Episode 4 Wreck or Ready?

We all want to find the right property at the right price.

So, do you invest more time and effort in a wreck?

Or, do you sit back and relax and enjoy a home

that's ready to move into?

I'll search high and low to prove that renovate

doesn't always have to mean giving you a headache.

I'm here to find today's couple properties that hit the mark

without them having to get their hands dirty.

-So will today's buyers go for one of my wrecks?

-Or one of my ready's?

Today, we're searching in an area around 20 miles south of central London.

West Kent has rightly become known as the garden of England with its green and pleasant pastures,

abundant wildlife and picture postcard villages.

With some of the more bustling towns here being less than 20 minutes by fast train to the capital,

it's also prime commuter country, so the property market here is strong.

The average cost of a home in one of the pricier locations here is almost

£345,000, that's almost 35% above the national average.

Looking for anything but an average property are today's buyers,

Tish, and her mum, Liz, who have a combined budget of £460,000.

Single mum, Tish, currently rents a house with her daughter, Rhana,

and works for an investment bank in the city.

She's finding it tough juggling a full time job and her duties as a mum.

Cue her mum, Liz, to the rescue. She's lived in Australia for the last 15 years,

where the rest of her family are based, but has just sold her house in Perth

and is moving back to the UK to be closer to Tish, baby Rhana, and Tish's brother, Anthony.

They're looking for a home that can comfortable accommodate three generations.

Before we start looking for a property that fits these lovely ladies,

we need to find out exactly what they hope to find.

And more importantly, see who's up for a wreck, and who wants one of those horrible readies.

Well, who've we got today, then?

-Well, the grapevine informs me we've got two ladies.

-Ooh.

Hi, my name's Tish.

Currently I live by myself with my daughter, called Rhana Natasha.

She is 14 months old.

She's walking now, she's running everywhere.

Being a single mum, doing everything myself,

working full time, it's very tiring. You've got friends you can talk to,

but nothing's the same as family, really, at the end of the day.

Upsey Daisy!

My mother lives in Australia and she is moving back here to live with me.

Yes, Tish, I'm looking forward to coming back to be with Rhana

and more so, also to be near you as well, as you bring Rhana up.

That is long distance baby sitting.

She's seen my daughter and I suppose it's just that pull of

wanting to see her grow up and be a part of the family again.

-Can't put words to it.

-She's very lucky.

Wow, yeah, that's quite some support.

We're very desperate to find somewhere to live, a bit bigger.

The floor space and the house size is just not adequate for us, really.

My mum deserves a space of her own, really, at the end of the day.

-She is her own person.

-Please tell me they don't want a wreck.

Because it sounds as if they've got enough going on.

My mum wants the wreck, and I want the ready.

And my mum wants the wreck because she likes the thought

of having something that's probably got a bit more history,

and then adding a few of our personal touches on top of it.

I just want something that when I come home from a long day at work,

it's just there and ready and lovely

and I don't have to worry about how much money it'll cost me

if something happens to it, because it's old.

Our budget for this move is 460,000.

We would like a three bedroom house with an annex.

Doesn't have to be attached, it could be separate.

My mum's requirements are that she wants to be able to have her own entrance to her area in her annex.

So very much own lounge, kitchen, bathroom.

-Now two properties almost.

-Almost, yeah.

So, yes, time deadlines are as soon as possible, please.

Realistically, it's essentially a small house and a flat.

From my side of it, I think the wreck element

will be the work that needs to be done,

in maybe separating living areas, so splitting this house up.

This is such a different kind of task, isn't it?

I'm looking for a different type of wreck than normal.

I reckon it's probably our toughest task to date.

-I'm flummoxed.

-You look worried.

-I'm really worried!

So to sum up, mum Liz wants a wreck.

And daughter Tish wants a ready.

What they're both agreed on though, is that they want a three bedroom main house.

They also want a decent sized garden for Rhana to play in.

An annex for Liz, and it has to be within

easy commuting distance of central London.

-All of this for the princely sum of £460,000.

-This is tough.

If you're looking to try and create two separate living areas, a wreck seems ideal.

The big issue here is Tish, she's already got her hands full,

she's a full time mother in full time employment.

Taking a wreck on will be a huge task.

Essentially, what Tish and Liz want are two separate living quarters in one.

But whether I can bring that in on budget is anyone's guess.

I need to focus on finding a renovation project that

gets Liz excited, but doesn't scare Tish off completely.

Good luck with that one, Jonnie!

Properties with an already established annex are hard to find

in west Kent, so I'm having to widen my search by about 15 miles.

But the location of my first ready, the relatively new town

of Maidenbower in West Sussex, still has everything

a modern family needs. A vibrant community of shops and schools,

plus a direct rail link to the city, so Tish can be in central London within 40 minutes.

All in all, what's available in this cheeky little number,

on the market for just under 390 grand, is well worth the extra push.

It's got three bedrooms, one with an en suite, a gorgeous family bathroom,

kitchen and dining room, plus the double garage.

Which has been converted into an attached annex, with its own lounge area and en suite bedroom.

It's a gamble, but it could pay off if you can convince them to move this far from their original area.

I really like it. Well, I like the outside of it.

-It's very pretty, it feels very homely.

-Really?

-From the outside.

-Really?

-Yeah.

And is the area working for you?

-Yes, I think so.

-Yeah.

I like the proximity of the field, that's really nice.

I saw some playing areas over there, so that's quite nice.

And with that, there might be other amenities.

-It looks like it's been built for families.

-Exactly.

-Every house is a family home, hence the park.

-Yes, Exactly.

-It could suit you guys.

-It could.

-'There's only one way to find out, Jonnie.'

So, ladies, I'm going to bring you straight in here.

Because this is...

-what would be, Tish, your living area. Which is a nice size.

-Yes.

Conservatory onto a small but perfectly formed garden, very child friendly out there.

It doesn't fill me with warmth, but I think that might be the decor that they've done,

rather than the actual house. Because it's lovely, it's clean, it's a good space, it's nice and bright.

-No, feels small.

-It feels small!

I knew you'd be trouble!

The reason why I say it's small is because I thought, "Oh, I can touch that," or not!

-You can try.

-I can try.

-You're tiny, though.

-How old is this house, Jane?

-It's ten-years-old, so it's a fairly new property.

-Low on maintenance.

-Yes.

-Wooden floors, good to clean.

To be honest, that's a great plus point for my daughter, definite plus point.

-It looks very practical.

-Practical.

-Yeah, it is.

-Yeah, I agree with you. Yeah.

-That's what I'm looking for.

'Practically perfect then, Jonnie.'

'Liz is feeling a bit cramped, though.

-'Where does she fit in to all of this?'

-'I'm coming to that.'

OK, so I've even got you a downstairs loo, very practical.

Nice kitchen. Overlooking the garden, Tish, so you can leave

Rhana to play out there quite safely.

And then in here, is where Liz will be.

This is what would be your living area, Liz, so whether you

wanted to put a kitchen in here, that would be entirely up to you.

And then this is the largest bedroom in the house, with its own en suite behind.

-Oh, lovely. Like it.

-Yeah!

-It's massive.

-I do. I do like it.

-Are you feeling a bit jealous?

-It's massive.

I think it's a nice space, but what do you think?

It's still a low ceiling, but I like it. I do like it.

-I love the floorboards in here as well.

-Yeah.

-Let's be practical here, this is clearly a massive bedroom, it's wonderful.

-It is.

-Your living space isn't massive.

-No.

The majority of the time, we'll be cooking and living together,

-but it's basically when she wants to have her friends over.

-Mmm.

And she wants to do some entertaining.

We don't have to cross paths. And same goes for me.

If I want to have somebody over as well.

So, it's just on those occasions, to be able to separate.

Let me tell you the price, because your budget's 460.

-Yeah.

-This is actually coming in, it's just shy of 390.

-Mmm.

-So that gives you...

-Room to manoeuvre, then.

-Yeah.

-To do things.

-Yeah. That's surprising, actually.

-That means I can get a new car, then.

-Oh, my...

-Hey!

-Let's vote for that house.

-A sports car.

'The price certainly warmed them up, they sound like two very happy house hunters.'

'Hang on a bit, they haven't seen the upstairs yet.'

The only thing that the house doesn't have is any grass outside.

On my side, the corridor worries me, because I'd like to have a sitting area.

We'll talk about it, because overall, I like the place, I do.

Yeah, I like it, other than that. I really like it. It's very nice.

Because this is practical, it's really appealing to them, which makes me a little bit worried

because to find a project means a lot more work.

But I think a project might be able to give them a bit more living space for both of them.

-That's what I'm going to try and give them now.

-Yeah, maybe.

What do you mean, "maybe"? Deffo!

What I am certain of is that to win both Tish and Liz over,

I'll have to spark Liz's enthusiasm for a project, on the one hand,

but also reassure Tish that it won't cause too much disruption on the other.

I've decided to bring them closer to London and back to their

original search area for my first wreck,

which will drastically cut Tish's commute.

Orpington, in the London borough of Bromley, is around a 20 minute train ride from the capital.

It's a town rather than a village location but, like Jane's ready, there's plenty of open space

-and schools are within a walking distance.

-That sounds great, Jonnie,

but I don't see Liz moving from Australia to a home on the high street.

Ah, well she won't have to.

This four bed 1930s semi, just outside the town centre,

is on the market for offers in the region of 390 grand.

There's bags of potential to make improvements here,

plus, it's already been extended to include a one bed annexe.

Oh, and unlike the paved paradise at your ready, Jane,

the garden here is one thing they won't have to touch.

-I like it.

-Do you, Liz?

-Mmm.

-Good.

-I don't.

-Ah!

-What don't you like about it?

-I don't like the outside.

But I know that I don't have to look at the outside,

that's everybody else's problem, not mine.

But, just for clarification here, what don't you like about it?

I don't like that lace in the windows and the pebble dash.

I think the lace is putting me off it at the moment.

-We're not asking you to keep that.

-No.

'Definitely divided opinions there, Jonnie, I hope you have more luck inside.'

It really smells in here!

It's been empty for a while.

But, first of all, you've got oak floorboards. Peel the carpet back, sand them down.

You've got another reception room on this side.

So, a steel in the wall there, huge reception room.

Alternatively, you can bring the kitchen into that side of it as well.

I can see what you can do to this. Take off all this, rip the wallpaper off,

and put your colours and I think, yes, I can see potential in this.

And that doesn't scare you at all?

-No, no, it doesn't.

-No?

-There's a lot of work to be done.

It's almost like, I think everything needs to be changed.

-Yeah.

-So, I'm wondering...

the dust and that kind of aspect, around a child.

'You'll have your work cut out convincing Tish on this one.'

'My plan is for the work to be carried out before they move in.

'Luckily, Liz is fired up by the potential. Opening up the lounge, dining room and kitchen

'would cost around 17 grand and take up to eight weeks to complete.

'And there's still more potential to come.'

So, now look, I want you to stand right here

so we can see what I'm going to talk about.

-Look at the size of this garage.

-Ah!

You've got real bonus of a lot of square footage here.

-Mmm.

-This, Liz...

Is MY living area.

I'm sticking you in the garage!

-Oh, I have to have a lot of imagination.

-Yes, you do.

-Outside, that's a garage door.

-Yeah.

-That can be a window, lots of natural light coming in.

And then you're going to have a living room at the front and maybe an area at the back here.

And a staircase going up, because there's accommodation

-for you upstairs as well, this is just your living room.

-Ah, great, yes.

So, sounds like Liz is making the right noises about converting the garage. On top of that,

with a bit of wily negotiation,

there might be a bit of a deal to be done here.

That leaves you around 90 grand to do these much more than cosmetic changes.

Are you willing to take something that big on board?

I am, I think, because I can see the potential.

A team of builders should take two months to do this.

-So that's actually...

-Not too bad.

-Two months is actually quite good.

-Yeah, it's good.

Well, well, Jonnie,

looks like you've managed to work your charms on Tish.

Fair enough, it needs quite a bit of work. To make this home livable,

it needs a new kitchen, bathroom, windows and a staircase to the upper level,

but with a potential purchase price of £370,000,

they should have plenty of change left

from their budget of 460 grand.

-There's the garden.

-Ooh, the garden's lovely!

-Isn't it?

-Lots of grass.

-Yes.

Much better than the last one. We wouldn't have to do anything out there.

-Beautiful, isn't it?

-Yeah, gorgeous.

-Yeah.

-It's really nice.

-And this is a spacious room as well.

-Yeah, still lots of work.

-Yeah.

Right, with one in the bag each, it's time for us to go it alone.

I'm going to get stuck into finding Tish and Liz a project they can improve on,

but live in at the same time.

While the pressure's on me to find the perfect ready

without compromising on outside space or location.

They really did love the garden in Jonnie's renovation,

so I think I'm going to try and find them a little bit more outdoor space

for the little one to run around in,

and that may involve finding them a village location.

Sounds easy, but ready properties are difficult enough to find in best locations as it is,

even without the added necessity for a self-contained annexe.

Close to Kent and the Surrey border

is the picturesque village of Tatsfield.

I think Tish and Liz will love it because it's in an idyllic semi-rural location

and close enough to where Tish lives now,

so it shouldn't upset her existing routine.

But one things for sure, my next ready is a cracker!

This two-bed semi has literally just come onto the market

with an asking price of 475 grand.

Er, Jane, do you remember their budget is 460 grand and they wanted three bedrooms?

It's all in hand, Jonnie. Liz gets her annexe,

Tish and Rhana can have a bedroom each in the main house

and there's an extra reception room for visiting guests.

Plus the vendors would be willing to accept an offer within Tish and Liz's budget.

-That's IF they like it.

-Oh, they will.

Call it female intuition.

-Oooh!

-It's lovely.

-It's really nice.

-Oh, I like it, look at it.

-It's beautiful.

-It's beautiful.

-It's very unusual.

-Very refreshing.

We've got a semi-detached property here.

That is joined to an annexe,

-which has the one bedroom and lots of space.

-Sounds good.

-I want to look inside.

-You do?

-Yes.

Well, I'm not one to say, "I told you so," Jonnie,

but...I told you so! Liz might be excited now,

but just wait till she sees inside the annexe!

We've got the garage there.

But more about that later, because this would be YOUR living area.

-Come right in and get a feel for this lovely, light room.

-Oh, my god.

-Oh, yes.

-Can you see yourself here, Liz?

-It's gorgeous.

-Yes.

-Look at the light.

Look at the light. Isn't that gorgeous?

God, I want to live here. JANE LAUGHS

-This is really nice.

-But you can't.

-I know!

-Ah, yes, yes.

-Oh, my God, it's lovely.

-Very nice.

Of course, it's being used as an artist's studio,

it has been, so it may need a little bit of money spent on it.

-Mmmm.

-We've had a quote of about £15,000 to put a small kitchenette in here and a bathroom,

-cos it doesn't have the bathroom you require at the moment.

-OK.

But I'd envisage putting that in the back of the garage.

Yeah, and that's great.

-And as Tish said, I'll be at her end most of the time.

-I think the ceilings are high enough.

-Oh, yes.

-Yes.

-THEY LAUGH

-Well, listen, why don't you go upstairs and have a little look in the bedroom?

-Yes. I will, OK.

-I'll meet you in the main house in a couple of minutes.

-OK.

Oh, great!

I think I'll be hard pushed to get these guys out of here.

Jonnie needs to be very worried.

I am, Jane! I'm very worried - that's quite some annexe,

but, er, adding a kitchenette and bathroom? What's ready about that?

-Almost ready, Jonnie, that's what it is.

-Hmm.

-Oh, my God, look at that!

-Excellent.

-So unfair.

-This will work.

-That's beautiful.

-And lots of windows.

It looks as if I have to be dressed all the time.

I should hope so. I'm very jealous.

It's a beautiful space, really beautiful.

Let's go and have a look at yours. I don't think you're going to get what I've got.

Time to seal the deal by showing you the main house

with its two bedrooms, bathroom and ample living space

and of course, the heart of any home - the kitchen.

I love this area.

Again, I mean, the house seems so bright.

Lots of windows. It's gorgeous.

That aspect out there is just lovely, and so much space to cook.

And that is just beautiful, very lovely.

Never ever, ever thought that I would get a range cooker like that,

-so that's very nice.

-Listen,

it is new to the market at 475,

but the agent has informed us that she does think

that's a little bit top-heavy for the market and the area,

-so we know that we can bring it in under your budget.

-Right.

-Which should give you then some money to do the necessary works in your annexe.

-Yes.

However, let's not forget there's enough space in here in the meantime for you to live...

-While that's being done.

-Yeah. About six weeks, I think, the work on there.

-Excellent.

-Um, does that work?

-Yeah.

I mean, it would... They would need to accept offers cos, as you say,

we need to probably do some work on her side, more than anything.

-Because she needs a bathroom more that anything else.

-That's right.

So, yeah, I mean, potentially, it's...

I think so. I think if we need to inject a wee bit of funds,

yes, I think we will.

Music to my ears. Liz is willing to dig deeper if she needs to because this one is over budget,

so if Tish can work with having two bedrooms, it's in the bag.

I think with this property, we would have to adapt ourselves to it,

-although it's not hard, it's quite lovely.

-Yeah.

I think with the second property, the property would have to adapt itself to us

-because we could make it exactly what we want.

-Yeah.

Hear that, Jane? My wreck is still very much in the running.

I'm not going down without a fight.

For my final property,

I'm going back to an area Tish and Liz have already rubber stamped.

On the outskirts of Orpington, where my first wreck was,

is the leafy suburb of Petts Wood.

Although it's not as close to the town centre, there are the usual array of handy amenities

as well as a direct 25-minute train link to London.

So that's the area sorted. Now to find the perfect project.

Don't worry. I've not lost my marbles.

I do, however, think whilst today's property went well,

reading between the lines, Tish was a little bit daunted.

Perhaps I need to show them something that she can move into right away,

but improve to make more living space for both of them, maybe later on.

And that's exactly what they can do here.

It's a three-bedroomed detached house

on the market for just under 430 grand.

-And not a dash of pebble in sight.

-Much better, Jonnie,

but it's no wreck. What's the story?

That's a fair cop. The main house is pretty much there.

It's Liz's annex that needs the real work.

There's a double garage and several outbuildings ripe for renovation,

so Liz gets her project, Tish gets a home that's almost ready

and they can both move in while the work's being done.

Perfect.

-What do you think, Liz?

-Dark.

-Oh, God.

-THEY LAUGH

I haven't got onto the house yet.

-Oh, you know, that's wood.

-Right.

I'm not sure, not sure. Hmmm.

Good. That's a fantastic start(!) Let's go inside.

Oh, dear. It's obviously not that perfect, Jonnie.

I don't think they're ready to move to the dark side just yet.

Once inside, we've got a living room at the front,

another reception room to the side.

You can see straight away, it's not a project like the first one.

I think this is more cosmetic.

Yeah, I think it needs a lot of updating. It is quite dark.

-Yes.

-I don't know whether that's just because of the wood.

I don't think it is. I just think it just needs...a bit of updating.

A bit of a better touch.

OK. This isn't going as well as I'd hoped.

The reason I've brought you here is quieter road, detached...

-Yep.

-..massive garden, and initially, at least, less work.

You could move in here,

but the work is to be done in the annexe again.

You're converting the garage and an outbuilding.

-The outbuilding already has a kitchenette in it.

-Oh, right.

We've had a very rough estimate from a builder.

We're talking around 30 grand to put a stud partition in,

-fit the kitchen and the shower and bathroom there.

-OK.

The house itself is on the market for just shy of 430 grand.

-OK.

-OK. 430.

Right, that surprises me.

I'm sure for the space it is, that it's worth that amount.

I suppose I'm surprised,

purely because of my taste in the decor.

But it's very solid and within,

the space is excellent,

but still too dark.

-Is there light at the end of this tunnel, Jonnie?

-I'm beginning to wonder.

Aw, look at it.

This is very cosy.

I just don't get the same feeling.

As in the other place? As the last place, yeah.

OK, let's go to the other...

So, it looks like I've fallen at the last hurdle.

But what a race it turned out to be.

Today we've been searching to find the perfect home

for three generations of the same family.

They loved the turnkey appeal of my first ready,

but in the end the garden size

and lack of space for Liz turned them off.

Liz's face lit up when she saw the potential of my first wreck,

though Tish initially had issues with its lack of kerb appeal.

My second ready really hit the spot, all but for a few minor tweaks.

And my final wreck would have meant less work for Tish and Liz,

but they just weren't feeling it.

So time to find out which property, if any, they want to go back to.

-Will it be my wreck?

-Or will it be my ready?

By the time I saw the second one,

I thought I was bananas having said yes to the first.

It was chosen more with you in mind, actually.

I know you wanted the idea of a project.

Yep. I still like that aspect of it,

but once we saw the third property, that sort of fell out of the way.

-Mmm.

-Because why would I wait three months

when this could do the trick now?

Do you think the same, Tish?

I was very surprised by your choice

because I found myself liking the thought of moulding a house

-and I loved the garden and the little conservatory bit as well.

-Yeah.

-But when we got to see the property after that, I realised, actually, this is what

-I

-envisaged

and it had every aspect of the property you looked at,

but it was already there.

So I think it's pretty safe to say that my ready is the favourite?

-Yes, I think so.

-Yeah, I think so.

-Very safe.

-Well done.

-Good.

-Yeah, well done.

Would you like to revisit that one, is that the one you want to see?

-Yeah.

-Yes, I think we'd like to.

-Definitely think so.

-We'd like to bring my son, Anthony.

Just to see if we've missed anything that could be improved on the property that it already is.

Almost immediately, another viewing of my second ready was arranged

so that Tish's brother Anthony could offer his support and give it the family seal of approval.

Wow, look at this place!

That's amazing! Just look at all the woodwork and the size.

-And again the light, right? I mean, it's just...

-I mean, again, the light, again.

-It's just incredible.

-It's amazing.

-What a space!

So after a good look around, would Anthony be happy for his mum and sister Tish to live here?

To come and visit them in a place like this...

Well, anyone with a mother will know that's very important for both of us.

So that's all the family now on side.

How do Tish and Liz feel after seeing the property again?

Here they are now. They're going to hopefully have a decision for us.

-Hi, Jane.

-Hello.

-We still really, really love it.

-Good.

-We've decided that we'd love to make an offer on it.

That's really good news. I'm so glad you still love it.

They asked us to put in an offer of £430,000.

That's 30 grand under their original budget of £460,000.

If, like Tish and Liz,

you're thinking of making an offer below the asking price,

you're in a better position to negotiate if you're a cash buyer,

you're chain free and can be flexible about when you move in.

So what about Liz and Tish?

I'm ecstatic to say that Tish and Liz have had an offer accepted

on that wonderful ready you showed them.

And thanks to some nifty negotiation on your part, Jonnie, we brought it in well under budget.

-So join us next time on Wreck...

-..Or Ready.

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