Episode Information Property Ladder: Greenwich

Date Published:

13/06/2008

This epsiode of Property Ladder focuses on bricks and mortar versus steel and rivets, as a period house in a great area goes up against a house boat without a home. However, though the properties could not be more different there's one thing that ties them both together: the locations of these two developments will either make or break them.

The Greenwich Developers

Meet accountant Darryl Broughton and IT consultant Peter Hopkin. They've bought in a great area, North Greenwich. This up-and-coming suburb is due for a property explosion as an area earmarked for massive investment as a result of the London Olympics in 2012. Family homes in the area have risen in value by 18 per cent over the past year, which is more than 10 per cent above the national average.

The area is a winner but the house itself is awkwardly laid out over three floors, with a dark and dingy lower ground floor that will be tough to make appealing. Nevertheless, our two intrepid ladder climbers are so confident they'll make a killing that Darryl has gone part time on the accountancy front so he can dedicate more time to the project.

The Strood Developers

Vernon and Sue Francis have pulled off a near-impossible feat and managed to buy a home with no location at all! They're gambling their life savings on a motorless barge on the River Medway. Vernon is a metal worker and intends to create a three bedroom floating home on their barge. However, 90 per cent of houseboats are sold with moorings and these developers don't have one.

This could be a major problem for the project, and the couple also don't seem to have a firm plan laid out. Can they manage to squeeze a profit from this unorthodox approach to developing?