Episode 2 Young, Rich and House Hunting

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

are snapping up the hottest properties money can buy.

This, this is where the mistress is going to 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 being bank rolled by mum and dad...

Some people 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.

As Britain's youth are in danger of becoming a generation who can't afford to buy their own homes.

WHOOPING

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

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

80 bottles of Dom Perignon, a couple bottles of Cristal, a 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, this is a bit amazing.

-Oh, I love this.

-Oh, my God.

And there's a walk in wardrobe.

And go on a serious spending spree.

That's definitely the sort of theme I want to be going for cos £700 is a good bargain.

It's gonna be extortionate.

This one is £420,000.

£799,950.

On the market for about two and a quarter million.

There is no doubt in my mind, I've become obsessed with property.

-We got it, yeah!

-Thank God.

In tonight's show...

Huh, feeling good!

A 24 year old eco-warrior plans to save the earth by buying a million-pound eco-home.

Ooh, ooh, yeah, it's got a really good echo.

An 18 year old jockey hopes to buy his first house for half a million.

It's a massive move, serious amount of money and I just hope it all goes smoothly.

-Hello, darling.

-Mummy.

And a 24-year-old uses all her PR skills to persuade Mummy to pay for her perfect pad.

-Oh, did I mention it's the penthouse, it's a vast space for...

-Entertaining.

-yeah.

Wow, that is pretty sexy.

Meet Zeno...

he's one of London's richest young men and he's got some serious cash to splash on a new home.

I am Zeno, I am 24 years old, looking for an eco-house and my

budget is around a million pounds,

and I don't need a mortgage at all, I can buy, I can buy outright.

Zeno's mission in life is to save the planet,

so he wants to buy a London home that's environmentally friendly.

I'd like to be able to have an eco-house

because it is a sense of that I'm giving back to the earth.

Zeno's father was a renowned environmental campaigner, and Zeno

wants to spend his £1 million budget on continuing his legacy.

I want to take my father's vision one step further.

I'd like to put quite a bit of my money that I do have

towards the environment, helping the environment, yeah.

Hi, nice to see you again.

Nice to see you again too, nice to see you too, look at this foot, it's beautiful.

Thanks to a multimillion pound trust fund, Zeno is a man of leisure.

I do not need to work to get money actually, I'm very lucky like that.

As a devotee of meditation he fills his day nourishing his mind, body and soul.

I like to wake up and then I go to the gym and spend an hour with my personal trainer...

he really kicks my bottom and then in the evenings I like to do yoga and meditation.

And I stand up like this for at least about a minute,

so the blood rushes straight to your head, you're not as attached to external outcomes in the world.

Huh, it feels fantastic.

MUSIC: "Dog Days Are Over" by Florence & The Machine

For one young man in the Cotswolds, moving into his very own home is tantalisingly close.

My name's Sam, I'm 18, and fingers crossed, I've just bought my first property,

um, for 455,000, that's a lot of money.

£455,000 is a lot of money for an 18-year-old, but Sam isn't your average teenager.

I work as a professional jockey, I love my job, I get paid to do something I would do as a hobby.

Despite his tender years, Sam currently ranks in the top ten British jump jockeys in the country.

Done very well recently, the money's coming in well at the moment but I've had a few big winners and

I'm, hopefully I'm not being spoilt, I'm appreciating every win I get and I'm loving every ride I get as well.

He may be earning the big bucks now, but in such a dangerous sport

there's no telling what is round the corner.

Racing you're obviously facing this danger every day

so to invest the money well you have is a good thing to do.

Sam needs to safeguard his future.

If you look to your right in two seconds, that's my house, that one, the one in the middle.

Sam is spending around half a million pounds on his three bedroom home.

This is my house, the one I've just purchased in the middle,

I'm very proud of it and very excited to see it.

He may have exchanged contracts, but he still hasn't got the keys and there's a long way to go.

It's a massive move, a serious amount of money and I just hope it all goes smoothly.

And it's time to catch up with glamorous Sophia.

Hi I'm Sophia, I'm 24 and I'm looking for somewhere fabulous.

She's currently renting a plush pad in the tallest residential tower in London,

at a cost of almost £2,000 a month.

Like many young people, Sophia wants to get on the first rung of the property ladder,

but she's doing it in her own style.

I'm not gonna look for anything above a million pounds and I'm certainly not looking at anything

for under 495, because in London you can't get anything fabulous for under that price.

With a new PR company to keep afloat, Sophia is depending on a financial backer for her purchase.

Her mother!

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.

-Yes.

Hm.

She's agreed to double Sophia's deposit, as long as the property is also to her liking.

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

she is.

Previously, Sophia saw several places that simply didn't cut the mustard.

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

-Hm, I thought it was terribly claustrophobic, Sophia.

But after months of searching, she fell in love with a spacious

Hampstead penthouse near an area known locally as Millionaire's Row.

Wow, oh, I love this.

-Oh, my God.

-And there's a walk-in wardrobe.

Now she just has to convince her mother to part with the money to buy it.

You can imagine just making the most fabulous place in the world.

Oh, I really like it.

Last year, around 100,000 first time buyers weren't able to get a foot on the property ladder.

However 18-year-old Sam's career means he doesn't have this problem,

and he's due to complete on his first home.

But to secure his dream pad, he needs to pay the deposit today.

Hi, please can I transfer my money to NatWest please?

Problem is, Sam still holds a child's bank account and he needs an adult account to transfer the money.

Mum, they can't do it over the phone.

-(Ask them how you do it.)

-How do we do it, sorry.

Well, he has saved £23,000, which is think is great for an 18-year-old in the six months that

he's been a professional jockey; he's probably saved another £25,000.

We'd have to go into the branch to do it, all right, thank you very much, all right, bye.

I think every child should be given a pound

and told to go and see how far they can get on it, you know they've got to learn the value of money.

And he certainly has. The greatest lesson anybody can learn is the value of money,

along with manners, I'm afraid I'm a stickler for manners as well!

Right, this will be interesting.

I managed to put down £120,000 deposit. £60,000 was my own,

but £60,000 was... My dad's put the other half down,

but otherwise I try and save every penny I can,

because to be honest this mortgage is a new experience for me and it's quite scary.

Yeah, all done, and they've swapped all the funds over to the one account...

it took them a discussion, but it's done.

Now I can go to KFC!

-Afternoon, I like your earrings.

-Thank you.

Part of Zeno's environmental vision is to live in a house that is eco-friendly,

so today his house hunt begins at a swanky new development that gives back to the planet.

-Hi.

-Nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you too.

-Eco friendly houses.

-Yeah that's what I got excited about it. I like your tie by the way.

-Well, thank you.

At £2 million, this may be over budget, even for Zeno,

but this plush pad claims to neutralise its own CO2 emissions,

something the architect is keen to show Zeno personally.

Here the whole house has a mechanical ventilation system

that provides fresh air from the outside into all the living rooms.

So this is the lungs of the house.

This is the lungs of the house exactly.

Wow, look at this, I love it.

Well, I like the enormous windows.

# First I will survive I was terrified... #

Ooh, ooh...

yeah, it got a good echo, I like it in here even more.

I like the smell,

I know that smell, it drives, it drives me wild.

I think you want to be a bit careful because I think that's, um, that's probably off gassing from some paint.

Oh, right, OK.

Wow so I could lie in here, my toes would get all warm and, er, toasty,

boil yourself, and then you get out in your big thick white dressing gown,

and look down on all the people below,

ah, OK I should wear shoes because my feet are getting very cold, oh, it's freezing.

-Here you are.

-Thank you.

Well, the good thing to know,

-these railings are very strong, they can support my weight.

-Yeah.

How much would a house like this cost on average?

Er, on the market of an average for about two and a quarter million.

Oh, OK. God! I like the height of this house. It makes me feel...

like a lion king looking over his kingdom.

HE SINGS AN AFRICAN SONG

HE HOWLS

If you feel like your spirits can soar here, it's lovely.

Huh, feeling good.

The day that Sam leaves his childhood home is fast approaching.

And the race is on to kit out his new pad.

This will be the first time I've moved away from my family home.

I'm just gonna look forward to the challenge and step by step, and hopefully it'll be a good experience.

But since Sam's never lived on his own before, this is all new territory.

One says silk on and one says matt on, I'm not really sure what that means.

I didn't realise painting a wall was so complicated.

Silk, matt, one's shiny is it?

And maybe one's not shiny.

-Who has shiny walls?

-Don't really have a theme as such,

it's just gonna be my house, and just try and make it as homely as I can and warm and nice the way I like it.

Sam will be living all by himself in a sleepy village in the middle of the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire.

Properties come at a premium in this area and Sam's three bedroom house

has cost him nearly half a million pounds.

But it's all worth it.

I like the fact that it's very close to home

and I obviously don't want to be too far away from my friends and family.

And it will be nice to have to live in and just call own.

I like to think my mum will be popping in now and again just to check up on me.

Back in London, Sophia is preparing for her mother's arrival.

She's been summoned to view the flat Sophia wants to buy.

Mummy's coming all the way from Yorkshire to take a look at this place.

-Hello, darling.

-Mummy.

How lovely to see you.

The flat Sophia wants costs a hefty £859,000.

Anyway, I've ordered us a glass, a bottle of Chablis.

And of course it's really important what her opinion is

because at that price I really need her financial assistance.

Her mother has agreed to double Sophia's deposit, as long as she feelsit's a good investment.

It's time for the hard sell.

So it's fabulous, it's two double bedrooms, there's a spiral staircase which goes all the way up,

-oh, did I mention it's the penthouse, the other thing is you know Mary Poppins, the Captain who has...

-Yes.

who's on the top of his boat and he's like "Ahoy there", it's sort of like that.

You could deck it, you could even put in a hot tub...

really make it fabulous, but it's just a vast space for...

-Entertaining.

-Yeah.

Well, I'm more than happy to come and look and give you the value of my opinion.

Cheers, oh, wait, tits and heels.

After weeks of waiting, Sam is due to pick up his house keys today,

but this young man just can't wait to get in.

Pretty snazzy, innit?

Might have hidden the key up somewhere.

Ah no, it is locked.

It's looking a bit grubby, you left... oh, there's hair in the sink.

See, it's got double glazing and everything.

Oh, look, we'll go round the back.

No, I just want to go outside.

Sam may well be the proud owner of a three-bedroom house, but having

only ever lived with his parents he doesn't own a stick of furniture.

-Get.

-Beds, beds, beds, beds, beds.

What about something like that?

I think you've got delusions of grandeur.

I think I'm gonna buy this one, why not?

Let's get in the real world, eh!

-It's not big enough.

-Not big...?!

You know when you're really tired.

Too springy.

It's a good bed, not too big and it's not too small,

and it's just everything I was looking for in a bed really.

-Cheers.

-Thank you.

-Bye, bye.

-OK, let's go.

-Thank you very much.

-Give me a kiss.

'It's quite sad. I mean I will miss him,'

but I'm so pleased for him, and it's lovely,

but it's a big thing I think for all of us actually.

I think if I buy his bed that's a nice thing to do isn't it, probably the last thing I'll do for him.

Yes, I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna cry.

House prices in the capital are a whopping 75% higher than the national average...

this two bed in London's exclusive Hampstead cost a staggering £859,000.

-So this is it, huh?

-This is it.

But Sophia is in love with it and needs her mother to feel the same way, so she'll stump up the cash.

Where shall we start?

The reception room's over here.

-After you.

-Thank you.

Now if I think it's, er, a viable proposition, yes,

I would be quite happy to help her but I must be absolutely certain.

What do you think?

I like the kitchen.

It's huge, isn't it?

Not exactly huge, Sophia, but it's a very, very good size.

-It's really great.

-And the view is...

-Is lovely.

-Spectacular.

And now this is the master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and a walk-in wardrobe as well.

-Yeah, this is what Ruth and I got excited about.

-I bet you did.

-We did.

-I'll bet.

It looks small from the entrance. But it's actually...

-Yes, it has quite a depth to it doesn't it?

-Yes.

I would find that very useful.

Me too...

-and I just thought this room was a really lovely size.

-Yes, it is.

I want to show you the roof.

This wouldn't be very good on a...

after a...

party on the terrace, Sophia.

I think the longer Mummy's here the more she's warming to the place.

And it goes all the way round.

But I hope that she's starting to see the potential of the place because I just think it could be so amazing.

What do you think?

You're not very impressed, I can tell.

That's where the paint is sort of...

-Oh, my lord.

-Yeah.

It needs a new ceiling...

-It's just.

-It's the plasterwork is what is coming off everywhere, maybe it just needs re-plastering.

It's possibly just cosmetic and it certainly at the moment is not

the standard that either Sophia would want, or I would either. It's shabby.

There's just so much space and I just think you could make it like this fabulous pad.

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

But that's why it's under a million because it needs that money spending on it.

Yes, I realise Sophia it's, er, reflected in the price.

How much do you think, I thought maybe 50,000, you think more.

There's a hundred in front of that.

Why, what on?

Well, if you're replacing the kitchen and the bathrooms.

Yeah that's 30,000.

-Each.

-No.

-Oh, come along Sophia,

I know of people that spend 150,000 on a kitchen...

but there are kitchens and kitchens.

Thank you.

You have to decide you see,

on the enormity of the project,

and have you got the time to oversee workmen and so on.

Well, I think we should think about it.

-We will.

-Anyway shall we?

-Yes, let's.

Unlike Sophia, Zeno is less concerned with the ritzy postcode.

What's key for him is the property's carbon footprint.

He's already looked at one eco house, but that was a million pounds over budget.

-So today he's viewing another eco property in Richmond, South West London.

-Fantastic I'm Zeno.

-Pleased to meet you.

-You can call me Zeno...

-OK.

-Fantastic, I'll call you...

-Welcome to Natropolis.

This new development is state of the art, and comes in at a million pounds.

Wow there's, there's almost like there's no outdoor inside.

-Yes.

-It transcends outdoor and inside area.

-Absolutely.

Hence Natropolis which is a mixture of metropolis and nature.

That is actually a genius idea, seriously.

-So that's the whole...

-It's intelligence.

And this is the area that we designed to have outside

table and chairs listening to the, the sound of water, very peaceful.

I could imagine I could just reflect on it, moving water.

And from one water feature to another.

Instant hot water so there's no kettles.

That's amazing, so I can have tea whenever I wanted, look at that.

You can have tea, coffee.

If you do want a toaster there, just plug in your toaster.

Wow, oh, that's clever, I can have toast and tea.

Well, how much noise emanates out of all this.

-Out from where.

-Out from inside, hello, hello, hello, hello. Say hello.

For most of us, a typical UK house price is £223,000.

Zeno has a cash budget nearly five times that much.

-Now let's talk about prices.

-This apartment here is on sale at 995,000.

And, er, would you be up for going down on a particular price, what is your lowest.

-I think it would be down to you to make an offer...

-Hm.

I'd be interested to know what your offer is but I think

-we'd probably have to involve our agents as well on that.

-Yes, yes.

-I think you would be very comfortable here, I think it would suit you.

-I like...

The million pound pad may tick most of his boxes, but Zeno is as flush

with time as he is with money, and decides to continue his quest for the perfect place.

Now we must be careful when crossing the road.

18-year-old Sam is just about to get the keys to his own £455,000 pad.

-Just sign here.

-Here.

-Yeah just in that bit there. There you go it's just the one key.

Brilliant thank you very much.

-All done, very exciting, just got to go to the house now.

-How do you feel?

Seriously excited. Unreal, isn't it?

"Dear Sam, we will miss you so much, really hope you will be very happy.

"We are only a hop, skip and a jump away if you need us, lots of love, Mum."

Oh, that's nice innit. Oh!

There's no lights in here.

Right, this is class,

spare bedroom,

there are two spare bedrooms, another bathroom and a master bedroom.

I didn't realise you needed lights everywhere.

I won't be able to stay here tonight cos I don't have any lights.

The enormity of being a homeowner is starting to sink in.

No, just a bit shocked. It's the whole reality of it really.

It's a lot of money to borrow for someone who's only 18.

Can't decide which one I want to put my pots and pans in.

Yeah I'll

I'll keep that there just in case I need to grate some cheese.

I think I'll change the place I want my microwave.

Oh, I think I preferred it where it was before.

For first-time buyer Sam, this new three bedroom house suddenly feels very, very big.

It does just feel so empty, doesn't it?

I originally just thought you walk through and go, "this is home".

It just doesn't feel like it quite yet

as maybe there's nothing in here, but we'll see.

Bit by bit and it'll feel a lot more homely.

Sam may have moved into his dream home, but 24-year-old Sophia is in a hurry not to let hers go.

She wants her mother to help her purchase a penthouse in London on the market for £859,000.

I think you're talking a great deal more money to make it the way you would want it.

I just think the place has so much potential and it's not a bad price and I just think someone else

is gonna snap it up and then it's gonna be two million before you know it.

-The thing that troubles me is that at the moment you've got this new business.

-The business is fine.

And that should be your main focus, it has to be, Sophia.

I know but I'm really good at my business, I'm fine.

You want everything now, now, now. Life isn't like that.

Are you saying you don't want me to invest in a property altogether?

Or are you saying you just don't think I should invest in that property?

If you want the bottom line, I really do feel you've got to

concentrate on one thing at a time

and then you will have the money in your grubby little hand

to spend on whatever property takes your fancy,

and there is always, always something to buy.

You're right I'd be a little bit silly to rush into

something that I don't quite have the time to make as great as I'd want it to be.

I think I'll start looking again in another six months.

While Sophia has to start over...

..Sam is crossing the finishing line.

Hello, welcome to my new house.

And he's celebrating by having his mum and his brother over for a family lunch.

I was actually gonna cook for them today but I haven't actually got round to going to the shops.

-Hi would you like to come down.

-'Yes, are you ready for us?'

-Yeah.

'Do you want us to bring anything?'

Actually you could do, and we could make something here, what do you fancy for lunch, beans on toast?

-I don't have anything to cook that's the problem.

-'Or we could have chips.'

Yeah that'll do, I'll turn my oven on now.

It's on.

Sam's mum has arrived with emergency supplies.

That's quite evenly spread, wouldn't you say?

And she can't resist having a peak to see how her son is settling in.

Yeah I mean I think it's actually lovely, isn't it?

He's got his own pictures up,

all his stuff from his bedroom.

I can't help myself I've got to straighten them.

I think he's doing incredibly well, his little food stash is a little bit low,

but I think he's doing really well and I think he'll be very happy down here, so it's all good.

A bit crispy, oh, at least they're well cooked.

It's a good way of putting it.

-Help yourself to chips.

-Please.

Hm, nice aren't they?

I was expecting roast beef.

Sam has achieved what most of the country could only dream of.

He's bought his first home at the tender age of just 18.

This is my dream first house and I just want to spend all day here.

Cheers.

To own a property is a real privilege and I just, I love living here.

-Off we go!

-Next time, Zeno's million pound quest to save the planet takes a different direction.

Wow I'm going to be having a one cool pimping place to have.

We meet 18-year-olds Johnny and Kieron, who are more interested

in potential flatmates than the flat itself.

We want them young and we want them blonde and we want them skinny.

And 22-year-old Josh is preparing to fly the nest

into his very own £350,000 flat.

He thinks he wants independence, you've got independence, I don't know.

Yeah but I do, I do, but it's...

-No, no what he wants is a little bit of pain, isn't it?

-Yeah.

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