A couple's tearful journey on property show Location, Location, Location ended in heartache tonight after they found their dream home near Bristol.
Wednesday's (May 25) episode saw Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer endeavour to help two new couples from outside of the city settle in Bristol and find their forever homes. The programme referenced the city's "lightning-fast market" with Bristol seeing a 25 per cent rise in house prices in the past five years, suggesting the buyers were going to have to act fast to snap up their perfect property.
The Channel 4 show focused on two couples: Sue and Samira who were looking to relocate from London after 30 years and Josh and Anna, first-time buyers hoping to live south of the river. Sue and Samira were firm on £280,000 as their absolute maximum price whereas Josh and Anna were persuaded to aim higher than this to seal the deal.
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Kirsty initially seemed unconvinced that the Londoners could get something that fulfilled their requirements for that budget. Having been first shown a house in Brentry, the couple raised questions over whether a more suburban neighbourhood would be inclusive and if they would be accepted for holding hands in public.
They were unsure due to the location but later in the episode, a two-bed flat in Clevedon for just under £300,000 stole Sue and Samira's hearts. They were unfazed about being 13 miles outside of the city despite property prices in the seaside town being on par with Bristol.
"It's spectacular, I have an amazing feeling in my heart," Sue choked. "It's beautiful."
"They can be back in Bristol in 25 minutes," Kirstie pointed out.
After the jubilant news they had secured the property, the couple's dreams came crashing down two months later when issues with their purchase were announced at the end of the episode.
"We had a mortgage promise for a certain amount but when Samira went to the bank they renayed on that promise," Sue said. Despite Samira finding another lender the sellers then decided to stay put and not sell. Despite their disappointment, the couple still expressed their thanks to Kirstie for helping them with their search.
The other couple Josh and Anna were shown properties in Ashton Gate, St George and Bedminster, driven by their desire to take on a renovation project. Anna was sceptical about the St George area and was unimpressed by the £280,000 property despite its lower prices compared to the other areas.
"I think it might be too 'suburbs'," she said. They were also shown a £265,000 flat in Bedminster that was well below their top budget. In the end, it was a Victorian terraced home in Knowle that won them over which they managed to negotiate for £315,000.
But many viewers were quick to suggest that both couple's budgets would not get them far in Bristol's housing market today. It is not clear when the episode was filmed, but the average price of Bristol properties sold in 2021 was£359,969.
@JoeStutter said on Twitter: "250k to spend in Bristol they aren’t going to find much." While @demelcy commented: "Bristol prices as bad as London".
@missrjevans82 joked: "LOL at these couples looking for houses in Bristol. You sweet, innocent fools. Everyone knows you know you need half a mill in the bank and no job so you can spend all day on Right Move."
One person, however, could not believe how expensive the couple's budgets were, comparing it to what you could get in Birmingham for a lower price. @btodd_13 said: "Watching location, location, location and its crazy to me that someone is looking for a 2 bed house, not too much of a project and a decent garden and they're looking at around 400k, we bought the same with a massive garden in a decent area of Birmingham for 185...."
Channel 4's Location, Location, Location is on Channel 4 on Wednesdays at 8pm.
