Viewers of Location, location, location were left stunned by London’s prices as a ‘picky’ couple who viewed fourty houses in six-months struggled to find ‘dream home’ for £620,000.
Karthick and Emma lived in Singapore for 10 years before deciding to settle in London but sought the help of Kirstie and Phil after they viewed 35 houses with no success.
But with a budget of £620,00, the couple had a long checklist of features they wanted, including dream location, a south-facing garden and an open-plan living area.
Many of those watching were left stunned as the couple tore through all four houses they viewed on the programme, with one saying: ‘They should rename this show Picky, picky, picky.’
Karthick and Emma, from Singapore, left Location, location, location viewers stunned as they revealed they had viewed 40 properties in their search for the perfect house in London
Indian born Karthick and wife Emma lived in Singapore for the last decade with their children Kara, 5, and Ethan, 21 months.
They relocated to London six months ago and rented a property in Blackheath to be in an area close to good schools.
Emma revealed: ‘We want somewhere with three bedrooms, open plan family living, cycle to canary wharf, south-facing garden, kitchen looking out onto the garden.
‘We would also like to be very close to Blackheath, but that is very expensive, so we could go down elsewhere.’
The first home they viewed came in well under budget at just £600,000 or the couple, and was in a good location
However, Emma said she was unwilling to commit to the level of renovation work she believed the house might need
She laughed: ‘We’re first time buyers in a country we’ve only been for six months but we want to buy our forever home.’
But she admitted they were also searching for a bargain, adding that they had been ‘shocked’ by the prices and weren’t keen to do many renovations.
She said: ‘With the two kids, we’ve been thinking how we would balance this.’
Their first property was priced just under £600,000, leaving the couple with £20,000 to renovate the three bedroom home.
Emma said she was stunned by the condition of the home, and concerned about cracks in the walls
The mother-of-two conceded that the house was light and bright, but told Phil Spencer it wouldn’t be right for her
The house had period features, but could do with a lick of paint and a little renovation work.
Meanwhile the garden, while overgrown and paved, could be more child friendly if laid to lawn.
Immediately, Emma said: ‘I’m just noticing the cracks and I’m just worried about what would need to be done in the house which isn’t just cosmetic.’
Meanwhile outside she continued: ‘I think the garden doesn’t feel very child friendly, with the different levels and the concrete.’
The second house was a detached home on the market for £595,000, coming in under budget for the pair
But despite liking the house’s bright and airy nature, as well as the open-plan living area, the couple couldn’t stand behind under a flight path
She said she felt ‘quite wary’ about the house’s condition, saying: ‘It probably needs a bit more TLC than I would be willing to take on with two children.’
The second house the couple viewed was a three-bedroom detached home, with a large open-plan living space and bi-fold doors out into the large garden.
Upstairs, there were three good sized bedrooms, with the high-level of finishing leaving little for the couple to do.
The house was worth £595,000, coming in under budget for the duo.
But the couple were hugely unimpressed after a plane flew over the top of the property, with Emma seemingly stunned to realise the house was under a flight path.
The third home they viewed was a 1920s three bedroom home, on the market for £550,000, leaving them with plenty of money for decorating
The couple said they loved the modern bright and airy kitchen, as well as the open-plan living space
But Karthick admitted he felt some reservations about the houses position, and said he was concerned the dining room at the back wouldn’t get enough light
The third home they viewed was worth a 1920s three bed, with big, bright family living spaces.
The family home was on the market for £550,000, leaving them with enough money to do ‘a bit of a tart up.’
But Karthick said he was unimpressed by the east-facing garden, saying: ‘We normally eat family dinner in the evening, and the front will get the sun.’
Emma seemed taken with the property, but Karthick remained concerned about the light throughout the day in the home.
Their fourth and final home was a property on the market for £600,000 – but Emma took an immediate dislike to the house because it was near a main road
Finally, they visited a four-bedroom property with Phil admitting that the extra bedroom was a ‘trade-off’ for a busier road.
They’d probably want to do a little work, but if they could take that on, their wish list would be furfilled with an asking price of £600,000.
As they walked into the dining room, Emma said: ‘Dark, dark, dark.’
Karthick continued: ‘I think the layout needs some work.’
Despite the bright and airy nature of the rooms, and the fact the home was a four-bedroom property, Emma complained that she could hear the road
Emma was concerned about the light in the groundfloor of the property, complaining that it felt dark inside
And Emma added: ‘You can hear the road. It’s not the noise, it’ll be the safety of being near a road.’
They finally decided to give-up on the south-facing garden and go for property three but admitted they were still unsure about the house.
The couple offer £545,000 and their offer was rejected, before a slightly higher offer of £457,000 was accepted.
But viewers admitted they were unimpressed with the picky pair, with one viewer saying: ‘The hesitation of safety of the road outside, the low flying planes overhead and the cost of property…think she needs reminding they are in London, not the countryside in Wales.’
One said: ‘Not quite sure how Kirstie and Phil don’t lose it with some of these buyers!’
Many viewers were left stunned by the couple’s attitudes, with some saying they couldn’t believe their attitude to househunting