Episode 6 Wreck or Ready?

Finding the right home can take months or even years.

And even then you might not get everything you're looking for.

My mission is to prove

that getting hold of a renovation project can be the perfect way

of obtaining your dream home.

So I'm on the hunt for run-down wrecks with the potential to become a des res.

But renovations

can easily turn into nightmares, so fear not, DIY-phobes.

I'm going to find a ready-to-move-into pad that doesn't need a day's work on it.

So my mission is to find our buyers finished homes that are ready to move into.

So will today's buyers opt for one of my renovation projects?

Or will they play it safe and go for one of my readies?

Today, we're house hunting in the picturesque area

of Perth and Kinross in Scotland, around 40 miles north of Edinburgh.

In this area, an average house costs around £166,000,

which is 26% below the national average, so I'm hoping

our house-hunters today will get a lot for their money.

Retired coach driver David and wife Joan are two house-hunters in a hurry.

They've recently sold their old house in Derbyshire, so at the moment

they and their ten-year old Westie, Shona, are living in their mobile home,

far from ideal when you should be enjoying

a nice, comfortable retirement.

The plan is to relocate to Joan's and David's native Scotland

to enjoy the fresh air and open spaces.

But before we can find them their dream retirement home, 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.

'Hi, my name is David.

'Hi, my name is Joan.'

We've had the motor home for four years

and so we decided when we wanted to look for a home in Scotland, the best thing would be to live

in the motor home, be able to go to areas that we might like to live in, and because we're in the motor home,

we had actually a chance to see what the place was like.

This is good for you cos it means they can live in the mobile home

-while they're doing up a renovation.

-Yeah, yeah!

The budget that we've set aside is approximately £220,000.

I would want a ready property because it makes life easy.

I'd sooner take a little longer and get exactly what we want.

OK, if it's a lot more work, so be it.

Three bedrooms, sort of, is just about the right number.

A bungalow because we think as we're getting older,

it would be a better proposition.

I like a decent sized kitchen, I don't like a tiny kitchen.

I would like a double garage if we could get one.

I like a large living room..

And we would like a view as well.

They're used to living in a very confined space.

Everything we show them is going to be palatial by comparison.

I've got an assortment of tractors, actually.

I've been heavily into tractors since about 1978

so that's my hobbies and of course, this is

a problem when I start looking for a house. Where am I going to have the space to put these?

-Some people have stamps. Some people have...tractors.

-Tractors.

-Are you getting the impression that the house is almost secondary here?

-For sure.

They want all that space for the tractors, the nice garden, the views,

and they've got to park their mobile home. That does seem the priority.

But if you listen to Joan, the more she talks,

the more she starts talking about big living room, big kitchen...

This is going to be property that's in high demand.

-It's going to be "ouch".

-It's going to be compromise, isn't it?

-It is!

I'm sure we can sort something out.

-Good luck.

-Yeah, thank you.

David and Joan have a wish list on a tight budget.

They're looking for a three-bedroomed bungalow with a scenic view.

Joan wants good-sized rooms and a garden to potter around in

whilst David wants plenty of outside space to park his tractor collection and their mobile home.

That's a lot of property for just £220,000.

For my first ready, I've brought us to the village of Scone,

just two and a half miles outside Perth.

With a nearby church, Post Office and a selection of shops,

this location offers a great blend of town and country.

This pretty, three-double-bedroomed bungalow

is on the market for offers in excess of £232,000.

It's a little over budget but it should be right up Joan's street

as it's ready to move into. Plus it's got a garage and a shed,

which should keep David happy.

All sounds very impressive, Jane, but is there room for the mobile home?

-Well, Jonnie, I think we're about to find out.

-Here they are.

I think this is them.

Wow, that's a big beast.

That's good. No wonder they're not worried about having a house.

That IS a house!

I'll have a 99, please!

-Hi, guys.

-Hello, how are you?

I'm very good, thank you.

Did I pass the first test of getting the mobile home on the driveway?

You have managed the first test, yes.

-We're in. That's the main thing!

-What are your first impressions?

-It looks nice, actually.

-Mmm.

-You sound surprised.

Well, I didn't know what I was going to see. It does, it looks nice.

'So far, so good. The mobile home looks right at home.

'I'm not sure David and Joan will be, though.

'That main road doesn't scream peaceful retirement property to me.

'Well, if they like the rest of the house, the road might not be an issue.'

I wanted to bring you in here first

to a lovely warm kitchen.

Come on round.

I wanted to gauge your first reactions really from this.

-I'd have liked it a bit bigger.

-Oh.

Not a good start then, eh?!

You've got a little seating area there and there's a dining room straight across the way,

and just behind this door, a large utility room, which you'll see on the way out to the garden.

-Does that not help?

-Mmm.

-Jane, come on.

-I'm clutching at straws here, Jonnie! Help!

What are you thinking? This is a great opportunity

for Jane and myself to find out what works and what doesn't.

You're not saying a lot but your face is speaking volumes.

It's not working for you.

Is it too small?

Well, yae and nae.

That's good. That's a good answer.

'Mmm, looks like Joan's going to be a tricky woman to please.

'At least I've given her the big, bright living room she was after, plus three good-sized bedrooms

'and remember, for these guys, the outside space is just as important.'

-Well, Joan, I feel that I've failed you miserably with the kitchen.

-No, you haven't.

So I'm hoping that I can impress you a little bit more.. Come on up here.

..in the garden, cos you do like a nice garden, don't you?

Yes, I do. I like footering about in the garden.

This is a nice garden, something that you can keep on top of.

Lovely lawned area, which is currently being used as a playground.

I'm sure there's going to be a few tractors there.

And of course, there's vegetable patches for you, David, and a little shed.

So quite a nice space out here.

No, it's a good-sized garden.

I like this garden. I can just...

I can see me using this garden to its fullest.

David, what would you want to do here? I'm thinking...

The shed is going to move so I've then got access

and I can bring my tractors into the garden here.

I won't have this bit of grass to cut.

So it will be a play area cos it's where all your tractors will be!

Definitely! Because there's tons of room to get into here.

It's made up for the kitchen for me, anyway!

Oh, I'm glad! What about you, Joan?

-He can do that if he wants, I'm not too bothered.

-I've got a question.

You're not getting a massive kitchen and he's taking over your garden with tractors.

What's it like living with these tractors?

As long as I get the shed as my workshop, I'll settle for that.

'At least they're now talking like this house might be a possible.'

I like the garden, I like the access and there's plenty of room,

so it ticks the boxes that we wanted from that side.

I think possibly with the kitchen, I wouldn't mind trying to extend the kitchen out to make a square.

The kitchen I could... come to terms with.

And I don't like the mirrors on the built-in wardrobes

so they would have to go.

I get the sense that Joan's not really sold on this place.

'I think we're going to have to keep looking.'

She's a tough cookie, that's for sure.

She knows what she doesn't want.

OK, it's all about the kitchen and living spaces.

My concern, though, is I think they want quite a lot for a fairly limited budget.

For a detached bungalow with land,

there may be some compromises, and Joan doesn't sound like someone who's willing to make those yet.

Jane's first ready just wasn't roomy enough,

so to give Joan and David the inside and outside space they're after,

I'm going to gamble with my first wreck.

We've come just six miles down the road near the village of Kinfauns.

The house is a two-bedroomed former lodge with its own paddock,

on the market for offers over £175,000,

leaving 45,000 of their 220K budget for renovations.

This house has everything they want - spacious rooms, views,

plus over an acre of land. But there is a compromise.

It's next to a busy road.

I think you mean motorway, Jonnie.

Well, at least it's handy for heading off in the motor home!

The road would bother David more than it would bother me.

-I've no neighbours.

-No neighbours. You want neighbours?

Aye, to a certain extent.

Well, you've got a farm up there, that little track there,

and just over the other side of that road you've got Kinfauns, a small village.

So it's a case of getting the flags out and signal, "I'm still alive."

Oh, you'd get a zip wire wouldn't you? This is... Look..

you said you wanted land, bungalow and views.

Are we prepared to look inside?

-Yes.

-Yes, we'd like to look inside, yes.

-OK. Let's look inside.

'So whilst the road's not a complete deal breaker, it looks like I'm going to have to wow them with the house.

'I'm not sure the dated decor is going to do that, Jonnie.

'Yes, but David IS prepared to take on a bit of work

'and I think the changes here are more cosmetic than structural.'

Now, the last property, Jane's property, was all about the space.

So, living-room wise, what do we think of this?

-Good size.

-Good size.

Because I'm going to ask you to potentially juggle rooms around.

Cos also at the back of my mind, I'm thinking about views.

-So follow me through here.

-Ooh.

Now, this at the moment is one of your bedrooms.

What would you prefer to do, wake up to views or maybe compromise

on size and have this as a living room? Cos it's got the dual aspect.

-It's brighter than that other place.

-Yes. Yeah, yeah.

-Definitely.

One thing you could have here is, if you had this as your living room

then maybe you could have a conservatory coming off this window.

Turn this window into a door and have a nice big

very light living room away from the road and into the views.

Yes, it would make a big difference to this room, both size and light.

You seem to be a bit brighter now, Joan. Just on the subject

of this house, you seem to have come round a little bit, have you?

-You can always make a difference.

-Yeah.

-No matter where you go.

Are you happy to move into a house and do a bit of work?

Doesn't bother me if we can live in the van while it's done and be out of the road of the dust and dirt.

-And what's he like, is he handy?

-No.

-OTHERS LAUGH You do get it! You do get it in the neck.

-I can't win.

-Is she always like this?

-Yes.

Let's go and find another room, perhaps you can have opposite ends of the house!

-Let's go and find you a room at the bottom.

-You could be working well on that one!

'So that's one up for me. Joan's warming to the idea of a renovation.'

Okey-doke. Now then, another bedroom.

-Built-in wardrobes.

-Yay.

-You know I talked about making a conservatory at the top end?

-Yes.

You could do that or you might want to put a conservatory or even an extension down the bottom end

because all that paddock there

is included with this house.

-Ah!

-So I didn't want you to have somewhere to...

-All of that?

All of that. I didn't want you to have somewhere to store your tractors but somewhere to USE your tractors!

-Right down to the very end?

-Yeah.

So, Joan, what I'm thinking of is, he's outside playing on his tractors,

you're inside in the conservatory, going, "Yeah, silly man."

They're both happy.

-Yep, yeah.

-Build him a granny house in the garden...

-..with his tractors.

-And you've got a good view from here as well.

Now, look, this place is on the market for offers over £175,000.

Now, you know what Scotland's like, it could go substantially above or it could settle around £175,000 itself.

'In Scotland properties are usually marketed on an offers-over basis.'

When house prices were booming the final selling price was often around 20% higher, but in today's market

an offer around or sometimes even under the advertised price can be enough to secure the property.

I've arranged for a couple of quotes to get the renovations done, and around £25,000 should do the job,

including new kitchen, bathroom and a conservatory,

meaning they could come in 20,000 under their £220,000 budget.

It's getting more interesting as the day is going on.

So I don't know which one of you is going to have the smile on their face at the end of the day.

Probably Jane, it normally is her!

I don't know. Judging by this reaction, it's much better than my first property today.

Well, at least Joan's smiling and not wincing.

Ah, but I can do both!

'Joan's a hard lady to please but I think the advantage of a wreck

'is that you can often get more of the must-haves on your wish list with the occasional compromise.'

Well, we started off very low with that road noise, but I've

ended up on a massive high, they seem to really like this place.

I was impressed by her reaction. I don't think you need to hold back on your renovation this afternoon.

I thought I'd have to convince Joan to look at anything with any work on, but, no,

I think this, as it's a possibility, I'll go crazy this afternoon and show them an absolute wreck.

I would. And I think I need to focus on the land cos their faces lit up

when they saw that land, so if I can get them a ready on a nice plot, I think they're mine.

'Oh, that's fighting talk, Jane.

'So far I reckon I'm winning unless David and Joan have had second thoughts already.'

I don't think it's us, do you?

No, I don't see myself living here and I would feel very isolated when you were away.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-Just here by myself.

-Yeah.

-And I would be worried about the dog all the time as well.

Well, that's put a spanner in the works. I thought I'd won them round.

So we're two houses down and Joan's not really liked either of them.

'At least I've learned, though, that a doer-upper isn't completely out of the question.'

I reckon Joan's the one I need to please but what I'm happy with

is the fact that they both seem open-minded to doing some renovation

so I'm going to push the envelope even further now and show them a complete wreck.

Good luck with that, Jonnie, but my next ready is just about perfect.

And let's face it, when you're well into your retirement, why go mucking around with a renovation?

I've brought David and Joan to the village of Errol, ten miles east of Perth.

Joan should feel happier having a few neighbours around

but there are still some great countryside views.

The property is a three-bedroomed detached bungalow,

on the market with a guide price of £230,000.

It might not be the prettiest on the outside, but with these guys

it's more about ticking off everything on their wish list.

For vintage-tractor nut David there's a double garage, a workshop and a large driveway

whilst Joan's going to love the conservatory and well-kept garden.

And, as an added bonus, they get about an acre of land.

So you give them everything they want but it's out of their price range.

'Ah, well, a little birdie's told me that for the right property, they'd be prepared to stretch the budget.'

What I want you to do is have a look out there.

That's a great view, isn't it?

-Lovely.

-I saw your eyes light up in the last property

when Jonnie showed you the field behind.

Now, what I'm going to tell you is you're getting just under an acre of land with this property.

How's that working for you?

Yes, you're working well. You're working well, yes.

-Joan?

-Yeah.

-Don't go quiet on me now, girl.

He'll get all his wee tractors sitting along there.

Yeah, and you can do all your veg, you've got a little vegetable patch there as well.

-Mm.

-And of course the tractors could be kept completely separately.

The only thing I'm a bit concerned about is the outside bathroom.

Well, I thought that was a nice touch, actually!

I got that especially for you, Joan, it's your outdoor Jacuzzi.

My swimming pool!

Wash my wellies!

So far, so good. I was worried that David and Joan might be put off

by the exterior but I'm confident the interior will suit them to a T.

A larger square kitchen, which is what you asked me for earlier.

-Yes, I like it.

-You can leave this table in here or, of course,

you could just come and sit out here

in the dining room, which leads on to the living room. Come on through.

-Ah, that's nice!

-How's this space working for you?

Lovely. You have ticked the boxes.

-Yeah! They're nice dimensions in here, aren't they?

-Yes.

I used to have an L-shaped living room before and I always liked it

because when you had a party you were all at that end and this was your wee dance area.

-Ah!

-It works well for that sort of thing.

Well, if you'd told me you wanted a discotheque...

maybe I could have provided that from the get go.

-I like an L shape.

-Yeah.

I need to let you know the price.

It is on for offers in excess of 230.

-Mm-hm.

-They have already had an offer on it at 232,

so that gives you an indication

of what the vendors are expecting to get. But that fell through due to a chain.

Price seems about right from what we've seen so far,

and certainly it's a nice property. I think we could be inclined to put an offer in on this one.

-Really?!

-Mm-hm.

Really!

-Really!

-That's amazing.

Shall I ring Jonnie now and tell him not to bother with his wreck? Can I do that?

'Looks like it could be game, set and match.'

-It's a nice house, this one.

-Yes, very nice.

-I rather like this house.

-Yes, I know you do.

Ticking the boxes, as they say.

'Ticking all the boxes. That's what I like to hear.

'Time to pass on the good news to you-know-who.'

Well, I'm just a bit worried that it might be a wasted journey

-sending them to you, to be fair.

-Oh, really?!

They absolutely love this place.

I struggled with Joan at the first property. Safe to say she hated it.

But this one, I don't think I'm going to peel her away from.

Well, look, it all sounds fantastic, well done.

Just for the sake of exercise be a good girl and put them in a car for me, will you?

And then I'll come and polish your halo later on.

-All right, I'll send them over if I can. Bye.

-All right.

-Bye.

He's got his work cut out, for sure!

Jane, it ain't over till the fat lady sings, and I've got nothing to lose.

For my final wreck I've decided to offer David and Joan

something completely different from everything else we've shown them so far.

We've headed north to the hills around Amulree but we're still only 23 miles from Perth.

They wanted views - and, boy, do them have them!

'And David's tractors would be in their element up here.'

Do you notice we've turned off the main road now?

What are you thinking, Joan? Your face has gone from smiling to stone!

I'm thinking, "Where are we going?"

-I quite like this up here, Jonnie.

-Do ya?

-Yeah.

-You like this?

-Yeah, this looks a nice spot up here.

One thing, anyway, we will have up here is plenty of views.

I don't know whether there's going to me much noise with traffic!

I don't think there'll be any noise of anything to be honest with you.

'Well, at least David's keeping an open mind.

'Joan's the one you've got to convince though, Jonnie.

'Yes, I'm aware of that!

'The property is a completely uninhabitable wreck.

'It's a two-bedroomed derelict cottage on a stunning one-acre site

'on the market for £160,000.

'Showing David and Joan this place is a real gamble

'so I can't wait to see what they make of it.'

Right, then.

Out we come.

Obviously I'm getting a bit nervous now.

Joan... Look at this! ALL LAUGH

You all right, love?

What's the matter?

Are you all right? Come on, come and have a look.

If you're laughing, you're not going to hit me. I like it.

Are you for serious?

I'm... I am serious...

Are you really for serious?

Yeah, let's go onto the plot of land and I'll show you a bit more.

Are you happy to do that? Are you going to be all right in those shoes?

No, I'm not happy, but let's go.

'Jonnie, you've reduced Joan to tears!

-'That's some going, even for you.

-It's not the reaction I was hoping for, but you never know

'with these two, it wouldn't be the first time they've changed their mind.' Now, then...

I know you liked the land with the first renovation that I showed you.

-Yes.

-Steady as you go, Joan.

So, you sit in a really nice square plot.

-All the way up that stone wall, that's the far boundary of it.

-Right.

Oh, and I've still got my Jacuzzi!

OTHERS LAUGH

What a view from that bath! You wouldn't want to build a wall around it!

You can see for miles. And there's also a caravan to live in while the house was being done up!

On a serious note...!

On a serious note, you did say you wanted views, look at that.

Look, I mean, there's some of the finest views I've shown anybody.

The view itself is lovely, if you're a bird!

'Jonnie, I sense you're fighting a losing battle with this one.

'Jane, you're probably right but you never know the development potential might interest them.'

There's planning consent to build a four-bedroomed house on this plot.

Our view was the fact that whilst you don't want a four-bedroomed house, it might be too expensive to build,

we've had some quotes and one quote was to extend and refurbish this

into a two-bedroomed bungalow, the costs were coming in around 75 grand.

It's on the market for offers around £160,000.

-£160,000?!

-No way.

-Goodness me!

'This place might not be for David and Joan, but add the 75 grand cost

'of redeveloping the house, the 160 grand asking price,

'and someone's going to get a bespoke home in a stunning location for £235,000.'

Potential for someone but not for us.

No, the wee birdies can have it.

'Well, it was worth a try. I've got a funny feeling, though, Jane's going to say, "I told you so." '

Where are we?! ..Ooh!

Tell you where we are - we're nowhere near where they want to live.

-Did you actually get Joan out the car?

-Kind of.

In a fit of hysterics, to be honest with you.

She wanted neighbours.

Sheep, cows?

Look at that, look at this beautiful countryside.

You cannot argue with that view, that's pretty good.

But you might argue with that, now, having seen it.

Yeah.

-Well, you know let's go and see them and if you're with me they might not hit me.

-You reckon?

-Yeah.

So, our search for David and Joan's ideal retirement home

has been a roller-coaster ride.

We started this morning with Jane's three bed bungalow near Perth

which is ready to move into, but Joan hated the small kitchen.

Then Jonnie gave them this rundown gatehouse. It's ripe for renovation

but the noisy location didn't float their boat either.

Jane's next property was another bungalow, near the village of Errol.

Even though it was ten grand over budget,

they loved the spacious feel inside and out.

And finally Jonnie brought them right out

into the country but this derelict cottage left them stone cold.

I get the feeling this was a one-horse race but David and Joan

have surprised us a couple of times today, so it's time to find out.

So, do you want to have a look at anything else again that you've seen today?

I would like to have another look at the third house.

I liked the L-shaped living room, I liked the kitchen,

bedrooms are a good size. The only thing that's needing done

to it is to take the bathroom and make it into an en-suite.

-Sounds very positive.

-You should have seen her face, I couldn't believe it.

-Really?

-It lit up, it was amazing.

-Oh, wow.

-David, you liked it, too.

Everything was there that we were looking for, the land round about it,

we were even saying to ourselves what potential that might actually have.

Sounds like we might have cause to celebrate. We have a favourite house and a second viewing in the offing.

-Yeah.

-So yeah, please, keep in touch and let us know what you want to do.

I mean, that's Jane's domain, not mine, but I suppose I should try and get you off this, er...

this land now, shouldn't I? Is it fireman's-lift time?

If you don't, I'll need a potty!

Come on, Joan. Come with me, come on!

'Well, we'd better get out of here and give Joan time to think on their next move.

'Next day I've arranged for them to go back and take a second look at the Errol bungalow.'

It's great how it looks different when you come on the second day.

-Certain things look different, you know?

-I like the size of it.

-Yeah.

-And the shape of it.

Look at the sun coming in there, that's making a difference.

-Yeah, it's grand.

-It is.

I do like the view going over there.

-You can see for miles, can't you?

-Aye. I like the big window where you've plenty light coming in.

'The good news is David and Joan still like the house.

'The question is, though, have they fallen in love with it?'

-Hi, Jane.

-Hello David, how are you?

-Very well, thank you. We feel

-that we'd like to put an offer in on the property.

-Oh, that's brilliant news David!

'David and Joan have asked me to put in an offer of £228,000.

'They've gone six grand over budget but it's still two grand under the asking price.

'But the good news is the vendor has accepted their offer

'and they're looking forward to pulling up in the motor home in a few weeks and moving in.'

I'm delighted. They had a huge amount of things on their wish list.

-I thought it would be a struggle, but we seemed to give them everything they wanted.

-Pretty much.

-That's what it's all about at the end of the day. Join us next time...

-on Wreck Or Ready?

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