Relocation, Relocation (2003)
Professional property experts Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer scour the country on behalf of house-hunters seeking the ideal balance between urban energy and rural relaxation
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Episode 1 - Devon & Bristol
Release Date: 2007-12-31These newlyweds have been living in Hertfordshire for the last three years. But the frenetic life of London suburban commuters isn’t really for them. Andy is a planning manager and Rosie a local government officer and they’re fed up with their hectic routine of all work and no play. So fed up in fact, they’ve already lined up new jobs in Devon which will enable them to spend more time together. From the sale of their house in Tring Andy and Rosie cashed in a hefty 60 grand but it’s not all for their Devon home. They're also helping Andy’s 25 year old brother Matthew buy his first property in Bristol, forking out 10 grand for his deposit. It will give them a nest egg for the future as well as giving Matthew that all important step onto the property ladder. With Rosie and Andy's house sold already, and two new jobs to start in less than six weeks, Phil and Kirstie need to get cracking!
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Episode 2 - Harrogate and London
Release Date: 2008-01-06Johnny and Lynsay Davies have been living it up in the capital for the last 10 years and they’ve had a ball. But two small boys later, the bright lights of London Town have lost their sparkle. So they're trading the home of high fashion for the home of high teas and heading 200-miles north to Harrogate, well known for its excellent schools and café culture high street. All very well, but Johnny’s an MD for an international insurance firm and his workload is ever-increasing. He plans to continue working from London during the week, so Phil and Kirstie also need to find him a city base within easy reach of his Tower Bridge office. They've got a total budget of £750,000 from the sale of their Battersea home - just enough for a family home in Harrogate and a studio pad in London. Well, if they can just make some small compromises...
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Episode 3 - Northumberland & Heathrow
Release Date: 2008-01-23Matthew and Louise met in the skies, Matthew as a long-haul commercial pilot and Louise as a flight attendant - truly the stuff of bed time novels. At the moment, the Vardys are squeezed into Matthew‘s old flat in the stunning historical town of York. But after living it up here, there and everywhere, Louise wants a soft landing back home in beautiful Northumberland. RELOCATION, RELOCATION Northumberland & Heathrow Matthew and Louise Vardy, looking for a home in Relocation Relocation with Phil Spencer and Kirstie Allsopp. New parents Matthew and Louise Vardy are looking for a home close to Louise's family in Northumberland - and a pied-à-terre near Heathrow for commercial pilot Matthew. 1. The People 2. Photo Galleries 3. Viewer Vote 4. Property Details page 1 2 3 4 The People Matthew and Louise met in the skies, Matthew as a long-haul commercial pilot and Louise as a flight attendant - truly the stuff of bed time novels. At the moment, the Vardys are squeezed into Matthew‘s old flat in the stunning historical town of York. But after living it up here, there and everywhere, Louise wants a soft landing back home in beautiful Northumberland. House buyers Matthew and Louise Vardy with Phil Spencer and Kirstie Allsopp, presenters of Channel 4's hit property show Relocation Relocation Article continues below The nerve-centre of Phil and Kirstie's search is the winsome town of Hexham. Just 12 miles from Louise’s family in Prudhoe, it’s a popular area which overlooks the beautiful Tyne valley. But ideal as that may sound, there is one problem. Northumberland is 300 miles away from Heathrow, where Matthew will continue to fly from once a week. And although he’ll be happy to commute there from Newcastle airport, to make his life a little easier he wants Phil and Kirstie to find him a pied-à-terre in the south. So with a total budget of £680,000 for both properties, Phil and Kirstie are up, up and away ...
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Episode 4 - Suffolk & France
Release Date: 2008-01-30Richard and Laurie Thompson have a young son and another baby on the way, so the clock is ticking as they try to fulfil their double property dream. They want a home in Felixstowe and a holiday getaway in southern France. The only unusual thing is that the couple have never actually visited either of the areas they're looking at! RELOCATION, RELOCATION Suffolk & France Richard and Laurie Thompson with Phil Spencer and Kirstie Allsopp, house hunters on the hit Channel 4 house buying show Relocation, Relocation Ex-fireman Richard and his wife Laurie want Kirstie and Phil's advice as they plan to buy two properties ... in two locations that they've never even been to before. 1. The People 2. Photo Galleries 3. Viewer Vote 4. Property Details page 1 2 3 4 The People Richard and Laurie Thompson have a young son and another baby on the way, so the clock is ticking as they try to fulfil their double property dream. They want a home in Felixstowe and a holiday getaway in southern France. The only unusual thing is that the couple have never actually visited either of the areas they're looking at! Richard and Laurie Thompson, house hunters on Relocation, Relocation, the Channel 4 show presented by Phil Spencer and Kirstie Allsopp Article continues below For the past few years the couple have bought and sold a number of properties and amassed a tidy sum to invest, but they're poles apart when it comes to this double mission. With a total budget of £500,000, Richard has his eye on a bargain, but Laurie wants a family home ready to move in to. With two people pulling in opposite directions, it's left to Phil and Kirstie to bring them down to earth, and find a property that suits both their needs.
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Episode 5 - Luton & Budapest
Release Date: 2008-02-06John Stevenson and his fiancée Ingrid Weber have enjoyed living in rural Hertfordshire for the last four years. Ingrid worked as a translator and John as an executive for an airline at Luton airport. Life was good until John was head-hunted by the opposition. More bucks and more perks came with one proviso - relocating closer to the company HQ, not just outside Luton but a whole thousand miles away in Hungary. RELOCATION, RELOCATION Luton & Budapest Phil Spencer & Kirstie Allsopp, Presenters of Channel 4 Homes Show Relocation Relocation Phil and Kirstie are making a splash in beautiful, buzzing Budapest: not just to soak up some stunning views, but to face some of their toughest customers in years. 1. The People 2. Vote For Your Faves 3. Property Details & Credits page 1 2 3 The People John Stevenson and his fiancée Ingrid Weber have enjoyed living in rural Hertfordshire for the last four years. Ingrid worked as a translator and John as an executive for an airline at Luton airport. Life was good until John was head-hunted by the opposition. More bucks and more perks came with one proviso - relocating closer to the company HQ, not just outside Luton but a whole thousand miles away in Hungary. Ingrid & John, House Hunters from Channel 4 Homes Show Relocation Relocation Article continues below Budapest is a stunning city that treasures the old and embraces the new. Phil and Kirstie uncover some amazing properties for this fussy pair, with views across the city, architecture to die for and rooms on a Wembley scale! But will they go for any of them, or will Phil end up pulling out what's left of his hair?! As always, the search is two-fold. John and Ingrid also want a bolthole back in Luton, close to the airport for easy access to their friends and life back home. Ingrid wants a home to come back to and John wants a good investment. But marrying both demands in one property could prove an impossible task
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Episode 6 - Swindon & Devon
Release Date: 2008-06-13Two years ago Sandy and Natasha came to Phil and Kirstie for help. The daily grind of running a business in Swindon was getting to them, and they wanted some space to breathe. They decided that the Devon coast was the place to get it - especially as it would allow them to spend time on their favourite activity: boogie boarding! But with both girls wanting different things from their dream Devon home, our intrepid house hunters had a battle on their hands. For Sandy, the priority was to be close to the sea, but Natasha was more keen on making sure the house had character. Undeterred, Phil and Kirstie conjured some ingenious plans to make the impossible possible, and came up with a simply stunning selection with heavenly sea views. Back home in Swindon, the girls decided to save money by looking for a place that combined living and working space. Although living above the office would bump up the budget, could the perfect city pad really be that easy to find?
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Episode 7 - Crawley & Limousin
Release Date: 2008-02-20Jenny and Morgan Williams were fed up with their lives. Brighton was great and really appealed to this arty couple, but they didn't love their commutes to work in London. Jenny, in particular, wasn't able to spend enough time with their son. Over a bottle of Bordeaux, they came up with a bold plan: to spend weekends and holidays in France. They also wanted a crash pad in Crawley so they could not only commute to work, but be near their night-school, where they were retraining - Jenny as a plumber and Morgan as an electrician - to take their love of house renovation to the next level. Their long-term plan was to quit work for good and start their own businesses in France… although they don't speak French! With a budget of £180,000 in the UK and just £50,000 in the Limousin region of France, Kirstie and Phil had a huge challenge. The story had more ups and downs than the stock market, but two years on, Morgan and Jenny have eventually found a home of their dreams. But how has it all panned out? Have they learned any of the lingo? And did Phil really get that tan naturally?
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Episode 8 - Bishops Stortford & East London
Release Date: 2008-01-09So they're selling their house, cashing in on the capital's property prices and shipping out of the hustle and bustle for a quieter life. Well, kind of! They want a family home on the Hertfordshire-Essex border and, in order to keep their foot (and hearts!) in both camps, they also want an investment pad in the East End of London. But they've got a long list of wants and don't-wants for the family home in prime commuterville on a budget of £600,000. This then leaves them with £220,000 for an investment property in the Olympic heartland of East London. The couple dream of perfection (don't they all?), but when perfection means a different thing to each of them can they ever settle on any property? If anyone can help them do it, Kirstie and Phil can.
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Episode 9 - Isle of Wight
Release Date: 2008-02-27Phil and Kirstie head off on a sunny sail over to the Isle of Wight to revisit Dean and Sam Brand, the young couple they helped to find a new home and business for, back in 2003. At the time this young couple were fed up with the hamster's wheel of the daily grind and wanted Kirstie and Phil to help them flee the Midlands and head to what they described as a "magical isle". But this couple didn't just want a house, oh no, the Brands wanted a new business and a place to live, all for £320,000. It was one of Kirstie and Phil's toughest ever missions. Dean loved to potter in the kitchen and quite fancied a place with a foodie theme, maybe a restaurant, or a pub with a decent menu. Plus, this couple wanted to spend more time with their 18-month-old son William. So with their business brains in gear, Kirstie and Phil lined up some serious money-making options and Dean and Sam plumped for the Old Comical, a lovely pub, where they really made a go of the place. Four years on Kirstie and Phil are back to see whether life in their favourite holiday destination is living up to expectations and they're in for one hell of a surprise. Dean and Sam called time on the pub plan and have got a new business. Have they made the right decision?
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Episode 10 - Manchester and Hull
Release Date:Kirstie's desperate to get Howard and Joanne into this fab house, but they're not completely sold. Will her pitch persuade them it's the house they want? Everyone would like a 'dream-sequence' sunnier existence where commuting is a thing of the past and the mortgage is minuscule. Relocation, Relocation has met a host of people and families who have done something about it, and this week Kirstie and Phil revisit one of their favourite success stories. Thirty-something lovebirds Howard Green and Joanna Holme were desperate for their own nest together. He was a wild holiday rep enjoying sun, sea and other things beginning with 's'. She fell for him on a well-deserved break. Howard was so enamoured that he decided to abandon his wild ways and opt for a desk job near Manchester. Unfortunately, Joanna lived nearly an hour and a half away, with her parents in Cumbria. So they came up with a bold plan to buy a home together north of Manchester. But that wasn't all they wanted. Howard lost £20,000 on a stock market crash and his retirement was looking to be pretty cash-strapped so he wanted to buy a nice little rentable flat in Hull. And they wanted both properties for £190,000. Kirstie and Phil went all-out to find Howard and Joanne a perfect place that married the convenience of a town with a true Lancashire rural setting. But two years on what's been happening? Kids? A wedding? Big home improvements? What is life like for this fab couple and is there anything Kirstie and Phil can do to help?
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Episode 11 - Devon and Brighton
Release Date:A year ago Phil and Kirstie were on a double mission to help eco obsessives Sue and Neil start a new double life in Devon and Brighton. But has the green dream become a technicolour reality? Sue and Neil wanted a fab new eco home in the beautiful county of Devon with a stream, 3.5 acres, outbuildings galore and space for a holiday business too. But this wasn't the end of it, they also wanted a flat in Brighton so they could be near their family, especially their beloved grandchildren. It was a tough search for property to say the least, but the dynamic duo came up with some crackers in both areas, and the self styled 'chico warriors' managed to change their lives completely. Over a year on, this revisit finds Phil and Kirstie back in Devon to see if Sue and Neil's new life has really worked and it seems like they've arrived on the sunniest day of the year. But has the green dream become a technicolour reality? Have the grandchildren come down to stay? And has the business come to life?
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Episode 12 - London and Paris
Release Date: 2008-02-28Paul and Andrew Foster-Williams are hunting for two properties, a home in Paris and a crash pad in London... Andrew is a successful opera singer and his career takes him all over the world - one month here, one month there - it's a transient existence. To have any sort of life together his partner Paul has given up his job as a theatre director to travel with him. But everyone needs a home and these two have decided it's time to buy a property; they want two homes,one in Paris and a crash pad in London. In Paris they want to be as close to the bustling central districts as possible. Andrew needs somewhere where he can sing to the birds and not disturb the neighbours. Paul just wants space. Money from the sale of their two properties has given them £170,000 for an apartment in Paris and £150,000 for a flat in London. Decent budgets but not in Europe's two premier cities. When you're used to the gilt and grandeur of opera houses, viewing what you can afford in two of the most expensive cities in Europe is certainly a reality check. Paul and Andrew have the property duo chasing them around the world, covering three countries and five different property plans. Enough to try the patience of a saint, and to her own admission Kirstie is just not one of those!