A Welsh couple have completely transformed a chaotic, old-fashioned house in Alicante, Spain and turned it into the perfect, relaxing and luxurious property for themselves and their two "fur babies". Sarah and Mark from the south Wales valleys appeared on Friday's episode of Channel 4's popular property programme, 'Sun, Sea and Selling Houses' to show their former estate agents Charlotte and Sophie Rodriquez what they'd been doing to update and renovate their property they bought a year ago.
In the episode which aired tonight (season 6, episode 10), viewers saw flashback clips of Sarah and Mark viewing three different properties in the Alicante area in an episode from series 5. At the time, they'd already viewed 30 homes, they said, but were yet to find the right home for them - which Charlotte and Sophie took as a challenge!
The couple explained to Charlotte and Sophie that they were looking for a property with two bedrooms and two bathrooms in a relaxing area not far from local amenities. What's more, they were desperate for their new home to have a good-sized outside area where Sarah's cats could explore safely and relax and unwind in the sun.
Over the course of the episode, which also featured another British couple looking for a new home elsewhere in Spain, viewers saw clips from the time Sarah and Mark had viewed three properties, before seeing which property they'd chosen and what they'd done to renovate it.
After falling in love with one property's expansive outdoor area, Sarah and Mark were left disappointed when they saw the property's master bedroom was far too small for their beloved super-king-size bed and soon decided to discount the property. Fortunately, Charlotte and Sophie were able to show them another potential home - which Sarah and Mark totally loved.
After feeling an "instant connection" with the third property and realising it had "potential" to offer what the couple were looking for, they met up with Charlotte and Sophie again to discuss putting an offer in. Whilst the couple's budget was a cool €120,000, they initially offered €115,000 - €10,000 below the property's asking price. After a spot of negotiation, they were delighted to snap-up the property for €119,000 and soon got to work turning the property into the home of their dreams.
Later in the episode, Charlotte and Sophie visited Sarah and Mark at home and were impressed by the renovation works they'd carried out. The previous bright red main bedroom had been repainted white, making it feel much airier and more spacious than before, and the couple had done a lot of work to transform the property's outdoor area into a relaxing paradise for them and the cats!
Asked how the couple have been settling in to their new home, Sarah said: "It's an amazing community, we have fantastic neighbours," and later admitted she and Mark have to "pinch ourselves" as they can't believe living in their dream Spanish home is their reality and that they can spend their days relaxing in the sunshine, swimming in their community's pool or playing darts in nearby bars!
"My advice [to anyone looking to buy a home abroad] is just to do it sooner rather than later," Mark added. "You don't need a million pounds!"
You can catch Mark and Sarah on Sun, Sea and Selling Houses on Channel 4's online on-demand service here.
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