Episode 12 Wreck or Ready?

Deciding where to put your cash in an uncertain property market

has never been tougher, so where does the smart money go?

Do you max out your budget and buy a home that's ready to move into?

Or find a wreck for less and turn it into the home of your dreams?

I think why have all the hassle of DIY

when you can buy a dream home from the start.

But I'm convinced the smart move is to be bold and buy a project.

So I'll show today's couple homes,

that with a bit of imagination, can be turned into the perfect fit.

But I'm here to win them over by showing

properties they can move into without having to lift a finger.

So can I convince them to go the extra mile and buy one of my wrecks?

Or will they take easy street and go for one of my lovely readies?

Today we're searching in an area to the east of Maidstone,

the county town of Kent, just over 60 miles from London.

Kent is known as the Garden of England,

with its open countryside, rambling orchards and iconic oast houses.

It's also prime commuter belt, with much of the London working masses

choosing it as the perfect semi-rural retreat away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

But that sort of convenience comes at a price.

Detached homes in the county cost on average £394,000.

12.5% more than the national average.

Today's house hunters are financial services worker James,

stay at home mum Sarah, and 15-month-old Xavier.

They currently rent a four-bedroomed house in Rochester, which is ideal for James' commute to the city,

but now they want to buy somewhere close by.

They've got a generous 580 grand to spend on a dream family home,

but they've also got big ideas about what sort of property they want.

Sarah's originally from California, and the couple lived in the US

for two years, so they're used to property on a grand scale.

Super fit James and Sarah share a passion for competing in triathlons,

so ideally they'd like to be near good sports facilities.

So before we can kick start the search we need to find out

what else is on their wish list and see who wants a wreck...

..and who wants a ready.

OK, are you ready?

-Here we go.

-Hi, my name is Sarah and I am a super mommy.

My name's Jim, I work in financial services.

We have to move out of this rental and the thought of moving into

another rental, it's just like, it's kind of beyond us at this point.

The thought of committing to another year of un-passionate living is just kind of like not really in us.

We're very keen on having a real open plan, American kind of living space downstairs, lots of light.

The kitchen as it is, is becoming really, really, really bad for Xavier, because when he was younger,

it didn't matter that he was sitting in the high chair in the corner of this kitchen,

but now that he's older he wants to eat with us

and it's just not a sociable environment at all,

so it just doesn't work and we really, really need to get a space for us to eat together as a family.

I can see the kind of house they want in my mind.

It's got a big kitchen diner and it's got a flow to it.

We definitely have to have four bedrooms.

I mean none of us, including James, has any family nearby,

so we really have to have accommodation for friends from out of town.

Most people live away from their families, so they need

bigger houses in order to have somewhere for them to stay.

The house we buy just has got to have a load of storage, so we can buy lots more triathlon stuff.

We really want a garden.

One that we can have a vegetable patch in.

I just want space to build tree houses with Xav and

put a full size goal up and teach him to take free kicks.

Even although we like character properties, if they feel

like a cave, I don't think we're going to be interested in that.

In all honesty, I think I'm probably more akin to getting a wreck of a place.

We would want to do a wreck because we just like, we really want to put our stamp on something.

I think Sarah, while she wants a wreck, she probably wants

the wreck to be finished within six months, so she's living in a nice ready.

We need somebody that has expertise on a wreck that can say

this is how much it's going to cost, this is how much time it's going to take, you know?

Are you prepared to do that? This is is how much value it might add.

And on the other side, look this stuff's already been done, you know?

You're going to love it, you could just put your things in here and go off and work out because

there's a gym down the road and all. Everything that you guys want is already in place.

-Like a fairy princess, you know.

-Maybe you are the fairy Godmother.

It ended on a high there for me, didn't it?

I've got two people that are open-minded about doing a wreck.

They've got a good budget and I think I know the kind of house they want.

I can see walls coming down.

I'm quite happy with this one.

Yeah, I mean, I might well find them something that's not quite

as open plan as they would like but ready to move into,

and, as you said, it may involve knocking a wall down.

-How do you feel about that?

-Well, I think you're cheating.

Thought you might say that.

And cheats never prosper, Jane. So, to sum up, James is up for a wreck.

And Sarah is too, as long as it can be transformed into a ready quickly enough.

What they're both looking for is a detached house.

With four bedrooms.

Big open plan living spaces.

And a big enough garden for Xavier to play in.

All of this with a budget of £580,000.

That's a lot of money but round here you need deep pockets to

get everything on your wish list, so will this be tricky.

There's plenty of modern open plan readies to choose from

but often they lack the character James and Sarah are after.

Whilst chocolate box cottages with renovation potential are often short on space.

So the first couple of properties we show James and Sarah should

give us an idea on which features they're prepared to compromise on and which ones are must haves.

House buyers are often turned off by features that they hadn't even considered,

so it's just as important to find out what they don't like.

For my first wreck we're heading to the beautiful village of Ryarsh in the heart of the North Downs.

There's a wide selection of properties to choose from here and

although it's semi-rural there's a pub and a school in the village too.

Mm, Sarah and James are competitive triathletes, remember.

This place looks very sleepy, not sporty.

Ah, but it's only three miles away from the lake where they train

and it's a good test to see how much stamina they've got

for a renovation job.

This four-bed 17th century cottage is on the market for £575,000.

The low ceilings and old-fashioned layout means that the rooms do feel small,

but character properties with the potential to be opened up

into a more modern family home do come at a premium.

Now then, the first offering today for the family home

for Xavier, James and Sarah is this quaint country cottage.

Looks like an oil tank.

I have to say that the pipes on the outside are a little off-putting,

-but other than that.

-What do you think of...

Yeah, actually it is an attractive plot, I like it.

It looks like you could make a nice vegetable patch somewhere.

-There's a vegetable patch...

-Love the trees for him, he loves climbing.

There's an acre of ground here, so plenty to romp around, Xavier,

but it's a bit rubbish weather, so let's look inside, shall we?

Yes. Perfect.

'Hate to rain on your parade, Jane, but I think they like it.'

Okey dokey. In we come.

-OK.

-Sarah, what do you think?

It feels really small and like James is going to hit his head.

In America, this is a closet, in England you get a big sofa in it.

Well, look, I'm suggesting this is going to be part of your kitchen.

-Oh, OK.

-Kitchen in there, you've got a stable door and then

open that wall up, not a big job, cos it's only a stud partition,

then coming through here. Look, Xavier's already in the kitchen and he absolutely loves it.

Yeah, he loves it! Well, that would be good then, yeah.

If this is part of the kitchen, that seems quite spacious, I think that would be pretty good.

I'd need to see a bit more of the layout just to understand

-what could be knocked down.

-OK, well, through here

is the living room. Now, you will have to mind your head.

-You...won't.

-I won't.

This is the original part of the house, I'm told 17th century, so you get a lot of history here.

-Oh, wow, that's nice.

-OK, so the whole house at the moment is a four-bedroomed house.

I'm thinking it will make a three-bedroomed house. Amazingly for a 17th century property

it's not listed which is an absolute rarity,

which means you have the flexibility to do stuff, whilst you own it.

I think there's a lot of work to be done.

Yeah, there's loads of work to be done in this place.

But I do like the feel of it, I like the look of it.

I guess I'm really enthusiastic about spending the money if we get more back

and it's an investment pound and not just a pound for pound.

Yeah. It's right at the top of your budget at £575,000.

You've got to be looking at spending 25 odd grand on this place at least,

just to get it up to maybe modern standards,

but I would say every pound that you save in negotiating the price,

you spend on this house.

I have to admit, though, just feeling-wise,

I'm not 100% sold yet, just on the couple of rooms we've seen.

'So this place hasn't wowed them inside,

'but the cost of property in this part of the country means that

'there's not much left over for the renovation work.

'Opening up the downstairs space, fitting a new kitchen

'and installing a new bathroom will cost at least 20 grand,

'so to keep this project on budget they'd have to negotiate hard on the asking price.'

I actually feel a bit overwhelmed by the amount of work.

I feel maybe it's a little bit over-priced,

because there's a tremendous amount of work that has to happen.

The grounds and the concept are better than the internal rooms.

I don't feel like this will turn into our dream home.

'And that's my dream of them going for this wreck shattered too.'

There, there. Allow me to lift their spirits with my first ready.

We're leaving behind the nooks and crannies of Jonnie's wrecks

and heading five miles south to King's Hill.

A relatively new development of landscaped parkland covering 800 acres.

This highly planned community is based on similar developments

in the States, so it should feel familiar to Sarah.

I'm not seeing much character here, Jane.

Agreed, but what you do get is a lot more space for your money.

This four-bed, two bath detached house is on the market for £595,000.

It's 15 grand over budget, but it's been on the market for a few weeks

so the price could be negotiable.

There's a good sized kitchen and diner, a lounge, a dining room,

plus a large secure garden, ideal for Xavier to run around in.

He's been tired out by my first property, so he's gone off for a nap.

Mum and Dad won't rest, though, until they've found their dream family home.

-Looks very quaint.

-Oh, you like.

-It does look very quaint.

Well, I've taken you out of the countryside, into a new residential development

and what I wanted to gauge was your first reaction and quaint, I think's quite good.

-Whoa, mine was quaint!

-Yes.

No, yours was quintessentially quaint.

-This is just quaint.

-Spacious, that's what I'm getting.

So location, is it working?

Not normally, no, we wouldn't have looked here on our own at all.

-But the location on an estate is probably...

-Not sure about that.

-Doesn't float the boat.

-'Sounds like you're sinking with this one already, Jane.'

'Not so fast, Jonnie, just wait till they see inside.'

So, this property is probably the most ready made property you'll ever find.

You've got this beautiful country kitchen,

-which you probably weren't expecting.

-No, it is beautiful, actually.

-I can imagine myself cooking in this kitchen.

-Look at that smile.

One thing about our property that we're in that I absolutely hate

is not being able to play with Xavier when I'm cooking.

There's plenty of room to play in here, you can have a football match if you wanted to.

-You like this style?

-I actually do.

-Do you?

-Surprisingly I do.

I mean it's not exactly what I would have chosen myself but, you know, it's hard to complain.

OK. Well, the reason I did bring you here is because it is

the biggest plot on the whole estate, this property.

I would tell everybody as I'm walking round!

Ah, we've just moved in to the biggest plot on the street.

Why does that not surprise me?

'So things are looking up a bit.

'The space is beginning to win them around.'

'I'm not sure if living in an executive style box is going to tick their boxes.'

And then into a rather grand living room.

-Yeah, um, I have to say it is very cookie cutter.

-What does that mean?

Yeah, translation please.

Like everybody's place, you know.

-And that doesn't work for you.

-Um, it doesn't really tickle me, no.

This estate was built with the family in mind, you're surrounded by families

and for a couple that are relatively new to the area, that could be perfect for you.

Not only that, you're ten minutes away from the lake that you currently swim in,

you've got cycle tracks all the way round, there's a gym on site, it couldn't be more family friendly.

Definitely convenient for our current lifestyle.

This has been on the market a little while and the asking price at the moment is 595.

For me, there's not much of a spark.

OK, well you've got to feel a home, men have to feel a home too.

-Oh, thank you. Very nice.

-We'll give them that.

We are sensitive, me and Jonnie.

Oh, is that what you call it?

Shall we have a hug somewhere cos it's not happening for us. Come on.

I think I should show you round upstairs.

Well, I'm glad we're all feeling the love, but I'm confused,

they're changing their minds which each part of the house they see.

Maybe they need time to bash it out between themselves.

I'm not a fan of the property, but I am a fan of the lifestyle.

Yeah, I mean you can imagine how much time we would have on our hands to actually

enjoy all the amenities that we've talked about,

going on bike rides, still going to the lakes nearby.

OK, it sounds like James isn't feeling this property,

but they do both love the access to the great local amenities.

So it's time for me to go it alone and find a ready in the perfect

location and that has much more of an individual wow.

But this is my chance to pip you to the post with my second wreck

and show them that the best way to personalise a home is to fix it up themselves.

I have a sneaky suspicion that Sarah's a bit daunted with all

that work, so this afternoon I want to show them something

with a lot less work and a little bit more space.

Less than three miles from Maidstone is the village of East Farleigh.

I think it offers Sarah and James the perfect location

because it has the semi-rural feel

but is still well connected to all the facilities of a busy town centre.

The village itself has a lively community too

with bags more individual character than your ready, Jane.

Not style over substance though I hope, Jonnie.

Well, you know me, Jane, I'm all about the substance

and this three-bedroomed house on the market for £490,000

is ripe for renovating and knocking through.

But has it got the four bedrooms James and Sarah asked for?

Not yet, Jane, but as well as the three double bedrooms,

lounge, kitchen and conservatory,

there's also two extra rooms with a double garage.

That's just screaming guest annexe to me.

Well, all this noise has woken Xavier up, so you've got

the whole family to impress on this one, Jonnie. Good luck.

We love the area, for sure.

-Big fans.

-Eh, now listen, what do you think of this, mate?

Yeah.

Yes, he's got his hands up, he loves it. Let's go inside, come on.

'Thumbs up all round I think there, Jane.'

-OK, in we come.

-Oh.

Now keep this space in mind, keep it in your mind, we'll go straight into the kitchen.

Straightaway I'm talking about pushing this through and making an American style kitchen.

Oh, really big, that would be really big. That would be nice.

Because at the moment, Jonnie, it does feel like a men's changing room,

which not many kitchens feel like that.

No, but, just think, push that wall through and that will be a big dining kitchen,

an island in the middle and that would go into the conservatory as well. You could even...

-That would be really nice.

-Pull the conservatory back here,

-so you have a massive dining kitchen.

-Yeah, yeah.

In order to get this dream kitchen, are you prepared to take on a bit of a project like that?

-Of course we are.

-Yeah, that kind of project would be fine,

in fact it seems a lot less daunting than the first place we saw.

I just don't know why, maybe I'm completely wrong.

But just, maybe because I can visualise it better.

'Result. James is excited about a potential project,

'Sarah's not daunted by the amount of work and baby Xavier is deciding where his den's going to be.'

'And how much is that little lot going to set them back?'

'Well, to knock the wall down between the current kitchen and dining room

'would cost around £10,000, including all new fixtures and fittings.'

-'But what about the fourth bedroom?'

-'Yes, Jane, I'm coming to that.'

Now when you start to convert downstairs.

We're above the garage here. I think they've missed a trick.

If they put a bathroom in downstairs, you've got not only guest accommodation,

-but self-contained guest accommodation.

-Yeah.

-If your folks come over, they're not coming for a weekend.

-No.

They're coming for a long time, so they can come in and out as they please,

they've got their own space away from you, but you can share meals.

That is really actually amazing.

I think it is, it is that whole lack of character thing a bit,

that I'm having a little bit of trouble getting over but at the same time,

your idea, to knock down that wall, like, wow, that could be a dream come true.

'Hear that, Jane, my first wreck wasn't their dream home but this could be.'

I'm not feeling a no here at all here, but...

Maybe Xavier has decided about it, Xavier, do I get a high five?

If I get a high five from Xavier. High five?

-Oh, that's a good sign.

-It's a done deal. Shall we just go home?

'There's another great deal to be done here.

'Converting the extra rooms into a fourth bedroom or annexe would cost around ten grand,

'that's a total of £20,000 for all the renovations this house needs to make it work for Sarah and James.

'Plus, it would take around five weeks to complete.

'It would also mean them coming in around 70 grand under their budget of £580,000.'

The good thing about this place is the right location

and they've got it on for the right price.

Like we could bling this place up big time,

because we'd have lots left over.

Would you, would you pimp the annexe?

-SHE LAUGHS

-Pimp it out, yeah.

'Well, that's an unusual approach to renovation but if they get the crib they're after, then why not?

'Time to give Jane the heads up on how the viewing's gone.'

They can see the potential although I've got a sneaky suspicion

they've got one foot still in the character pocket,

so if you can show them anything with character, I think you'll certainly get Sarah on board.

'Well, thanks for the tip, Jonnie.

'The trouble I'm having though is that big open plan readies

are traditionally not the most characterful, or have already been extended to meet

a modern family's needs and as a result will command a premium price.

For my final ready, I've chosen a village Sarah and James should love.

Trottiscliffe, or "Trozli" as the locals call it,

is home to good schools, a tennis club and two pubs.

Plus, it's less than 15 minutes from the lake where Sarah and James train for their triathlons.

This impressive four-bedroomed, detached and extended bungalow,

on the market for £595,000, should get their hearts pumping too.

It is over budget by 15 grand but I've been told the vendors are open to offers.

I do think it would be well worth the extra push though,

because it's the biggest property we're showing Sarah and James today,

with over 3,000 square feet on offer.

There are four bedrooms,

three bathrooms, a large kitchen breakfast room,

a sitting and family room, plus a very grand entrance indeed.

Great for tinkling the ivories, Jane, but will it tickle their fancy?

It's certainly got the character they're after, so let's see.

So I got the impression that living on an estate wasn't really

doing it for you, so I've brought you back into the country.

Village right on your doorstep. You can walk to the local school, tennis courts, village hall, two pubs.

Is it doing it for you so far?

-Yes, definitely.

-Bang on the money. Like it. Yeah, really nice.

-Do you want to have a look inside then?

-Absolutely.

'Could they be any more enthusiastic?'

'Oh, wow.'

'Apparently so.'

-This is going to give you an idea of the dimensions of this whole house.

-All right.

-Wow!

-Is it working for you, Xav?

-Lots of space.

-Yeah.

Let's go straight through to the kitchen.

Cos this is just the most amazing kitchen.

What do you think?

Oh... I know you're containing your excitement.

So you wanted a really wow kitchen, didn't you?

Yeah. This is really good.

This is really nice and even more my style, I think.

It's scarily good, isn't it?

Yeah, I know it's like, oh, man, it's almost like we did it ourselves.

It's on the market at 595. So they're after a quick sale

-and you're in the position to offer them that.

-Yeah.

So there could be, you know, a little negotiation there to be had.

I wouldn't say a huge amount, because somebody is

very interested in the property and they've had an offer.

'I couldn't have asked for better reactions and they don't seem to be put off by the asking price,

'but they'll need to move quickly if they like the rest of the house, with another offer on the table.'

This is your living room, behind we've got a play room.

On this level you've also got the fourth bedroom.

-Yep.

-OK.

-I'm definitely feeling it, that's for sure.

-Yeah.

-I mean, my heart's feeling it, but.

Me too, there's definitely... There's wow in every corner.

'Well, you've finally got the wows you're after, Jane, well done.'

'I'll just pat myself on the back whilst they explore upstairs.'

Oh, this is a great size master bedroom, isn't it?

Oh, my gosh, it's like really big.

And it already has mood lighting.

-Is that for your moods?

-Yeah, for my moods.

It feels like a country cottage but it's quite a modern house.

This place is perfect. I mean, honestly, it's perfect.

We're going to have to have a chat, I think.

A chat about how much to offer, Sarah? Good girl!

Hasn't been an easy journey though.

No, Jane, I was beginning to wonder if we'd ever find something that covered all the angles.

A perfect character home to rival the dimensions of what Sarah and James were used to back in the US.

Not sure I pulled it off with my first wreck, either,

which had character but lacked space.

And my first ready had the space but it lacked character.

Mm. My second wreck got James' creative juices flowing though, and

even Sarah didn't seem daunted by the renovation work.

My final ready worked

because it's all the best bits of today's properties rolled into one.

But with an offer on the table,

they'll need to move quickly if they like it enough to want to buy it.

-Nice place.

-It is nice, isn't it?

-What do they think?

-They loved it.

Really loved it and they've gone upstairs.

-I'm interested to see their final response, but it's going well.

-They're coming out, let's find out.

-Hello.

-Hi.

-Found the playground, then?

-Yes, we always do.

I seem to remember getting high fives off Xavi in my last place.

We had our heads really spinning at that last place because it was something of a compromise.

It was a bit in between, it wasn't too much of a wreck we couldn't live in it when we first got there.

But at the same time there was lots of potential for

changing it and making it well maybe a bit like this. That's the thing.

I thought the first two houses were maybe they were a little bit over-priced

and then the second two properties, I feel they're just about bang on the money.

Yeah they did, they feel like what they're supposed to be.

So then I brought you here, and you fell in love with it

from the moment you walked through the door and what's not to love?

Before that I think. Just when you see it, when you walk up the drive,

-it just looks, the colours of the front and...

-It's so lovely.

That's the perfect word, I love that English word.

It's lovely. It's exactly it.

I'm afraid to say, mate, best till last. I'm sorry.

I've got to say, I've just walked through the living room.

-No surprises.

-Don't blame us.

This place is almost the version of the place I showed you, the finished version.

Yeah, I thought that myself.

This place is what you end up with after you've done a wreck.

Listen, if you do buy this place, I'm afraid Xavier gets the slide but I think that could be Jane's house.

'Charming, but it does look like you've found yourself a new friend there, Jonnie.'

-Me and him.

-Ah, that's lovely.

-We're the team.

Jane, you're sacked.

'And you're just sore because they chose my ready.'

'But did they decide to go for it?'

After yesterday and sleeping on it for a night,

we really settled on property number four, surprisingly.

And we'd like to make an offer on it that is below the asking price see if they accept it.

If they do, everybody's golden. If not, we need to do some more research.

But by the time Sarah and James decided to make their move

another offer had been accepted on my final property and it was taken off the market.

That's a shame. They really liked that place.

They did. It just goes to show that gorgeous ready properties

at the right price don't stay on the market that long.

Let's hope they'll find something just as good, if not even better.

-Wishing them all the luck and join us next time...

-..on Wreck or Ready.