Central Coventry To Buy or Not to Buy

Sometimes it's hard to see past the cut-and-thrust of

the property market - profits, interest rates, returns on investments.

Not today. We're on a mission to help two newlyweds find their first marital home.

Ladies and gentlemen, love is in the air.

And on the airwaves, because this is To Buy Or Not To Buy.

You're live with Radio TBONTB 200.8.

Welcome to Love House, the only property show that combines romance and property.

You know the story - meet a girl, fall in love, get married.

Then you find a house, start a family and live happily ever after.

-Sounds smashing, Simon.

-It is.

-Do you know what can make that scenario better?

-Tell us.

-What if you could spend time in that pad, see if that love nest

is the perfect place for love needs? Or as we say, try before you buy.

Today's happy house hunters are Sat and Raj,

a couple of newlyweds who currently live with Sat's parents in Coventry.

After a year of wedded bliss, these love birds are looking to put down

roots and find a love nest that will be their first marital home.

Sat is an online marketing manager and commutes to Nottingham daily.

Raj is studying for a PhD in chemistry at university in Birmingham.

-So you're our newlyweds.

-Yes.

-How long have you been married?

Just over a year now.

-Ahh! So we're on the hunt for the first marital home?

-Yes.

-What's wrong with here?

-Currently living with Mum and Dad at the moment.

It's time to move on and spread our wings.

-Get your first step on the property ladder.

-That's the main thing.

-Are you excited?

Yes, definitely. We're excited, but we've seen quite a few properties, so we need help.

How many are we talking about? 10, 15?

Over the last year-and-a-half, about 30-40 houses, I think.

-Wow!

-OK.

-Right, hence the reason we're here.

We're in a modern house.

Do you want a modern property, is that your main requirement?

I don't think we mind too much.

I prefer the older properties, because they have more character,

they're bigger, but Sat prefers the newer ones. We're in the middle.

-Is this why you haven't found one so far?

-Maybe!

We're getting a bit picky.

If you've looked at all these houses, what's been wrong with those so we get it right this time round?

I think possibly the size of the house isn't right,

there's no opportunity to extend in future.

I haven't seen enough potential.

-How many bedrooms are we looking at?

-About three bedrooms.

As far as downstairs living space is concerned, what rooms have you got in mind in your dream marital home?

-Let's get passionate, people.

-In the nest.

-The love nest.

A big lounge, because we love entertaining and having people over.

We want somewhere we can have a lot of people in. Sat likes the kitchen.

Are we looking for a pad for just you two or somewhere perhaps you could extend a family into?

At the moment, just for the two of us, but somewhere that will grow with us.

Somewhere with potential to accommodate other people, maybe.

-So you don't want to have to move on again?

-No.

We want a house we can stay in for a long time.

Are we keen gardeners?

We're not, but our parents are, so we can get them in the garden.

It would be nice to have a nice-sized garden for barbecues.

-And then eventually, somewhere for the kids to run around.

-Exactly.

What if we found somewhere that needed a bit of work doing on it?

Yeah, we can get our hands stuck in and get things sorted.

I smell a project on the horizon.

-Who's the handy one?

-We have a lot of friends and family who are keen to help.

What areas have we got in mind? Give us some areas we can pinpoint.

Areas close to the motorway network - Walsgrave, Coventry, Finham...

Is Coventry the preferred area out of those places?

Yeah, Coventry is preferred. It would be good if it was close to the motorway network.

-Is this for work?

-Yeah, mainly.

OK, it's budget time, what are we working with here?

Say, around 210,000.

Are you prepared to push that further if we find something spectacular,

or shall we cap it off at 210?

We'd like to stay at 210, but if there's something that stands out,

we'd consider pushing it a little bit further.

That would only be if there was nothing that needed doing.

-We've got to consider the additional costs.

-Absolutely.

We had better get going. Let's see if we can find properties in Coventry area they haven't seen yet.

Cheers, guys.

I'm not sure about this one. Sat and Raj have looked at 30 to 40 houses over a year-and-a-half period.

We've got one day to find them three houses, one of which they'll try before they buy.

We're also finding the home there will become their nest to build a family into.

Yeah, right. I'm going to find some estate agents. See you later.

I've got to find someone who knows what they're talking about when it comes to Coventry.

I know just the lady.

Today we find ourselves in Coventry, sometimes given a hard time as Birmingham's poor relation,

but we think Coventry is right to be proud of being the 11th largest city in the UK.

A thriving and bustling place with a cultural scene that represents its diverse population.

It was the first twin city in the UK,

and Volgograd, formerly Stalingrad, in Russia, was the lucky place to be bestowed with the honour.

There's a redevelopment revolution underway,

starting with a facelift for the centre to bring it bang up-to-date.

Let's look at what sort of love nest 210k would get you around the rest of the country.

What could be more romantic than this charming Grade 2 listed cottage

in a delightful village in Devon,

with character features and open fires for those cosy nights?

I could fall in love with this place, on the market at 210k.

But what about this thing of beauty?

I'd say it could be a first marital home befitting any newlyweds.

Situated in Garden Village area of Hull with loads of space,

should the pitter-patter of tiny feet come your way,

this place would be a perfect setting to accommodate them.

It's 189,995.

Could two become one in this duplex apartment? Situated in the old Guildhall in Macclesfield,

this two-bed flat fuses new and old with contemporary fittings complementing beamed ceilings.

Where better to have a love-in than here? And all for a lovely 209,950.

That's it from me on BBC Coventry.

Thank you for being with me. I'll be back tomorrow.

-Come on in, Johnny.

-Great, cheers.

JOHNNY'S VOICE ON RADIO

Camilla, thank you for spending time to see me.

-No problem.

-Could you turn that off? It's annoying.

That's better. Right, we're looking for love's young dream.

You're the voice of Coventry for a lot of people.

Well, I wouldn't like to say, but I'm a Coventry kid and it means loads to me. I'm passionate about the city.

They're looking to buy their first property together.

-Ahh!

-It's a lovely ahh. Pressure is on, really.

Everybody knows it's synonymous with Lady Godiva riding naked

through the streets, the cathedral, the bombing of the place in the war, but what else is the city about?

The thing about Coventry is it's a friendly city.

It's welcomed loads of people. For over 100 years, people have been migrating and settling here

and it doesn't matter where you're from or what you do, you'll be welcome.

I'll give you a brief resume of what they're after.

Three-bedroom, they don't really care what style,

-they prefer period properties, but aren't really fussed.

-OK.

They're keen to get a place with good schools in the area,

because they're hoping this will be their family home for years to come.

I went to Finham Park comprehensive school, which is the best school in Cov.

Other good schools round and about. We've got loads of parks, open space.

Even though it's a city, with a strong urban landscape,

there's loads of parkland to enjoy, loads of leisure time.

It's the home of the mighty Sky Blues, Coventry City Football Club.

Budget, £210,000.

-We've got a couple of properties that might be suitable.

-Let's have a look.

We've got a three-bed semi-detached.

It's recently refitted, a new kitchen and bathroom.

-And that's in the budget, isn't it?

-Yep.

This episode is all about love.

We've got our newlyweds buying their first marital home.

Romance is a bit of a theme we've got running throughout the show.

It's a great city, full of romance.

Look at the cathedral. What a place that would be to fall in love.

Within half a mile, there's about five different primary schools.

All got good reputations.

Transport links?

Not bad - close to the M69, the A45, A46 and there are links to the M40 and M42.

Also, people associate us just with the war, don't they?

Reparations. We were bombed and rebuilt. This is a city of change.

It's a city on the move. It will be a really successful city. 20 or 30 years, it's the new London.

-Thank you very much indeed.

-Thanks very much. Bye-bye.

'Thanks very much, really appreciate it.'

Lovely to meet you. Take care. Bye-bye.

Well, Johnny, I'm feeling confident about the properties today.

I know our love birds are a picky pair,

but they're going to love this property.

It's a traditional family home with loads of living space,

off-road parking, a fantastic location, what can I say?

What have you been up to?

-Lovely. My choice will be a perfect wild card.

-Whoa! No, no!

I've got the perfect wild card here.

Well, this one, traditional, it needs some work.

Let's have a look, let's have a look.

Actually, that would make a fantastic wild card,

but then again, look at that.

That's got "wild card" written all over it as well.

Tell you what, how about this? Let's spin things on their head.

You like that one as well as me. Let's make that the joint choice

-and have two wild cards.

-Nice.

-You liking it?

Let's go straight to the joint choice.

This is it, Simon. After viewing 30 or 40 properties, the pressure is well and truly on.

Could our joint choice be just what Sat and Raj have been looking for?

With our two highly tuned property brains in action, can we possibly fail?

OK, you've seen that many houses.

-Have you seen this one yet?

-No.

-Not this one, no.

Result in itself. First impressions?

-First impressions are really good. I really like it.

-Lovely house.

Good character about it. A really nice area as well.

Does it feel like somewhere you can see as a marital home?

From the outside, definitely. It looks really nice.

-What about you, Sat, can you see yourself settled here?

-It's got a really big front garden.

-I like it.

-This is our litmus test, because you've seen so many houses,

so we think you might be a bit choosy, and we think this ticks every box.

You like the outside, let's see what do you think inside. Enjoy.

-Well, they haven't seen it.

-Which is a result. Let's go.

-I'm enjoying this joint choice thing.

-I don't like it.

-I hate having to admit I agree with you.

-There's plenty of time for us to argue.

-It's nice.

-It's a good space, actually.

-First thing you've given then, mate?

-A good space.

Sorry, WE - this is the joint choice.

-Shall we go into this one?

-Yeah.

-Oh, wow!

-We've got a wow, mate.

-This is nice.

-A really good size.

I like what they've done with the floor with the laminate flooring.

-What would you say?

-About what?

-A lovely, clean, laminate floor.

I'd say it's a contemporary flooring that brings the property right up-to-date.

I'm not sure about the colour. I like the size of the room. This is a really good.

-It's good they've got the dining bit here linked on.

-Big windows as well.

It brings in a lot of light from outside from the front and back.

-The patio door is quite big.

-Oh, wow.

It's a really nice view of the street.

You can't hear the traffic and you get a good view of the garden.

You've got a nice frontage to this place. A lovely front garden.

That's lost in a lot of properties.

Too many people pave over completely,

but you've room for off-road parking and still a traditional front garden.

And as Sat says, double glazing means this road can be busy, but you can't hear a thing.

This is nice. What do you think?

I like the work surfaces and the cupboards.

-Looks like they've recently refitted it.

-Yeah, it's really nice. I love the tiles.

-There's a "but" coming.

-It's a bit narrow.

It's a bit long and narrow.

-A little bit.

-What is it?

-A galley kitchen.

It's not narrow, it's a galley kitchen!

Lots of light in here. A skylight at the top there.

Quite a lot of windows and a door to the back.

They noted why the extension works so well.

-Pray, tell.

-Natural light.

Putting the skylight in means you've flooded light into the kitchen,

but also into the room behind.

Is this the kind of place you see yourself cooking in?

Yeah, I really like the kitchen. But it's really narrow and that concerns me.

When we have people over and we're in the kitchen together,

it's going to be quite difficult to get past one another.

That's the only thing I'm worried about.

Funnily enough, I'm always in the kitchen at parties.

-Yeah? Is that where the drinks are?

-Never mind that.

-Shall we keep looking?

-Yep.

-OK.

Johnny, ground floor has gone very well.

It's gone pretty well.

-Don't get too carried away. Let's play it cool.

-OK, playing it cool.

-I like the banister.

-Nice colour.

-Yeah.

It's all carpeted as well.

What's in here? Oh, the bathroom.

It's nice.

A bit on the small side.

It's a little bit small. It hasn't got a power shower. That's a shame.

There's a shower attachment.

They've recently refurbished it.

-I think so.

-Potentially similar lighting to the kitchen.

-The lights are nice.

-It could have been a bit bigger.

-A little bit.

As far as their requirements are concerned, it ticks every box.

They wanted a nice family home, perfect for them with space to grow.

Sorry, mate, as we've gone up, I feel it's going downhill.

-Oh, wow!

-Definitely a girl's room.

This is every girl's dream.

Every girl's dream! That, my friend, is a positive remark.

What kind of room do you think this is?

This could be an ideal guest room.

-The main second bedroom for guests and family.

-Definitely.

Ideal guest bedroom? The number of people coming to their parties,

-will they all fit in there?

-I don't know.

-Shall we move on?

-Yeah, let's keep going.

This is the master bedroom.

-Nice as well.

-It's a good size.

I like the neutral colours.

Yeah, I think this is how we'd do it, isn't it?

You don't need to decorate, then. It's already done for you.

This is really nice, Sat.

-A beautiful view.

-It looks like such a nice neighbourhood.

Would we put you anywhere bad? Of course it's a good neighbourhood!

I like that you're not facing other houses. There's a bit of space.

A sense of openness as you look out, because you haven't got other houses in front of you.

-Looks like the final bedroom.

-Yeah.

What do you think?

It's a tad smaller than the others.

For this style of property, you're going to get two double bedrooms and a single.

That's the norm. That's the standard footprint of these properties.

You can fit a single bed and a wardrobe in.

We could always have it as an office for you.

-Maybe an office, or possibly a nursery.

-Maybe.

It's another nice room, I think.

-Shall we speak to the guys?

-Yep.

These two are really choosy, and that went well.

-Do we believe them?

-No.

-Right then, you've had a good look around the joint choice. How was it?

-I really liked it.

-I like the location.

-Marital home potential?

-A good chance, maybe.

-Maybe.

It's a good house now, but there's scope to go up into the roof,

because these older properties have large attics. Next door put a dormer in.

If you did have kids, you have the scope to put a bigger bathroom on the first floor

and create another bedroom on the second floor, giving you more space.

You mention location. Location-wise, we think this place is perfect.

You need to commute onto the motorway, that's not far away. And, Raj, leave the car at home.

There's a mainline station a mile away. Location-wise, perfect.

We can't believe this.

We were worried, we thought you were choosy. And you love the place.

Have we got it in one?

Not just yet.

Maybe we can persuade you with the cost of this place.

It's guess the price time. Who's going first?

-You can.

-He's going to steal my idea.

Maybe around the 195 mark.

OK. Sat?

I think about 190.

-This place is on the market for 209,950.

-I'm quite surprised.

I thought it would be a bit less.

It's in a good area, but the current state of the market, we could shave a bit off that.

I told you it had gone too well. They're fussy!

Let's see if we can do better with my choice, property number two. This way.

It's stop two, but my wild card choice for today.

Will it make them swoon with its combination of a cracking location and bundles of renovation potential?

It's not my idea of a match made in heaven.

I really don't know if your property will be a case of happily ever after.

OK, then, property number one didn't quite go according to plan.

I've brought you to this tree-lined avenue for property number two.

-What you think?

-It's nice, really nice.

-Yeah.

Come on, what are you thinking?

It's nice. I like it. I like the area.

-Good area?

-Yes.

Traditional, semi, bay-fronted property.

I like that, the estate agent in you, there.

You seem a bit quiet, the pair of you.

No, we're optimistic on this one.

Let's see what's inside.

Just to clarify, you said you've got plenty of friends and family into decorating.

-Keep their numbers handy! See you in a bit.

-In you go.

OK. This is a proper wild card.

It's got a garden to match.

This is nice.

Yeah, a bit bigger entrance than the first one.

It's a bit dated, but a good size.

Probably needs a bit of work on the paper and carpets.

The good thing is, they didn't go, "Ugh, what's this?"

-Looking through the fact it needs modernising.

-Yeah.

This must be the front room.

-Yeah.

-What do you think?

Really dated.

An elderly couple, maybe, living here.

-Yeah.

-Similar with the hallway.

We could change the carpets and give it a lick of paint, maybe.

Would you be tempted to knock this wall through to the next room?

-Depends what's on the other side of the wall!

-We'll find out.

Good point. What if there isn't a room on the other side and you knock into the garden?

-No good for anybody, that.

-No, look first.

I really like the windows, really nice.

These are massive windows, actually.

A lot of light in the room.

-A bit of condensation, that might need some work or maybe need replacing.

-Maybe.

Those bay windows are a lovely feature of the front room. Loads of light.

Some of the seals have gone on the double glazing, but replace those, you have a lovely bay window.

-The back room.

-A really good size.

-Lovely, actually.

Again, it needs work.

They said they didn't mind handiwork.

Which is a good job, because the place needs loads.

-But it hasn't fazed them.

-No.

-They're positive.

Embracing the opportunity.

We could knock through from the other room.

If you it knocked through, it would be quite big. A decent width as well.

-Definitely.

-Get rid of this.

That would have to go!

Everything needs redecorating.

-Maybe a bit of building work, but there's potential.

-Definitely.

-Whoa!

-This is a shock.

-1940s style.

-Yeah. OK, the kitchen needs completely ripping out.

Yes, the kitchen is not what you'd call all-singing, all-dancing.

It wants a bit of work.

I'd keep the tiles, though.

-You like those retro tiles?

-I love them.

Quite narrow, isn't it?

-It's really strange that there's a window there.

-Bit of a weird layout on this one.

What are you thinking?

Take that wall down, open it up to a lovely kitchen-diner entertaining room. Fantastic.

I'm liking your thinking.

-It could be worked on.

-Shall we see what this is?

-A lot of space here.

-I wonder what this is.

Like an add-on to the back of the garage?

-I guess so.

-This may have been the garage and they halved it.

-Maybe.

They've got a toilet there, I think.

-Is that the toilet?

-It says there's a toilet.

Yes.

Cosy toilet there!

It's a cosy toilet.

There's potential. You could actually smash that out and make this the kitchen.

That's the difference between subtlety and destruction. I was gonna knock that wall down.

-They were like, "Smash it!"

-Smash it!

Yeah, but it's gonna be a lot of work.

I'd have to put my hand in my pocket a bit further.

-Shall we go upstairs?

-Yep.

I wonder what's up here.

Probably bedrooms!

-Got a window for extra light.

-That's nice.

Ah, the bathroom.

-Again, a bit on the small side.

-Yeah.

Different layout to house number one.

-Needs a lot of modernisation.

-It is a bit tight.

Some advice, Sat, my friend.

Properties like this, because of the size of the upstairs bedrooms, a lot of people pinch a foot or two

from the adjoining bedroom to make the bathroom bigger.

-You don't take much away from the other bedroom.

-That was quite clever, for you!

Quite a bit of work.

Gonna have to rip it all out.

Whoa! Raj just wants to knock everything out.

Shall we look in the bedroom?

Yeah.

-This isn't a bad size.

-It's a good size.

Again, probably needs... Similar to downstairs.

Change the carpets and gas fires.

Definitely. I would knock this out.

Knock the shelves out, the cupboards. Start again with a blank canvas.

But once we got rid of everything, it would be a decent-sized room.

To be fair, they have to try hard.

There's nothing they can pick out as a feature and love.

The size is there. Can we make it our own?

Take the things out of the corner and all this here.

-What is that in the corner?

-Not sure.

I think it might have been where the boiler is. Maybe that will have to move.

-Yeah.

-Maybe downstairs.

It's the old boiler and hot water cylinder cupboard.

Oh, that old feature.

-Traditional.

-Glory days.

-I remember. You wouldn't.

-No.

Shall we look at the view?

-A nice garden.

-What, nice garden?

Next door.

-Oh, next door.

-Yeah.

-But it tells you what this could be.

-A before and after.

It's next door's garden we're looking at, it's our garden

-we'd have to think about.

-It's a good size.

-OK. Keep looking?

-Yes.

Ah, so this is the master bedroom.

-Mmm-hmm.

-Again, good size.

I love the windows in this house.

-Quite low in the bedroom.

-Yeah, but still big.

I love that in older properties.

Bedroom one has the big bay window to the front as well.

A pub opposite for you, while I'm in the kitchen.

I preferred the view in the last house that we saw.

Hasn't got the same outlook the joint choice had.

-Yeah, but...

-Slightly bigger property. The plot overall is bigger.

Sat, this one needs a lot of work!

-The last bedroom.

-Yeah.

Come on, Raj.

You said you had the family and friends to help you do this place.

Now we've seen all the rooms, what do you think?

I think it's got a lot of potential.

I like the area.

I like the house from outside,

but I think it's going to cost a lot to do it up.

I think there's a lot of potential.

-Shall we see what the guys are saying?

-Yes.

OK, it's got potential. I have a few more tricks up my sleeve.

-Have you, now?

-Come on.

-If we can find our way out!

You've had a good look round my choice.

Let's be honest, we know it needs a lot of work, but it's a house with bags of potential.

Question is, is this somewhere you can envisage yourselves

doing the work and turning it into your marital home?

Speechless.

-Great sign.

-I think potential is the right word.

It has got a lot of potential and we can see past what there is now.

Downstairs, there's definitely a lot of potential.

Knocking things down, knocking through things, changing carpets, walls, etc.

-I think that could look amazing.

-Yes.

Upstairs, more of a let-down.

The size of the bathroom, the small bedroom.

Something you can't really change without getting really involved in.

The joy you'll find in this property is, under the carpets

there's original floorboards, there's original balustrades on the stairs.

The original doors are still there, panelled in.

-There's period gems concealed throughout this property.

-One more thing to bear in mind.

One of the best primary schools in Coventry is literally round the corner.

Planning for the future. We care.

Yes! We do care.

Guess the price time.

That makes all the difference with this place. Who's going first?

I think it's your turn, Sat.

I think I'll go first this time.

I think for this, talking about 210,000.

-OK.

-Straight to the top of the budget.

I think a bit less. Around 190,000.

OK. So, technically, this is a draw.

This property's on the market for 199,950.

No, Raj wins.

By 50 quid? Congratulations!

A win's a win.

But now, we might just see the best house of the day, my choice.

This way. Come on.

Yes, we might, as my wild card today is all about the future.

This new-build place is built to high ecological standards.

So not only could it play

an important part of Sat and Raj's future, but all of our futures.

Is that not a bit heavy for our light-hearted property show?

I like to offer more than bricks and mortar.

Right on, Simon.

Right, my choice. I've given up trying to find a nice semi with a garden to start a family in,

so I've just thrown all that to one side and brought you down to Electric Wharf.

This is part of an ongoing regeneration project.

It's an old power station on the edge of Coventry, five minutes from the city centre.

I'm thinking of you two, to get you on the property market,

because I think this could be, possibly, a fantastic investment opportunity.

-First impressions?

-I like it.

Definitely really different. Different scenery around, I'll be interested to see what's inside.

Raj, what are you thinking?

Speechless. Definitely not what I was expecting.

I'm interested to see what's inside.

You're a stylish couple and this place is stylish.

Hopefully it'll tick your boxes.

-Get inside, guys.

-In you go.

-Good luck.

Right, this is all about young love. Join me on the balcony, Juliet.

-Why am I always Juliet?

-Because you are.

-Wow. This is so exciting.

-Mmmm.

-I like the hallway. It's nice.

-Yeah.

-Oh, this is different.

-Yeah.

-Bedroom downstairs.

-Yeah, yeah.

For a couple that want a conventional house, you've given them something upside-down.

-It's exciting.

-It is.

Ah, the view is amazing.

So different actually having a canal outside your bedroom window.

Yeah, really looks peaceful as well.

Of course, the canal is right out back.

This is stylish living I've given you here.

-This is nice.

-The en suite?

Yeah.

Nice and new, isn't it?

-Raj has really gone for this, but Sat is being a little bit reserved, isn't he?

-He's holding back.

-Keep looking?

-Yes.

This is nice. A different kind of landing?

Yeah, I love this.

-Oh, it's another bedroom.

-Wow.

-Double bedroom.

-Oh, love this.

-Ha-ha!

What do you think of the size of the room?

Similar to downstairs. Both the same size. Double rooms.

You have got built-in space as well.

That's good.

Don't know where the TV would go. Might want to watch a bit of TV at night, maybe.

I think downstairs would be the master bedroom because it's got the en suite.

OK, I'd do it the opposite way round.

I'd have my guest bedroom on the ground floor, so they've got their own personal en suite.

Two bedrooms sharing one bathroom. Comfortable for families.

What we got next?

The bathroom. This is nice.

Yeah, I love when it's brand new.

The tiles and suite are brand new.

It's quite simple, but I think it works.

-Definitely got a shower built in, as well.

-Much better than the last two houses, isn't it?

Yeah, it is.

Here we go, Raj again is loving the bathroom, but Sat is being that little bit reserved.

Is the bath a bit smaller than normal?

Raj is embracing the idea of modern contemporary living and Sat is picking holes in everything.

He still wants his nice, solid semi-detached.

Is this maybe another third bedroom?

-Yeah, but it's a good size. Much bigger than the boxrooms we saw in the last two.

-Yeah, much bigger.

It's a good-sized double bedroom!

Not a boxroom. Get that out your head.

You could either fit a bed in here as a third room, or maybe a decent size office.

-Perfect office.

-Or a nursery or something, with bunk beds for people when they pop over.

Looks like a built-in wardrobe, as well.

That's good. Oh, it's huge!

Where's the lounge?

Oh, this kitchen is amazing!

I love it.

-This space is gorgeous.

-Different.

This is so us, Sat.

I can so see us here.

Exactly, Raj. It is you.

Love the flooring, love the cabinets, as well. Love the lights.

-It would look brilliant at night.

-Gorgeous.

-I'm really impressed.

-Everything's built in, the fridge, the sink, cooker, extractor fan.

We've won Sat over. Raj loved it immediately.

It's taken three floors, but now Sat loves this place.

This is so nice for when we have people over. We can be cooking and they can have a few drinks.

-Really well done.

-Yeah.

Raj is just loving it, my friend.

From an entertaining point of view that room is awesome.

I love the difference in the size of ceilings, as well.

This is such a lovely feature, as well.

You've got that wicked kitchen-dining entertainment room, and that mezzanine level just above.

For your office - bit of private time up there out of the way.

Yeah. Super stylish.

-This is awesome.

-This must be the living room. Can you see us here?

I can. I love that at the top.

So much light coming through.

So much light coming through these huge patio doors.

I love the way they've decorated it, as well. It goes really well.

Look at this. This is the central heating radiator.

-Really different.

-Completely different.

-This is such a lovely space.

-What do you think?

I really like the canal.

I don't know about that over there.

The biggest compromise we're asking of them is garden.

-It's the one thing they won't get.

-They've forgotten all about it.

-They've lost that side of it because of how beautiful your choice was.

-Thanks, mate. Cheers.

I don't think this is very child-friendly. Do you?

Hmmm. Not sure.

It's more for a working couple.

-Fast-paced lifestyle.

-Shall we check out upstairs?

Yeah, let's keep going.

I love this staircase.

It's really nice.

Look at this. More space.

Oh, wow. Full of surprises.

Looks like they've used the roof space to get an extra room in here.

What would you use the mezzanine for?

We could have it as an office. You could work from home.

I like it as a study.

-Games room.

-Have your telly up there.

Table football.

Have my guitar up there.

Drinks downstairs and bring friends upstairs for a bit of a laugh.

MIMICS "DUELLING BANJOS"

I could see us here, but it's so different from anything I'd imagined.

-Definitely a wild card.

-Definitely.

Let's have a chat with the guys.

They really love this place, but there are some issues.

Jonny, I can sort them out.

-What did you think?

-We like it.

Completely different, up and down.

Bedrooms downstairs and living space upstairs.

Views of Coventry as well, the canal, two balconies.

Completely different layout. Definitely different.

-Yeah. Raj, what are you thinking?

-I loved it. I could see us living here.

I love the use of space and I think it's perfect for us.

This property's perfect for you guys now.

You're also looking for a property that's going to be a family home.

I'm not sure this place would grow with us.

It's perfect for us now, but I'm not sure in five, six, seven years' time we'd still be here.

OK. There's one issue I know you had.

You love looking on the canal, something very calming about being by the water.

But you weren't so sure about the view.

A lot of activity going on.

Think about it. When you're at work, they're working.

When you come home, they've gone.

You've got peace and quiet and that side of the canal is due for regeneration to match this side.

It's still in the very early stages, but that's why I think this could be a very good investment.

Of course, it's all about the money.

Guess the price time. Sat, you're doing dreadfully so far.

Why don't you go first, my friend? Your budget's £210,000.

Gorgeous new-build property. What do you reckon?

-I think look and feel-wise and the way they've done it, I think we're talking about 210,000.

-Top budget.

I was going to say 210 as well, but I might put in a cheeky 209.

209. Raj, you were wise to be cheeky because once more, sorry Sat, it's been a disaster.

You've just pipped him.

But you'll like this. This place is on the market for £190,000.

Well below your budget, for this fantastic city centre living.

I'm really surprised. It's a really good price.

It's completely shocked me, that.

You talk about properties growing with you.

The four-bedroom version of this is £215,000.

-Right.

-Being a new-build, you could probably get away with an offer at your 210 budget.

Want something to grow with you.

So three lovely properties. All very different today.

-Plenty to think about.

-Definitely.

Put your heads together and think about which one you would like to test-drive.

-Or as we say...

-Try before you buy.

-Off you go.

-See you later, guys.

While they're doing that, here's a reminder.

Yes. We kicked off our love fest today with our joint choice,

a three-bed semi with impressive gardens, an open living space and in a great area of town.

But could it pull at Sat and Raj's heart strings? On for...

Maybe. But what about my wild card?

What it lacked in fixtures and fittings, it made up for with bags of renovation potential.

Retaining bundles of original features,

this place could easily be transformed into a lovely family home at...

Then there was my wild card. Three good-sized bedrooms, a beautiful living area,

energy-saving systems and views over Coventry, offering the ultimate in city living.

This is the perfect place for a pair of young lovers - especially at...

Sat and Raj - love me.

In our wild card fest today you have chosen to test drive my wild card,

this gorgeous property. What was it about this place?

We love the whole fact of it being different.

As we said before we even went in, when we got inside bedrooms downstairs, lounge upstairs,

canals, two balconies, lot of variation and little new surprises we weren't expecting.

You've seen enough semi-detacheds.

Definitely. That's what attracted us. It's so different to anything we've seen.

And our super-secretive sleuth of a surveyor has given this place the once-over.

We always say at this point, it's not a legally-binding survey, but gives some pointers.

This cladding is cedarwood, which means that as it ages it just gets better.

Very low-maintenance and will look after itself.

On the flipside of that coin, the balcony on the other side is also wood, but it will need maintenance.

You've really got to keep on top of that, to keep it up to a good standard of repair.

One thing you mention is the water systems you've got going on.

You've got a rainwater harvester, used for your toilet etc, and then a solar water heater for your bath.

Both specialist water systems and both would require specialist people

to and service them as an addition to your central heating.

But very efficient and positive things.

One last thing to point out, that our surveyor did note,

is this property backs on to the canal, which is why we love it.

Gorgeous with that waterfront.

Just beware where your boundary finishes.

Whose responsibility is it to maintain that canal bank?

You're itching to get in and test-drive this baby, so have a great time.

-In you go.

-Cup of tea?

-Let's go barging.

-Awesome.

So, time for study for Raj and an opportunity for Sat

to see what the local neighbourhood can offer.

Sorry to barge in again, but I can see that canal being a distraction.

That was an embarrassing pun. It definitely is a romantic spot, though. Eh, Sat?

That's better, the perfect place to swot up.

And looks like our Sat's gone overboard on the pressie front.

Raj, I'm back. Where are you?

I'm up here.

-I've got some presents.

-You're wonderful, babe.

Ah! You're wonderful, babe.

No, you're wonderful, babe.

So, Sat and Raj, you've had the opportunity to spend some time

in Simon's wild card property. How was it for you?

We really enjoyed it.

We really liked the property.

It's got everything we'd want in a property for us at the moment.

-Done, brilliant.

-Let's go.

What I was hoping was this place would help you think outside the box. Has it?

I think so. You were talking about the efficient features -

the ecological system etc - things you wouldn't normally expect, but they've taken account of.

Yes, this is the future, my friends.

But what's the future for you two?

It's that time. The ultimate question.

To buy or not to buy?

Unfortunately on this occasion, guys, it's not to buy.

-Know what, Jonny? I'm not surprised.

-No.

-They've already seen half of Coventry.

What hope did we have?

-Why?

-I think the property is perfect for us at the moment, like I said.

But I think we'd only be able to stay here for one or two years,

because I can't see us bringing up a family in a place like this.

All in all, not wasted time?

-Definitely not.

-It's definitely made us think outside the box,

outside the semi-detacheds that we've been looking at.

Brilliant. Listen, good luck with your continuing search.

Heaven help all the estate agents in Coventry!

But when you finally do find somewhere to settle down, do let us know.

-Will do.

-Take care.

-Cheers, guys. It's been great fun.

-Bye!

Well, there we go. We tried to mix things up a bit.

Threw in a joint choice first, two wild cards. Didn't get it quite right.

-I think we've inspired them for their future search.

-We have that.

If you feel stuck in a rut as you search for your perfect property and you need inspiration, get in touch.

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