Black Country To Buy or Not to Buy

SONG: "The Sound Of Music"

# The... #

-What are you doing?

-Nothing.

-HE MOUTHS:

-What?!

On To Buy Or Not To Buy today, we are aiming to prove

that a small budget shouldn't necessarily mean small expectations.

We're going to be helping a young mum upgrade her family's life

by moving them into a picture-postcard home.

Can you hear that music?

-Do you want me to sing?

-No, I do not.

One day, Rani, if you're very, very good,

all of this could be yours.

Really? The Clent Hills in the West Midlands?

Yes, the Clent Hills, within commutable distance of Birmingham.

-It is an absolutely beautiful place.

-Lovely, isn't it?

And, hang on, speaking of beauty, is that today's house buyer?

-It is. Hi!

-Where?

-Wave, Ed. Hi!

-Wave in what direction?

-She's waving back. Hi!

Yes, today's beautiful house hunter is Christel Woods

who has been living in her current home in Tipton for the last seven years.

She lives together with her partner Craig and their five-month-old daughter Casey.

-Their dream is to find the perfect family home.

-But that, of course, comes at a cost.

So while Craig's trying to raise extra funds, Christel has called in

reinforcements in the shape of her Aunt Debbie.

And Aunt Debbie is not only an expert

sorting out houses, she's also a dab hand at painting and decorating.

-While Christel has a passion for poetry.

-Painting and poetry - what more could we want?

Now, Christel, I believe you are somewhat of a keen poet.

Yeah, you know, when it's someone's birthday or a special occasion,

I can sort of put pen to paper and make a little ditty for them.

-I like it!

-Most people give up doing things like that.

Christel, in the world of houses, you have a picture in your mind,

a very specific picture as to what type of property you want.

-I have. A doll's house.

-Right.

A door in the middle, two windows at the bottom and two at the top.

So you're talking about a kid's drawing of a house with the little windows there

-and the windows there and the little door there and the chimney doing that?

-Yeah.

It sounds like a perfect beautiful house.

The property you're in at the moment, what's the problem? Why do you want to move?

It's only a two-bedroom property, so we need a three-bedroom.

Really, I just think it's somewhere better for the kids than where they live now.

So are we talking about local parks, the actual property itself, schools, or is it the whole package?

-The whole package.

-Debbie, what do you think that we need inside the house?

A nice-sized living room, because they like large living rooms.

The kitchen isn't a problem. It can be small, big...

That isn't a problem - they don't cook.

THEY LAUGH

-Hang on, Debbie!

-You can't say that on national television!

So you're saying no cooking. Christel, your comeback is?

I do cook and with the right kitchen, I'm planning on cooking more.

-So you're building up towards cooking?

-I am.

Is there any kind of food that you might one day wish to cook?

-Toast.

-I can cook some stuff.

-Anything.

I can cook some stuff. Deb's lying.

So it's a terribly rude question, but here it comes.

What is the budget?

At the moment, unfortunately, due to Craig being out of work, the budget is around £80,000.

If Craig gets in work, which obviously, he's looking,

we could stretch to maybe £100,000, maybe a little more.

All right, so we'll play within the parameters of between £80,000 and £100,000.

There's nothing like the pressure of a house to make things happen.

-We'll do that. Is that good?

-Yeah, that's great.

-All right, wish us luck.

-Good luck.

-Thank you very much.

-See you later on.

-Bye.

-Bye.

Ed, Christel - she has a lovely dream. I just wish she had a bigger budget.

Rani, she's got enough money, trust me.

If you don't believe it, go to the estate agents and find out.

-I will do.

-I'm going to go and talk to some people.

Today's search area encompasses the Black Country.

But what is the Black Country?

You won't find it on any map, but it's generally assumed to be

the area west of Birmingham and centred around Dudley.

The name is thought to be a description of the landscape

which was rendered dark by the vast coal deposits in the soil.

The area has suffered economically in recent times, but the character of the people remains strong.

They are fiercely proud of their heritage and unique dialect.

So, with the ACCENT on choice,

what would a budget of 80-100K buy you in other regions of the UK?

In Liverpool this three-bedroom terraced house has been furnished

to a high standard and offers ample kitchen and bathroom space.

On the market for £90,000.

This rather quirky middling-terrace house in Newcastle upon Tyne

has a lovely living room, three bedrooms and even has a conservatory.

For sale at offers over £100,000.

But if that's a bit too much for your budget, how about this town house in West Yorkshire?

It's still got the three bedrooms and a decent amount of space,

but the best thing is it's on the market for £78,000.

Inspired by Christel's poetry, I have come to Halesowen to craft a poem of my very own.

But I shall be using the people of this fair town.

Finding a house is bad enough

The credit crunch has made things tough...

To Buy Or Not To Buy is the best show ever

They house the nation whatever the weather...

Rain, snow, hail or sleet

They know what's available on your street...

-Thank you very much. You want "The most handsome one is called Ed Hall..."

-Yeah, yeah.

I think I can just about...

The handsome one...

is Eddie Ball.

-And then what's after that now?

-"Propertywise, he's on the ball."

Propertywise, he's on the ball...

-Go.

-So if you're in need why not try the brilliant show...

Called Buy Or Not To Buy.

TO Buy Or Not To Buy!

Amateurs.

-How have you got on?

-Really well, actually.

I've found a property in Halesowen, because that's somewhere she mentioned.

I've got to say, a brilliant-size garden.

However, the house itself, it's got the space, but it definitely needs a lot of work.

Now, my property is in Sedgley, which is very near to Tipton, where Christel currently is,

and most importantly, very near Auntie Debbie, which is lovely.

The house... I don't want to say too much about it, but I think it's everything they want.

It really is lovely. The garden is lovely, it's lovely.

-OK, well, it sounds excellent.

-They don't need to do any work.

OK, then of course there's the wild card, which is our joint choice.

Now, it has got everything and more than they require currently at this moment in their life.

And it's in the lovely area of cuddly Dudley.

So where should we start the property hunt today?

-Should we start with the project?

-The one of Rani's that means that

-Debbie will never ever, ever, ever, ever have any free time in her life again?

-That's the one!

Property one is situated in Halesowen.

With a nature reserve next door and a quaint Victorian facade, this should be a winner.

I said "should be". There's work to be done.

OK, welcome to property number one.

This one is MY choice. This is Halesowen.

Now, you said you had a really clear picture of a house that was kind of detached.

OK, it's not perfectly-detached,

but there is a little alleyway on that side

and there is a little alleyway on half of that side. Does that work?

It may do.

I think we'll see what's inside.

Why the word "may"?

I think it's probably not what I would have chosen initially, just from the looks from outside.

Mainly just probably because it's still terraced.

But obviously, like you said, it is sort of like an end terrace,

-so I'm not ruling it out.

-OK, fair enough.

Debbie, looking at the property, what do you think?

-I don't like it.

-Go on, explain. Why is it not for you?

I think it looks old-old.

OK.

-But that's just the exterior.

-The street,

I think it's too built-up with cars.

Have an open mind and think about the space and the location.

Halesowen, this is somewhere you want to be.

All right, I'm going to hold my breath and you go in there and have a look around.

-Good luck. Enjoy.

-Thank you.

Right.

-OK.

-I didn't expect that bed to be there.

-Big room.

-Yeah, it is a big room.

-Good potential, really.

-OK, let's have a look at another room.

I just didn't expect a bedroom.

Yeah, well, they can have this as their living room.

-Or a bedroom downstairs, should they wish it.

-They don't need it.

-They've got space upstairs.

-That's better.

-Yeah, this one looks a bit better, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

-I like that window.

-I like that it's bright.

-Yeah, I like this one, Chris. I like this room.

-Oh!

-Oh, my giddy granny!

OK. It is strange.

I've never seen anything like it.

It is very strange.

That's cute, isn't it?

I do like that window.

I always say it would be nice to wash up and have something to look out at.

It's quirky, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Oh! Kitchen to the...

OK.

Right, tiny bathroom. I think it's a bit strange

to be so close to the kitchen, where you're cooking.

No, I wouldn't like that.

-There isn't space, if they're going to have three bedrooms, for a full upstairs bathroom. However...

-What?

-There is one really big room and that can have an en suite.

-Well, if the adults are happy...

OK. Would you say this was the main bedroom, maybe?

Do you think?

-This is big.

-It is a big size.

-I do like the fire.

-The fire's nice.

It's only decorating-wise.

Just decorating, you'd have to do.

What was interesting there, the little dynamic that kicked in, Debbie threw the positive.

Unusual shape, isn't it, actually?

-This I could see probably Casey's room.

-Yeah.

Because of the size of it.

I like the window. That's a big window.

Let's have a look what you can see out of it.

Wow! Huge garden, it looks like, Deb.

We are in that "wow", aren't we? We're in it.

This wouldn't be the master bedroom, would it?

To be fair, it's a good-sized room, actually.

Obviously bunk beds would fit there.

The lads would have some place to play because obviously this wouldn't be there.

But I'm still thinking two lads in a room, it's not that big, is it?

-Well, you could fit bunk beds in this room.

-You could.

You would be better off to have then in the bigger room.

I think you're being very generous there.

-I like the garden.

-Yeah, I think there's definitely

potential if you needed to expand.

I don't think you'd have to, but I do like...

-It just boils down to the amount of work you'd have to do.

-Yeah.

So, Debbie, I'm going to ask you what did you think of the house?

Lovely features, fantastic features.

The old features, the fireplace.

It still would need a bit of work but it's just brilliant, the size of it. It seems nice and peaceful.

So, yeah, it does require a lot of work to the property, but it might

be worth doing because it looks good. The sizes are kind of right?

-Yeah, the sizes are OK.

-And from the outside you were less sure but now you've looked at the whole thing...

Yeah, it's OK. That can be done.

-Shall we play guess the price?

-Yep.

-Because that is quite important, I think.

-It is, definitely.

So we were playing between £80,000 and £100,000 with our budget.

Who wants to go first?

I'll just have to give it a guess at maybe £73,000.

That may be too low because there's the potential garden, the size of it and that. But a lot of work, I think.

£73,000 you're sticking with, but you're unsure.

That's good, you've covered all your bases there. Debbie?

£76,000.

-OK. It originally went on the market at £99,000.

-You're joking!

-That's high, isn't it?

That was five months ago.

The price has actually come down

and it's on the market now at £92,950.

I know the price is a bit of a shock but, just to let you know, a property just down the road

has all been completely renovated and that's just gone for £125,000.

-See? That's good.

-We don't just show one house on this programme.

-Really?

We don't. We show three daily. They're all exciting, they're all lovely, and my one is next.

-Shall we go?

-Yes.

-Come on then.

Christel said she wanted a child's drawing of a house.

Property two could well be that place. It's in Sedgley, a garden suburb with a real village feel.

I think our search could end here.

Christel and Debbie, walk towards this property here and,

is it just me, or does that not look like a child's drawing of a house?

-It does. It's spot on.

-It's bang on.

You've got all the windows in the right place there.

So, from the outside, Debbie, you were hard to be pleased at Rani's property. What do you reckon here?

-Brilliant.

-We're in Sedgley. Now, Sedgley's not that far away from where you are now, is it?

-No, it's not.

-So do you know the area kind of at all?

I've got a couple of friends who live over this way, so that's OK.

So what are your thoughts on this property?

-I really like it.

-Is this the dream?

-It looks lovely, yeah.

So sizewise it's good.

-You like the character of it?

-Yeah, I do. It looks nice.

So this is like a 1930s.

That, I was led to believe once, was when building and building materials

came together in perfect harmony to form the greatest houses.

Whether that's true or not is another thing.

Any reservations, Debbie?

-No.

-None? None whatsoever?

-No.

-You like this?

Yeah. I like the feel of this one.

Good. It is about feel.

Are you ready to go and feel your way around the inside of a house?

-Definitely.

-OK.

-Keep your eyes open, though.

-In 3, 2, 1, enjoy that house.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

-Oh!

-I like this. I like this. It's nice, isn't it?

-Yeah, this is nice.

-Have that! What did they say in you're one?

"I can't believe there's a bedroom here." This, "I like this" echoed.

-Really nice. Wow!

-Oh, yes.

Isn't that nice?

It's absolutely... It's brilliant, isn't it?

You don't need nothing done to it at all.

And French doors in the living room. Perfect.

I like them in a kitchen, but in a living room that's even nicer.

Oh, my God!

That's to die for.

Oh, that's beautiful!

-Very smart.

-It is, it's lovely, isn't it?

Very smart, yeah.

I really like this. That's really good.

There's nothing to do in here apart from a change of colour.

I like that, somewhere you could put a picture or a mirror.

-What's in there?

-I don't know.

Let's have a look. It's the bathroom.

That's a good size, isn't it?

-Tiled.

-It isn't big big.

It's not big but it's no smaller than my own at home.

I would say the upstairs is where maybe you could

get some kind of joy at my expense, because the upstairs is a little bit smaller than even YOUR house.

This would be Casey's bedroom because it's small and its yellow.

This is lovely, isn't it, as well? It's a perfect size, isn't it?

You could fit a cot in here easily and a wardrobe, obviously.

-And a bed when she's bigger.

-That'd happy, that's good.

-That's good. All sorted.

-Tick.

-Next room, please.

-Next room.

-OK.

-That might be a problem.

Yeah. I think the only problem that there is, though.

Will it have room for two boys?

I mean, you could probably maybe get...

Even if you've got bunk beds, you're still going to have a problem with all the toys.

You know how much stuff's in Leyton's room. You're not going to do it.

It was going so well up until now.

And Debbie's come with the harsh reality.

-She's probably right.

-Hang on...

-The room is a little bit smaller.

That's nice, isn't it?

I was thinking this looked a little bit small compared to my own bedroom,

but when you think, obviously, that's your wardrobe all fitted, and a double bed.

-Perfect.

-You won't have a cot in your room.

-Casey would have her own room.

Lovely, lovely house.

Really nice. Nicely done.

-OK, shall we have a look outside and go and talk about a price?

-Yeah.

So I think that was very interesting.

My favourite part of it is you worked very well together, because you're the logic, Debbie.

No matter how much you said, "Don't you think it's a bit small?"

You found a solution to every single element of it,

-which would lead me to believe that you like it quite a lot.

-Yeah, it's lovely, it's beautiful.

Just everything about it, really.

Nothing needs doing, other than the bedroom.

That's the one thing, the only downside.

The garden's fantastic. It seems a nice area.

I just can't believe it's spot on.

-All right then.

-We think it's way above budget.

-Yeah, OK.

Well, let's get on to the budget.

So you're saying your budget is between £80,000 and £100,000,

depending on the situation with work and everything.

You were closest last time, weren't you, Debbie?

Would you like to go first this time?

OK. 125-126.

You think I would have gone that far over?

Way over budget, then.

-Yeah.

-I would say maybe 115.

-115, 126?

-Yeah.

-OK, Ed.

Someone is bang on. And it's you, Christel.

I don't believe it.

So it is £115,000 on the market. It's been on for a while and we've been led to believe that they will

take an offer, which is why we thought it was worth showing you. Are you excited about the wild card?

I am, yeah. I just can't think what it might be, but it is exciting.

OK, let's go to that, think about that and Rani's. This is exciting.

-OK, it's this way.

-Come on, then.

Right then, Ed. When you want the perfect house, what do you do?

-I don't know, compromise?

-Well, you only buy half of it, of course.

-Ah, that makes perfect sense.

On the face of it, this house does look beyond today's budget, but where there's a will, there's a way.

Right then, Christel, it's now time to show you the wild card.

All right. First up, we're in Dudley.

I want first impressions straight away.

First impressions... I reckon it might be sort of a percentage share in the house, possibly.

It just looks very nice, the area,

-very quiet and possibly over budget, but sharing it.

-OK, you are right.

This is shared ownership.

-Now, have you looked at shared ownership before?

-I have looked at a few, yeah.

I think, you know, obviously because of our budget it would make sense financially.

It's an interesting way of doing it because you can basically buy 50%.

So you take the mortgage out on 50% of the property and you pay rent, so

-you get a chance to get a mortgage on a property that's really quite big.

-Yeah, that's good. Good idea.

So you're happy with that?

-Yeah, definitely.

-So now we've got that all cleared up, Debbie,

-is this a beautiful property or is this a beautiful property?

-Yeah, it is.

-You like it?

-Yeah.

-There it is.

-Go through the door and welcome to a new world. Enjoy.

-Good luck.

This is nice. I like the fact you've got a big space in the hallway.

That looks really nice, actually.

I like that wallpaper.

Now, this is really nice.

-Your settee.

-Yeah, my settee would fit there perfectly.

-Same kind, isn't it?

-I like this, Chris.

Big size as well, nice and bright.

Colours you need. You won't even have to change anything.

No, not really. Now, this is lovely.

Oh yeah, this is better.

-Yeah, this is really nice, isn't it?

-This is definitely better.

Dining table, so that's good. I could fit my own dining table in there.

And I wouldn't need to change the kitchen at all.

-No.

-Not one bit.

There we go, good job. Kitchen, fantastic.

-Good size.

-They shouldn't change it.

-Nice garden, Deb.

-Yeah.

Not massive but it's good and tidy. It's lovely, that is.

-And you are not overlooked.

-No, I'm not.

-That's all right.

-Yeah, that's really nice.

Showing this garden after my one, really, was never, ever going to generate a real whoop.

OK, this room's smaller than I thought but perfect for the baby, obviously.

Yeah, for Casey.

-Yeah, it's nice for Casey.

-Ideal.

Ideal for Leyton and Bradley.

This is fantastic. Yeah, they'd love this.

Bunk beds as well, which is good.

And you've got all this space.

Yeah, Rani, do you know a fact about that bunk bed room? Too slow!

That bunk bed room is, in fact, the biggest room of the house.

Is that true? Is that bigger than the master bedroom?

Let's look at what's in here.

A good-sized bathroom as well.

Smells like a sauna.

No, it's a good size, though, isn't it?

This is nice, isn't it?

This is a good size as well.

-Pretty.

-Very girly.

I like that painting, the way they've done that design on the wall.

That's really pretty, isn't it, for a little girl?

You'll have the small room, then, and Casey can have the big room.

No, she wouldn't need this room. Too big.

What they're thinking is that this is only a three-bedroom house, aren't they?

Their judging everything by, like, every room has to be occupied by a child, in their mind.

Oh, that's good.

A study!

No, that's really nice.

Play room, games room. Brilliant.

So then, Debbie, do you think there's a lot of work to be done in this house?

-No.

-You don't have to get your paintbrush out, then?

-No.

-What did you think of it?

-I think it's ideal for her.

Well, this is good news. And there was no real debate there, whereas in the last one, my one,

it was, "I couldn't cram into this room."

Anyway, Christel, you're the one who's buying it. What do you think?

Practically, the size and that, you can't beat this one.

The garden's a little bit smaller than what I would have liked.

Sizewise, it was brilliant having the extra bedroom.

That was a shock and it was a nice shock.

And also the kitchen, fantastic.

You can tell it's a family home.

The area seems lovely, nice and quiet. So, yeah, it's good.

Now, of course, we did mention outside this is a shared ownership, so when we do guess the price now

we are actually only doing it on 50% of the property because that is all that is up for sale, OK?

How much do you think this property is up for grabs for, only, of course, the part you can buy? OK.

-I think around £95,000.

-£95,000?

Yeah, I think.

OK, all right. Debbie?

I think it's deceiving so I'm going to say £63,000.

£63,000.

Congratulations, Christel.

It's £85,000.

So not as much as you thought but way over what you thought.

-I'm silly.

-It boils down to sums, this one, really, doesn't it?

In terms of what you can get your mortgage for.

Can you get it for a little bit more then maybe kind of help you out paying the rental aspect.

With the rental aspect you can actually buy the whole house, so you can pay it off in chunks.

So it's not that you'll only for ever own 50% of it,

you can actually buy the whole thing but you can buy it at your own pace.

-Yeah, that's good.

-You're at the point where you have to go away and make the biggest

decision of your adult lives about which one you wish to test drive.

Are you ready and capable, and able?

-Yeah, we are.

-All right, wander off that way and we will see you inside

your chosen vehicle later on. Good luck. See you in a bit.

Good luck with that. While they do that, he has a quick recap of the properties for you at home.

Property one left Christel and Debbie a little bemused,

but it warrants further consideration.

Get past the obvious shortcomings

and it could be a great investment at £92,950.

I'm confident property two will win today.

It had everything they asked for, from its kerb appeal at the front

to that super-sized garden around the back.

But it was over budget at £115,000.

But for Christel and Debbie it fell down on the bedroom sizes,

something the wild card addressed.

If you can make the figures work, part ownership could be the answer,

though not everyone qualifies, so check with your local authority.

A 50% stake in today's wild card is £85,000.

-Christel has decided to test drive the wild card.

-Our shared choice.

Is that poetic justice, then?

She's drawn inspiration from the place.

For one of her poems, you mean.

I'm getting all emotional, Ed.

I've chosen the wild card.

It's a 50% share but I can imagine my family in there.

The kitchen is fabulous, it's well worth looking.

It may even tempt me to get into cooking.

The bedrooms are ace, an extra one, too.

The decor is perfect, there's no work to do.

She's not wrong there.

Butterflies and flowers on the pink room wall.

I really quite like it, this house has it all.

Have we got our answer? Let's find out.

Christel and Debbie, you have test driven the wild card, the question I want to know is why?

Well, I did love number two. Absolutely loved that property.

-It was lovely, wasn't it?

-It was beautiful.

-But...

But practically, the rooms weren't big enough.

So, Debbie, has Christel picked the right one, would you say?

Yes. Sizewise, yep. Definitely.

This one has inspired you to write poetry as well.

A nice little ditty you wrote. I was very impressed with that. I can't write any poetry.

We've often been inspired but we've fallen flat at the first hurdle.

And a property-based poem as well.

We should hire you on a daily rate for this.

-Yeah, we could take you on.

-Only speak in poetry.

The big question, then.

To buy or not to buy?

-To buy.

-To buy?

That is absolutely brilliant news.

-So you think you could make this work, then?

-Definitely, yes.

Right, we're going to leave you here outside your new home and then we'll wander off into the distance.

-Lovely to meet you both.

-Thank you so much for coming on the show.

-Thank you.

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