Property Ladder - anyone see it tonight?

[emsiewill]

Just had to post something about this programme. I watch it every week, and love the fact that Sarah is always right, and the "amateur" is always wrong. But tonight's programme was a classic - did anyone else think "personality clash"? And did anyone else think that Sarah went out of the way to show that she was right? They don't normally show people viewing the house, and they also seemed determined to show that the estate agents were concerned about the roof.

Great prog - I love it! (yet another one! )

Yes! I thought that this particular amateur was even more of an idiot than usual though.

The battle of the blondes
The bathroom floor was definitely too wacky for me and could you imagine a couple of preschoolers with all that glass (both in the fireplace - mmmm snackfood - and in the kitchen - sticky fingers.)

Yes, I thought the same about the glass fireplace stuff - can you imagine a baby with a handful (mouthful? ) of that?

Me too. My favourite programme on TV now that What Not to Wear has finished - and actually, I think I prefer Property Ladder. Tonight was classic. Did you know the silly bint's name was Sian? She pronounces it See-Ann - the pretentious fool! I thought her horrible fireplaces were full of gravestone glass and her bathroom was horrific. But I loved Sarah Beeny's tinkly fake laugh and look of utter contempt every time she clapped eyes on See-Ann. They loathed each other with every fibre of their being. I totally agree though that the end of the show was staged to show how right SB was. I even wondered if the trendy bloke who viewed the house was a plant of SB's.

Yes I agree with what has been said... but it appears that for once a house hasn't been sold quickly (and at the boom of the market as they kept saying). And SB was very often right...

• about the roof
• about the ecclectic design
• about the 2 bathrooms
• about the 2 reception rooms
• about the ugly bathroom
• about the small profit (and poor budget)
• about the over priced kitchen for a property to be sold on..... I am no fan of SB but I did feel she was very right... and yes the end did seem a bit of a set up... but if I feel like that about the shouse maybe someone else did too.

I did admire last weeks' couple who even according to SB did a really good job... she is not always too critical but usually she is very right!

Oh, I agree the house was a disaster and that SB was right about everything (that roof!). The fact that SB was so annoyed with the whole project that she did a different ending just to prove it, made me smile. I didn't like the kitchen either. Hated the glass 'breakfast bar' in particular.

After initially feeling this weeks victim was a bit of a pratt who deserved to make a loss I found myself routing for her. Sarah's advice is always very sensible but aims buildings at the lowest common denominator - I really wanted this woman to succeed with something innovative and stylish that broke all the rules.
That said I hated most of the "design features", (and I'm a lover of modern design) and the decision not to do the roof was... well should we say it's symptomatic of society's current inclination for image over substance.

But the point it (that SB tries to make every week), that the person is in it to make money, and the way to make money is to make the property as impersonal and neutral as possible.

Why do these people think they know better than an "expert" ??

The things "See-ann" had done to the house were utterly wrong for a re-developed property, particularly a Victorian house. I think SB made a comment about loft apartment styling. Everything was indeed very stylish and trendy (except the bathroom!) but wrong.

The funny thing about the glass chips was that the woman with the baby liked them - clearly her first child, she has no idea of the things to come

Esmiewill's right - every week SB has to tell them not to get personal. Do none of them listen? I would love to have a go at property redevelopment but if I had an "expert" watching me, I'd take their advice.

And the roof... how stupid can you get?

It was a classic. Sy-an had horrific taste, she knew nothing about modern design and it wasn't a very good ad for her damp-proofing company that she was so willing to forget about the roof. That kitchen and bathroom were hideous and I nearly cried as she ripped out the Victorian fireplaces.

Oh, those lovely fireplaces! I wanted to give her a good smack at that point.

I thought the interior was absurd for the type of property it was and the bathroom in particular was terrible (both in taste and design). We've done up three houses now (two from a derelict state) and I find it amazing that someone would neglect the roof and yet faff around with glass chips.

I so wanted to give Sy-an a good slapping for ruining such a nice house. Anyone with taste wouldn't buy it, or would have to rip out her nasty fittings (how could she take out fireplaces and box in alcoves????)

This is the second series of the programme. During the first one DH and I used to shout "Why don't they listen?" at the telly. But you'd think the second series they'd know what the series was about. If the are going to get involved why do they argue all the time. If I had an expert in there I'd be grilling them for every idea and every tip possible. What is wrong with these people?

oh goody! I'm glad someone has already started this thread and totally agree that Sian was mad> She seemed to think it was more important to prove SB wrong than to make the house saleable to lots of buyers - one of whom may be able to afford it!

I sometimes think that SB is too gentle and last night, we could have done with a bit of no-nonsense house doctor style advice.

It made for brilliant TV though!

I guess that's the point isn't it - if they all meekly followed SBs advice, it would be fairly dull.

I taped one a few weeks back with a really dippy advertising guy. He was so clueless - never included the legal fees etc in his budget despite being told to numerous times. Mad about £500 profit I think if you excluded the large general rise in property prices.

I too am a big fan and last nights took the biscuit, that bathroom was hideous, and the kitchen wasn't much better either, not very 'practical' at all, the glass breakfast bar was over the hob area? Right from the start I wanted Sian to fail she seemed to want to prove SB wrong all the time as if she knew better. Well you didn't you looked like a spoilt know-all with absolutely no taste - And what a great advert for your company????????????

I too am a sad addict of this prog, yes along with what not to wear, amazingly last night persauded dh we should watch it instead of the football! (often he is actually AT the football on a Tuesday...) and even he was impressed at how horrible the woman's taste was/how extravagent she was on something she was going to sell. That bathroom I thought was just impractical, and how any family could consider a house with fireplaces filled with glass chippings ... Then when she didn't sell it at once, ha! it's just schadenfruede really, isn't it. I did think last week's people did really well tho and did do a good job on minimal budget.

I too am a big fan and last nights took the biscuit, that bathroom was hideous, and the kitchen wasn't much better either, not very 'practical' at all, the glass breakfast bar was over the hob area? Right from the start I wanted Sian to fail she seemed to want to prove SB wrong all the time as if she knew better. Well you didn't you looked like a spoilt know-all with absolutely no taste - And what a great advert for your company????????????

Ooo, can we talk about Location Location Location on here as well? That 3 story house with the
purple door was just gorgeous, my fantasy home for this week.

Re: Property Ladder - they must vet them first to ensure that they are complete no-nothings about this sort of thing. Last weeks programme, although very admirable, the couple didn't make for very exciting tv.

Another thing I don't quite understand - last night she aimed to make £20k profit (ignore the rise in the market for this bit). Presumably she would then put that down as deposit for next house. But wouldn't she still only get similar mortgage to that which she had got for first house? In other words, wouldn't she just be buyng a string of similar houses? Or am I missing something VERY basic about property development?

Tinker, I see your point. Presumably though she would use the deposit she put down on House A as the new deposit on House B and use the same amount spent on renovating House A on House B. The profit is supposed to be the amount cleared after deducting those costs. So the £20,000 clear profit could either be taken as income or used to fund a bigger project (eg dividing a house into flats) that would make a bigger profit. I fantasise about this sort of thing!

A ha, aloha, I think the penny has finally dropped. Mind you, last week's couple had a 110% mortgage or something.

Anyway, just found out the divine Si Ann has sold for £180k. There is no justice. It's near me and the area is definitely considered to be for families.

Let's hope that the new owner is busy reinstating the firepalces and carpeting the bathroom

The blue glass looked like the stuff you see on 70's graves.