Ben Hillman was left gobsmacked in a recent episode when househunter Tara made an unexpectedly low offer.
In the repeatedly aired episode on property star Ben Hillman took Tara around the sun-drenched isle of Crete to find the perfect abode for her family, with friend Ali in tow to give some advice.
After reviewing all the homes presented by Ben, Tara revealed she had eyes for two properties, although both were a stretch on her £90,000 budget.
One particularly caught her attention, despite being priced at £103,448, because it needed a touch of TLC.
Tara factored in the renovations and boldly suggested a bid of just £80,000 to Ben, who could barely contain his surprise, wiping away a grimace as he processed the lowball figure, reports .
Ben was shocked by the low offer Tara proposed (Image: CHANNEL 4)
Responding with concern, Ben confessed: “I know completely where you stand, I’m not confident, I’m going to be honest. I’m not confident.”
Despite this, he phoned the estate agent to pitch Tara’s initial offer.
The negotiation hit a stone wal as Ben disclosed the firm stance of the vendors, he said: “Sadly, not. Now, the vendors are adamant that it is their bottom line. They have dropped it twice now to get it sold.”
Ali couldn’t hide her astonishment, questioning: “So they won’t negotiate at all?”
With the inflexibility confirmed, Tara reluctantly concluded that the home was beyond her financial reach.
Tara put in a low offer aware of how much work the home needed (Image: CHANNEL 4)
Having another property in mind, Tara decided to make an offer on a house listed for £94,828, starting with a bid of £75,000.
Ben, repeating the price, said: “You are playing hardball today, I love it!”
After contacting the estate agent and explaining that the lower offer was due to necessary renovations, Ben expressed his doubts.
Upon receiving a call back, he informed Tara: “Again, it’s a no sorry. They would accept just under £86,000. But he has the feeling they’d come down to around £85,000.”
Ben confessed he wasn’t confident over her offers (Image: CHANNEL 4)
Tara then increased her offer to £78,000, which was her absolute limit. Ben relayed this to the estate agent but warned that it didn’t look promising.
As the show concluded, Ben revealed that Tara was still in touch with the estate agent and was returning to the country with her two children to continue her search.
continues weekdays on Channel 4 from 4pm.