HOUSE hunters on Channel 4’s hit property show Location, Location, Location rejected their ‘dream house’ in Northwich because it was not in their beloved Sale.
In an episode airing on Wednesday, October 1, Craig and Ruth, who have been living in a rented house worth more than £600,000 in Sale for 13 years, needed Phil and Kirsty’s help to get them on the property ladder.
The only snag was, their budget for buying their first place together was just £375,000.
The couple have a teenage son, Ollie, who is settled at school in Sale, which is also home to most of their friends.
But after realising spending £375,000 in Sale would means some serious downsizing, they agreed to let Phil cast his net a little wider, to Northwich.
He called the house he found for them ‘an attractive package’, adding it was ‘ten grand under budget’ at £365,000.
The attractive property was £10k under their £375k top budget(Image: Channel 4)
Kirsty Alsop described it as ‘a turnkey house’ which ‘gives them everything they want and more’, though the programme did not disclose exactly where in Northwich it was.
The lounge had a large bay window leading to a high-spec kitchen diner and French doors out to a large rear garden, with offroad parking and space to build a garage.
Phil said: “Internally, it really shines, and most exciting are the three large bedrooms upstairs.
Ruth said the house was ‘exactly what I want, inside and out’(Image: Channel 4)
“Here, they get the space they want, but it’s just over 30 minutes drive back to school, friends, and family.”
Phil confirmed Northwich ‘had been on their radar’, and Ruth seemed more than impressed by the house itself.
Ruth said: “We know we can get a lot for our money out here, which [turning to the house] is already quite apparent.”
Ruth (right) and Craig (centre) weighing up their options with Channel 4’s beloved Phil Spencer(Image: Channel 4)
Craig even said he was sure this was probably Ruth’s ‘dream house’.
Ruth added: “It’s just the distance in terms of going to see friends, and things like that.
“It’s exactly what I want inside, and outside to be fair.
“It’s just the location.”
The venerable Kirsty Alsop described the house as ‘turnkey’(Image: Channel 4)
Asked whether this was because she is not familiar with Northwich, or because it just isn’t where they want to be, she said ‘a bit of both’.
“It feels like a very grown-up house, and we are grown-ups now.
“I’d quite like to go up Northwich high street now and see what that’s like.”
The Northwich house had been fully renovated, inside and out(Image: Channel 4)
The show ended positively for the couple, seeing them buy a three-bedroom home in Urmston, Greater Manchester, right at the top of their budget.
Phil added: “It was house versus location.”