Spotlight on... Vikki and Emily

Meet the contestants

Vikki, 27,is a private investigator who rents in Leeds city centre. She loves living in the city but dislikes the fact that rent is costing her more each month than a mortgage would – especially as her dad is a professional property developer.

Emily, 28, is an electrician by trade. When applying, she says she was never taught the concept of saving and struggled to manage her money for a long time. After a relationship broke down, she then lost her job and her home, which resulted in her and her three-year-old daughter having to move back in with her parents.

What did they do?

Before

The dated property needed modernisation, with a new kitchen and rewiring. A previous loft conversion didn’t meet building regulations and was only accessible from the master bedroom, so the girls would need to reconfigure the upstairs to create a landing and replace the old, steep staircase.

After

Emily was able to lean on her contacts to save the team money, helping to contribute to a fantastic profit. The kitchen – a second-hand, £300 purchase – was fitted free-of-charge by college buddies as part of their joinery course, and she also roped in her dad for free labour.

Result: £41,200 profit

Watch our teaser trailer for Emily and Vikki's episode

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Our expert's view

Scott Hendry, Director of Auction Relationships:

“The girls had a brilliant working relationship, and put in hours of hard graft. And what a pay-off – theirs is a great example of what can happen when a renovation project works out well.

“As Simon said, this renovation was done to a professional standard, and it could be the beginning of an exciting new career for Vikki and Emily.

“That said, it wasn’t all plain sailing, which is valuable experience they can take forward onto any future projects. They were lucky that they didn’t fall too far foul of building regulations with their loft conversion, although that did demonstrate the importance of having a contingency budget. But worst of all they broke my golden rule – they went over their maximum budget in the auction room!”

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