We're beside the seaside this week, between Bexhill and Hastings house hunting for two first time buyers. But there could be stormy waters ahead...
We're trying to find two properties - a family home for parents-to-be Scott and Jakki and a starter home for newly weds Nicola and Christopher. But we're buried up to our necks in our buyer's demands and the tide's coming in. Both our couples have dillied and dallied so much that the market has raced ahead and left them behind, meaning drastic measures are called for.
Bexhill has always been seen as a desirable place to live and Hastings is fast following suit. With the government spending £341 million in Hastings and surrounding areas, it's fast becoming a property hotspot. This leaves us with a real battle on our hands so we'd better split up as the market waits for no one.
First up are Jakki and Scott, who have been on the hunt for the perfect property for a long time. They used to live the London high life but could never afford the space they needed. Shrewd research led them to Hastings, one of the last bastions of cheap housing in the South East. But a staggering 18 months later this boho chic couple still haven't taken the plunge and are stuck renting.
Both of them work from home - Jakki runs her trendy jewellery company on the ground floor and artist Scott, who's an illustrator, works upstairs - they love collecting vintage paraphernalia and space is running out fast; with a baby on the way it can only get worse.
Its Phil's job to help them find bigger and better before prices rise well and truly out of sight, because after 18 months of searching their money won't stretch nearly as far as it would have. Jakki and Scott have got a strict budget of £200,000. They want four or five bedrooms, buckets of space, a garden... and character.
Our other fussy first timers are Christopher and Nicola who have had a whirlwind relationship. Within two years of meeting they moved in together and got married - now they're sharing a rented flat in Bromley near London that they are rapidly outgrowing. For their first home they've decided to leave the city and down to the coast, back to Christopher's roots and near his family.
In the short term they will still need to commute back to Bromley for work but on the plus side the move will get them a lot more house for their budget.
They've been looking for six months, so cue Kirstie and cue a direct line of questioning about exactly what they're looking for, and what they can realistically afford in their chosen area of Bexhill.
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