Episode 13 Wreck or Ready?

With the housing market so unpredictable, make sure you buy a solid investment.

But pick the right property, and you could find you're quids in.

I reckon doing work to the house you buy can be a great way of taking

a giant leap up the property ladder.

So, I'm on the hunt for Wrecks that will convince our buyers that doing up is the best way to trade up.

But bargains can be had on even the very best properties,

so I'm on a mission to prove

that buying a ready-to-move-into perfect pad is the best option.

Why go to the hassle of getting builders if you can move straight into your dream home?

So, will today's home buyers go for one of my renovation projects?

Or will they choose one of my ready-made homes?

Today, we're helping a family choose between a Wreck or Ready

in the budding city of Newcastle, proud capital of the Geordie nation.

The average semi-detached house in the city costs.

So our house-hunters today should get a lot of bricks and mortar for their hard-earned dosh.

Sunderland-based restaurant owner, Romeo, new mum, Claudia, and their four-month-old son, Luca,

are desperate to find their dream home and they've not yet found anything that fits the bill.

Romeo moved to the UK from his home country, Georgia, ten years ago

and after settling in Sunderland, he met and married Claudia.

After years of waiting tables, he's recently fulfilled his lifelong dream

and opened his own restaurant on Newcastle's fashionable quayside.

The long hours and the 35-minute drive from Sunderland

means he's missing out on spending time with Luca.

And with Claudia having loads of friends in Newcastle, it's time to up sticks,

rent out their house and buy a big family home.

But before we can start the search, we need to find out exactly

what they're looking for and, who's up for taking on a Wreck.

..and who wants a Ready.

I am desperate to move house, because Luca obviously is getting bigger every day,

he's going to toddling around. We're getting under each other's feet.

A lot of stuff there and not enough floor space for anything else, is there?

It just overtakes your life.

The house that we're in now, you come straight into the living room

and the pushchair is in the living room because there's nowhere to put it.

So an entrance hallway would be fantastic.

Something nice and quiet because, having a child,

I would prefer somewhere like a good neighbourhood.

My ideal scenario to have a lounge that we can sort of keep tidy and keep for best,

and then have a more open-plan kitchen/dining area.

And then a minimum of three bedrooms.

If there was a possibility for us to extend to make a fourth bedroom,

I' be interested in that.

Our maximum budget will be £200,000 and that's including any renovation work that needs doing.

It's a clear remit. It's a family home they're looking at, they just need more space.

Every single room that we saw there on that video was small,

so if we can get her extra size in every single room, I think she'll be happy.

I don't think that we should get a Wreck.

Having a new baby is difficult anyway,

but I guess most couples, the dad will go to work nine to five and then be back in the house for six,

but Romeo's at work till midnight.

I personally probably prefer the Wreck one,

because then being able to do some work.

I mean, I won't have the time myself to spend some time in there,

but I've got my dad coming round in this month

and he's quite a good handyman, so probably he'll be a good help.

She's absolutely dead set against it, isn't she?

-If he buys a renovation project, he's going to need a hard hat, not for the work, from her.

-Ear bashing!

Who's going to win?

I always do.

No, but now you have to think of Luca, and so you just can't think about what YOU want any more.

You have to think about what's best for the family.

Well, I might be prepared to give up in the end,

but I'll fight to the last drop of my blood!

So, this property search is going to be a real battle of wills.

And not just yours and mine, Jane. With a new baby, Claudia is dead set against a Wreck,

but entrepreneur Romeo is on the hunt for somewhere he can add value.

All for a budget of...

We're going to concentrate our search in the northern suburbs of Newcastle,

an area popular with young families, but within an easy commute of the city centre.

For my first Ready, I'm taking them to the former village of Forest Hall,

now very much part of the city.

There are several good schools nearby, so it's an ideal place to bring up Luca

and any more little 'uns that come along in the future.

It's all a bit identikit housing here, isn't it?

It might not be to your taste, Jonnie, but I think it'll suit Claudia and Romeo to a T.

It's a 15-minute drive from Romeo's restaurant and Claudia's got friends just round the corner.

The first property I've lined up for them is a three-bed detached new-build-style house

in a quiet cul-de-sac, on the market for...

Not much left over in their 200 grand budget then, Jane.

Not a problem, Jonnie, this place is ready to move into.

Claudia wants the hassle-free option.

There is one compromise - it doesn't have the separate hallway they were after,

but there's room in the garage.

So, first property of the day is a Ready, we've come to a new estate.

What are your first thoughts? It is a detached property, new build in a quiet cul-de-sac,

so it ticks the boxes.

Nice area, good area, quiet area. it's ideal for families.

I like it. It's detached, which is a bonus.

You will find out that this house is as ready as they come, once we go in.

-Come on.

-Let's have a look.

-This is worryingly promising.

'Yes, Jonnie you should be worried, very worried.

'Janie, in my experience what new-build properties usually offer in convenience,

'they often take away in terms of space.

'We'll see if that's a compromise they're prepared to make.'

So straight in to what could become your living space.

What I really want to highlight in this property is that you don't need to do anything,

it's all been done for you.

You basically move your stuff straight in and start enjoying family life.

Segregated sort of living space here with a dining area.

Added bonus of a conservatory, nice-sized conservatory on the back, and also a good-sized kitchen.

-Fantastic.

-Great. I like kitchens.

-Have you not seen a kitchen before, then(?)

-No, not really, no.

I like cooking, so probably my point would be a nice kitchen.

The thing that immediately I'm concerned about is, again, we've got no real entrance hallway,

-and that's a problem in our current house.

-OK.

-Having the pushchair,

I don't see where we could put it, and that's one of the problems we've got.

'Pushchair aside, this place has got more of the family living space that these guys are desperate for.'

It's good that we've got a separate space for eating, because that's one thing we don't have now.

And the conservatory could probably be a multi-use room as well.

'So whilst the layout's not quite what Claudia wanted, she's warming to it.

'But Romeo wants investment potential, and so a Ready would have to tick

'absolutely every box to convince him to pay top dollar.

'And at £195,000, this place is just five grand under their £200,000 limit.'

It is almost at the top of your budget.

Is that something you feel comfortable with because I know that you were keen to add value?

In the situation we have, I probably would need to compromise, but I have to see the Wreck one first.

But because of her and the baby, I may be softer this time.

'Ah, you're a gentleman, Romeo, but I don't think Claudia's going to be fighting too hard for this one.

'She wants to move straight into her ideal family home, and I don't think this is it.

'You may be right, Jonnie, but I need to hear it from Claudia.'

What I want to gauge from you is whether you could see yourselves living here as a family.

You know, it is immaculate, you don't need to do anything to it,

you've got the nursery all ready there for Luca.

Could you see yourselves here?

Practically, it is a practical house, we could just move straight in.

Probably I was expecting a bit larger.

It's quite similar to the house that we're already in.

-Mm.

-That's what I'm saying.

-This is the problem.

-Uh-huh, yeah.

-Is this in a better location than you've got?

-Definitely.

-So, location ticks the boxes?

-It's just the size of the property.

-Yeah.

-There's always a compromise.

-Yeah.

Maybe you don't get the detached house...

-No.

-..maybe we go to a cheaper area.

We've got to decide. Location, space.

I suppose if the house was right, then you probably would be willing to compromise on the location.

So now Claudia and Romeo are seeing the compromise they are going to have to make.

It's just not Wreck versus Ready, it's space versus location.

My first Wreck is less than three miles down the road in Cochrane Park,

an area that Claudia and Romeo like, but the compromise is the busy road.

Hang on, Jonnie, that's not the only compromise, is it? Claudia won't like the hideously-dated interior.

Ah, but the good news is that all the original 1930s features are intact.

This spacious three-bed doer-upper is on the market for...

..which leaves them 45 grand

to knock through some rooms and create their ideal layout.

Now admittedly, we're on a busier road.

-Uh-huh.

-OK, it's not a main road. This is the house.

-It's quite pretty.

-I like it, but I'd change it.

-You like it, but you'd change it?

-Yes.

Let's hear about how you'll change it inside. Come on.

'Changing it is absolutely fine, that's the whole point of taking on a Wreck.

-'You're not paying for someone else's taste.

-I'm not sure if this is anybody's taste, is it?'

This is one of the two fairly-equally-sized reception rooms.

-OK.

-Right.

-Interior designer Jane must be loving this!

-It's fabulous!

-So, what do you think about the size here?

-I think it's a really good size.

-And is that the living room?

-Well, you tell me.

It's the same size as this, facing the front. You've got a very...

-an estate agent would describe it as a modest-sized kitchen.

-Right.

-Personally, I think it's too small for modern families.

-OK.

-I'm suggesting you punch that wall through for big dining kitchen, opening out into the garden.

-Uh-huh.

That sounds perfect.

-Good idea.

-And then keep a living room for grown-ups.

-Yes, quite.

Grown-up business. Uh-huh.

'Claudia can see that, with a bit of imagination,

'they could get the layout they wanted,

'with the open plan kitchen/diner, great for the family.

'Well, yes, but there's going to be months of mess and dust, plus an awful lot of hard work.'

Do you like the idea of getting your hands dirty and doing the work yourself?

Probably my dad and her dad.

I've got no time, but I would love to, yes, I would love to take a part in it.

I would definitely want to knock through and make it open-plan, that would be brilliant, but...

-That's the best...

-..avenue, isn't it?

-You favour the Ready or the renovation now?

Yeah, I'm confused!

Now you change your mind.

-Just space-wise, this is so much better than...

-It is bigger.

-..than mine.

-We have to look past this not so fantastic...

-Close your eyes.

-Can you look past that?

Oh, definitely. I can see the space and the nice big bay window.

'What a turnaround. All it took was to show Claudia how much more you get for your money

-'and she's up for taking on a project.

-I can see why she's enthusiastic about the potential,

'but when she's had a chance to see for herself just how much work

'they're going to have to do around the rest of the house,

'I think she'll have second thoughts.'

Now, I don't think you're going to want to do anything to this bedroom.

-It's lovely!

-It is a project, it's a renovation project.

-There's quite a bit needs to be done to make this into a modern home.

-Yeah.

-I love all this Art Deco stuff scattered around the house. The bathroom has amazing tiles.

-Uh-huh.

Personally, I've done up an Art Deco property before and I kept all the old tiles and made the most of them.

'Even with Romeo's dad helping out to keep the renovation costs down,

'they'll need a builder for structural work.

'They'll have to budget 25 grand to refurb the house from top to bottom,

'but they'd still get their dream family home

'for around 20 grand less than their £200,000 budget.'

It's on the market for £154,950.

However, I know they've had an offer of £140,000 and they've turned it down.

-Right.

-It's new on the market and they will have a lot of interest.

-This is what young families like yourselves want to get a hold of.

-Uh-huh.

The rooms are all really good sizes.

I think Jonnie's idea of knocking through the kitchen and dining room would be perfect for us.

And having the grown-up lounge.

The only thing that I think concerns me is just the road.

'So, it's back to that space versus location conundrum again

-'I'm not sure you've cracked it for them, Jonnie.

-There IS off-street car parking,

'which means it'll be safe getting Luca in and out of the car.

'And Claudia's clearly getting excited about the layout.'

Having the massive kitchen/dining room would be brilliant for Luca cos he'd be able to run around,

and then the living room separately at the front could just be for us.

-I think I'm warming to it.

-Yeah.

'They wanted child-friendly outside space for Luca to run around in

'and this property delivers on that as well.'

Ah, it's a nice-sized garden.

'Looks like I could be onto a winner.'

-Well, I'm pretty happy with that.

-And so you should be.

-Mm.

I think it's perfectly clear what I need to provide.

-What, a renovation project?

-No, more space.

Yeah. He's a big lad and he wants a big room, I reckon -

-I am going to stick with this winning formula.

-Yeah, you do that.

Good luck with yours, by the way. You'll need a lot of luck.

'I wouldn't be so sure. The next property I've found gives them pretty much

'everything they liked in the last house - apart from, it's ready to move into.

'It's another three-bed 1930s semi in the same area,

'on the market for 199,000. So it's still under their 200 grand budget.'

'Very nice, Jane. The only feature you've forgotten to mention

'is that, in estate agents-speak, it's described as "not overlooked".

'Come on, Jane - I know they wanted peace and quiet, but a cemetery next door?!

'Good luck with that one.

'I'd rather concentrate on the GOOD points, if you don't mind -

'this house has got all sorts of mod cons that your place didn't.

'Central heating, double glazing and a luxury shower.

'I think it's a no-brainer.'

-It's very pretty from the outside.

-First impression.

Nice low maintenance front yard...

-First impression quite good.

-Good. So do you want to have a look inside?

-Yes.

-Of course we do.

'So, it's got that all-important kerb appeal -

'so I'm hoping that they'll like what they see inside.

'I think the flexibility to create their own layout

'really appealed in my last property -

'something this place doesn't offer them.'

I do like it...

-You DO like it?

-I do like it, yes, it's sort of nice and open.

I think that I would prefer to have a private living room,

-and a kitchen/diner.

-Dining room separately.

I mean, I do like the double windows

and the door out onto the garden, it is fantastic...

..but I just think, thinking practically on how we're going to live our lives,

I don't know if it would work for us.

It wouldn't be terrible - but it wouldn't be my ideal situation, I don't think.

Because somebody else has pretty much done all the work in this house

and you get to move straight into it,

-obviously it comes with a higher price tag.

-OK.

So this is actually on the market for 199. So that's right at the top of your budget.

-Uh-huh.

-It is. Um...

Being honest, I probably will change something here.

I wouldn't say it's just ready, cos it's not like, straight away obviously...

Yeah. There's no BIG jobs to do...

No big jobs, but there is some little bits.

Change it to our taste.

Which probably everyone does do, anyway.

'Well, a bit of redecoration is better than a lot of renovation,

'especially when you've got a young child to think about.

'And I'm still confident the layout could work for Claudia.'

So, Claudia, this is

a nice big kitchen that looks directly onto the garden - but come round here

because this space has already been added for you.

Currently being used as a sun room,

-but I think it would be perfect as a play room.

-Yeah, definitely.

Directly onto the garden.

So Luca could be with you while you're in here during the day,

then as he gets a bit older he can play out in the garden while you're watching him,

and it means you can keep that other room pretty much to yourself.

Yeah. I like the skylights, and...

it has a really nice... it has a good feel to it.

Very unusual shape, isn't it? It just gives you a sort of...

It even makes the kitchen look bigger.

It could be workable, definitely.

'So, the kitchen/play room gets a thumbs up.

'Yes, Jane. But how are you going to sell them that view?'

And you don't get any problems from the neighbours here, none at all.

-Is it quiet?

-Fantastic.

-There's a cemetery right behind you!

-Oh, is that why?

-They're nice and quiet!

-They're quiet, are they?

No parties at night.

'Mm. Very sneaky, Jane!'

I think I'd need to see it upstairs

before I could make a complete judgment...

'Claudia's not giving much away here.

'I'm not sure which way she's leaning on this one.'

Oh, this is a nice-sized room, isn't it?

It's big in here, because you've got the...

-Nice built-in wardrobes.

-Wardrobes.

I like the window as well, the window's really nice.

That goes out like a square bay window.

So, this place seems to be growing on them -

and there's the added bonus of a loft conversion,

which would make an ideal den for Luca.

Well, as long as he doesn't grow as tall as his dad(!)

It's quite nice, actually. It's sort of cosy.

I can fit a single bed, and a TV, PlayStation...

This could be your office, I suppose.

Yeah, could become a good office here.

As long as you close your eyes and don't look on the right-hand side for a little bit!

'Well, despite their reservations about the downstairs layout

'I think this house could be a contender after all.

'I'm not convinced Claudia's in love with it though,

'and I think Romeo is still hankering after a renovation project.

'Three houses down,

'and we're struggling to give them the perfect combination of space and layout on a quiet street.

'So for my final Wreck, I've decided to roll the dice

'and take a big gamble on an area that's not on their original wish list.

'The suburb of Denton Burn is still only four miles

'from the centre of Newcastle, but it's in the not as sought after western side of the city.

'That might be a compromise too far...

'Well, prices ARE a lot lower around here, so I've been able to find them

'the biggest property yet, and it's on a nice quiet street.

'If they can see past the location, they get an extra bedroom

'plus pretty much everything else on their wish list.

'This four-bed 1966 property needs completely updating...

'..but at a shade under £150,000

'there's 50 grand left in the budget to do all of the work.'

OK - final property of the day.

-I am showing you something a little bit newer.

-OK...

Now it was, once upon a time, a semi-detached.

-It's now been joined up, as you can see.

-Yeah.

-What do we think?

I think it's nice. It's nice to have a little front garden.

What's the big man saying?

Quite good. I think a job's been done already for me there.

-Yes.

-It's been joined. Some extra room there!

-Don't worry, mate, there's plenty of jobs for you to do inside.

-Let's have a look.

'Claudia's already come round to the idea of a big renovation project,

'so I'm confident that the less than loved interior isn't going to scare her off.'

Remember the first place I took you to - we were talking about knocking the walls through...

I'm suggesting we do exactly the same.

Space-wise, it's a nice big room, and then obviously if you

knock through into the kitchen, it would be...it would be good.

There is work to be done, though.

-OK.

-And it's pretty much on the same scale as the first place as well.

You need new wiring, central heating to put in as well.

So I'm saying, budget for the similar amount to the

first house, 25 grand, maybe a little bit more because there's more of it.

Right. Is this room next door the same size, pretty much as big?

-It's slightly bigger.

-Oh, great.

-It's got a bay on it.

-Oh, fantastic.

This house came onto the market at 159,950.

It's now been reduced to 149,950.

Right. OK...

'So, let me do the maths for you.

'That's 50 grand under budget,

'which leaves plenty of dosh to do all of the work.'

I'm trying to give you something almost...

a duplication of the first house, but with stuff you asked for.

-A bit more room, and a quieter street.

-Yeah.

'Romeo and Claudia originally had a fourth bedroom on their wish list

'but up till now we've not been able to give it to them.'

Here you've got second, third... and fourth bedroom here.

-Right.

-So we're getting an extra bedroom.

-An extra bedroom.

-'It could tip the balance in this house's favour.'

Now you're up here, now you know you can get your hands on a four-bedroomed house

and put your own stamp on it, have an amazing kitchen,

all within budget...

It is... it is really tempting.

I think the area is what I need to research more into, cos

I'm not that familiar with it and it wasn't one of the places

-that we'd considered looking at first.

-Sure.

But if you get more for your money,

then maybe area is something that you have to compromise on.

'So this place has given Claudia and Romeo a real dilemma.

'It's got the potential to make the spacious family home they wanted,

'and an extra bedroom.

'Maybe, Jonnie, but buying a house is just as much about the heart as

'the head, and if Claudia hasn't fallen in love with it I don't think they'll go for it.'

I'm not...jumping for joy about it.

I'm not... I don't strongly like it or dislike it.

-And if that's...

-The street seems nice enough,

it's nice and quiet. It's nice that we've got the...

off-street parking, and the little front patch of lawn as well.

-It is, yeah. Quite pretty.

-Makes it feel dead homely.

'Claudia and Romeo are still torn between space and location, but while Claudia originally

'wanted a Ready, at least now I've got her thinking about on a Wreck.'

Hello, Jane.

Hello. Are you basking in glory or sunshine?

You know what, I think maybe glory.

-Yeah?

-Mm, I'm quite confident.

Oh, well, I'm glad someone is.

'Our search for Romeo's and Claudia's ideal family home

'has taken us round the houses and all over Newcastle.

'We started with Jane's three-bed modern detached

'in a quiet cul-de-sac.

'They loved the family-friendly location

'but the house just wasn't big enough.

'Then Jonnie gave them this three-bed un-modernised semi,

'with loads of interior space.

'It got Claudia considering a renovation -

'but the only downside was the busy road.

'Jane's next property, this three-bed semi-detached,

'was just as spacious, and ready to move into.

'Unfortunately, they didn't like the layout.

'And finally Jonnie gave them a fourth bedroom

'in this extended doer-upper.

'They loved the extra space, and weren't put off by the work -

'but they're not so keen on the area.

'All four properties offer a different compromise

'on their 200 grand budget,

'so Claudia and Romeo have got some tough choices to make.'

You can either tell us your favourite now, or sleep on it.

I think we should sleep on it.

-Sleep on it, I think.

-I knew you'd say that!

-I think you two need to be singing from the same hymn sheet...

-Yeah.

..before you go back and view any property.

-What properties is it out of, then?

-I wonder!

I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's out of the two Wrecks.

-Ah...

-And I was the one that wanted to move into a ready-made property.

Fortunately, I have to agree with Claudia.

Renovation time - property number two.

-We liked the Art Deco house a little bit, didn't we?

-We did, yeah.

Yeah, but...obviously work needs to be done to it...

But it had a lot of potential. Only downside however, is the road.

This last place - quieter road, bigger house,

slightly unfamiliar area...

That's the sticking point with this house.

I think Romeo can see a lot of potential in this house, probably

-more so than with the first Wreck we looked at.

-I'll give you that.

But the area is something that I'd have to research into a lot more

because it's not one I'm familiar with.

However, it's got some extension already done to the property. That's a plus.

Plus we've still got some room to go behind the house, do more extension to it.

'Well done, Jonnie. In the end, the promise of all that extra space,

'and the potential to create their ideal family home,

'has won out over the convenience factor of my Readies.

'After sleeping on it, next day Romeo and Claudia have decided to go back

'and have a second look at my first Wreck, the rundown three-bed semi in Cochrane Park.'

I was initially a bit hesitant about taking on a renovation project.

I think coming here, Jonnie's sort of inspired me a little bit,

and having seen a couple of Ready properties that weren't to our taste,

that didn't give us all the space we needed...

it just seems to make sense to do something that we really want

and get the space that we really need.

We'd have to obviously do all the electrics, rewiring...

-There's no central heating.

-Central heating.

-Has to be done.

Replastering the walls...

New bathroom, new kitchen.

Extension onto the back, probably...

Knocking a few walls down.

So really, I mean, we need to figure out exactly how much it's going to cost when you factor everything in,

cos we don't want to start something that we can't finish.

'Claudia and Romeo have gone away, totted up the figures, but in the end they've come to the conclusion

'that with the property needing a complete top-to-toe renovation, it's just too much work to take on.

'But they're still looking, and Claudia's now up for

'taking on a project - just one that doesn't involve QUITE so much work.'

So, after revisiting one of my Wrecks, I think I can put that down as a victory.

I'll allow you that one. Congratulations.

Good, cos I have just put that down as a victory.

-And join us next time.

-On Wreck...

-Or Ready!

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