Episode 12 Homes Under the Hammer

Hello and welcome to the show.

We both enjoy investing in the property market and hope to

get a deal or two along the way, but it's not as easy as you think.

No, so what's the best way to potentially bag yourself a bargain?

Head down to your local property auction.

When it comes to buying property at auction, there's no messing about.

When a hammer falls, you are exchanging contracts.

Yes, and you'd normally expect to complete on the purchase

in 28 days or less.

So, what inspired the buyers on today's show?

We start in Biggin Hill in Kent where the problem seems

pretty obvious to Lucy.

It's cold! It's actually colder in this house than outside.

But in Princetown, Devon,

this classic Dartmoor cottage requires more thought.

It's just one of those ones you have to move in here

for a little bit and just... Hmm, mull it over.

Whilst in Stoke-on-Trent,

problems could be avoided if the golden rules weren't broken.

-Did you view this one?

-No. I did send Steve.

All these properties have been sold at auction.

And we'll find out who bought them and what they've paid

when they went under the hammer.

Sold, 279. Well done.

MARTIN: Today, Lucy is in Biggin Hill,

the only settlement of Greater London with a Kent county address.

Believe it or not, this picturesque town is only 19 miles from London.

The downside is there's no train station,

which makes it more tricky to commute.

But that has kept area prices relatively low,

making it an affordable place to be.

For London, that is.

And the guide price for the property I'm here to see is £220,000 plus.

Now, for that, you get a two-bedroom bungalow

along this busy residential street.

It's a convenient place to live and that's because it's on a bus route,

which will take you to New Addington's tram link.

The first thing I've noticed, these big old trees.

Wow, they're huge and they're creating a loss of light.

So, let's go inside and see if it's as dark as it looks on the outside.

Well, I don't know about you, Lucy, but I'm scared.

It looks like a Hammer House Of Horror!

Well, this house is looking really sorry for itself on the outside.

Huh! And really sorry for itself on the inside.

But what I do like are the proportions.

You've got a really nice, wide hallway here, a lovely big kitchen.

Down this corridor, two huge bedrooms.

I mean, the sizes are quite phenomenal.

You've got a little bathroom tucked round there.

And at the back of the property, again, look at the proportions.

A really good-sized lounge.

But it's a bit depressing coming in here because it's cold.

It's actually colder in this house than outside.

It feels and smells musty. I think there's a bit of damp up here.

You can see a great big hole in the ceiling there.

There's so much you need to do to give this place a face-lift.

But what I love is this massive window here.

I would love to put some sliding doors or some bi-folding doors

on the back here, because what lies out there, well,

that's a surprise and I'll tell you more about that later.

Well, surprises are well and good.

But does this house have any nasty ones lurking?

It can do with new windows.

A new kitchen wouldn't go amiss.

And a blue bathroom suite won't be to everyone's taste.

But the layout does work here.

Although Lucy has something up her sleeve.

Now, this is a big bedroom. You know what I would do?

I would reinstate this, build up a partition wall here,

divide this into two separate rooms.

And that would leave you with two good-sized bedrooms.

You could then go from a two to a three-bed bungalow.

It would be a more flexible way of living

and it would be worth more money, too.

So, why not cash in?

# I'm building a wall

# A fine wall... #

OK, Lucy. Time to unveil that surprise.

Now, out here, there is a lot of garden. Look at this! Wow!

It is so big. Gosh!

There's one word ringing in my head right now - potential.

There is easily the space to extend out the back here,

giving you so much more internal space.

And then, there'll be less garden to keep under control, too.

And if you really wanted to take this bungalow to the next level,

well, you could think about extending upwards as well.

There are many options here.

Big family home on a big kid-friendly plot being one.

But that could cost a lot of money.

Alternatively, there is a relative scarcity of bungalows

and they are much sought after.

A house on one level with a garden is preferred by many home-buyers.

A smaller outlay could gain you more. So, swings and roundabouts.

We asked a local property expert

to take a look at this bungalow guided at £220,000 plus.

What about extending? Is this a good idea.

The ideal way to extend a bungalow would be to go both backwards

and upwards to give it its full potential.

There is an array of properties on the road already,

so subject to relevant planning, it would be the best way.

You could potentially create four bedrooms at the property

and there's a huge demand for four-bedroom properties in the area.

So, an extension might be desirable.

But if you're a developer,

it comes down to whether it's the most viable financial decision.

Renovated as a two-bedroom bungalow,

the property will probably sell for somewhere in the region of £300,000.

As a three-bedroom bungalow,

it will probably sell for somewhere in the region of £330,000.

So, simply by reinstating the wall and a door,

you could be increasing the value by around 30 grand. Amazing!

Making it a four bed, you would have the time and costs of an extension

but it would be worth it.

So, as an extended four-bedroom property,

it would fetch somewhere in the region of £380,000.

Yes! This bungalow needs so much work.

But it's an auction lot with potential.

So, who thought this was too good to miss?

Let's head to auction and find out.

Two-bed detached bungalow. Obviously, it needs some attention.

Start 200, go upwards from there. 200 in the front, 205 anywhere?

I saw the gent first, 205. 210, 215.

220, 225. 230...

After a hesitant start, the bidding increases slowly but surely,

and we return at 270,000.

270, 271.

Yeah? 272.

271, 272.

Back in, another crack, madam? If not, 271.

First time, second time.

Third and last time, 272. 273.

Nearly there, yeah? 273. 274, sir.

You hiding? 274.

273, first time, second time, third and last time...

Sold, 273, well done, you got there.

Clearly delighted at getting the bungalow for 273,000

were local couple Claire and Chris.

They have two children, Eva, who's nine and Jack, who's six.

And this is going to be their family home.

Lucy met them to find out more.

Chris and Claire, congratulations. Tell me about auction day!

-How was it? I could see you got really excited, Claire.

-I...

The guy before us bought his for, like, £1.9 million

and he was like, "Sold for 1.9 million."

And then he was like, "Fine."

And then he was like, "Sold for 273," and I was like, "Yes!"

He was like, "Grrr!" It was really embarrassing.

Tell me, whose idea was it to buy this

and why have you bought this? Chris?

We bought this, we've been looking for a bungalow for a while

-because Claire, unfortunately she's got MS and mobility problems.

-Yes.

So, we've been looking for a bungalow

and there was nothing in our price range, was there?

No, not round here, it was too expensive.

And then we came across this one. And...

Well, you texted me a picture of it one night, when he was drunk.

And well, I can't really say what I said about it.

I thought he was actually joking.

And then, we saw it about a week later and then

a couple of days later, it went to auction.

-So, it was all really, really quick.

-So, hold on a minute.

So, late at night, he texted you a photograph

-of the outside of the bungalow.

-Yes.

And how did you react?

-Erm, I said a bad word.

-Did it look awful?

-Two bad words, yes.

-Did it look awful from the text?

-Yeah, it looked awful.

-I said no way, and then we went and saw it a few days later.

-Yeah.

-And he managed to make me calm down.

-It was still awful, wasn't it?

It was still awful.

So, now you've actually bought it and for the price you paid,

-Claire, how do you feel now?

-Ecstatic.

-Are you really pleased?

Yeah, really, really pleased. I can't believe it.

We've wanted it for so long.

Because obviously, I can't do my stairs at home anymore

and things like that, so it's going to make life so much easier.

So, for you guys, it's all about trying to give you

as much independence.

Because I know you're moving from a house

to a bungalow because you need to have one storey, one-level living.

Yeah.

OK, so you've bought this bungalow in this condition.

Did you blow all your money on auction day?

Do you have a contingency fund? How are the finances bearing up?

We've... We've got nothing at the moment.

But we've got a house to sell.

So, once we've sold that, will have funds to do our...

-We've got bits, we can start.

-Yeah, we can start.

But obviously, we can't do the extension.

We'll probably renovate what's here but we can't extend...

Until we've sold.

So, the bigger plans for an extension are for

after their current house is sold.

In the meantime, they're going to finance what they can

with help from family and a bridging loan.

And they hope that over the next four months,

they can get this place into a habitable state.

So, what sort of budget do you want to spend on your Plan A?

Which is coming in and refurbing it.

And to what level are you two going to refurb this property?

-So, over to you.

-Over to me, right.

About 20,000 initially, just to redo what's here.

-And then...

-Kitchen and bathroom.

-Kitchen, bathroom.

Plastering, electrics, plumbing, new central heating. The lot.

Eek! That's quite tight. How do you feel about that?

-Do you think that's realistic?

-Yes.

Can you do a lot of the work yourself?

Yeah, I can do all the electrics.

And I've got builder friends

that are going to do a lot of work for us.

Mates rates.

-And plumbers.

-Hopefully.

We've got lots of good friends that are going to help us out.

Our friends have been incredible, already, just mucking in

and saying they'll help whenever we need them.

So, it's really, really good.

Chris used to be a theatre electrician,

so his skills are going to be handy, as are their friends'.

Maybe that £20,000 will eke out for the first stage.

But time is another issue.

How are you going to squeeze all this in

with your very demanding jobs?

Because Claire, I know that you're a busy acting

-and you're teaching at the moment, aren't you?

-Yeah, so I teach drama.

Because of that, I get the holidays off.

So, we're going to have a good, have the whole summer, summer holidays.

And Chris works in a school, so he's the same.

So, that's absolutely fantastic

-that you both get the holidays off together.

-Yeah.

-And the kids will be around.

-Exactly.

-You're really going to have to use that time wisely.

-Yeah.

So, what do the kids think of this house?

Because it's very strange when you bring little ones

to a property like this. They can't see beyond what's here now!

I bet it's quite scary for them, isn't it?

-Eva wasn't impressed, was she?

-No.

She walked in, she was like, "I've got to sleep in here?!"

Our little boy when we came down to see it,

he said, "But if we like it and want to buy it, how will we get it home?"

-Did he?

-Yeah, so I was like,

"We don't have to just put it in a bag and take it back."

Yeah, but I think they're coming round to the idea of it.

And we've taken them the shops and said like, "What colours do you like

"for your bedrooms?" And things like that, so they're getting excited.

And they've enjoyed working in the garden, haven't they?

Yeah. We've put them to work.

So, you've got a bit of a journey ahead.

-You've got to sell that house of yours.

-Yeah. Oh, fingers crossed!

Guys, it's been such a pleasure seeing you today and hearing

your lovely story and I know this is going to be a huge success.

-So, congratulations.

-Thank you very much.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

-Chris, lovely to see you.

I'm so happy that Chris and Claire have finally found

a property that they can adapt and call home.

But there are some financial concerns here and a lot hinges

on them selling their current house.

Join me later in the programme and you can see if they've had an easy ride.

Off to Devon now and Princetown.

It's the highest village in Dartmoor National Park,

which might account for some slightly unseasonable weather.

Well, it has literally just finished snowing, which might not be

that surprising, apart from the fact it is the end of April.

However, we are on Dartmoor, and absolutely beautiful it is, too.

Here to see a three-bed detached house. Guide price, 140-160,000.

Now, this house is in a designated area of outstanding beauty.

However, there is one thing on the landscape

that not everyone will appreciate.

Dartmoor Prison, which is visible from the back of the property.

So, what have we got?

It has a feel of straightaway of a classic Dartmoor cottage.

I mean, look at that fireplace in there.

Absolutely magnificent, but straightaway,

you get the impression,

as with those stairs and everything you're looking at,

it hasn't had much tender loving care for quite a while.

So, let's focus a little bit more on the fabric of the building.

And what we've actually got in terms of space.

Well, there's one room over the side,

another room over this side which is currently laid out as the kitchen.

There are some utterly charming features that you would want...

Want to keep.

You know what, that's like a mini Stonehenge, isn't it?

How heavy would that piece of granite on the top there

have been when they were installing it? But it's absolutely majestic.

Obviously, if you could get that range cooker sorted out,

it would be an absolutely amazing feature.

And then, through that to the rear of the property where you've got...

Well, a sort of single-storey extension thing with

a vaulted ceiling in certain parts.

So, that has scope for expansion into.

And all in all, it's just one of those ones where you have to

move in here for a little bit and just hmm, mull it over.

Though a decent footprint, it's not really using the space well.

It's so ramshackle and higgledy-piggledy.

But changing things around might be a Herculean task,

judging by the thickness of the walls.

-# What am I gonna do?

-# What am I gonna do with you?

-# What am I gonna do?

-# What am I gonna do with you? #

Well, upstairs, well, up some very rickety stairs, actually.

To the first floor, and again, a bit of a rejiggling required.

But you've got this room here which is above that bit

which has got mostly vaulting, and it's just doesn't,

where you've got this ridge you have to cross over to get to.

And like the rest of the place,

it's in a terrible state in terms of damp.

Obviously, you're going to have to do some major refurbishment

in terms of the roof, perhaps,

and stuff like that to get rid of all that.

But just in terms of the layout, it's not working for me.

This staircase is too narrow, too rickety.

You've then got your three bedrooms.

That's a good-sized one there,

smaller one there and another one just there, which is not bad.

Bathroom's a nice size, which is a bit of a bonus.

But all in all, again, piece of paper...

..come up with some plan that's better than this.

The stairwell and the stairs seem to me

to be the starting point for any redesign.

And perhaps, if they came more centrally,

the three bedrooms and the bathroom would flow better off it.

And I can't help but feeling

that covered space could be utilised better.

Perhaps a breath of fresh Devon air will clear my thoughts?

Well, at the back of the property,

a really impressive view across Dartmoor and across to the prison.

But you've also got a really nice sized garden.

It comes all the way down there, there's a little pond.

And you might think this is the end of it, but no.

Swizzle round a bit and it continues all the way down to the bottom.

And one slightly unusual thing you get as well is that,

which is a well.

Well, well!

And along with the fantastic garden, there is a useful outhouse,

which perhaps could be combined into the living space.

And surprisingly, the property isn't listed or in a conservation area.

So, an extension could be possible.

Subject to planning, of course.

What does a property expert from the auctioneers that sold it

think about the house?

Could it be transformed into a nice little nest egg?

The property benefits from a huge rear garden, so naturally,

some people may see there's graphic scope to extend out the back,

whether it be single-storey or two-storey.

I think if you were going to extend,

probably a single-storey would be more beneficial to create

a large kitchen breakfast room that sort of splays out onto the garden

because a two-storey extension, in my eyes, would be overkill

for the area and the ceiling limit of the price values.

Yes, overdevelopment is a consideration in this area.

Its location and proximity to the prison will not be for everyone.

So, what is the ceiling level

for a property that was guided at 140-160,000?

Keeping the format and structure of the building the same,

just refurbishing it, you could probably expect to achieve

somewhere in the region of £250,000, once done.

If you extended the property on a single-storey basis at the rear,

you could probably expect to achieve somewhere in the region of £275,000.

A single-storey extension

on a building of this sort of square footage,

you could be somewhere in the region of about £40-45,000.

And its rental value?

You could put the property on the rental market for somewhere

in the region of £700-725 per calendar month.

Well, it's a house that obviously needs a lot of work,

but that is what a lot of auction buyers look for -

a property they can put their stamp on.

So, I'm sure it was very popular!

Let's find out what happened when it went under the hammer.

Lot 128, residentially,

is an absolute diamond.

So, it's a properly handsome, detached three-bed cottage

for refurbishment.

Big garden, off-street parking. Dartmoor on your doorstep.

What do you want me to ask? 120?

At 120. 120 I've got, at 120.

At 120, at 120...

If you are happy for that lady to have that for 120,

I'm going to sense she'd be smiling.

Yes, she would be, at 120.

Anybody want to wipe the smile off that lady's face?

At 120.

Oh, you will, sir? Sorry, 122.

122, 124, 124, 126? 126.

Corking house. Sorry, I've got to do this, madam, forgive me.

126. At 126.

At 126...

First time, at 126. Second time...

At 126, you sure and done?

We know where it's going. At 126.

And third row back.

126. Well done, you.

The hammer fell for £34,000 less than the top-end guide price.

And for 126,000.

The smiling successful bidder was Jacqui and her husband Bob.

And all wrapped up from the unseasonably cold weather,

they joined me back at the house.

-Jacqui, Bob, good to meet you both!

-Hi, there.

-Now, you paid quite a lot less than the guide price, didn't you?

-We did.

What did you put that down to?

Just the fact that people were put off by the state or what?

Didn't really understand it.

I mean, it is quite remote up here,

I think you do either love it or hate it, maybe.

-And also at the back, we're looking over Dartmoor Prison.

-We are.

Was that an issue for you?

While we drove into the town, I got told to get out of the car

and take a picture of that old mill.

Well, it does look like an old mill, actually!

Tell me why you wanted to buy this place, then.

Well, we basically wanted another renovation project.

We just finished one in Devon.

And we were just looking for another one,

so we popped our heads into the auction and we secured this place.

-Is this something you've done a lot of?

-We've done a few.

-We've built our own house at one point.

-Oh, wow.

Which we've just sold, actually, to move on.

Erm, we did a house up last year down in Dawlish.

And we've now moved onto this one.

So, you've both got building experience?

Erm, well, I used to work for a large retailer

as a project manager, doing supermarkets.

-Right.

-On the construction side.

We had our own company doing refurbishing works.

-And we've now moved on to doing houses.

-Doing this kind of stuff?

Rather than employing people in the company,

-we now just employ subcontractors.

-And what about you, Jacqui?

What is your experience?

Well, we've had, I've had 25 years in construction as well.

Worked for the same company as Bob did and then we set up on our own

when Bob left that company.

And managed a company, carrying on doing the same thing

but actually on a self-employed basis.

Oh, great, fantastic.

Well, there's no doubting Jacqui and Bob's credentials

for taking on a house like this.

It certainly seems it couldn't be in better hands!

So, tell me what you're going to do to it, then.

Well, right, erm...

-Basically change everything.

-Oh, OK.

-Yeah.

The rooms out the back at the moment,

we intend to knock them through, vault the ceiling up,

-make it as a kitchen diner.

-Oh, right.

The staircase we're going to take out, put a different type of

staircase in, which will allow us to reconfigure upstairs.

-And reconfigure down here.

-What it will be when you've finished, then?

How many bedrooms?

It will stay as a three-bedroom house and the main bedroom

-will have an en-suite.

-OK.

-With a family bathroom.

-So, what's the budget for all your planning, then?

-If...

Really, if we go over 40,000, we'll be really upset.

So, I think 35-40 because we'll be doing quite a lot of it ourselves.

Along with the £35-40,000 budget,

they hope to complete the work in four months

and then plan to sell it on.

And the project is to be a family affair.

-Our children will all be involved in this.

-Will they? What do they do?

Well, there's... We've got five and they're 31 down to 10.

And the older two, one's a management accountant,

my son does design.

The three girls are still at school.

Our 17-year-old, she's a bit of a tradesman, a bit of a carpenter.

-She's studying engineering, she helps her dad a lot.

-Oh, great.

The next one down's a painter and decorator

and the youngest sweeps up and makes the tea. So...

-You've planned that well.

-Bit of a...

He's a technical guy and I'm the project manager and the donkey.

Basically.

Apart from the family team, then,

are you going to get builders in to do stuff?

Yeah, we want to put a new roof on.

So, scaffolding is going up, starting this week, basically.

-Well, listen, congratulations to you both.

-Thank you.

Could be a real fascinating reveal when we come back.

-I look forward to see how you get on.

-Thank you very much.

Well, Jacqui and Bob like a property challenge,

which is just as well, because they've certainly got one here.

However, they paid a good price for it at the auction.

So, I think there is money to be made and I like their ideas.

You can find out how they transform this place later in the show.

-DION:

-Still to come in Stoke-on-Trent,

I've spotted my pet peeve.

I'm not a fan of downstairs bathrooms,

but a bathroom off the kitchen is not for me.

MARTIN: While in Princetown, Devon,

Jacqui and Bob may have done too good a job.

If I had my way, we wouldn't be selling this place!

Back to Biggin Hill in Kent where Lucy saw a two-bedroom bungalow.

The guide price of £220,000 plus was attractive. The house...

..sadly wasn't.

Well, this house is looking really sorry for itself on the outside.

Huh! And really sorry for itself on the inside.

Yes, not only was it difficult to spot

because of the surrounding trees.

Inside, it was tired and forgotten and in need of a total face-lift.

However, thanks to great room proportions and not to mention,

a huge back garden, Lucy could see the wood for the trees.

Or should I say, house for the trees?

There's one word ringing in my head right now - potential.

# You got potential!

# In my life, yeah! #

And the bidders agreed on auction day,

with the property being snapped up for 273,000

by a rather delighted Claire.

Sold, 273. You got there, well done.

Along with her husband, Chris,

not to mention their two kids - Jack aged six, and Eva aged nine,

Claire couldn't wait to move into what would be their family home.

But she wasn't always as keen.

-Well, you texted me a picture of it.

-And how did you react?

Erm, I said a bad word.

-Did it look awful?

-Two bad words.

-Did it look awful from the text?

Yeah, it looked awful, and I said no way.

And then we went and saw it a few days later

-and he managed to make me calm down.

-And it was still awful, wasn't it?

It was still awful.

Claire, however, was persuaded by the bungalow's practicality.

She has mobility issues due to multiple sclerosis, so a bungalow

promises to make life easier after the hard bit, renovating it.

So, now you have actually bought it and for the price you paid,

-Claire, how do you feel now?

-Ecstatic.

-Are you really pleased?

Yeah, really, really pleased. I can't believe it.

We've wanted it for so long.

Because obviously, I can't do my stairs at home any more

and things like that, it's going to make life so much easier.

They plan to do the work in stages.

Phase 1 was to make the place habitable with £20,000,

and they hope to get it done in four months.

Just over 20 months later and we're back,

to see what progress they've made with their new family home.

Wow!

Thanks to an extension on the back of the property,

they have created a stunning living-dining area.

Plus, it's meant they've been able to extend

this fully refurbished kitchen.

And what was once a two-bed bungalow now boasts three beds,

with a bedroom for little Jack created out of the old living room.

Marvellous!

At the front of the property, the two bedrooms have been transformed.

Plus, they've pinched some space from the garage to create

an en-suite bathroom utility room for the stunning master bedroom.

And an extended hallway gives the property a natural flow.

The exterior of the property isn't too shabby either.

The back garden is a work in progress at the moment

but the decking to the rear really brings out that fantastic extension.

The front is unrecognisable from how it was.

Taking down those trees has opened it up and brightened it also.

Claire and Chris have created a wonderful new home with Phase 1

and that £20,000 budget a distant memory.

It was a case of ripping everything back.

The ceilings came down.

All the plumbing came out,

all the electrics came out and it was all rewired, replumbed.

-And it was just getting it into a state we could live in.

-Yeah.

Until we...

So, we had somewhere to go after we sold our property.

So, Phase 2 was the extension of the property and we got a builder in

to do that because we couldn't do that ourselves, unfortunately.

We had problems with planning permission.

We got turned down for our first one and we had to resubmit,

so it kind of delayed things for a while.

Yeah, because we asked for it to be too big.

So, in the end, we took a little bit off of the bedroom

and made the lounge the same size we wanted it.

But instead of going out into the garden,

we took a little bit off of Jack's room. And then...

Yeah, we're happy with it. I just feel so at home here now.

Like, not having any stairs obviously has really helped me.

I can do so much more. I'm not as tired.

I love having this all on one level as well,

which is really nice, all the time.

But, yeah, it's just an easier nicer life,

I feel a lot more at home here, which is good.

Excellent.

Well, that was the original mission,

to make things easier for Claire and create a lovely family home.

However, all this work doesn't come cheaply,

with a budget coming in at £80,000.

And the timescale also had to change a bit.

So, the timescale was initially three months

to get the original building refurbished

and in a suitable condition to live in.

-And after that, I was exhausted.

-Yes!

So, we thought we'd take some time out, so we took a year out,

lived in it as it was and then we started the building work,

yeah, after 12 months rest, we started.

I think that took about four months.

Yeah, so it's been about 18 months in all, from getting it in to now.

This is of course Claire and Chris's family home

and they have no intentions of selling.

But with an investment of around 353,000,

it will be interesting to hear the thoughts and the valuations

from two local estate agents.

I think the property is lovely.

It's very light and airy and it's been renovated

to a really good standard.

I think the layout of the property is absolutely perfect.

It flows brilliantly and the rooms are very spacious.

So, I think the extension has been done really nicely.

It's opened the property up nicely at the back with great views

over the rear garden.

So, we're agreed it's a great family house and it's not for sale.

But just for nosiness,

what return could they get on their £353,000 investment?

I think this property could re-sale for £450,000-£475,000.

I think this property could re-sale for somewhere around

the £475,000-£500,000 mark.

Wow!

That top figure of 500,000 could mean a potential profit of 147,000,

minus taxes and fees.

What do Claire and Chris make of that?

-Oh, really pleased with that, yeah.

-That's a lot higher than we thought.

Yeah, we didn't think it would be that at all. So, that's great.

-Brilliant.

-Yeah, brilliant.

So, Chris and Claire are delighted. They've certainly come a long way.

Never in a million years did I think I'd like this property

as much as I do now.

Looking back to the picture that you sent me of it, and I was like,

"Absolutely no way.

"There's no way on earth that I could ever imagine living here."

I can't believe it's the same house, but no,

I'm just so pleased we did it.

-It's the best thing we've done I think, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

DION: Polycentric isn't a term I've used too often.

But Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire is an area that the term

polycentric can be applied to, meaning it's got many centres.

Consisting of six towns and multiple suburbs,

today I'm in one of the northern suburbs, Sandyford.

# I'm waiting

# At the end of the road. #

Property I'm here to see is in this very pretty cul-de-sac.

Normally, you've got the odd car,

which is parked in the cul-de-sac, makes it hard to park.

But every single house, bar one, has its own parking space.

And our house is no exception.

It's got a guide price of £55,000,

plus it's an end terrace and it's got three bedrooms.

Let's have a look, shall we?

OK, we are...straight in the door, you've got a bit of a porchway

and the stairs are right in front of you.

And then you're into the first reception room.

Nice high ceiling, which I've noticed.

You've got a fireplace, quite dated fireplace.

I'd want to get rid of that.

Saying that, I can't see any central heating anywhere.

Lovely big window as well.

Looks like there's been a bit of damp there

but it doesn't feel damp at all.

Not a bad-sized room to start off with. What have we got in here?

We've got a little bit of storage under the stairs.

And then into a very blue kitchen.

But it's very, very small.

And round the corner, you've got a very pink downstairs bathroom.

Now, I'm not a fan of downstairs bathrooms anyway.

But a bathroom off the kitchen is not for me.

So, depending on what I'm going to find upstairs...

..that's got to go.

Big kitchen diner for me.

That's the way I would change things around.

# Oh, that's the way, uh-huh, uh-huh I like it, uh-huh, uh-huh... #

Kitchens and bathrooms sell properties these days

and neither of these cut the mustard.

But it might be worth bearing in mind that a downstairs bathroom

could come in handy for visitors who maybe can't use the stairs.

Most modern buildings have to have them.

Anyway, the 64,000 question will be

is there room upstairs for a bathroom?

So, up here, we've got one, two, three bedrooms, no bathroom.

We've got a double bedroom there, double bedroom there,

and a smaller single bedroom just behind me

in a lovely shade of yellow.

So, what I was saying downstairs, get that bathroom up here.

And I would use this small bedroom here to create

a family bathroom up here.

Then you can do what you want to do with the kitchen downstairs.

This first bedroom is a decent size.

Now, people at auction, they buy to rent out, they buy to sell.

Some people buy to live in as well.

If this is the case, with this property,

I would consider popping the toilet and the sink in here.

Make this the master.

Got your toilet there, you haven't got to travel to the family bathroom

in the middle of the night.

And...job's a good 'un.

Well, that's the upstairs sorted, what about the outside?

So, out in the back garden, there's more here than I was expecting.

Yeah, it's a little bit overgrown and it's a bit of a

wraparound garden as well.

It just goes around the side of the house. So...

Lots of space to put a dining table and all that kind of stuff.

But what I've seen is another toilet.

It's just an outside toilet, unfortunately.

But what you could do is get rid of that, knock that wall down,

create some more inside space for the kitchen.

That's definitely the way I would go.

So, shuffle a few things around, knock some walls down and...

# That's the way, uh-huh, uh-huh, I like it, uh-huh, uh-huh

# That's the way, uh-huh, uh-huh, I like it... #

But what does a property expert from the auction house who sold it think?

Are we on the same page?

First impressions of the property is that

it's mainly cosmetic improvements. There's nothing major.

I think the biggest job would be possibly looking to put the bathroom

on the first floor and make the kitchen a larger area downstairs.

Yes, great minds do think alike. It might make the house work better.

But losing a bedroom for a bathroom, how much might that affect

the value of the property that was guided at 55 grand plus?

I think as a two-bedroom property with a first-floor bathroom,

I would anticipate a resale value in the region of £90,000.

If it was retained as a three-bedroom

with a bathroom downstairs,

I would also imagine that the value would be similar at £90,000,

but certainly more saleable with a first-floor bathroom.

And what about rental?

I would anticipate a rental income for even a two-bed

or a three-bedroom property

in the region of £450-500 per calendar month.

I think this is a very pretty house in a nice location.

One thing I'd definitely want to change, though.

Get that bathroom upstairs and then use that space that's left

to create a bigger kitchen.

Let's see who wanted to take this end terrace on

when it went under the hammer.

Lot 24 is three-bedroom end townhouse. Popular spot.

Does need modernising. 50 to start me here?

50 on the front row, thank you. At 50,000, looking for 52 now. 52.

54, sir? 54.

56. 56...

Well, there seemed to be plenty of interest in the Stoke house.

We rejoin the bidding at £60,000.

60, 61. 61.

62, madam? A half, 61.5.

62. Another half?

Yeah, 62.5. 63. Another half?

63.5. 64.

Another half?

Yeah, 64.5, 65.

Another half? 65.5.

No. 65.5, still with you, madam, at £65,500.

66 anywhere else?

If not, 65,500 once, 65,500 twice,

third and final time, £65,500...

You bought it, madam. Well done.

So, for 65.5 grand,

the hammer fell on the three-bed semi in Staffordshire.

And the successful bidder was Alison, and I've met Alison before,

when back in 2015, she bought another property in Stoke-on-Trent.

Along with her partner, Steve, she completely transformed it.

# Hello again!

# Hello again... #

I met her back at her latest purchase to find out what magic

she had planned for this new place.

-Alison, it's nice to see you again.

-And you too.

-Good to see you.

Congratulations. How did the first project go?

It went really well,

we sold the property within one month of it being on the market.

-So, we did fine, we got what we wanted.

-Really?

Yeah, so we're very happy about that.

-And you didn't view that first property, did you?

-No.

-Did you view this one?

-No.

I did send Steve to look through the window.

Well, not send him, but he came and had a look through the windows.

But no, I didn't view it.

It was a last-minute decision.

Alison, Alison.

Viewing properties is Hammer's number-one golden rule.

She did at least read the legal pack, though.

And Steve did see this one.

But one of these days, Alison. One of these days.

# Things go wrong

# Things go wrong... #

What are you going to do to it now it's yours, what's your plans?

Erm, hopefully, we're going to knock this wall through

from the kitchen into the bathroom.

Perhaps make a toilet off the kitchen,

because there is an out...

Yeah, the outside toilet's just through that wall there.

In here, you're looking to create a sort of kitchen...

-Kitchen diner, yes.

-Kitchen diner area.

From the last property,

we learned that a lot of people who came to view it,

although they liked two bedrooms, they also liked a kitchen diner.

So, that's what we hope to do with this.

Are you finding that's the first thing you look to do?

Erm, yeah, it is, really. Yes, the kitchen and the bathroom.

As long as you can do the kitchen and the bathroom and give it

that bit of wow, then I think you can't go wrong.

And what else are you doing?

Move the bathroom, obviously, upstairs.

Whereabouts are you putting it?

Into the little bedroom upstairs at the back, the small bedroom.

I think that will give us enough space to put

quite a nice suite in there, maybe a stand-alone shower.

We'll see what space there is.

And that won't affect your plans for this house,

going from a three-bed to a two?

No, I think, er, saleability wise,

it will actually make it more attractive.

The downstairs bathroom is just a slither of a room, really.

There's nothing you can do to make that nice.

So, I think that's the best thing to do.

How much is that going to cost you? What is your budget?

We've probably got between about 8-10,000.

I have got a bit of contingency, but I think that should do it, yes.

And who's going to do the work for you?

Erm, my other half, Steve, is going to do a lot of the work! Hopefully.

But I'll be knocking walls down.

Erm, we will get somebody in to do the electrics.

But the majority of the work we'll do ourselves between us.

Is this full-time now, nearly full-time? What's your day job?

It is full-time now, although not every day. But, er, yeah, full-time.

I used to work in banking but now I've taken early retirement and...

-Hold it, retirement?!

-Yeah.

-Steady on!

-Early retirement.

I should think so.

And yes, I'm going to concentrate

on doing things like this in the future.

-Good luck, I wish you all the best.

-Thank you.

-Please view your next property.

-I will do, I promise.

-Alison, good luck.

-Thank you!

So, Alison is definitely pushing her luck.

She didn't view the first property and she didn't view this one.

But I think she's got away with it.

It's a nice, quaint little house

with a few things that need to be done.

The bathroom needs to be taken from downstairs to upstairs

and she's got to reconfigure

that kitchen dining area she wants to sort.

I think she'll be fine.

You can find out how she does later in the programme.

Well, earlier we saw how one of the properties turned out

but what about the other two?

Have they been pressing on with the work or has it ground to a halt?

Yes, all sorts of problems can arise.

What have our buyers had to cope with? Let's find out.

Back to Devon now and the highest village in Dartmoor National Park.

Princetown.

Where we came across a traditional two-storey,

three-bed old stone-built cottage.

It certainly had character and interesting features.

It has a feel straight away of a classic Dartmoor cottage.

I mean, look at that fireplace in there. Absolutely magnificent.

But straight away, you get the impression,

with those stairs and everything you're looking at,

it hasn't had much tender loving care for quite a while.

So, all in all, it's just one of those ones...

I think you'd have to move in here for a little bit

and just, hmm, mull it over.

With odd utility areas,

outbuildings and a great-sized garden,

higgledy-piggledy layout wasn't really doing the cottage justice.

There was definitely scope for improvement.

It was bought at auction for 126,000

by property developers Jacqui and Bob,

who had a different outlook on the...

..outlook.

While we drove into the town,

I got told to get out of the car and take a picture of that old mill.

Well, it does look like an old mill, actually.

Tell me why you wanted to buy this place, then.

Well, we basically wanted another renovation project.

We just finished one in Devon.

And we were just looking for another one,

so we popped our heads into the auction and we secured this place.

They thought the key to unlocking the cottage's potential

was by spending £35,000-£40,000 on it.

And they hope to have it ready to sell on

after four months' hard labour.

Now, seven months later, we're back.

New front door, windows reroofed, the cottage is looking pretty fine.

But what about inside?

When you first came into the building, you were just faced

with these stairs going upstairs and a very narrow entrance.

So, what we've done is put a new staircase in,

which has allowed us to open up that area and reconfigure the room,

so you've got, instead of a kitchen,

you're coming into a first reception room.

We've now got a more isolated lounge.

Rooms out the back which were an old utility room,

and another room, provided a kitchen and utility room.

Considering this was a hotchpotch of out rooms, this area is fantastic!

There's even a downstairs cloakroom.

And upstairs is no less impressive.

First is a master bedroom ensuite.

And two double rooms, which are not huge,

but this is a cottage, after all.

And these two bedrooms share a good-sized family bathroom.

With the outside area and the old outbuildings

given a new lease of life, this cottage is looking great.

But making the structural changes were far from straightforward.

The major, major job was the removal of the wall

between the workshop and the rest of the space.

And also knocking through to create the entrance to the utility room.

I mean, it's what, about two foot thick.

And I shudder when I think we were actually going to do that ourselves.

And I thank the Lord that we didn't.

Because we ended up with a very personal small quarry out the back.

Which, you know, we are so grateful to the Parks Department

for all their help in helping us to remove the stone.

And in turn, using some of their specialist tools to create holes

in the stonework, which we could never have done

with ordinary power tools.

This is a classic case of cooperation and recycling.

Council Parks Department lent specialist tools in return

for the stone, which will be used for projects in the area.

It's a perfect solution.

Jacqui and Bob tackled an amazing array of jobs themselves.

No mean feat when you remember what a wreck this was.

We basically rejigged the internal layout.

Bob put the staircase in and the walls up, and the children helped,

right down to our 11-year-old putting up plasterboard.

Once they checked the damp and cracks, they had the roof,

plumbing and electrics sorted out by professionals.

But they also decided to call in other professionals,

like decorators and plasterers.

Normally, we would do most things ourselves.

Erm, but with the scale of the project here,

we wanted to move it on fairly quickly, so we did, actually.

We got plasterers and decorators.

However, plastering in one of the highest locations in England

wasn't so straightforward.

Low cloud in the summer months meant a lot of moisture in the air,

so it took ages to dry out for the painters.

So, with all the challenges and having changed strategy

and calling in more professionals than they'd originally planned,

have they managed to keep to their £35,000-£40,000 budget?

It doubled, basically, it went to 80.

But that said, I still think that that's good for this property.

Was this a case of money well spent?

Even with their total spend of 206,000,

I think they should be OK for a resale valuation,

as they've done a cracking job.

Will two local property agents agree?

It's a lovely, good-sized detached house, double-fronted.

They're always the best.

This is one of the oldest houses in Princetown

and it's been beautifully done.

Well, clearly the house is a few hundred years old originally.

But the way that they've rejigged it with open-plan living at the back,

particularly for the kitchen-breakfast room,

is just what people are looking for these days.

They've worked the layout really well.

Classic upstairs, and downstairs, the two reception rooms,

the walk through to the lovely...

And the first hit, as you just drop down to the kitchen breakfast room,

is straight down the garden.

The garden isn't quite world-class at the moment.

But when it is, that will be a superb view straight down,

all the way. Well, it's beautiful.

Jacqui and Bob renovated this property to sell on.

They paid 126,000 and have spent 80,000 on it.

A grand total of 206,000.

So, what do the agents think it could sell for?

We'd expect this house to sell for in the region

of £265,000-275,000 at the moment.

I would see it at £285,000.

285 for me is probably the starting point.

265 is a bit low.

If Jacqui and Bob were to even get what they considered to be

the starting point of 285,000,

that would mean a profit of 79,000 minus any taxes and fees.

And should they have chosen to rent it out,

the agents reckon a figure of around £800 per calendar month,

which would generate a yield of around 4.5%.

How do they now feel about what they've achieved here?

If I had my way, we wouldn't be selling this place!

I would live here tomorrow, but unfortunately,

our plans in life mean that we do need to sell it.

Oh, I think Jacqui's rather fallen for this place.

# It must be love Love, love

# It must be love Love, love... #

DION: It was in the Sandyford district of Stoke-on-Trent

that we first saw this three-bed semi that was certainly colourful.

A very blue kitchen. But it's very, very small.

And round the corner you've got a very pink downstairs bathroom.

Now, I'm not a fan of downstairs bathrooms anyway.

But a bathroom off the kitchen is not for me.

So, depending on what I'm going to find upstairs...

..that's got to go. Big kitchen diner for me.

There are times when downstairs bathrooms are fine,

but this isn't one of them.

# It's not right, it's not right for you. #

There was also an outside loo that seemed perfectly placed

to come in from the cold

and be incorporated in a redesigned downstairs.

Perhaps space upstairs for a bathroom?

This was like one of those puzzles where you've got all the pieces

but they're in all the wrong places.

It was bought at auction for 65.5 grand

by former banker turned property developer Alison.

Although she broke one of the cardinal rules by not viewing

the house, she was pretty clear on what she wanted to do.

From the last property,

we learned that a lot of people who came to view it,

although they liked two bedrooms, they also liked a kitchen diner.

So, that's what we hope to do with this.

Are you finding that's the first thing you look to do?

Erm, yeah, it is really, yes. The kitchen and the bathroom.

As long as you can do the kitchen and the bathroom and give it that

bit of wow, then I think you can't go wrong.

Oh, brave words! Can't go wrong, eh?

But to make sure this refurbishment went to plan, she had partner Steve

by her side, who was a gas engineer and an all-round handyman.

And together with a budget of £8,000-£10,000,

they hoped to turn it all around within three months and sell it on.

Four months later and we're back. Alison is a fast mover.

They've sold this house already. So, let's get in quick.

In the front reception room, Steve has installed central heating.

But has Alison delivered on the kitchen?

In the kitchen, we started there,

we knocked down the wall between the bathroom and the kitchen.

Opened up the outside storage areas,

the outside toilet, into the kitchen.

Originally, we had three bedrooms upstairs.

Erm, the smaller bedroom at the back,

we moved the bathroom into there.

There are the odd snagging jobs to finish off.

The garden, for one, needs a bit of a tidy-up. But it's not bad.

Not bad at all.

I was responsible for choosing the paint,

choosing the tiles for the kitchen and the bathroom.

I did the painting, all the wallpaper stripping,

cleaning, everything like that.

All the heavy works, my partner Steve did that.

He's been great, I really couldn't have done this without him.

One job they did need to get a builder in for

was to block up a window and a couple of doorways.

But finding the materials was a bit of a challenge.

# Hunting high and low

# High... #

We originally scoured the reclaim building yards

to get the bricks to brick up the doorways outside and the window.

Erm, we did that so that outside looks nice and neat.

We're quite pleased with that.

Yes, it's not a bad match.

Not maybe a match made in heaven but pretty good.

# We go well together... #

But with property developing being relatively new to Alison,

is she finding she's suited to her new career path?

I'm learning each time we do something

and I like to be my own boss.

And it's just something else to do.

I'm a bit too young to retire completely and I like to have

a challenge and I thought this was an opportunity to get that.

It certainly is.

But one area where banking skills should come to the fore

is managing that budget.

We did have a budget of 8-10,000, we have exceeded that slightly,

up to a figure of about 12,000.

But we are pleased with that and we're happy with the result.

£12,000 on top of her 65.5 grand purchase price

takes her total spend here

to £77,500.

But moving the bathroom has turned this house from a three-bed

to a two-bed house.

So, are the changes for the better?

What did two local estate agents think?

The general look, it's beautiful, very well presented

and I think everything's being done to a really good high standard.

It's an excellent standard of finish.

Erm, it's been updated throughout

and it's ready to move straight into.

I think the layout flows really well.

You've got a nice open-plan lounge

going into the beautiful fitted kitchen.

And handy to have a separate toilet downstairs.

I particularly like where it's situated, in the cul-de-sac.

I like the open aspect at the back.

Currently, Alison's model is to buy and sell on.

And given that she's sold this one already,

this seems to be working for her. But is it profitable?

She's invested 77.5 grand,

so what do the estate agents think this house could sell for?

The resale value of the property will be between sort of £90-95,000.

I would recommend a figure in the region of £93,000.

We have actually sold the property to our electrician, actually.

The selling price is 94,000.

So, we've made a profit on that,

which suits us and suits him as well.

So, well within the estate agents' valuations, good stuff.

And with a 16.5 grand profit, minus taxes and fees, of course,

Alison is ready to carry on with her flourishing property career.

She's already bought two properties since we saw her last.

Two properties at the same time? She loves a challenge!

It could be a bit busier than doing one, but until I try it,

I won't really know what it will be like.

But I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Well, that's another set of property owners that have enjoyed

the highs and lows of buying at auction.

Yes, that is it for today's show, but before you sob

into your morning coffee, don't panic,

we will be back with more action from the auction

-very soon here on Homes Under The Hammer.

-Goodbye.