Location, Location, Location viewers were left frustrated at Wednesday night’s episode after a couple turned down houses under their budget after ‘obsessing’ over the size of their teenage son’s bedroom.
Ruth, a school administrator, and Craig, a carpenter, had rented the same three-bedroom house in Sale, Greater Manchester, for the past 13 years before appearing on the show – but could not settle on a home to buy.
They moved into the property – which is valued at upwards of £600,000 – after having their son, Ollie, now 13, and had seen been saving with the hope of owning their dream family home.
The parents went on the Channel 4 show and received help from Phil Spencer after having no luck finding properties of the same size and value with their humble budget of £375,000.
For the price, Ruth and Craig wanted Phil to find them a turnkey house with three big bedrooms and a box room for an office, a driveway, a garage for a gym and a garden.
‘It needs to be easy for Ollie to get to school and for you to commute as well,’ the father-of-one said.
However, they were repeatedly unhappy about the size of the bedrooms for their teenage son – which left viewers frustrated.
‘What’s the obsession with getting a big room for their son… he’s 13,’ one wrote on X. Another penned: ‘He’s 13, he doesn’t need a massive bed.’
A third said: ‘So they want the same house as their rental which is worth 600k+ but for a budget of half that? Usual nonsense then.’
A fourth commented: ‘Put the young lad’s bed in the room tell him when he has 340k, he can have a bigger room.’
A fifth added: ‘I’m sorry but who are the parents here??? If Ollie wants to stay near his friends and his school, he gets a smaller bed, that’s the compromise!!’
Property expert Phil said the search would be ‘hard’ as ‘they’re going to be buying something that is nowhere near as nice or as big as what they currently live’.
The pair – who both owned properties 18 years ago – were presented four different houses.
The first they looked around was a three-bedroom semi-detached house in Sale with an open plan living room, a utility room and garden.
It was on the market for under their budget at £350,000 and in close proximity to Ollie’s school, along with Ruth’s workplace and their community of friends.
However, Ruth and Craig remarked on how much smaller the house was. She said: ‘It’s obviously a lot smaller than we’re in at the minute but we kind of knew that would be the case in Sale. It’s not a surprise.’
Upon looking at what would’ve been Ollie’s bedroom, Craig said: ‘I think it’s a bit small for Ollie’s bed, desk and everything,’ while Ruth commented on the fact it had ‘half the wardrobe space’ in the larger room.
When Phil showed them around a similar house in Stretford, around a 13-minute drive to Ollie’s school, the couple were less than impressed.
The home was up for sale at £340,000, but the couple said the second bedroom was an ‘odd shape’ and were left wondering how their 13-year-old son’s double bed would fit into the room.
But when they gave their feedback to Phil, he seemed to give them a dose of reality of what was available within the budget.
He told Ruth and Craig: ‘I feel that’s an issue that will likely come up time and time again simply because the nature of these houses at your price point you have a parent’s room, a kid’s room and a box room,’ before advising the couple not to write it off completely.
The third house they went to view was a whopping 14 miles from Sale in Northwich, a 30-minute drive away from Ollie’s school, work and their friends and family.
On the market for £365,000, the turnkey property ticked much of their checklist, boasting three large bedrooms, a large front and back garden, off road parking and space to build a gym.
However, Ruth was quick to mention how far the house was from Sale. She said: ‘It’s just the distance with organising going to see his friends, things like that.’
Phil then replied: ‘But if he wants a bigger bedroom,’ to which Ruth responded: ‘I know, I get it.’
The mother-of-one described the property as a ‘dream’ house but became emotional at how far away it was from her community.
It’s a lot to take in,’ she said. ‘It’s exactly what I want inside and outside but it’s just the location.’
Phil added: ‘This is tough for them, I really feel for them because they don’t want Ollie to move school.’
He then lined up a fourth house for them to view in nearby Urmston, a 15-minute drive away from Sale and Ollie’s school.
The three-bedroom semi-detached property was on sale for £385,000 – above budget – however, Phil was confident he could negotiate the price down.
‘This is more in my comfort zone,’ she said.
The house had a separate living room, a spacious open plan dining and kitchen space along with a family bathroom, along with a bonus attic room, off-road parking and a front and back garden.
Ruth and Craig decided to put an offer of £373,000 in which got declined, before upping it to their maximum budget of £375,000, which was accepted by the buyer.
The excited couple was ecstatic about their decision and said Ollie is very excited about the attic and has ‘big plans’ for the extra room.
Ruth then joked to Craig: ‘You never stood a chance at getting that room.’
They received the keys six weeks after the price was agreed, with the carpenter planning on building his own gym.
Location, Location, Location airs on Channel 4, Wednesdays at 8pm.
