:18:35 | 0:18:38 | |
but is there a hidden problem? | 0:18:38 | 0:18:41 | |
It also covers an extension of the next door neighbour's. | 0:18:41 | 0:18:43 | |
Could be a bit of an issue. | 0:18:43 | 0:18:45 | |
And, in London, did Julia fix all that hidden damp? | 0:18:46 | 0:18:50 | |
The damp will come back and then some, | 0:18:50 | 0:18:52 | |
which is basically what's happened in this flat. | 0:18:52 | 0:18:55 | |
Ebbw Vale in Wales is where we return to now | 0:19:00 | 0:19:03 | |
with its tranquil countryside. | 0:19:03 | 0:19:05 | |
And, low down in the valley, I found a property that was low on price. | 0:19:05 | 0:19:09 | |
The whole place was half-finished | 0:19:12 | 0:19:14 | |
with building equipment everywhere and plenty of work to do. | 0:19:14 | 0:19:17 | |
Absence of a kitchen and bathroom was no problem for Andy, | 0:19:17 | 0:19:21 | |
who fitted them for a living. | 0:19:21 | 0:19:23 | |
He paid £46,000 for the property | 0:19:23 | 0:19:26 | |
and, while it was a big commute - over three hours from his home - | 0:19:26 | 0:19:30 | |
he knew his way around. | 0:19:30 | 0:19:31 | |
With a three-month timescale, | 0:19:32 | 0:19:34 | |
Andy wanted to turn this place round sooner rather than later. | 0:19:34 | 0:19:38 | |
So, two months later, is everything shipshape? | 0:19:38 | 0:19:41 | |
From building site to pleasant sight, | 0:20:07 | 0:20:09 | |
what has Andy been up to here? | 0:20:09 | 0:20:12 | |
Somebody had started work on it. However, most of it wasn't any good. | 0:20:12 | 0:20:16 | |
So far, what we've done is, um... stripped the whole place out, | 0:20:16 | 0:20:19 | |
plastered, painted, | 0:20:19 | 0:20:21 | |
new kitchen, new bathroom. | 0:20:21 | 0:20:24 | |
I believe it's its first central heating system ever. | 0:20:24 | 0:20:28 | |
And just generally smartened it up. | 0:20:28 | 0:20:30 | |
Apart from not having any central heating, | 0:20:30 | 0:20:32 | |
it was missing a kitchen and a bathroom. | 0:20:32 | 0:20:35 | |
I'm glad to report that this property | 0:20:35 | 0:20:37 | |
found the most appropriate owner ever, | 0:20:37 | 0:20:40 | |
and it does have a nice, smart bathroom. | 0:20:40 | 0:20:43 | |
Installed in what was previously an empty space, | 0:20:43 | 0:20:45 | |
it turned out the plumbing presented some challenges. | 0:20:45 | 0:20:49 | |
We couldn't find any drainage to start with. | 0:20:49 | 0:20:52 | |
Fortunately, a builder moved some rubble | 0:20:52 | 0:20:55 | |
in the bathroom area and found a soil pipe. | 0:20:55 | 0:20:58 | |
So we've managed to connect onto that, | 0:20:58 | 0:21:00 | |
extended it to upstairs and put a toilet and basin in there. | 0:21:00 | 0:21:05 | |
That is a very clever solution to the downstairs bathroom conundrum. | 0:21:05 | 0:21:09 | |
You don't have to toddle downstairs at night. | 0:21:09 | 0:21:12 | |
So, this is the kitchen area, | 0:21:16 | 0:21:18 | |
which in the auction particulars said, "Space for a kitchen". | 0:21:18 | 0:21:22 | |
There was literally nothing here. | 0:21:22 | 0:21:23 | |
There was no plumbing, there was nothing in the room. | 0:21:23 | 0:21:26 | |
And I've installed a nice, new kitchen in this, | 0:21:26 | 0:21:28 | |
which, hopefully, should be nice, because it's what I do for a living. | 0:21:28 | 0:21:33 | |
A good job by Andy, I would say. | 0:21:33 | 0:21:36 | |
And another good job is the balcony area. | 0:21:36 | 0:21:38 | |
When I first viewed this place, I saw there were two doors | 0:21:40 | 0:21:43 | |
leading out to the flat roof area. | 0:21:43 | 0:21:45 | |
Maybe not quite as simple as we first thought - | 0:21:45 | 0:21:46 | |
the flat roof was leaking quite badly. | 0:21:46 | 0:21:48 | |
We've had it all resealed. | 0:21:48 | 0:21:50 | |
So decking and a nice rail, a nice place to sit | 0:21:50 | 0:21:52 | |
and have a sort of cup of coffee in the morning. | 0:21:52 | 0:21:55 | |
Is Andy happy with his budget? | 0:21:59 | 0:22:02 | |
I've come in at around 9,000. | 0:22:02 | 0:22:05 | |
Um... If I carpet it, I will spend another thousand, | 0:22:05 | 0:22:09 | |
so 10 in total. | 0:22:09 | 0:22:10 | |
I've obviously saved money on a few areas like the wiring, | 0:22:10 | 0:22:14 | |
and I do a lot of the work myself. | 0:22:14 | 0:22:17 | |
Then it's time to put your feet up, Andy. | 0:22:18 | 0:22:21 | |
The hard work now falls | 0:22:21 | 0:22:23 | |
to two local estate agents. | 0:22:23 | 0:22:26 | |
Bought for £46,000, | 0:22:27 | 0:22:29 | |
and spending 9,000 here, | 0:22:29 | 0:22:31 | |
Andy's total spend has been 55,000. | 0:22:31 | 0:22:34 | |
So, what could it get in terms of resale? | 0:22:34 | 0:22:37 | |
On the open market, I would put this property on for £90,000 | 0:22:37 | 0:22:42 | |
and I would expect it to achieve in the region of £85,000. | 0:22:42 | 0:22:46 | |
I would place it on the market | 0:22:46 | 0:22:48 | |
at £94,500. | 0:22:48 | 0:22:53 | |
And I would expect it to realise | 0:22:53 | 0:22:56 | |
around £90,000. | 0:22:56 | 0:23:00 | |
That top estimate of £90,000 | 0:23:00 | 0:23:03 | |
would net Andy a very nice £35,000 pre-tax profit. | 0:23:03 | 0:23:09 | |
Was that close to what he'd hoped for? | 0:23:09 | 0:23:11 | |
It's kind of what I was expecting. | 0:23:11 | 0:23:13 | |
After all this work, has Andy had a chance to take to the water? | 0:23:13 | 0:23:17 | |
Sadly, this is in a great area for kayaking, there's been plenty of rain | 0:23:17 | 0:23:21 | |
and I haven't been once since I've been here. | 0:23:21 | 0:23:24 | |
I've been far too busy. | 0:23:24 | 0:23:25 | |
To the west of Cumbria lies the industrial town of Workington. | 0:23:31 | 0:23:36 | |
It has long been a producer of coal, steel and iron ore, | 0:23:36 | 0:23:39 | |
and was famed for the manufacture of railway track. | 0:23:39 | 0:23:43 | |
This black steel column in the town centre | 0:23:43 | 0:23:46 | |
commemorates Workington Steel. | 0:23:46 | 0:23:48 | |
# I was born in a small town... # | 0:23:48 | 0:23:50 | |
Well, I'm also making tracks to see a local property | 0:23:53 | 0:23:55 | |
guided at £25,000 plus. | 0:23:55 | 0:23:57 | |
So let's see what you can get for that kind of money in these parts. | 0:23:57 | 0:24:02 | |
Well, ten minutes' walk from the town centre, | 0:24:04 | 0:24:06 | |
how about a two-bedroomed mid-terrace? | 0:24:06 | 0:24:09 | |
Looks all right from the outside. Let's take a look. | 0:24:09 | 0:24:12 | |
So what have we got? Um... A little entrance porch here, | 0:24:15 | 0:24:18 | |
and then into your front sitting room. | 0:24:18 | 0:24:21 | |
Fireplace has been removed, you want to put something nice back there. | 0:24:21 | 0:24:24 | |
But it's not a bad space. | 0:24:24 | 0:24:26 | |
Er, storage radiators, so no central heating, | 0:24:26 | 0:24:30 | |
I would hazard a guess. | 0:24:30 | 0:24:32 | |
Stairs up to your two bedrooms there | 0:24:32 | 0:24:34 | |
and then through into your rear living area. | 0:24:34 | 0:24:37 | |
Um, what do you do with this? | 0:24:37 | 0:24:39 | |
Dining room? Change the kitchen round...? | 0:24:39 | 0:24:42 | |
I don't know. But it's not a bad size space, | 0:24:42 | 0:24:44 | |
little courtyard out the back. | 0:24:44 | 0:24:46 | |
And then through into... I mean, this is, what do you think's next? | 0:24:46 | 0:24:49 | |
What you think's next? Go on, guess. | 0:24:49 | 0:24:51 | |
Yep, kitchen. You've seen properties like this a million times before | 0:24:51 | 0:24:54 | |
on Homes Under The Hammer. | 0:24:54 | 0:24:56 | |
It's a classic design, | 0:24:56 | 0:24:57 | |
but is that because, in general, it works quite well? | 0:24:57 | 0:25:00 | |
So through here, into this little kitchen area. | 0:25:00 | 0:25:03 | |
It's a bit tight cos it's quite narrow. | 0:25:03 | 0:25:05 | |
So, maybe some kind of extension, perhaps? | 0:25:05 | 0:25:08 | |
Through there, though, is your bathroom. | 0:25:08 | 0:25:10 | |
Again, a very classic layout. | 0:25:10 | 0:25:12 | |
It's not ideal, but in these kinds of properties, | 0:25:12 | 0:25:14 | |
it's almost to be expected. | 0:25:14 | 0:25:16 | |
Um, as a starting point... | 0:25:16 | 0:25:19 | |
it's fine. | 0:25:19 | 0:25:21 | |
Upstairs there are two bedrooms, | 0:25:29 | 0:25:31 | |
one to the front | 0:25:31 | 0:25:33 | |
and one to the back. | 0:25:33 | 0:25:35 | |
But before you ask, nope, | 0:25:35 | 0:25:37 | |
there's definitely no room for a bathroom up here. | 0:25:37 | 0:25:40 | |
Time to look out the back to see if there's any surprises in store. | 0:25:40 | 0:25:45 | |
Well, this won't be a surprise to anyone living in a seaside town. | 0:25:49 | 0:25:52 | |
# Why do birds suddenly appear... # | 0:25:52 | 0:25:58 | |
GULLS CAW | 0:25:58 | 0:25:59 | |
Now, the good news for gulls and the bad news for house owners | 0:25:59 | 0:26:03 | |
is that once they've moved in, you can't evict them. | 0:26:03 | 0:26:06 | |
Gulls, like all wild birds, are protected | 0:26:06 | 0:26:09 | |
under the Wildlife And Countryside Act of 1981. | 0:26:09 | 0:26:13 | |
Well, at the rear of the property, a tiny little courtyard | 0:26:14 | 0:26:17 | |
leading onto this rear alleyway. | 0:26:17 | 0:26:19 | |
That's quite good. It's always good to have that kind of access. | 0:26:19 | 0:26:23 | |
But one thing which is slightly concerning is THAT. See that roof? | 0:26:23 | 0:26:27 | |
That sloping roof there? | 0:26:27 | 0:26:28 | |
Well, not only does it cover the kitchen of this property | 0:26:28 | 0:26:32 | |
but it also covers an extension of the next door neighbour's. | 0:26:32 | 0:26:35 | |
If you get on with the next door neighbours, that's fine. | 0:26:35 | 0:26:38 | |
Um, otherwise... it could be a bit of an issue. | 0:26:38 | 0:26:42 | |
Aside from the communal roof, | 0:26:44 | 0:26:46 | |
this is all pretty standard fare for this part of the world. | 0:26:46 | 0:26:50 | |
Let's see what an agent from the auction house who sold it | 0:26:50 | 0:26:53 | |
can tell us about this terraced house, | 0:26:53 | 0:26:56 | |
guided at £25,000 plus. | 0:26:56 | 0:26:58 | |
If it's been done to a very high standard, | 0:27:00 | 0:27:02 | |
the ceiling for this area is around £70,000. | 0:27:02 | 0:27:05 | |
Given local sales recently, we would confidently expect to achieve | 0:27:05 | 0:27:09 | |
a minimum of £65,000. | 0:27:09 | 0:27:11 | |
And what kind of rental figure could the new owner expect? | 0:27:12 | 0:27:16 | |
Rental is quite popular. | 0:27:18 | 0:27:20 | |
However, the ceiling for the rent is quite limited. | 0:27:20 | 0:27:22 | |
It could achieve quite easily £350 per calendar month. | 0:27:22 | 0:27:26 | |
To put it onto the rental market, | 0:27:26 | 0:27:28 | |
you don't really have to do that much to it. | 0:27:28 | 0:27:30 | |
You could leave the heating the way it is, | 0:27:30 | 0:27:32 | |
put a new kitchen and bathroom in, | 0:27:32 | 0:27:34 | |
and it could be rentable fairly quickly at a relatively low budget. | 0:27:34 | 0:27:37 | |
Well, a fairly simple one, this one. | 0:27:37 | 0:27:40 | |
Almost a starter project to cut your teeth as a property developer on. | 0:27:40 | 0:27:44 | |
Let's see who bought it when it went under the hammer. | 0:27:44 | 0:27:47 | |
Two-bedroom mid-terraced house. | 0:27:49 | 0:27:51 | |
Ideal investment. | 0:27:51 | 0:27:53 | |
25 is your guide. | 0:27:53 | 0:27:55 | |
Let's sell it in the room. 25, then. | 0:27:55 | 0:27:58 | |
At £25,000... | 0:27:58 | 0:28:00 | |
25 here. | 0:28:00 | 0:28:02 | |
At 25, 26, new bidder. | 0:28:02 | 0:28:04 | |
27, 28, 29, 30. | 0:28:04 | 0:28:07 | |
One... You're out. With you at 30. | 0:28:07 | 0:28:10 | |
At £30,000. | 0:28:10 | 0:28:12 | |
At £30,000, are we done? | 0:28:12 | 0:28:14 | |
31, 32, | 0:28:14 | 0:28:17 | |
33, 34, 35, | 0:28:17 | 0:28:20 | |
36, 37, 38 in the corner. | 0:28:20 | 0:28:24 | |
39, sir? | 0:28:24 | 0:28:26 | |
39 here? No. With you in... | 0:28:26 | 0:28:29 | |
On my right, at £38,000. With you, sir. | 0:28:29 | 0:28:33 | |
Against you and against you. | 0:28:33 | 0:28:35 | |
At £38,000... 39, you're back in. | 0:28:35 | 0:28:38 | |
40... One... | 0:28:38 | 0:28:40 | |
With you again on my right at £40,000. | 0:28:41 | 0:28:45 | |
First time at 40. | 0:28:45 | 0:28:47 | |
Second time at 40. | 0:28:47 | 0:28:49 | |
Are we done? | 0:28:49 | 0:28:50 | |
Half? | 0:28:50 | 0:28:51 | |
Half? 41. Half? | 0:28:51 | 0:28:54 | |
Not sure? With you again, sir, at 41. | 0:28:57 | 0:28:59 | |
With me all the way, first time... | 0:28:59 | 0:29:02 | |
41, second time, are we done? | 0:29:02 | 0:29:04 | |
Selling away then at £41,000... | 0:29:04 | 0:29:07 | |
GAVEL BANGS Well done, sir. | 0:29:07 | 0:29:08 | |
Can I have your paddle, please? Lucky for some, 13. | 0:29:08 | 0:29:12 | |
That successful bid of £41,000 was made by Nigel, | 0:29:12 | 0:29:16 | |
who, along with wife Alison, | 0:29:16 | 0:29:18 | |
came along to meet me for a chat at their newly purchased house. | 0:29:18 | 0:29:22 | |
What plans await? I wonder... | 0:29:22 | 0:29:25 | |
# We're only making plans for Nigel... # | 0:29:26 | 0:29:30 | |
-Alison and Nigel, great to meet you both! -Hello. -Hello, there. | 0:29:31 | 0:29:34 | |
-Congratulations. -Thank you. -Thank you. | 0:29:34 | 0:29:36 | |
Tell me why you wanted to buy this little place. | 0:29:36 | 0:29:38 | |
-Well, Nigel was very ill a couple of years ago... -Oh, no! | 0:29:38 | 0:29:40 | |
-..so he had to change his... He was a builder. -Right. | 0:29:40 | 0:29:43 | |
-So he had to change his career. -I was a builder for 40 years. -Right. | 0:29:43 | 0:29:46 | |
-So I know the game. We've got a good team of lads doing jobs... -Right. | 0:29:46 | 0:29:52 | |
-So, yeah, hopefully it'll be OK. -So, is property investment new to you? | 0:29:52 | 0:29:56 | |
Is it something you've done a lot of? | 0:29:56 | 0:29:58 | |
-Er, fairly new to it. -Yeah. | 0:29:58 | 0:30:00 | |
So, OK, tell me about this place. | 0:30:00 | 0:30:02 | |
What are you going to do to it to sort it out? | 0:30:02 | 0:30:04 | |
-Well... Ha-ha! The back door, we're going to close up. -OK. | 0:30:04 | 0:30:09 | |
And extend the bathroom, make it bigger, | 0:30:09 | 0:30:12 | |
so we can get a bathroom shower into it. | 0:30:12 | 0:30:14 | |
-We're going to make this into the kitchen. -OK. | 0:30:14 | 0:30:16 | |
-Bring the kitchen into here. -Oh, right! | 0:30:16 | 0:30:18 | |
Units round, so they can have a table in this area. | 0:30:18 | 0:30:21 | |
New central heating, new electrics, new skirting boards, where needed. | 0:30:21 | 0:30:27 | |
Skimmed out where needed. | 0:30:27 | 0:30:29 | |
New bathroom, new kitchen. | 0:30:29 | 0:30:31 | |
-Decoration. -Decoration. -Decoration, yeah. | 0:30:31 | 0:30:35 | |
# Moving | 0:30:38 | 0:30:40 | |
# Moving... # | 0:30:42 | 0:30:43 | |
'Nigel and Allison strike me as a pretty sensible couple | 0:30:44 | 0:30:47 | |
'and seem to have everything worked out. | 0:30:47 | 0:30:50 | |
'But there's that small matter of the communal roof at the back. | 0:30:50 | 0:30:53 | |
'Are they going to make friends with their next door neighbours?' | 0:30:53 | 0:30:56 | |
-Basically, I own the property next door. -Oh, right! | 0:30:58 | 0:31:02 | |
-I bought it at the auction before this one. -OK. | 0:31:02 | 0:31:05 | |
And then this one came into sale about a week after, so I thought... | 0:31:05 | 0:31:10 | |
"Oh, I may as well buy this one as well!" | 0:31:10 | 0:31:12 | |
-And, if they're both together, they are easier looked after, so... -Mm! | 0:31:12 | 0:31:15 | |
'Well, that's them sorted | 0:31:15 | 0:31:17 | |
'if they ever need to borrow a cup of sugar or even repair a roof. | 0:31:17 | 0:31:21 | |
'So, what's the timescale?' | 0:31:21 | 0:31:23 | |
'A couple of months, I'm hoping.' | 0:31:25 | 0:31:27 | |
'Right. And then is the idea to rent it out or sell it on?' | 0:31:27 | 0:31:30 | |
'The idea is to rent both of the properties out.' | 0:31:30 | 0:31:34 | |
What's the budget going to be? | 0:31:34 | 0:31:36 | |
-About eight to ten. -Yeah. -OK. | 0:31:36 | 0:31:38 | |
And how much of the work do you two actually do? | 0:31:38 | 0:31:41 | |
-He does a lot more than me! -THEY LAUGH | 0:31:41 | 0:31:44 | |
Yeah, I do quite a lot. I'm out... Well, I've been out every day. | 0:31:44 | 0:31:47 | |
And just... | 0:31:47 | 0:31:49 | |
I can do most things, as long as I don't have to lift heavy weights. | 0:31:49 | 0:31:52 | |
Um, we have a joiner, plumber, heating engineer and electrician. | 0:31:52 | 0:31:57 | |
And then after this one, plans for expanding the portfolio further? | 0:31:57 | 0:32:02 | |
-Yeah. -Hopefully, yes. -Hopefully. | 0:32:02 | 0:32:04 | |
If we can do four or five a year... | 0:32:04 | 0:32:06 | |
-Oh! But you're enjoying it, though? -Yeah! -Yes. | 0:32:06 | 0:32:09 | |
-I've really enjoyed it. -Well, listen, congratulations! | 0:32:09 | 0:32:12 | |
-BOTH: Thank you very much. -Good luck with it. | 0:32:12 | 0:32:14 | |
-Thank you. -I look forward to seeing how you get on. | 0:32:14 | 0:32:16 | |
-Thank you. -Thank you. | 0:32:16 | 0:32:18 | |
SEAGULL CRIES | 0:32:18 | 0:32:20 | |
Well, the seagulls certainly seem to like the property - | 0:32:20 | 0:32:22 | |
and so do Nigel and Alison. | 0:32:22 | 0:32:25 | |
The second one in this street - next door, no less! | 0:32:25 | 0:32:29 | |
How will they get on sorting THIS one out? | 0:32:29 | 0:32:31 | |
-You can find out later in the show. -SEAGULL CRIES | 0:32:31 | 0:32:34 | |
Shut up! | 0:32:34 | 0:32:35 | |
Back now to West Dulwich, South London, | 0:32:40 | 0:32:43 | |
with its excellent shops and amenities. | 0:32:43 | 0:32:46 | |
It also boasts ideal rail links. | 0:32:46 | 0:32:49 | |
The property I went to see was guided at 190,000 - | 0:32:49 | 0:32:51 | |
and looked perfect! | 0:32:51 | 0:32:53 | |
But the pleasantries didn't last long because this beautiful flat | 0:32:56 | 0:32:59 | |
was riddled with damp in every room. | 0:32:59 | 0:33:03 | |
But it didn't dampen the enthusiasm of primary school teacher Julia, | 0:33:03 | 0:33:07 | |
who paid 278,000 at auction and was delighted with her purchase. | 0:33:07 | 0:33:13 | |
Julia only had £2,000 in her budget | 0:33:15 | 0:33:18 | |
and needed to turn the flat around fast. | 0:33:18 | 0:33:20 | |
So, when we returned one month later, | 0:33:20 | 0:33:23 | |
there were some subtle changes to the outside. | 0:33:23 | 0:33:25 | |
But what about the inside? | 0:33:25 | 0:33:27 | |
You'd be thinking that nothing has changed | 0:33:31 | 0:33:33 | |
but eagle-eyed viewers will notice a few vital improvements. | 0:33:33 | 0:33:38 | |
# Take a closer look at Take a closer look at | 0:33:38 | 0:33:43 | |
# Take a closer look at | 0:33:43 | 0:33:45 | |
-# Take a closer look -Yeah, yeah... # | 0:33:45 | 0:33:48 | |
It looks like Julia has fixed the damp. | 0:33:48 | 0:33:50 | |
When I've been talking to the builders, they've explained, | 0:33:52 | 0:33:55 | |
if you've done a damp-proofing course | 0:33:55 | 0:33:56 | |
and you haven't done it properly, it will fail. | 0:33:56 | 0:33:59 | |
And the damp will come back and then some, | 0:33:59 | 0:34:03 | |
which is basically what's happened in this flat. | 0:34:03 | 0:34:05 | |
Yes, the damp was everywhere. | 0:34:05 | 0:34:08 | |
So, did she have to pull out that recently renovated kitchen | 0:34:08 | 0:34:11 | |
and bathroom to fix it? | 0:34:11 | 0:34:14 | |
A few of the builders said, "We're going to have to rip the kitchen out" | 0:34:14 | 0:34:17 | |
and I had a heart attack because the kitchen is really lovely. | 0:34:17 | 0:34:20 | |
I didn't want to replace it. | 0:34:20 | 0:34:22 | |
But this team of builders said, | 0:34:22 | 0:34:24 | |
"We can do the treatment from the outside." | 0:34:24 | 0:34:27 | |
So, they drilled holes on the outside and did the treatment. | 0:34:27 | 0:34:30 | |
They poured the chemicals in and dealt with the damp from the outside, | 0:34:30 | 0:34:34 | |
rather than the inside. | 0:34:34 | 0:34:35 | |
And that saved me having to replace the kitchen and replace the bathroom! | 0:34:35 | 0:34:40 | |
Phew! That will have saved Julia a fortune. | 0:34:41 | 0:34:43 | |
But other rooms required much more work. | 0:34:43 | 0:34:47 | |
This wall was really bad. | 0:34:47 | 0:34:49 | |
Apparently, they had to take seven layers of plaster off | 0:34:49 | 0:34:52 | |
to get to the brick. | 0:34:52 | 0:34:53 | |
Then they did the treatment, which is the chemicals. | 0:34:53 | 0:34:57 | |
And then they had to keep coming | 0:34:57 | 0:34:59 | |
and, a bit like spreading butter on bread, | 0:34:59 | 0:35:02 | |
they had to do layer after layer after layer. | 0:35:02 | 0:35:06 | |
Afterwards, it needed to be skimmed. | 0:35:06 | 0:35:08 | |
Finally, he repainted the whole of the living room, the ceilings, | 0:35:08 | 0:35:13 | |
after the plaster had dried out, which took about four days. | 0:35:13 | 0:35:17 | |
Replaced the skirting boards, repainted them... | 0:35:17 | 0:35:20 | |
I'm really pleased with the result. I think it looks really good. | 0:35:20 | 0:35:23 | |
The whole renovation cost 6,000 and took a month to complete. | 0:35:23 | 0:35:28 | |
And that put Julia £4,000 OVER her original budget. | 0:35:28 | 0:35:32 | |
How did she cover the extra cost? | 0:35:32 | 0:35:34 | |
I just used the last of my savings. I'm literally on my last bits now. | 0:35:37 | 0:35:42 | |
That's cleaned me out now. Yeah, I'm absolutely broke! | 0:35:42 | 0:35:46 | |
SHE LAUGHS | 0:35:46 | 0:35:47 | |
Well, you might not be broke for very long, Julia. | 0:35:48 | 0:35:51 | |
Two local estate agents can tell us its value. | 0:35:51 | 0:35:55 | |
So, bought at auction for 278,000 | 0:35:55 | 0:35:58 | |
and having renovated at a cost of six grand, | 0:35:58 | 0:36:01 | |
Julia's total spend is £284,000. | 0:36:01 | 0:36:05 | |
I think, in this market, | 0:36:07 | 0:36:08 | |
this property could achieve | 0:36:08 | 0:36:10 | |
somewhere between £325,000-£350,000. | 0:36:10 | 0:36:14 | |
If this property came to the market today, | 0:36:14 | 0:36:16 | |
I would estimate its value between £325,000 | 0:36:16 | 0:36:20 | |
and £350,000. | 0:36:20 | 0:36:21 | |
A top valuation of 350,000 | 0:36:23 | 0:36:25 | |
would give Julia a pre-tax profit of £66,000. | 0:36:25 | 0:36:30 | |
Is she pleased with those valuations? | 0:36:30 | 0:36:33 | |
Yeah, they're really good! I'm really pleased with that. | 0:36:33 | 0:36:35 | |
That's a good result. It means I've got what I paid for it | 0:36:35 | 0:36:38 | |
and a little something. | 0:36:38 | 0:36:40 | |
So, yeah, I'm really happy. Really pleased! | 0:36:40 | 0:36:43 | |
Those numbers are a great start but Julia always wanted to rent | 0:36:43 | 0:36:47 | |
and is pitching the flat at around £1,200 per calendar month. | 0:36:47 | 0:36:51 | |
Now, is that the right market value? | 0:36:51 | 0:36:54 | |
From a rental perspective, I think | 0:36:54 | 0:36:56 | |
this property could achieve around about £1,200 per calendar month. | 0:36:56 | 0:37:01 | |
For the rental market today, I would estimate this property | 0:37:01 | 0:37:03 | |
achieving between £1,150 per calendar month to £1,250 per calendar month. | 0:37:03 | 0:37:09 | |
An average value of £1,200 per calendar month | 0:37:10 | 0:37:13 | |
would give Julia a 5% yield. | 0:37:13 | 0:37:15 | |
We did a little bit of research | 0:37:17 | 0:37:19 | |
and that's the figure that I thought we would get for it, | 0:37:19 | 0:37:22 | |
so I'm pleased with that. | 0:37:22 | 0:37:24 | |
# I was making it easy for the clean-up woman... # | 0:37:24 | 0:37:28 | |
Julia is putting a few final touches to the property. | 0:37:29 | 0:37:32 | |
And I'll bet she'll be glad to mop up a decent return | 0:37:32 | 0:37:35 | |
on her investment. | 0:37:35 | 0:37:37 | |
But would she take on a property with this kind of problem again? | 0:37:37 | 0:37:41 | |
I so would take a flat that's got damp. | 0:37:42 | 0:37:46 | |
I think if you bring in some experts that know what they're doing, | 0:37:46 | 0:37:49 | |
then they can take care of the problem and, you know, job gets done. | 0:37:49 | 0:37:53 | |
We're heading back to Workington in Cumbria now, | 0:37:56 | 0:37:58 | |
a town that isn't monkeying around | 0:37:58 | 0:38:01 | |
when it comes to major redevelopment. | 0:38:01 | 0:38:03 | |
But while the town is undergoing changes, some things never change. | 0:38:03 | 0:38:07 | |
Like the layout of this two-bed mid-terrace, guided at £25,000 plus. | 0:38:07 | 0:38:13 | |
You've seen these two-up two-downs so many times before on this show, | 0:38:13 | 0:38:17 | |
I'm sure you could draw a map of the layout! | 0:38:17 | 0:38:20 | |
But out in the lane, behind the house, there was an unusual problem. | 0:38:20 | 0:38:24 | |
See that roof? That sloping roof there? | 0:38:26 | 0:38:28 | |
Well, not only does it cover the kitchen of this property | 0:38:28 | 0:38:31 | |
but it also covers an extension of the next door neighbour's. | 0:38:31 | 0:38:34 | |
Shared roofs didn't put off Nigel and Alison, | 0:38:34 | 0:38:37 | |
who bought the house for £41,000. | 0:38:37 | 0:38:41 | |
Nearly five months later, when we returned, well, the house | 0:38:42 | 0:38:46 | |
certainly looked as if things were happening on the outside. | 0:38:46 | 0:38:49 | |
But what about changes inside? | 0:38:49 | 0:38:52 | |
Here in the kitchen, | 0:39:02 | 0:39:04 | |
the original fireplace had already been taken out. | 0:39:04 | 0:39:07 | |
So it allowed us a nice, open space. | 0:39:07 | 0:39:10 | |
So we decided to move the kitchen out of the galley kitchen | 0:39:10 | 0:39:13 | |
and make a nice kitchen in here. | 0:39:13 | 0:39:16 | |
All new units. | 0:39:16 | 0:39:17 | |
We put board on here, which gives a nice finish. | 0:39:17 | 0:39:21 | |
And we're very, very pleased with this result. | 0:39:21 | 0:39:23 | |
And what was the galley kitchen is now a bathroom. I don't believe it! | 0:39:23 | 0:39:27 | |
Have Nigel and Alison found a way to change the layout | 0:39:27 | 0:39:30 | |
of this most predictable property in a way we've not seen before? | 0:39:30 | 0:39:35 | |
Right, so in the bathroom, what we did, we took the wall out, | 0:39:39 | 0:39:42 | |
which made the bathroom a lot bigger | 0:39:42 | 0:39:44 | |
and enabled us to put the big bath in and move it that way, | 0:39:44 | 0:39:48 | |
so we could have a shower and it didn't splash on the window. | 0:39:48 | 0:39:52 | |
New sink, new toilet and multi panel on the wall, rather than tiles. | 0:39:52 | 0:39:58 | |
Erm, I think the multi panel is better than tiles | 0:39:58 | 0:40:02 | |
when you're going to rent. | 0:40:02 | 0:40:04 | |
You don't have the problems with grout and things like that. | 0:40:04 | 0:40:07 | |
So it's made quite a nice bathroom. | 0:40:07 | 0:40:10 | |
And the new back door area is a good solution, | 0:40:10 | 0:40:12 | |
sitting between the new kitchen and bathroom. | 0:40:12 | 0:40:15 | |
But with these major changes and the renovation upstairs, | 0:40:15 | 0:40:19 | |
have they gone over their budget? | 0:40:19 | 0:40:21 | |
I think originally we said about eight | 0:40:23 | 0:40:26 | |
but we went over that by a little bit. | 0:40:26 | 0:40:28 | |
I think it's come out at about 12 now. | 0:40:28 | 0:40:32 | |
We felt it was worth spending a bit more money | 0:40:32 | 0:40:34 | |
to put a nice kitchen in and a nice bathroom in | 0:40:34 | 0:40:37 | |
-and alter the kitchen to put it in here. -Yeah. | 0:40:37 | 0:40:39 | |
Because it makes a better finished job. | 0:40:39 | 0:40:42 | |
And all the work took four months. | 0:40:42 | 0:40:44 | |
I agree with Alison - | 0:40:44 | 0:40:46 | |
the extra budget has created a good quality finish. | 0:40:46 | 0:40:49 | |
Let's hope that two local estate agents agree. | 0:40:49 | 0:40:52 | |
Bought for £41,000 and with a renovation spend of 12,000, | 0:40:53 | 0:40:58 | |
Alison and Nigel's total cost is £53,000. | 0:40:58 | 0:41:01 | |
So, what about rentals? | 0:41:01 | 0:41:03 | |
And we're in luck because one estate agent | 0:41:03 | 0:41:05 | |
knows this area particularly well. | 0:41:05 | 0:41:09 | |
Well, I'm fortunate that we've actually rented | 0:41:10 | 0:41:12 | |
the property next door to this very recently, | 0:41:12 | 0:41:14 | |
which was in good condition, like this is. | 0:41:14 | 0:41:17 | |
And we've achieved £400 per calendar month for that property. | 0:41:17 | 0:41:20 | |
I'd anticipate that we'd get the same for this. | 0:41:20 | 0:41:23 | |
We'd expect to get in the region of £300 per calendar month. | 0:41:23 | 0:41:26 | |
Low. | 0:41:26 | 0:41:28 | |
Very low. No, we'll get a lot more than that for next door. | 0:41:28 | 0:41:31 | |
Well, Alison isn't having any of that! | 0:41:31 | 0:41:34 | |
The second agent felt that £300 per calendar month | 0:41:34 | 0:41:37 | |
could stretch to £325 per calendar month, | 0:41:37 | 0:41:40 | |
but it is a whopping difference. | 0:41:40 | 0:41:43 | |
Well, that's why we always ask for two professional opinions. | 0:41:43 | 0:41:46 | |
It's not a perfect science. | 0:41:46 | 0:41:48 | |
Those valuations would give a 9% or a 6% yield respectively. | 0:41:48 | 0:41:53 | |
So, what about the resale value? Would that cheer them up? | 0:41:53 | 0:41:56 | |
We would anticipate achieving £65,000 for this house, | 0:41:58 | 0:42:03 | |
perhaps to ask very slightly higher. | 0:42:03 | 0:42:05 | |
We would expect to market the property in the region | 0:42:05 | 0:42:08 | |
of 64,950, with a view to achieving somewhere in excess of 60,000. | 0:42:08 | 0:42:14 | |
That top value of 65,000 would give Alison and Nigel | 0:42:14 | 0:42:18 | |
a £12,000 profit before the usual taxes and expenses. | 0:42:18 | 0:42:22 | |
-It's quite good then, isn't it? -Yeah, it's not bad. | 0:42:25 | 0:42:28 | |
-Yeah, it's all right. It's not for sale but... -Quite happy with that. | 0:42:28 | 0:42:31 | |
-Yeah. -It's worth knowing that it's worth more than when we started. | 0:42:31 | 0:42:34 | |
So the couple keep marching on in the property game, | 0:42:34 | 0:42:38 | |
transforming mid-terraces into marvellous manors. | 0:42:38 | 0:42:41 | |
And I think it's down to their partnership. | 0:42:41 | 0:42:44 | |
Do they work well together? | 0:42:44 | 0:42:46 | |
-Er... -Yeah! | 0:42:50 | 0:42:51 | |
-We work well on camera, I think! -No! | 0:42:51 | 0:42:54 | |
But we DO work well together, don't we? We do! | 0:42:54 | 0:42:56 | |
I'm not sure about anywhere else... | 0:42:56 | 0:42:58 | |
Well, that's how today's property stories unfolded | 0:43:03 | 0:43:06 | |
but we'll have plenty more for you next time. | 0:43:06 | 0:43:09 | |
Yes, so join us for more auction action and development stories | 0:43:09 | 0:43:12 | |
from Homes Under The Hammer. | 0:43:12 | 0:43:14 | |
-We'll see you then. -Goodbye. | 0:43:14 | 0:43:15 | |
Goodbye. | 0:43:15 | 0:43:16 |