Objective Proficiency p 70. Homes under the Hammer. Extra Listening

Series 18: Episode 14
Part 1
The presenters enjoy 1___________ the property market and love to 2________ a great deal.
In Millbrook, Cornwall, one should 3_________ carefully when buying a cottage.
Some imagination is needed for the kitchen in this 4___________ in Limavady. It is clear where all the 5________ would go straightaway.
All of these properties have been sold at 6_________.
Millbrook is a glorious 7_________ in Cornwall. The beaches 8_________ by. Inland, it's 9___________.
Two properties were 10__________ together to create this fairly substantial building.
This cottage is pretty 11_________.
Judging by this complete 12___________, it's not going to be brilliant, is it? The good news is, there is a 13_________ hand.
We are looking at it as a 14_________ because there is no ceiling or floor between the rooms. Possibly someone has just 15__________ too much.
When the presenter gets to the third-floor he is absolutely 16___________. It's been extended up by 20 17_________ feet.
The loft 18___________ as a whole is relatively recent and this possible large bedroom at the front of the property spans the entire 19__________ of the house.
At the rear of the property, there is a garden with a kind of slightly sophisticated 20____________.
This cottage is not really for the DIY enthusiast by 21__________. On the way out the previous owners have 22__________ everything so it really is a bit of a 23___________.
Millbrook is a good 24____________ town since Plymouth is only about 10 miles away.
The cottage requires an extensive programme of modernisation, 25____________  of various rooms and maybe the staircase even.
If the cottage were 26____________ to a high standard and placed on the rental market, you could achieve somewhere in the region of £850 to £900 27_____________ month.
It is an absolutely brilliant opportunity because to buy something like this 28___________ in this part of the world costs a lot of money.
This property is definitely going to need all the 29___________ the trade.
Amy is no stranger to 30___________.
Amy believes it's a good opportunity and she is spot 31_____________.
Amy has already 32_______________ a couple of properties where she has lived.
Structurally, they are going to move the staircase and then just 33_________ each room and 34__________ it.
Amy seems fairly 35____________ by the challenges ahead.
Amy seems remarkably 36____________ by what by most people's standards would be a pretty enormous project.
Part 2
Amy took the 37__________ with this project.
Appearances can be 38____________, but Amy was confident that with her dad's help, a £20,000 39_____________ and a 12 month 40_____________, she would be able to make this into a new home for herself.
The original front door was now 41_____________.
Dining room and lounge combine to create a gorgeous 42___________ space.
Amy has added perfect finishing 43____________ to the country cottage kitchen.
There's a good 44____________ from the lounge to the kitchen.
Because of building 45_____________, we needed a fire escape 46_________, so we had to move the stairs.
The wooden floors have now been 47___________, which adds to the 48__________ cottage feel. Amy wanted it to look 49____________ and therefore not too modern.
The bathroom is definitely in 50_______________ the style throughout the cottage.
The cottage now has a fourth bedroom, complete with 51______________.
Across the 52_____________ is yet another light, spacious bedroom.
All that remains to be done now is a 53____________ of paint on the end wall and a 54_________ of the garden.
55_____________ this renovation for that figure was 56____________ doing all the work herself. And the fortune of having no hidden horrors 57___________ in the cottage.
A local property expert thinks it really is a 58___________ from top to bottom. Another one thinks the 59__________ works really well.
Amy was hoping for about 295 60___________
If she decides to let the cottage out, she could get an 61___________ of around 5%. but she's decided to 62____________ and enjoy it all.

KEY
1. dabbling in
dabble (in/with something) to take part in a sport, an activity, etc. but not very seriously. E.g. She is a talented musician but is content to just dabble. He dabbles in local politics.



2. snag
snag something (from somebody) to succeed in getting something quickly, often before other people. Sp. agarrar, pillar. E.g. I snagged a ride from Joe.



3. tread
tread trod trodden: tread (on/in/over something/somebody) to put your foot down while you are stepping or walking. E.g. Ouch! You trod on my toe! Careful you don't tread in that puddle.

tread carefully, warily, etc. to be very careful about what you do or say. E.g. The government will have to tread very carefully in handling this issue.

fools rush in (where angels fear to tread) (saying) people with little experience try to do the difficult or dangerous things which more experienced people would not consider doing.

  

4. end of terrace

An end-of-terrace house is at the end of a row of similar houses that are joined together. 

5. units

unit: a piece of furniture, especially a cupboard, that fits with and matches others of the same type. E.g. a fitted kitchen with white units. Floor/wall units. Bedroom/kitchen/storage units.

6. auction /ˈɔːkʃn/

at auction: E.g. A classic Rolls-Royce fetched (= was sold for) £25 000 at auction.  

The house is up for auction (= will be sold at an auction). 

7. spot 

A glorious spot  

8. close 

9. gorgeous 

10. knocked

knock together: to make two rooms or buildings into one by removing the wall between them. E.g.  The house consists of two cottages knocked together. 

11. in pink

in the pink: in good health

12. detritus

detritus: /dɪˈtraɪtəs/ any kind of rubbish/garbage that is left after an event or when something has been used. Sp. residuos, desechos. E.g. the detritus of everyday life. The kitchen table was still stacked with the detritus of the previous night. 

13. skip on 

skip: a large open container for putting old bricks, rubbish/garbage, etc. in. E.g. The skip is then loaded on a lorry/truck and taken away. 

on hand: available, especially to help. E.g. The emergency services were on hand with medical advice. 

14. shell

shell: the walls or outer structure of something, for example, an empty building or ship after a fire or a bomb attack. Sp. armazón. E.g. The house was now a shell gutted (Sp. consumida) by flames. The shell of the building was all that remained after the fire.

15. taken on

take on: to decide to do something; to agree to be responsible for something/somebody. E.g. I can't take on any extra work. We're not taking on any new clients at present. 

16 dumbstruck

dumbstruck (also dumbfounded) unable to speak because of surprise. E.g. The news left her dumbfounded. She looked absolutely dumbfounded when I told her what had happened. Their disappearance left all the onlookers completely dumbfounded. 

17. odd

odd: approximately or a little more than the number mentioned. E.g. How old is she—seventy odd? He's worked there for twenty-odd years. 

18. conversion 

conversion /kənˈvɜːʃn/ conversion (from something) (into/to something) the act or process of changing something from one form, use or system to another. E.g. the conversion of farm buildings into family homes. A firm which specializes in house conversions (= turning large houses into several smaller flats/apartments).

19. width 

20. summerhouse

summerhouse: a small building in a garden/yard for sitting in in good weather



21. any means

by no means, not by any (manner of) means: not at all. E.g. She is by no means an inexperienced teacher. We haven't won yet, not by any means. 

22. stripped

strip: to remove all the things from a place and leave it empty. E.g. strip something (out) We had to strip out all the old wiring and start again. strip something + adj. Thieves had stripped the house bare. 

23. state

state: condition of something. E.g. The building is in a bad state of repair (= needs to be repaired). 

24. commuter 

25. reconfiguration /riːkənfɪɡəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/ 

26. refurbished

refurbish something to clean and decorate a room, building, etc. in order to make it more attractive, more useful, etc. E.g. The theatre has been extensively refurbished. 

27. per calendar

per calendar month (pcm) 

28. done up

do up: to repair and decorate a house, etc. E.g. He makes money by buying old houses and doing them up. 

29. tricks of

the tricks of the trade: the clever ways of doing things, known and used by people who do a particular job or activity.

30. renovations 

31. on

spot on: exactly right. E.g. His assessment of the situation was spot on. His guess was spot on. The weather forecast was spot on—it rained all day! 

32. converted

convert: /kənˈvɜːt/ to change or make something change from one form, purpose, system, etc. to another. E.g. convert something (into something) The hotel is going to be converted into a nursing home. The pub is a converted warehouse. 

33. gut 

gut something: to remove or destroy the inside or contents of a building or room. E.g. a factory gutted by fire. The house was completely gutted. The hotel was completely gutted by fire last year. 

34. redo

redo: redo something to do something again or in a different way. E.g. We've just redone the bathroom (= decorated it again). 

35. unfazed

unfazed: not worried or surprised by something unexpected that happens. E.g. She was totally unfazed by the news. The President seems unfazed by the ongoing crises around the world.

36. undaunted

undaunted /ˌʌnˈdɔːntɪd/ still enthusiastic and determined, despite difficulties or disappointment. Undeterred. E.g. He seemed undaunted by all the opposition to his idea. Undaunted, she persevered. 

37. plunge

take the plunge (informal) to decide to do something important or difficult, especially after thinking about it for a long time. E.g. They finally decided to take the plunge and get married.

38. deceptive

deceptive: likely to make you believe something that is not true. Misleading. E.g. Appearances can often be deceptive (= things are not always what they seem to be). 

39. outlay

outlay: outlay (on something) the money that you have to spend in order to start a new project. Sp. desembolso. E.g. The business quickly repaid the initial outlay on advertising. A massive financial/capital outlay.  

40. timescale

timescale: the period of time that it takes for something to happen or be completed. Plazo de ejecución. E.g. What's the timescale for the project? A tight timescale. We hope the negotiations will be completed within a six-month timescale. 

41. bricked up  

brick in something, brick up something, brick something in, brick something up: to fill an opening in a wall with bricks. E.g. The windows had been bricked up. 

42. open plan

open plan an open-plan building or area does not have inside walls dividing it up into rooms. E.g. an open-plan office.  

43. touches

touch: a small detail that is added to something in order to improve it or make it complete. E.g. I spent the morning putting the finishing touches to the report. 

44. flow 

45. regs

regulations 

46. route 

47. restored 

48. cosy 

49. cottagey

50. keeping with

in keeping (with something) appropriate or expected in a particular situation; in agreement with something. E.g. The latest results are in keeping with our earlier findings.

51. en suite

en suite /ˌɒ̃ ˈswiːt/ a bathroom that is joined onto a bedroom and for use only by people in that bedroom. E.g. The en-suite has a power shower. Both bedrooms have tiled en-suites.

52. landing

landing: the area at the top of a set of stairs where you arrive before you go into an upstairs room or move onto another set of stairs. Sp. rellano. E.g. Go up to the first-floor landing and it’s the door on the right.

53. lick 

a lick of paint (informal) a small amount of paint, used to make a place look better. E.g. What this room needs is a lick of paint.

54. tidy-up

tidy-up (also tidy): An act or spell of tidying something. E.g. she’s coming to give his house its Saturday morning tidy-up.

55. Pulling off

pull something off:

(informal) to succeed in doing something difficult. E.g. We pulled off the deal. I never thought you'd pull it off.

56. down to

be down to somebody/something:

to be caused by a particular person or thing. E.g. She claimed her problems were down to the media.

57. lurking

lurk: when something unpleasant or dangerous lurks, it is present but not in an obvious way. Sp. acechar. E.g. At night, danger lurks in these streets.

58. transformation

59. layout

layout: the way in which the parts of something such as the page of a book, a garden or a building are arranged. E.g.  the layout of streets. The magazine’s attractive new page layout. There is no single correct layout for business letters. Are you familiar with the general layout of the hospital?

60. tops

tops [plural] used after an amount of money to show that it is the highest possible. E.g. It couldn't have cost more than £50, tops.

 

61. annual yield

yield: the total amount of crops, profits, etc. that are produced. E.g. a high crop yield. A reduction in milk yield. This will give a yield of 10% on your investment. 

62. stay put

stay put: if somebody/something stays put, they continue to be in the place where they are or where they have been put. E.g. He chose to stay put while the rest of us toured the area. 

Transcript
Hello. We both enjoy dabbling in the property market and love to snag a great deal, but in today's competitive market, well, that's not always easy. But what can you do to give yourself the best chance of success? Maybe you should buy your next house under the hammer.
Well, property auctions are becoming increasingly popular and that's because there's no messing around. When the hammer falls, you have exchanged contracts. So let's take a look at the three properties going up for auction on today's programme. In Millbrook, Cornwall, you'll need to tread carefully when buying this cottage. You haven't even got a ceiling or a floor between the rooms. And you're going to need some imagination for the kitchen in this end of terrace in Limavady. You can see where all the units would go straightaway. But what this house in Carlisle needs most of all is to rediscover its inner home. The fact is, it was actually an office. All of these properties have been sold at auction and you can find out who bought them and what they paid for them when they went under the hammer. It's yours. Congratulations.
I'm on the Rain Peninsula, an area known as Forgotten Cornwall. Across the Tamar Bridge or the Torpoint Ferry, you've got Plymouth and Devon. But here, you are definitely in Cornwall and it is a glorious spot. This is Millbrook. You've got Kingsand and the beaches close by. Inland, it's gorgeous. Who wouldn't want to live here?  # Don't you forget about me # Don't, don't, don't, don't. # We are not officially on the coast here, but there is a tidal inlet from the River Tamar, so the place has the smell of salt in the air. Up the road is Torpoint, where you can catch the chain-link ferry to Plymouth, should you feel so inclined. So Millbrook is a perfect place to visit and possibly an ideal location to live. So what brings me here? Well, a potentially very interesting opportunity. It's this end of terrace. Actually, two properties that were knocked together to create this fairly substantial building. The guide price was £110,000 plus, which when you consider the average price of a house around here is nearly 200,000, makes it definitely worth investigating. OK. Plan B. It looks like the servants entrance for me. But this cottage is pretty in pink and I've got a good feeling about it. Erm... HAD a good feeling. Well, judging by this complete detritus, it's not going to be brilliant, is it?  # But we're trash  # You and me  # We're the litter on the breeze. # The good news is, there is a skip on hand. The bad news is, you'll need several dozen more. And don't forget, skips cost a lot. Maybe this means there's nothing left inside to throw out. Fingers crossed. Well, I don't know. It's a nice size. You really get the impression it's these two cottages knocked into one and there are some original features at least, those beams. A good size space. Some nice features, yes. An old range here. But definitely one of those where you're going to have to try and see through what it's like to what it might become. Oh! Oh, boy! Wow! Right. A swift change of thought. A false sense of security in the kitchen. Through here, what a disaster. Lots of work in progress. Lots of bits and pieces and it hasn't been cleared out and suddenly we are looking at it as a shell because you haven't even got a ceiling or a floor between the rooms. It's gone to a different level, this place, hasn't it? # There's nothing left for me to take for granted. # There's certainly none of the things you WOULD take for granted in a house here. Walls, ceiling, doors. I suspect someone has just taken on too much. Upstairs is a bedroom and bathroom above the kitchen and there's another two bedrooms at the front. But really, this place is a shell, where the floors are an optional extra. Talking of which, there is a third-floor. Be afraid. Very afraid! Well, up even more stairs to the top floor and... I am absolutely dumbstruck. Look at what somebody has done up here to create a quite extraordinary amount of space. If you see there, that was the original roofline of the property. It's been extended up by, I don't know, 20 odd feet to incorporate both the existing top floor and the attic space and whatever. You've now got these three massive rooms with high ceilings, lots of window light, views out over the surrounding countryside. And it's almost like a completely different property. Yes, it's a mess and yes, there's lots of work to finish it off, but suddenly the potential of this place is screaming at you. The loft conversion as a whole is relatively recent and this possible large bedroom at the front of the property spans the entire width of the house. And this is not the only large area that the property has to offer. At the rear of the property, there is this absolutely massive elevated garden. And with a bit of interesting construction, shall we say, this kind of slightly sophisticated summerhouse. You've got that bit of the garden there, great views across the hills. But it gets even better because back there, about the same bit of garden again! It does take your breath away. It's an amazing house and land, all for that guide price of 110,000. But what a big project. Let's see what a local property expert thought of the task ahead. Looking at the property, it's such a job. It's going to be a six month job at least to actually get a finished article where you can move in. It's not really for the DIY enthusiast by any means. This is a professional job. It needs everything doing to it. I think on the way out they have stripped everything, to be honest with you, so it really is a bit of a state. Millbrook itself is the head of the tidal creek, so it is quite a pleasant village. The people here are lovely. It's a good commuter town. The city of Plymouth is obviously only about 10 miles away so it's very handy for those working in and out every day. The property clearly requires an extensive programme of modernisation, reconfiguration of various rooms and maybe the staircase even. But once that is completed to a high standard, I think you could put this on the market somewhere in the region of £225,000 to £250,000. And how about the rental market? If the property was refurbished to a high standard and placed on the rental market, you could achieve somewhere in the region of £850 to £900 per calendar month. Despite what it may appear, I think this is an absolutely brilliant opportunity because to buy something like this done up in this part of the world, you're going to have to pay a lot more money. It's a classic case of if you can buy it for the right price at the auction, spend a bit of money doing it up, you could really do extremely well and have a lovely home in this lovely location. Let's see who agreed when it went under the hammer. A handsome, three-storey end of terrace house. How many people are going to put their hands up if I ask for £100,000? It's not going to go for less than that. If there is nobody here for it at that level, I will just slide on by. Thank you, sir. 100, I've got. 102 from the young lady. 105 if I can, sir. 108 to you if you would like it. At 108. 110 is there. At 110. At 112. 112. The lot attracted plenty of interest. We rejoin the auction where the bidding has now reached 138,000. 138 behind you, I'm afraid. I now need to ask you for 139. 139. 140, I have. 140. 141. 142. 143. 144. 144, I've got. 145. 146. 147. 148. 149. 150. 151. 151. A shake of the head. At 151, once. At 151, twice. At 151, the lady has it. If you're sure and done at 151 and out. That successful £151,000 bid came from Amy. # To be a real sensation  # With your inspiration  # You've got to know the tricks of the trade. # This property is definitely going to need all the tricks of the trade, which is perfect as Amy is a plumber. Plus, she's no stranger to renovations. I met her back at the cottage to find out more. - Amy. - Hi. Congratulations. Thank you. I think! - Wow!  - A bit of work to do then? - Yes, just a little bit!  - A potentially amazing house. - Yes, I think so. - Why did you want to buy it? - It just looked like a good project. I like a challenge, I think. Once we get all the rubbish out, I think it will look good. What was it about the house you particularly liked? The character, I really like that, the fact it's a cottage. But it's not a small cottage like most because it used to be two properties. It's quite a big place.  So what do you know about the area? I lived here for 28 years and moved away just over 12 months ago. I've always lived here, I've been brought up here and I really like it. So you bought this to move back? Is this going to be your house? Yes. It's a lovely area. It's a nice opportunity, a nice house. Amy is spot on. It's going to be fabulous. So what kind of experience is she going to bring to it? - I'm a plumber. I've been doing it for 11 years. - Great. I converted a couple of properties that I've lived in and I just love doing it. - I saw this opportunity and thought, yes, go for it. - Great. - A lady plumber. There aren't still that many, are there? - No. I don't know any other ones, but I think there are a few around. I worked with dad. A summer job originally. - And it just stuck for 11 years. - He's a plumber, is he? - Yes. He's got a local business and I just started working with him. Sounds like Amy is just the woman for the job. But who is going to be doing the not inconsiderable work? Me and my dad, mainly. We're hoping to get it done in about six months. We've given ourselves 12 months maximum, but six months should see it done. - Will you be fitting that around other jobs? - Yes. - Evening and weekends. So this is my spare time hobby. - Is it? OK.  - I've still got to work all day. - That can't be easy though, can it?  No, it's quite tiring. But I enjoy it.  So Amy and her dad, John, will be doing their bit on this huge task.  - But is her budget equally huge? - We're hoping for around 20,000. - OK.  We can obviously do most of the work ourselves so we don't need to employ people, so it's just materials, really. Structurally, we're not changing too much. We are going to move the staircase just to make it a bit more practical. And then just gut each room and redo it, finish off the loft conversion because they're halfway through that. We've got two bathrooms to put in. Outside, there is a fair bit of work just to get the garden sorted out. There's a summer house in the garden that's nearly finished, so we'll finish that. You seem, how can I put this, fairly unfazed by the challenges ahead. Yes. I think most people would look at it and see quite a big challenge. But I've done up a couple of properties that I've lived in and I think I've done more work on those than needs doing on this. - So it shouldn't be too bad. - Well, listen, congratulations. - Good luck with it. - Thanks. - We look forward to seeing how you get on.  Thank you.  Well, Amy may well be in the trade, but she still seems remarkably undaunted by what by most people's standards would be a pretty enormous project. Still, I think she can see... Well, I know she can see the potential. So let's see how she gets on later in the show.
We now head back to Cornwall and the village of Millbrook, where earlier we saw this end of terrace cottage that had loads of character from the outside, but inside, well, yes, hm...  But there was a lot of potential here across its three floors. It was obviously midway through a renovation, with unfinished jobs, here, there and everywhere. It would take someone brave to take this project on and in this case, it was Amy who bought the cottage for £151,000. Amy's already done up two properties and importantly, is a plumber, both of which might explain why she took the plunge with this project. -Why did you want to buy it? - Just looked like a good project. I like a challenge, I think! A lot of rubbish to get rid of. I don't think there's too much work, once all of that's out.  - Really? - We'll see. It's not as bad as it looks, I don't think. Well, appearances can be deceptive, but Amy was confident that with her dad's help, a £20,000 outlay and a 12 month timescale, she would be able to make this into a new home for herself. And when we returned, 11 months later, the cottage front appeared unchanged, though the original front door was now bricked up. Fortunately, Amy was there to show us the new entrance and her new home. Wow! Amy has done an amazing job of the cottage! Dining room and lounge combine to create a gorgeous open plan space. And look at the country cottage kitchen that Amy has created by using the original units and then adding perfect finishing touches. I love the butler sink. There's a good flow from the lounge to the kitchen, but it's only possible now due to the ground floor's biggest change. So, in here, I decided to move the front door. It was in the living room before and it just didn't work. It didn't flow properly. So, moved the front door into here.  Because of building regs, we needed a fire escape route, so we had to move the stairs. Decided to move them into the middle of the house. That means the whole place flows a lot better. They flow onto the next set of stairs and it's a nice open landing. It certainly is. And if we go with the flow to the first floor, the bedrooms now have walls. There's a bonus(!) And the wooden floors have now been restored, which adds to the cosy cottage feel. I've put fireplaces back in to the bedrooms, just to give a bit of character. I wanted it to look cottagey, I haven't wanted to make it look too modern. So, I've tried to make the bathrooms quite traditional as well. The bathroom is definitely in keeping with the style throughout the cottage. Now, up the next flight of stairs is the bit I've been waiting for - that great loft space with bags of potential. The cottage now has a fourth bedroom, complete with en suite. So, I decided to move the door. The doorway came through and round the corner before and it didn't work very well. I decided to put an en-suite in there. It's something I could do easily and it works for this room. But there's more. Across the landing is yet another light, spacious bedroom. And next to it, a family shower room. This top floor layout has certainly got every inch of space working for itself, just like Amy had to. I've managed to do everything myself, apart from the plastering. I've got somebody in to do that. My dad's been helping me as well. - But I've been doing all of it. - Very impressive indeed. And needless to say, installing the bathrooms must have been her speciality. # I'm a one woman army # Yes, I'm doing OK  # Wanna see the sweeter side of me  # Don't get in my way. # New electrics had been fitted before Amy had bought the house, but an electrician has been brought in to certify and sign it all off. All that remains to be done now is a lick of paint on the end wall and a tidy up of the garden. For what was almost a one-woman show, this is such an impressive transformation, especially considering it was all done in 11 months. We said 12 months and I've been doing it in my spare time. If I'd given more of my spare time up, I would have got it done sooner, but I've got to enjoy life as well, at the same time. Amy did most of the work in the evenings and weekends, with her daytime plumbing job helping to pay for the renovation. But how did that £20,000 budget cope with all the impressive changes here? We've come in under budget. I think we're about 16 or 17,000... I've got to work out some final figures and obviously, finish outside, but there's not much to spend out there. So, yeah, I'm pleased with that. So you should be, Amy! Pulling off this renovation for that figure was down to doing all the work herself. And the fortune of having no hidden horrors lurking in the cottage. It all means that along with her purchase price of £151,000, her total outlay is now around £168,000. And together with her pet parrot, Oakley, she can now enjoy the comforts of her new home. I moved in four months ago, so I've been living here while I've been doing the work, so I've been giving some more spare time to it, when I get home from work, evenings. So, yeah, I'll live here a while and then see what happens. But what do two local property experts think of Amy's hard work and of her £168,000 investment? We start off with the auctioneer who first saw the property before Amy got her hands on it. I thought I was at the wrong property when I eventually came in here, but it's a wonderful job. It really is a transformation from top to bottom. I think the house has been done up to a really good standard. They've presented it beautifully, kept it really neutral. I think the layout works really well. I think moving the stairs into the middle of the property gives downstairs a more open feel. As soon as you walk in, it's a wonderful warm feel to the property. It's a homely feel. If Amy did decide to sell on, what sort of profit could she make after her £168,000 spend? If I was to place the property on the open market, it would be in the region of £275,000. I'd value this property at £250-275,000. Those upper valuations mean that Amy, if she decided to sell the house, could make a profit of £107,000, minus the usual taxes and fees. That's fantastic! I'm really pleased with the valuation on it. I was hoping for about 295 tops, so I think if I do decide to sell, then that's the figure I'll go for. And the agents also reckon if she decides to let the cottage out, Amy could get an annual yield of around 5%. but after putting all that hard work into the house, she's decided to stay put and enjoy it all. I'd like a bit of a break. I want a few holidays and just relax for the summer. I missed out on all of my summer last year, doing this place up, so this year's time for me.
Subtitles adapted from:
http://tvguide.lastown.com/bbc/preview/homes-under-the-hammer-series-18/episode-14.html