Channel 4 viewers were outraged when a ‘picky’ woman on Location, Location, Location wasn’t won over by any properties she was shown – despite having spent three years searching for the ‘perfect’ place and seeing ‘over 100 homes’.
Taking to social media, many slammed private maternity nurse Jane – who appeared on Wednesday night’s episode on the hunt for a home in Farnham, Surrey – for ‘wasting their time’.
Presenters Phil Spencer and Kirstie Allsopp showed her four ‘lovely’ places which met her highly specific, and at times contradicting, demands – all generally within a £500,000 budget.
However, despite Jane – who had in the past made five offers, but backed out after surveys came back with ‘daunting’ extra work prospects – saying she was willing to ‘compromise’, none of the places she saw were the right fit.
She told the show she was torn between looking for a ‘bachelorette pad’ or a ‘cozy cottage’, and wanted to have something that had ‘character features’ but was also ‘modern’.
Jane, who has spent the last 30 years travelling around the world, also wanted to live close to central Farnham, and have enough space to entertain friends and family.
Phil first thought he’d struck gold when he took her to view an off-market two-bedroom cottage that’s just an eight-minute walk away from the town centre.
The 18th century listed terraced house was given a £495,000 guide price and had everything Jane was looking for in terms of rustic charm and location.
However, she felt like the ‘social space is too small’ – even though Phil pointed out that it had an extension.
Phil and Kirstie couldn’t even get Jane to properly view a second, two-bedroom and two-bathroom ground floor apartment with a small kitchen – which included ‘additional living room and dining room space’. It also featured stunning communal gardens, and was well under budget at £400,000 on the market.
Channel 4 viewers were outraged when a ‘picky’ woman on Location, Location, Location wasn’t won over by any properties she was shown – despite having spent three years searching for the ‘perfect’ place and seeing ‘over 100 homes’
Presenter Phil Spencer (pictured with co-host Kirstie Allsopp), who is local to the area, showed her four ‘lovely’ places which met her highly specific, and at times contradicting, demands – all generally within a £500,000 budget
However, Jane wasn’t impressed, telling Phil and Kirstie: ‘If I was 30 years older and wanted to live in an OAP complex, this would have been absolutely fabulous… I’m sorry to be blunt!’
She admitted she didn’t even want to look inside the complex ‘because she knows all the neighbours are probably over 70 or 80’ and that ‘isn’t anywhere on her search criteria’.
‘This is too modern,’ Jane continued. ‘If you give me modern give me cool, quirky… I would much prefer a characterful, beautiful place than spacious.’
Viewers were baffled when even a third, charming house failed to strike the right chord for Jane because it was slightly over budget – something she had previously admitted she’s open to being ‘flexible’ on.
It was still walkable from the town centre – albeit a few extra minutes than the first place shown – and met all of her other requirements.
Staying close to the high street, Phil showed her a three-bed Grade II listed cottage which came with a ‘cozy front room, an extensive kitchen perfect for hosting and a walled courtyard’.
The probate property was valued between £525,000 to £600,000.
Phil admitted that it was old and ‘needs maintenance, but has been incredibly well kept’.
Jane however said she ‘would have expected it to be less price wise because it’s out of the town centre’ and featured an extra bedroom she ‘didn’t need’.
‘I think if this was £50,000 less and had two bedrooms I would be bouncing up and down,’ she added. ‘But you are making me nervous going top of the budget and still needing work and the extra bedroom that I don’t need.’
‘I’m not actually sure I can do better than this,’ Phil told the programme. ‘But her brain is spinning round, thinking of something every time it doesn’t absolutely nail what she had in her mind’s eye.
‘Maybe that’s what happens after 100 viewings!’
Hoping to bring something new into the mix, Phil then decided to show Jane a new build – with a £325,000 ground floor flat.
However, despite it being spacious when it came to communal space – and well under budget – Jane felt that ‘having a comfortable place for her friend to stay is worth an extra £100,000’, helping her ‘rule out one beds’ from the search.
The episode however did see a happy ending for Jane – but not through any of the viewings the presenters took her on.
Instead, she asked for Phil’s professional help with negotiating an old offer that fell through – for a semi detached two-bed with a ‘fully open living and dining room space, driveway at the front and private courtyard in the back’.
It had been listed at £500,000, and Jane offered £490,000 – which was accepted. However, a survey then flagged that there needed to be work on the roof. Jane got muddled in renegotiations, and asked Phil to step in.
In the end of the episode, they managed to settle on £495,000, with the condition that the seller would take care of the roof.
‘There’s been many houses over the years,’ Jane said. ‘Maybe it was all to lead me to this fabulous property.
‘I now have a beautiful new roof – that all went really smoothly. I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for Phil!’
But people tuning into the episode were frustrated, feeling Jane was never ‘serious’ about the viewings during the episode.
‘Asking Phil for help on a place she loved and lost and wants him to do the negotiating,’ one social media user wrote. ‘Sounds like what she came on here for.’
‘I get the impression she’s p***ed off all the estate agents in the area,’ another added.
A third complained: ‘Why did we just waste 45 minutes looking at houses if she had already found one then.’
‘She’s doing my head in,’ another penned, as others admitted they were ‘pitying Phil’ as Jane was ‘far too picky’.
‘Central Farnham is where I want to be,’ Jane told the programme. ‘I want to be part of the community, I want to build my new life here.
‘I’ve worked hard for every pound going into this house! Every part of my life I like to think I ace, I’ve got this, I’m independent, but I really do [need help] on this search.’
