Episode 1 Young, Rich and House Hunting

Up and down the country, super rich teens and 20-somethings

are snapping up the hottest properties money can buy.

This is where the mistress would be.

You could hide your lover in here when your husband gets home.

How to be a property millionaire, I do like to read that.

Unless you've got a trust fund, or been bankrolled by mum and dad.

Some people can work all their life to become a millionaire. I just adopted it.

The average first-time buyer now reaches a whopping 38 years old.

38! Bloody hell.

Britain's youth are in danger of becoming a generation

who can't afford to buy their own homes.

This series follows some of the UK's most affluent young people...

I don't care about this money I'm making.

80 bottles of Dom Perignon, a couple of bottles of Cristal...

standard weekend, really.

I'll make a hundred times as much in about ten years' time.

..as they hunt for their perfect pads...

-Yeah, this is a bit of me!

-Oh, I love this.

And there's a walk-in wardrobe.

..and go on a serious spending spree.

That's definitely the sort of theme I'm going for. £700 is a good bargain.

It's gonna be extortionate.

-This one's £420,000.

-799,950.

Er, on the market for about £2.25m.

There is no question, I'll become a success with property.

We got it! Yeah, oh, my God!

In tonight's show, a 25-year-old playboy has 800 grand

to find somewhere as beautiful as he is.

-That's fine.

-I hate the building, and I hate the view.

A 19-year-old jewellery junkie jumps feet-first into house buying.

-Maximum price.

-500,000?

-I was thinking two mil.

And a 24-year-old mummy's girl goes shopping for a fabulous new flat.

Mummy, I can see why it's not over a million, can you?

Maybe we should buy the block!

Meet 25-year-old playboy Luke.

My name's Luke, I'm 25 years old,

and I've got a budget of about 500 to £800,000.

He currently lives in the lap of luxury in Brentwood, Essex,

at his godfather's £2m house, rent-free.

It's got its own private gates, entrance, driveway, erm...

Italian marble in the kitchen, so I'd consider it to be quite luxurious.

It would be nice just to have a place which I could call my own,

which has my own touch, I can design it myself.

Luke has a 50 grand deposit, and his mum, a successful property developer,

has agreed to top up any extra cash he may need.

Massive mummy's boy. I just told her I needed some money and gave her

the little wink and smile and she was foolish enough to lend it.

I'm gonna go and get some cookies.

Luke's mum has worked hard from an early age.

I'll see you in a sec.

I started working for myself buying stuff, selling it,

and just made a living, living off my wits.

But Luke doesn't believe in hard graft.

I'm not a fan of work, it's as pure and simple as that, work to me is not fun.

My biggest dilemma I've got is whether it's gonna be sunny

or cloudy, to whether I go to the gym or whether I go and play a bit of golf.

Tough life but someone's got to do it...

But he does believe in looking good.

Today I got my hair done, eyebrows done, sunbed, feet.

The challenge for Luke is to find somewhere big

and beautiful enough to house his ego.

That's what dreams are made of.

This world's a better place for me to be in it so I deserve everything I get.

What exactly do you give to the world?

I'm your host for the evening.

Oh, my...!

I'm Milly, I'm 19 and I'm looking for a house for about £400,000.

19-year-old Milly lives next to Cheshire's Alderley Edge,

one of the most expensive neighbourhoods in the UK -

thanks to its wealth of celebrities and Premiership footballers.

Alex Ferguson lives there, sometimes see him popping out.

He let me out the other morning actually, gave me a little wave.

Milly's parents have grand plans to renovate their Cheshire home

to rival any footballer's mansion.

A big job, so we're moving out.

We don't want to rent anywhere, we want to buy something we can keep.

Even though she's a teenager,

Milly's being entrusted with the job of choosing a place for them all to move into,

and in return she gets to keep it afterwards.

Brilliant, bachelorette pad.

She wants to get on the housing market, so it's a great opportunity.

But Milly doesn't always see eye-to-eye with her parents.

I'm gonna need quite a lot of space,

I'd say probably five or six bedrooms.

Three bedrooms would be fine.

I'm hoping that he would be able to splash out maybe a bit more

if there's gonna be the five of us there.

Maybe, half a million if I'm pushing it.

Milly is no stranger to pushing her luck.

After a year at uni, she's decided she wants more bling in her life

and convinced her dad to give her a job in the family jewellery business.

I started working for Dad about two-and-a-half weeks ago,

borrowed some earrings, I think these ones are about £6,500.

-Got a new bracelet, where's that from?

-Wouldn't you like to know?

I just love diamonds and sparkly stuff.

I think I'm spoilt, but I don't think I'm a brat.

-Gorgeous, £10,500.

-Wow. I'm in love.

Privileged would be a nice way to put it.

Can I steal it?!

In London, Sophia is starting out on her house hunt.

Hi, I'm Sophia. I'm 24, last year I set up my own PR company

and this year I'm looking for somewhere fabulous to live.

I'm not going to look for anything above a million pounds,

and I'm certainly not looking for anything under 495, because

in London you can't get anything fabulous for under that price.

Sophia currently rents in one of London's most luxurious complexes,

situated in the East End of London.

So this is my place, welcome.

But this luxury comes at a cost of nearly £2,000 a month.

I'm not really a fan of renting, I think that putting quite a lot of money in London

into someone else's pocket is a bit of a waste.

You've got lots of bits stuck in your hair!

Sophia was raised on a private Yorkshire estate,

so is accustomed to the finer things in life.

Yeah, Peanuts was my pony when I was little.

Very odd trousers you've got me in there, Mother.

Luckily for Sophia, her mother has agreed to double any money

she puts towards buying her own property.

I keep telling her constantly how fortunate she is to have me.

She is.

Sophia's house hunt has begun, and to keep her only daughter on track,

her mother has come down from Yorkshire.

For Sophia, location is everything, and the ladies are en route to look

at a flat in St John's Wood, one of the most expensive areas in London.

Well, this one's priced at 940,000.

We can easily gather some funds together

and I'm sure Mummy would lend me some money if it was for property.

I knew there was a reason for my being here.

Sophia's mother is more than just her financial backer, she's also her best friend.

She's someone that I feel very close to,

she's always understanding, even if I do something totally stupid.

-Mummy, I can see why it's not over a million, can you?

-Mm.

I mean, you could put granite floor here

and then re-paint the whole thing, it would look much better.

Maybe we should buy the block.

Thank you.

There are several things that I think would be fabulous.

One is the lift coming up into my apartment.

Butler, definitely.

Is this the main bathroom?

Yes, that's the family bathroom.

OK, a bit small, huh? So this is the third?

-Third room.

-I don't think I'd get one of the beds in here though.

I thought it was terribly claustrophobic, Sophia.

You're paying for the location here, and that's the truth in the matter,

you have to decide where you want to be.

-I want to have a look at a few other places in St John's Wood and then get a clear idea.

-OK.

Deposits needed to buy a house are now at a 40-year high,

and prospects for the first time buyer look bleak, but not for Luke.

He wants to buy a place he can put his own stamp on,

somewhere as handsome as him and his £800,000 budget.

So, for his first viewing,

he's picked one of the most expensive roads in Essex.

One of the houses is absolutely enormous.

I'm looking at the smallest one today and that's still £750,000.

So what exactly does three quarters of a million get you in this part of the world?

This is one of the spare bedrooms. Lovely wallpaper(!)

It's like doing one of them things,

bring it close to your eyes and see the image.

Matching curtains, awful.

For any of the kiddies that stays here,

have a word with your parents, not good.

Image-conscious Luke can't see beyond the cosmetic.

OK, so this will be the bathroom.

They've gone for the aqua colour, matching toilet, always looks well.

When you're being sick you can't see it...

And as lovely as the area and the place is,

there's not one other thing I'd keep about it.

Not one for DIY, next up, Luke views a three-bed house worth £600,000 in a very convenient spot.

My golf club is literally about two seconds there, so...perfect for me.

In here you've got the kitchen-breakfast room.

Oh, this is nice, it's definitely more my taste.

It's like a normal, run-of-the-mill family home. Am I ready to grow up?

Don't think I'll ever be.

While Luke dismisses the idea of buying a sensible family home,

for 19-year-old Milly, it's essential.

She's starting her house hunt and is toying with the idea

of squeezing her whole family into a three-bed apartment.

-Hello.

-Hiya.

-Milly. Nice to meet you, it's freezing, isn't it?

Her parents have said they'll buy her a property as long as they can

squat it in while the family home is renovated.

-I really like this room.

-It's a real party room.

-I love how it's all open plan.

-Yes.

-Definitely.

This place is in Milly's ideal location - Wilmslow town centre - and is on the market for £319,000.

-And then this is the main bedroom here.

-It's a bit small.

Yeah, wondering whether that is double... It is double.

-No, it's not a king.

-It's a double. I've got a king.

-Yeah.

This is the main bathroom here. As you can see, it's a shower.

Can I go for a wee? I'll be back in a sec. Oh, this has come loose.

That upset me.

I'd rather not have it fully furnished

cos I wouldn't choose any of the sofas.

It's like a nursing home.

I mean, at least it wasn't a total shambles. It was great for the first viewing.

I'm kind of new to it all and I'm looking.

For £300,000, I don't know what you can expect it to be like.

After a disappointing start to her house hunt,

24-year-old Sophia has a new plan.

So today we'll look at a few properties in Hampstead Garden

suburb, which is quite exciting.

My best friend Ruth is coming with me to give me some good solid advice.

-I'm excited to see some properties.

-I know.

Before the girls go house hunting, Sophia is keen to show Ruth

the level of luxury she's become accustomed to,

renting in London's Canary Wharf.

There's two buildings. This is the East Tower,

and I'm in the West Tower.

Is it hard to get from one tower to the other?

No, no, no. You just walk straight through in front

of the concierge service which there is, which isn't as good

as a classic porter service, cos they don't carry any bags.

Sophia currently lives in one of London's most exclusive addresses,

complete with concierge, private cinema, and spa.

-So there's a sauna on that side, steam room on that side.

-What's that?

In the middle is the Jacuzzi, so you press the button and all the bubbles come up.

After we've looked at the properties we should totally come and get in.

Back in Cheshire, Milly's parents are away on holiday and she's making

the most of being mistress of the house by hosting a fancy dress party.

It's a taste of what it would be like having her own place.

Happy Hallowe'en! Nibbles! Let's get fat!

And an opportunity to fill in her friends about her house hunt.

-Maximum price.

-£500,000. I was thinking two mil.

-OK, then.

So you're looking for somewhere for the whole family at first?

-Yeah, stay there.

-That looks nice.

In the news the other day, the average people doesn't...

..person doesn't buy a house until they're 38.

-Shut up! 38, bloody hell!

-Imagine the wrinkles.

-Your mum's nearly 48.

-My mum's 40, and she's not got any wrinkles.

Yeah, but she's got a big house!

At 19, Milly's almost 20 years younger than the average first-time buyer in Britain.

25-year-old Luke has decided the family mansions of Essex

are way too middle-aged. He has 800 grand to spend on a bachelor pad,

and has been lured by the bright lights of London - but he's in for a shock.

If that was in Brentwood, that would be a council development, and yet here, apparently it's not.

So, Luke, if you'd like to come on inside, we have

the two double bedrooms downstairs with one bathroom, what are your thoughts?

I like the inside. Outside, it looks like it's ex-council.

So here we have double reception with dining area and an open-plan kitchen.

Love the kitchen. What is it on for?

Erm, this is on for 799,950.

I've looked at houses which are beautiful houses for a lot less,

with massive gardens and four acres.

-Where have you seen those?

-Essex way,

for £750,000 you get an eight-bedroom house.

Well, you can't compare that to W2.

I tell you what, this view is depressing, for the amount

of money you're spending, the view's really depressing.

-That's fine.

-I hate the building and view.

-The apartment's lovely inside but

-BLEEP

-is it worth 750,000. No way.

Unless you're completely caked, London's not for me.

For most people, London isn't an option,

as the average deposit needed to buy here is almost £30,000.

But that figure is well within Sophia's grasp,

so she's brought her best friend Ruth to Hampstead, North London,

home to more millionaires than any other area in the UK.

-What did you say?

-I'm not wearing the right footwear for this sort of terrain.

The girls are viewing this top-floor flat which comes with the hefty price tag of nearly £900,000.

You can't fit in. Goodbye.

And it also comes with its own private lift.

-Ooh, this is really quirky.

-It's nice.

It's top floor, penthouse-style apartment.

Off the reception, you've got the kitchen.

It's got far-reaching views.

I love that view, that's amazing. It might actually make me want to do some washing up.

Wow, this is gorgeous.

Wow, you never get this sort of space in London,

you feel a little bit like an empress, looking over your city.

-Oh, I love this!

-Oh, my God.

-This is the main bedroom.

And there's a walk-in wardrobe! You could put in one of those things that rotates,

you could be like, bz-z-z.

-Or you could just have one that you pull out and then...

-Ooh!

Yeah, it could go on forever. This is a great space.

Because you can imagine just making it the most fabulous place

in the world, and it's not astronomically expensive.

Oh, I really like it.

Sophia may well like it, but that means nothing without her mother's approval.

Outside London, you get far more for your money.

In Cheshire, Milly's moved on from flats and found a spacious townhouse on for a mere 349,000.

Ah, this is lovely.

Not bad for your first bachelorette pad.

I wanna live here, I love it!

Hi, Milly, come on in.

And 19-year-old Milly immediately sees its potential...

Straight down to the end, have a look at the main bedroom.

..for herself at least.

-It's great.

-Yes.

-This'd be great for me.

It would be perfect for you.

But the property isn't just for her, it has to house her parents and two brothers

while their main home is being renovated.

-I hate the sofas.

-You won't get those!

I know we won't get them.

-Right. Into the kitchen.

-Yep.

This is a bit olde-worlde.

Yes, you might want to do a little bit with this,

-you might want to update it.

-Yeah.

If Milly gets her way, her parents will be getting renovation project number two.

What I would want to do I think, knock this wall down, make this one big bedroom.

You could do the ground level and make a bathroom downstairs.

-Mm.

-Good, excellent.

-No, I'm happy, I'm happy with this.

I think it needs a lot of work doing to it,

but I know how it can look.

So that's what I've got in mind.

-Evening.

-Hello, good evening.

Milly might be excited about the prospect of her own development project,

but tonight, she's got to pitch the idea to her parents.

Ideal for space and everything, the only thing is it's old.

And it's them who would be paying for it.

That's far too small to use as a bedroom, they're identical.

-Not for him it's not.

-You can't fit a single bed in there.

They can't call it a bedroom if you can't fit a bed in it.

You can hardly. I would make that into one...

We're talking about the situation where the five of us

are going to live in one small house and make do,

-he'll have to manage in a small bedroom, won't he?

-Well, it's ideal for...

I would get rid of the garage.

Make it all open plan and have the kitchen-living area.

If we were looking for something to develop, it's fabulous.

It excites me because of its position, because it's the end one.

If we bought it, we could keep it. Milly doesn't have to stay there.

We could just buy it, we could do a separate thing and buy it for us to do up.

So where's my house? What is she talking about?

We can rent it out and she can find something, she can find herself a flat.

Can we just press the eject button?

My personal view is to narrow the search down now to something

modern, new and done. We're not looking for a project, are we?

And at this kind of money...

-Oh, he's creamed it.

-That is awesome!

After the shock of London prices, Luke's back to his Essex bubble.

-Ah, no.

-Hole in one!

But even in his hometown, finding somewhere that looks good enough for 800 grand

is all starting to sound too much like work.

That's what dreams are made of.

Luke doesn't do work.

I've had one, I'd say real job in my lifetime, where I did sales,

and, to be fair, I broke the national record, I was told, for advertising sales.

Made a lot of money in the year I did work,

and money's one thing, but I've never had to worry about money,

I've always been in a fortunate position where I've had anything I've ever wanted.

So this is for a £1,000 putt.

Oh!

-You'll take it off a working man.

-Yeah, easily.

Up North in Wilmslow, it's back to square one for Milly.

After last night's dinner drama, her mum's taken control of the house hunt.

I've got a list of a few houses that I'd like to go and see.

She's young. She needs a helping hand. She needs guiding.

-Are you gonna be warm enough?

-Have you got any chewing gum?

-No.

-BLEEP.

-Chill out, Milly.

-You're doing my BLEEP head in.

You've got to learn your market, Milly.

Have you got the Moore Lane ones there?

-I'm not talking. Shut up.

-Stop telling me to shut up.

-Stop going on, can you turn the heating down?

-Please.

-Just do it.

-This is where Dad said last night to you.

They don't look very nice. Oh, I love that one.

Oh, that's lovely.

-Four double bedrooms, master with en-suite and walk-in closet.

-I think it's a lot of money though.

-Are we in a dead end here?

-Yeah.

-How do we get out?

-Turn round.

Although Sophia has fallen for the first Hampstead flat with a walk-in wardrobe,

she is hopeful of finding another in the same exclusive area.

Oh, this is great.

But it would seem that in this part of London, £800,000 doesn't buy you a great deal.

You can still be socialising.

-If you do want to close it off you have a concertina door.

-No!

-Which goes all the way across.

-So you can...

..a little lady and shut in here and pretend you did it all yourself!

Yes, or hide all the Marks & Spencer's boxes.

You could hide your lover in here when your husband gets home.

Although this property has its plusses, it has its drawbacks too.

They've made the most of the space because it is really small.

-But then this isn't the master bedroom, is it?

-No.

-This is not the master, right?

-This is the master bedroom.

-It is the master bedroom!

It's decision time.

Well, I'm gonna seriously, seriously talk to my parents

about the first property, cos I really liked it.

-If you want to come back and see it again...

-I probably will. Yeah.

Cos I'll need a little bit of assistance with that price.

We've just been to two properties in Hampstead.

The first one, Mum, was incredible.

Sophia may have found a fabulous apartment, but without Mummy's financial assistance

it will slip through her fingers.

OK, bye.

Mummy said it sounded very interesting,

and when she comes to London next time we'll arrange another visit,

so that I can try and persuade her, bend her arm, to help me get it.

I just think it would be a really good investment, so...

-So this is your lounge and kitchen.

-Lounge kitchen diner.

-Yep.

For his 800 grand, Luke had hoped to find something he liked enough

to live in himself, but so far, everything has left him cold.

-So how much is this one we're looking at now?

-165,000.

Now he's warming to the idea of making his money work for him.

He's looking at spending his budget on a range of properties

in Brentwood, Essex, to rent out just like his mum does.

-This living space is massive. How much is this up for?

-149.

This is the one.

If I could live in small places, this would be the one, how can it not make money?

Let's measure it.

Just under five Uggs. Yeah. And Uggs are big.

It's impressive, tell him I'll take it.

If it's up for 150 now, 149, offer him 140.

I'm definitely taking a chance on this one.

It's only up for 150, if I can get an extra ten grand off

then hopefully it'll be nice.

Luke's got something to celebrate. His offer's been accepted on the investment flat.

Things are moving fast, and today he's signing contracts.

-Thank you.

-Thanks very much.

Luke's chuffed with his bargain, and he hopes his mum will be too,

as it's her money he's spending.

I've given her the heads up,

and she really wanted to see it before I did anything.

In the end I think she just turned round and said,

"Oh, get on with it, it's on your head."

As a successful property developer, Luke's mum knows what a good buy is.

-Hello. You all right?

-How are you?

-Not seen you in ages.

I hated it from the outside, I didn't like that it was commercial below.

But when I got in there, the place is massive,

and he guarantees rent of 750 to 800 for a one bed.

At the end of the day, as long as the rent is covering it...

-That's what I said.

-You're fine.

And up in Wilmslow, Milly also has something big to celebrate.

After going round in circles with her house hunt, she's finally got

her hands on a property she can call her own.

And it blows the house out of the water.

It's her own jewellery shop.

Yeah, it is my shop, yeah.

It was my mum's idea. She mentioned it to my dad when they went away.

She's really proven herself, and she's very capable,

so I think this is going to be a perfect opportunity for her.

I want to work hard at this.

I don't want to be another one of these kids that's given it and run it into the ground.

What people are going to see when they look straight through the window from outside...

Yeah, it's my baby. My little venture, I love it, I can't wait!

It's a huge responsibility for Milly.

I want to get the shop up and running and it's all working,

then we'll proceed with the house.

The timing couldn't be better.

Today, she's leaving her teens behind.

The shop, the future, it's her birthday today.

So, yeah, it's going to be a busy few years.

I feel like my life's, like, running away from me

and I just don't know what I'm doing.

I'd like to thank you all for coming to help us celebrate Milly's 20th birthday.

The whole shop, I think this year is going to be a big year.

Hopefully, her 21st will be at her house.

Happy Birthday to Milly!

-To Milly.

-To Milly!

Next time, can Sophia persuade her mother to bankroll this £900,000 flat?

I just think you could make it the most fabulous pad.

You could, with an enormous amount of money spent on it.

We meet 18-year-old jockey Sam, who plans to splash nearly half-a-million on his first home.

It's a massively serious amount of money,

I just hope it all goes smoothly.

Ah! Feeling good.

And 24-year-old eco-warrior Zano starts his quest to save

the planet by buying a million-pound pad.

Ooh! METALLIC ECHO

Yeah, it's got a bit of an echo, I like it even more!

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