Shepherds Bush To Buy or Not to Buy

Today, we're in Shepherd's Bush, so called because back in the day,

shepherds brought their flocks of sheep here to graze upon this beautiful grass prior to market.

I don't fancy their chances much today, though. The grass may still be absolutely lovely

but 18 different bus routes circle round this green. They wouldn't...

You know? I'm sorry, but they...

Come on, Flossie, let's go and get some mint sauce.

We could only find a property for one person today, right?

The sheep we will have to do at a later point. Put it down.

Put it down. Put it down.

A bit of grass here, look. Pretend it's having a little bit of food.

He's a grown adult working for the BBC.

Shall we go and do the programme now?

-Well, it's a nice area. He's probably quite safe.

-It's pathetic.

Today's house buyer is 24-year-old Amelie...

..who's moved to the bright lights of the big city from a sleepy village in Cambridgeshire.

She's being helped on her hunt by her best mate, Zoe, who she met at uni.

They like to shop. Oh, yes, they do. And shop and shop and shop.

-In fact, she wants to live in west London so she can...

-Wait for it.

-Shop.

-She's currently renting but is looking to buy her first property,

a flat with space to store all that shopping and the perfect party pad.

Zoe and Amelie, we are about to experience quite a joyous event today,

-because we are househunting in one of the most expensive places in the world to live in for Amelie.

-Yes.

And are we buying together? Are we looking for a two-bedroom place?

-Two-bed, yeah. I'd like to live with her, but if she can't, then a one-bed.

-That would be a tragedy.

Zoe, you've got a vested interest to get a two-bed flat today, cos then you're sorted.

-Have you seen anything before?

-I found one that I really liked.

-What happened there?

-Didn't get it.

It's still quite tricky in London looking for properties. Has it been any easier in the recession period?

They're just going so quickly. You'll find one you like, but then there's ten other people that like it too.

There's loads more buyers than sellers, which is why prices go up, but you've got nothing to sell.

-You've got money from... Is it an inheritance?

-Inheritance, yeah.

-Right, so you can go straightaway.

-Yeah.

-So if we find something today, we've got a deal.

-I know!

You're hot to trot, as they would say in the markets.

OK, so where are we looking for?

-I live in Shepherd's Bush at the moment, west London.

-SheBu.

-SheBu.

And anywhere round there, anywhere near Westfield.

Right. And of course, this is a shopping centre.

-Yes.

-She loves it.

-You love it!

-Not as much as you!

If you get this flat together, the retail twins that you are,

what's the roles going to be in this house? Who's the cook?

-Me.

-Definitely.

-She can't cook. She lives off chicken nuggets.

You've looked at properties and failed to find the one of your dreams because you got outbid.

-Have you looked at the idea of doing any work?

-Erm, yes.

That is the least convincing yes I have ever heard in my life.

-I think you'd just want...

-I wouldn't know where to start.

-What do you want from this house? Will you have parties there and upset the neighbours?

-Yeah.

-OK. So that's a definite.

-Yeah.

That means a decent-sized kitchen.

Let's not go down the kitchen part, or living room, or outdoor space. Is that a deal-breaker?

-Do you definitely want outdoor space?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-So, all right, let's talk turkey. How much money have we got?

-3-3-0.

-"3-3-0"?

I've never heard it delivered in that way.

-Would that translate to £330,000?

-Exactly.

-OK, good, yeah. Good.

All right. Will you wish us luck?

-Good luck!

-Thank you. See you later.

-Don't trip over.

I was very excited this morning when I thought about helping two young ladies look around for a new home.

-I could actually tell that.

-Having said that...

-Uh-huh.

..after meeting them, they seem a bit confused. I'm not sure it's going to be that easy.

Well, they've never done this before. At the age of 24, if you gave me £330,000 to spend,

-do you know what I'd buy? Lollipops probably.

-Well, let's tell them what they want.

-Let's give them three options and, hopefully, by the end of the day we'll have a new home.

-Definitely.

The Shepherd's Bush area of west London, or SheBu, as the locals like to call it, is vibrant and bustling.

There are fashionable bars and gastropubs everywhere, and it's home to a number of famous venues.

There's even a nightclub in an old public loo.

It's recently become a shopping Mecca and home to Europe's largest urban shopping mall.

Amelie and Zoe's bank accounts could be cleared out there in no time.

It's bordered by Hammersmith and, together, they have an abundance

of traditional streets full of period properties, many of which have been divided into flats.

330 grand won't get you far in London, but what could it get you elsewhere?

This three-bedroomed stone-built period property near Leeds

has three bedrooms, character features

and a cottage-style wildlife garden.

Or this five-bedroom Edwardian terraced house in Cardiff.

It's got two reception rooms, two bathrooms and is stylish and modern.

This detached former farmhouse in Little Bampton near Carlisle

is bursting top to bottom with exposed beams and has four bedrooms.

One's even got its own balcony.

Now back to West London, where we've got a job to do.

Why can't we find anything within our budget of 330-odd grand?

There are a lot of people out there at the moment, and London has an international appeal.

And at the moment, the pound's historically low against the euro, and that's encouraging a lot

of Italian and French buyers to come across,

which is further reducing the supply of properties relative to the number of buyers that are in the market.

£330,000 for, say, a one-to-two-bedroom flat -

who is she in competition with as buyers in that market?

We're beginning to see buy-to-let investors return,

but predominantly it is first-time buyers, funded by the Bank of Mum and Dad.

Is there any advice for people who are trying to buy round that mark?

Be armed with your finance, make sure it's in place, because

if you can offer a quick deal, that's worth something to the client.

More often than not, you'll be able to beat a bid that's marginally higher but less well prepared.

We have looked, we've cast our net far and wide.

We've gone for some intriguing ideas. And they are intriguing.

-They're not the biggest.

-But, in fact, well, I won't give too much away.

-I think mine probably is the biggest.

-Yes. And it's not that big.

But it's also the furthest away from our target area.

Now, let's compare. It's all about size, isn't it?

Size counts here in London.

This one, nearly 700 square foot.

But Zoe will be happy.

She gets somewhere to put her beautiful head at night.

Zoe will be livid with what I've done with this. Look at it.

It's not very big.

But this is what people are prepared to put up with here.

This is in Brackenbury Village. It's nearest to the tube, the transport links, the nice areas.

It's very lovely. But it is very small.

And I can't stress this enough - Zoe is not going to live there.

Not happy. Now, wild card.

-What makes this wild is...

-Well, look at the way it looks!

It's pointy, it's an angle, for a start!

When is a flat or apartment not a flat or an apartment?

-When it's that one.

-It has a lot of things they've asked for,

and they will get to know each other even better,

because it's not particularly big.

-But it's in a very nice area.

-So these are the properties.

They all look like Lego blocks, don't they?

Where shall we start the property hunt?

Let's go furthest away and then come back into London, so my property, property number one.

This two-bedroom gem is on the...

HE COUGHS

..edge of Shepherd's Bush. It has a great living room, perfect for parties and a good-sized kitchen.

I always find myself in the kitchen at parties.

So, then, Zoe and Amelie, we are just outside

the city limits of Shepherd's Bush, SheBu, as you call it.

Now, on the borders of Acton, this could be...

We're in Acton, aren't we?

All right! He always pick up on these.

Yeah, we're in Acton. But a stone's throw from Shepherd's Bush,

-maybe a very large stone's throw from that lovely shopping.

-Yes.

This could be your new home. What do you think?

Is this a house or a flat?

-Good question! Right, Jonnie?

-Wow!

Well, this is a flat. It's a ground-floor flat, which means...

You do exercise videos, a little birdie tells me.

-You can jump up and down, you can do your star jumps and squat thrusts and you won't upset anyone.

-Good.

When you go inside, pay particular attention to the floor,

-cos I think it's come straight out of a very posh exercise studio.

-Ooh!

Go inside and make the most of what is potentially

one of the biggest properties you can afford in your budget.

All right? Go through that green door!

-Enter! Go, go!

-Yay!

-Yay!

Come on in!

-It's a good size!

-Wow!

-Got lots of storage.

-Really good storage.

-Good party space.

The lounge does have good party potential.

I like the open-plan-ness of how they've obviously knocked through the hallway.

It's quite bare, but we could do a lot more with it and...

-..spice it up.

-Spice it up, yeah.

Do you like the spotlights?

Would you be able to actually change the light bulb?

Probably not, no. You can do that.

-OK, are there any doors?

-No. That's the open-plan sort of thing.

Sort of open plan but not.

I'm liking it. Do we agree on this kitchen?

-I like this kitchen. Do you like this kitchen?

-Yeah.

-That's good.

Really good kitchen space.

-See what the cupboards are like?

-Yeah, let's see the storage in here.

Ooh! Very nice!

Well, there we go. The first "ooh!" we've got

is the cupboards in the kitchen. Who would have thought that?

Wow!

Oh! It's magnificent.

It's like we're in a hotel. Oh, my gosh, it's got a separate...

Get in. Get in the shower, Zoe. Ooh!

-Wow.

-Can you fit two people in?

Not that we share showers or anything, take note!

-Oh, it is like a hotel.

-Oh, my gosh!

In the poshest of hotels you've stayed in, would you be happy with this bathroom?

I would be ecstatic with this bathroom. This bathroom is the reason to buy the house.

OK, let's find the bedroom. One or two?

Dunno, but it's a nice, solid floor.

Yeah, nice, solid floor.

OK, so this must be...

-Oh, it's quite small.

-I dunno, it's got, like kid's stuff in.

It's more of a dressing room, isn't it, than a second bedroom?

You could fit a double bed in here.

Really? It's got a bit of storage.

It's OK. It's livable.

It's doable. Nice finish.

This is better than livable!

-It surely is! Look at that bathroom. That bathroom isn't livable, that bath is luxury.

-It's lovable!

OK, main bedroom.

-Nice size!

-It's nice.

I mean, there's not a lot in here, so we could do it up really nicely.

Yeah. It's a blank canvas, really, isn't it? So you could easily put your own touch to it.

And I would make it my own!

So, girls, it seemed to go very well, and then it sort of went downhill in the bedrooms.

-What's gone on?

-It's quite small.

Have you ever done that trick, where you put your arms out?

-Because basically, your arms are as wide as you are tall.

-Oh, aren't you tall!

But if you can touch either side of the wall, then you might struggle to get a double bed in.

You could definitely get a double bed in that room.

OK, does anyone want to play Guess The Price to find out how much this costs?

-OK, who would like to go first?

-She can.

-Zoe.

Right, erm, I'm going to make you go first, Amelie,

because you are looking for the flat.

We have £330,000 to spend.

How much is this on the market for?

349.

349. Oh, OK. All right. Zoe?

I'm going to go 335.

This house - this flat, rather - is on the market at 325.

Yay!

But this is the flaw of Guess The Price,

because many people in their competitive nature actually forget

that it's not a competition, it's the actual price of the flat.

Do you like it?

-Yep.

-Yeah.

-I do like it.

-Good.

-Are you more happy that you've won Guess The Price?

-Yes.

-Shall we go to my one?

-Yes, please.

-We could play Guess The Price there as well. OK.

-Go on, ladies, after you.

-Thank you.

My property is on the edge of Brackenbury Village, a very desirable area of Hammersmith.

It's a lower-ground-floor flat, but will there be enough space for all that shopping and Zoe?

Amelie and Zoe, Zoe and Amelie, Jonnie played rather a cunning trick.

He showed you potentially the biggest property we're going to see today.

But the reason it was so big is because it was near nothing.

It was in Acton! It wasn't anywhere near tubes.

Listen, I'm going to interrupt here.

Don't start trying to sell your property on my property's negative points. That's pathetic.

Now, Amelie, Hammersmith is, I think, that way.

-It is.

-Chiswick is that way. You're very near to transport links, which is this thing's selling point.

-Yeah.

-I want first impressions. What do we think of this street, the area, the flat?

I'm going to start with you, Zoe.

-I'm liking the street.

-Yes! Do we like the street more than Jonnie's one?

-Yep.

-A lot more?

-Yeah.

-OK, good.

Right, and to you, Amelie.

-Love it. Absolutely love it.

-Really? Absolutely love it?

-Girls, are you excited?

-Yeah.

-Keep this excitement, keep thinking positive.

-Yes.

-You'll need to.

-Especially you, Zoe.

Three, two, one, enter one of your's houses.

Good job we're short, isn't it?

Interesting...

Height-wise, obviously it's ground floor, but...

Quite small.

It feels a bit smaller than it is cos the ceiling seems a bit lower.

You feel like you're in a basement.

With some lower-grounds, you don't always feel like you're in a basement, but this one, you do.

It's definitely not as nice as the last one.

No, the other one had a lot nicer living room.

Jonnie's one had a lot nicer living room, I think you'll find.

I can't believe you were comparing stuff outside. "Oh, isn't it better than Jonnie's?

-I wasn't going to be that negative. This is loads worse than mine.

-Stop it.

It's a nice bedroom. Wait a second, there's no wardrobe.

Yeah. That's not good,

seeing the amount of clothes you have.

-That looks out onto the patio.

-That's good.

-I'm liking the window area.

-Do you know what?

-What?

I think I've seen this before.

-What, this flat?

-I think so.

Or one very similar.

If they have seen this place before...

Hopefully, the penny does drop.

-I'm right inside what she likes.

-If they have seen this place before...

-That's exactly it.

-And nothing more to say.

-..and they've not bought it...

-Nothing more to say.

It basically means that I am right on the money there.

-Shoes?

-Good wardrobe space.

The wardrobes are out here. Makes sense.

That means you can have more space in your bedroom.

-Yeah, which it needs.

-There's more wardrobe space.

-Good space. Good storage.

-A storage cupboard for your clutter.

I suppose there isn't any in the living room, though, so you'd have to use it all for here.

OK, and then bathroom.

Don't like the bathroom at all.

-It's very small.

-I don't like the tiles on the floor or on the walls.

They completely clash.

-You can change that.

-OK, kitchen.

-Got the steps.

-It's quite a nice thing to have, going up steps.

I don't like the steps. I think they're dangerous!

-Depends on how many you'd had to drink.

-Erm, I don't like it.

-It's quite poky.

-I don't like it.

-You could redo it.

I don't like it, Zoe. Do you like this kitchen? I don't like it.

No, I don't like the kitchen. I'm just saying you could redo it.

Yeah, but I still don't like it.

Amelie doesn't like it.

Zoe is obviously concurring. She doesn't like it.

-What leads you to that conclusion?

-Just a couple of things she said.

The scowl on her face is giving a clue to me.

-You know what?

-What?

-I've definitely seen this before.

-Mm.

A few months ago, with my mum. I remember the steps and this kitchen.

-I've definitely seen this.

-So it's a no-go?

-It's a no-go.

-I think we all want to know, have you been here before?

-Yes!

-I think so, yeah.

-Can I ask, why did it take you so long?

-Because they all look the same.

-She's seen that many...

It's just the unique steps into the kitchen.

-Right. Shall we play Guess The Price for the fun of it, anyway?

-Yep.

-Go on.

-Now, we've got a winner already.

Streaking ahead at the moment, aren't you?

So I think you go first this time, so as not to feed off Amelie's guess.

Thinking about 295?

-295.

-Right, OK. Amelie?

299,950.

And let's be honest, Amelie should win this, cos she's already been here.

Although, strangely, you've not.

-Honestly?

-Have I won again?

Yeah!

I don't actually think you've won. I think you've lost.

Well, you're closest, Zoe. The price is 289,950,

and you've ruined Guess The Price for the day by winning it already.

And you've embarrassed yourself, Amelie.

But look, y'know, I think it's a voyage of discovery - or rediscovery to you at the moment!

But we can see what you like and what you don't like. It's all down to the wild card.

-We're looking forward to it.

-Everyone loves the wild card. Do you love the wild card?

-Definitely.

-Let's go.

-Come on.

Amelie wanted us to show her something different, and today's wild card does just that.

It's brand-spanking-new and ready to move into.

It's in Fulham, which, for those of you who know London,

is a little bit more upmarket than Hammersmith and Shepherd's Bush.

Zoe and Amelie, welcome to the wild card.

Now look, we have a main-road location, OK?

But the massive up side for you two, you've got a bus stop right outside your door.

-It's a positive.

-No taxis, no walking the streets at night.

-It's safe, and not only is it safe, welcome to the Fulham set.

-Ooh!

-Have you ever believed that you could live in Fulham?

-No.

-Do you fancy the idea of Fulham?

-Yeah, Fulham's nice.

OK, now, from the outside, what are your first impressions?

It's "pinked out", I believe the youth would say.

-Yeah. Freshly painted.

-And you've got tinted windows, which is a benefit

if it were a car and also a benefit for a house as privacy.

-So, there's the property. Are you excited to go in?

-Yes.

There's many people out there hoping you'll love it,

envious that you are going to be going into a wild card. Are you ready?

-Yes.

-Three, two, one, enter the wild card.

-Go, go, go, go, go.

-OK...

-Whoa! Bare.

OK, it's different.

Definitely the wild card.

I'm not very good at working out if it's a really, really small space or if you could fit a good sofa in here.

Has it got any natural light, or is that just the window?

Well, the lights are on. Wait, I think the window's over here. Come here.

OK, so this is the window. Is that enough light, do you think?

Do you think you'd be able to get on the roof?

In terms of light sources, that's one of the most exciting ones you'll get.

Oh, wow, this is nice! Nice bathroom!

At least you know no-one's been in here before you.

Yeah! And a good shower. It's good.

-Nice. OK...

-OK. What is this?

-What is this?

-It must be some stairs.

-OK, so that limits the room.

-This has got to be the smaller bedroom.

Definitely. I think that ruins the room a bit.

It's a bit like what do you do with it?

Let's do the bed test.

Double bed. Wake up. Agh!

-Wow! Oh, it's good!

-Is that an en suite or...

No, I'm going to go wardrobe. Let's have a look.

Oh, my God, it is!

So would I get that bathroom to myself, then?

Maybe. Unless I want a bath.

You've got another window. Natural light.

-OK...

-Shower.

We're warming to it.

I love the patio.

-I like it.

-We can see each other!

-Hi!

-If I was in that room, you could, like...

We can meet for cappuccinos in the morning.

Exactly. That's the positive seeking that we need here.

No, this is a really good-sized room.

It is cool. Very, very cool.

Yeah. At least we get our own bathrooms. That's a good thing.

-Yeah. We like it, we like it.

-We like it.

Well, ladies, we were worried about that patio maybe driving a wedge

-between your friendship, but with the doors, you've come together, haven't you?

-Yeah.

You love it. And also, I think the most important to ask you right now is,

have you actually seen this flat?

Because it took you till the end of the last flat to work out whether or not you'd seen it.

-Have you seen this one?

-Definitely not, no.

-She wouldn't look at something like this.

-OK, so, explain why you wouldn't look at it.

Because this is where we have triumphed.

Why wouldn't you have looked at it?

Because it's not complete and there's no furniture, and I can't see past the no furniture.

-They haven't staged it.

-Mm-hm.

-So, what do you think now?

-You love it.

-We love it. Yeah.

There we go. OK, so we have learnt something today.

You shouldn't be put off by this, it's quite a good time to get in.

-Shall we play Guess The Price?

-I think we should!

Right, well, you've already lost, Amelie,

but in life you've won, because you're the one buying a place.

-OK, I'm going to make you go first, Zoe.

-OK.

The maximum budget was £330,000. This is for the hat trick.

-What do you believe this is on the market for?

-315.

-315. OK.

-320.

-OK.

You've clawed it back. Well done. It's on the market for...

329,500.

Now, you've both gone a little bit low on your guesses.

Maybe you haven't factored in the fact that we're in very posh Fulham.

You have now seen all three properties.

You have to go away and make the biggest decision of your 24-year-old adult lives

and wander off and decide which one you wish to test-drive.

-Good luck with that.

-Thank you!

-All right, we'll see you later on.

-Bye!

-They're really young. It's such a huge decision.

-It really is. But I would pick my house.

-It's radical, but I would.

-I'm not a betting man, but I bet they don't.

But for you guys at home, here's a recap of all three properties.

Will it be my property, property number one, the good-sized two-bedroom flat that was in Acton?

It's a great pad for parties and on the market for £325,000.

Or will she go for mine, property number two, in Hammersmith,

the one-bedroom lower-ground-floor flat that could be a great investment

at 289,950?

Or will she go for our brand-spanking-new wild card, a converted shop in Fulham?

It's got a great layout for friends to share and includes that Jack-and-Jill patio.

All for 329,500.

Here they are, and they've gone for the wild card.

And it looks like they've been shopping on the way there, too.

They're thinking about decor already.

We might be onto a winner here.

I'm looking at spicy. I like it.

-I don't think we should have it.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-All right, then, get rid of it.

Well, that one didn't go down too well, did it? I'd go for a feature wall, I think.

-Which one?

-That one?

Perfect. That's the one it is.

What are they doing now?

They are using shoes to mark out furniture, of course.

Ah. Will those measurements be in feet, do you think...?

Looks a bit small. Shall we see if we can fit?

Come on.

-Ah!

-I think it's a bit short.

-Perfect.

Girls, this looks like a crime scene marked out in shoes. I do not know what you've been doing.

We've had a little peer in, but we're none the wiser.

And what's this? Or is this just where you emptied your bags?

Yeah, we were trying to see where the sofa would go and the TV over there.

What sofa is the shape of an Imelda Marcos fit?

-We decided to have bean bags.

-So they're bean bags. Of course they are.

-We look like the fools now.

-Stupid us.

How has it been to be let loose in this property,

the property that you may or may not have actually ever thought about

having a look at, in Fulham?

-Well, we think it's a good size in my bedroom.

-What?

-All right.

We think Zoe's bedroom is nice

but the bit where the stairs go from the flat above is a bit irritating.

-But we love the patio.

-We love the patio.

-Absolutely love the patio.

-Have you thought about what you might do with that space

-underneath the stairs that kind of encroach in? Any ideas?

-Clothes rail.

-Clothes rail! OK.

-Exactly. I think so. Lovely.

-I think you could have fun in here.

-Do you think?

-Definitely.

-Is it a party house?

-Definitely.

-Really?

We have to see what the neighbours are like first.

Well, I think they'll see what you're like.

Ladies, Jonnie has had a question that he's been desperate to ask you all day long.

He's been practising it and I think it's going to go well. Jonnie, you ready?

Er, we've had a really good day.

-Hey, hey, hey, no.

-What you doing Saturday?

No, no, no, we didn't practise that.

Oh, the work question?

-The work question.

-Oh, sorry.

-He can't half be embarrassing.

Amelie, to buy or not to buy?

-To buy.

-What?

-Really?

-To buy.

-To buy?

-To buy.

-To buy?

-To buy.

-To buy.

-To buy.

-To buy.

-To buy.

-In Fulham?

-In Fulham.

-To buy?

In the Fulham set.

This is fantastic news. So... So...

-I'm ecstatic. We've gleaned this from just spreading shoes on the floor?

-Exactly.

May as well just leave them here now.

Have a fantastic move if you go through with it.

Hopefully, you will. Otherwise, ta-ta.

-Thank you.

-Bye!

Are some of these your shoes, Ed?

Well, I'm pretty chuffed, actually.

Do you think we'll get invited to the house-warming, or are we a bit too old?

No, we'll be fine. I'd have to square it with the wife, going round to a 24-year-old's house,

but I'm sure she'd be absolutely fine, because this is what makes me live, ladies and gentlemen,

-finding houses for people.

-A resounding success. We've done well, haven't we?

If you're struggling to find the house of your dreams

and you would like the A-Team to help you find it, then please

don't hesitate and get in contact with the show.

It'd be an absolute pleasure. I'll see you later.

Hold on. Hey, did you ever think about that sheep?

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