Location, Location, Location viewers have branded a house-hunter a ‘time waster’ after she repeatedly dismissed properties on the Channel 4 show, despite having spent five years searching for a new home.
Sharon, a retired primary school teacher from Reading, is hoping to move closer to her daughter and two grandchildren. With a budget of £375,000, she should be in a strong position to find a new home, but her lengthy search has so far proved fruitless.
Before appearing on the programme, Sharon revealed she had viewed around 28 properties over five years and made eight offers, all of which had fallen through.
Keen to escape busy roads, she was taken by presenter Kirstie Allsopp to see a three-bedroom Victorian house on a quiet street. But Sharon dismissed it before even setting foot inside.
‘It’s a no, 100 per cent. Why?’ Kirstie asked. ‘Because I know the area and it’s just not for me. It’s too close to Reading town centre,’ Sharon replied.
Standing outside, Kirstie tried one last time to tempt her inside, asking: ‘Could you find anything inside the property to seduce you?’
Sharon’s answer was unequivocal: ‘No.’
In a voiceover, fellow presenter Phil Spencer struck a mildly critical note, pointing out that the house was a good size, boasted all the period features Sharon had requested and was in a quieter location.
Location, Location, Location viewers have branded a house-hunter a ‘time waster’ after she repeatedly dismissed properties on the Channel 4 show, despite having spent five years searching for a new home
Sharon, a retired primary school teacher from Reading, is hoping to move closer to her daughter and two grandchildren. With a budget of £375,000, she should be in a strong position to find a new home, but her lengthy search has so far proved fruitless
Keen to escape busy roads, she was taken by presenter Kirstie Allsopp to see a three-bedroom Victorian house on a quiet street. But Sharon dismissed it before even setting foot inside
But, he suggested, she was failing to approach the search with a buyer’s eye.
Sharon explained that she was looking for more of a ‘village vibe’. However, Kirstie pointed out that such an atmosphere came at a price in Berkshire, the royal county that is home to Windsor Castle, and Sharon was already at the top end of her budget.
‘That’s an expensive vibe and we’re already near the top of Sharon’s budget,’ she warned.
Viewers were quick to vent their frustration on X, with one writing: ‘Sharon only wanted to be on TV.’
Another was less diplomatic, posting: ‘FFS Sharon, make a decision.’
Kirstie’s next offering was another period property, this time set back from the road with a front garden. Initially, Sharon appeared more enthusiastic, declaring: ‘Tick, tick, tick.’
But once inside, the house-hunter, who had been searching for five years- seemed to lose interest again.
Speaking to the camera, Kirstie admitted the day was not going to plan.
‘Let’s be honest, today isn’t going so well, is it?’ she said, trying to mask her irritation. ‘We do always ask people for a list of properties they’ve already seen, and we also ask estate agents.’
With a sigh, she added: ‘But these things do happen.’
Out in the garden, Sharon explained that the property lacked ‘the character that I really want’.
Kirstie then posed a pointed question: ‘But can you afford the character that you want in the areas that you really want?’
Clasping her chest, Sharon conceded: ‘I don’t know, probably not.’
In a final attempt to find a suitable home, Kirstie and Phil joined forces to show Sharon a property in West Reading priced at exactly £375,000.
The spacious, open-plan home initially impressed Sharon, who exclaimed ‘Wow’ as she looked around the downstairs living area.
Sharon explained that she was looking for more of a ‘village vibe’. However, Kirstie pointed out that such an atmosphere came at a price in Berkshire, the royal county that is home to Windsor Castle, and Sharon was already at the top end of her budget
Kirstie warned that her budget might not stretch to the combination of desirable property and desirable area she was seeking
Sharon explained that she was looking for more of a ‘village vibe’. However, Kirstie pointed out that such an atmosphere came at a price in Berkshire, the royal county that is home to Windsor Castle, and Sharon was already at the top end of her budget
Viewers were less sympathetic, with one critic accusing her of wasting both the presenters’ and the audience’s time
But her enthusiasm was short-lived. While the house itself appeared to tick several boxes, Sharon was once again unconvinced by the location.
Kirstie warned that her budget might not stretch to the combination of desirable property and desirable area she was seeking.
Phil, meanwhile, pointed out that the house offered everything Sharon felt was missing from her current home: plenty of light and space, as well as a quieter setting away from the road.
Yet Sharon remained reluctant to commit.
‘It’s still an emotional journey,’ she admitted.
Ultimately, the retiree revealed that she was struggling to leave behind the home she had lived in for 30 years.
‘I came back home after viewing the house and had a wobbly. I think I need to think longer about it,’ she said.
But viewers were less sympathetic, with one critic accusing her of wasting both the presenters’ and the audience’s time.
‘I think Kirstie’s struggled to hide her feelings with waste-of-space Sharon. No idea how or why she went on the programme and a waste of my time watching it,’ they wrote.
Others praised Kirstie’s patience as she attempted to guide the reluctant house-hunter towards a decision.
‘Just catching up with Location, Kirstie has shown teacher woman Shaz two properties and both are a no. There’s a surprise. Kirstie has the patience of a saint,’ one viewer commented.
Another cynically suggested that Sharon was simply keen to appear on television.
A further viewer questioned why she was looking to move at all, given her obvious attachment to her existing home.
‘Sharon lives in central Reading, which is far closer to her grandchildren than all the areas looked at, and sadly there’s not a chance her budget would have got her a similar-sized house. Bizarre,’ they wrote.
As the programme drew to a close, a weary-looking Kirstie told Sharon to ‘keep her posted’ before giving her a sporting hug.