- Joanne and Nick from Lancashire were divided over the decision to sell
- READ MORE: Love It Or List It viewers baffled by couple's choice to add 'tacky' renovations to their 'soulless' new build over moving to luxury five-bedroom farmhouse
Love It Or List It viewers were astonished yesterday after falling in love with a sweet couple decided to 'list' their property rather than stay - with fans having previously dubbed the show 'pointless' for only showing 'love it' homeowners.
On last night's episode of the Channel 4 show, Joanne and Nick struggled to make a decision on whether to sell their three-bedroom countryside bungalow in Lancashire.
Joanne wanted to keep their house ('love it') while Nick wanted to move on ('list it'), insisting the house was too small to meet the needs of them and their two young children.
After huge renovations on the property, which set the couple back a whopping £85,000, viewers were left shocked when they 'finally' decided they wanted to to 'list it' and move elsewhere.
The decision shocked viewers - who have previously complained that most contenders on the show go on to keep their homes rather than sell - with social media users praising the 'genuinely nice couple'. Another wrote: 'phew, finally a list it'.
The couple bought a bungalow in a village called Scorton in Lancashire 16-years ago, initially adding a landing and a utility to expand but admitting they 'never went big' .
But with two growing children, the pair were facing increasing pressure to make a change. 'We've just outgrown it,' Nick said.
The father-of-two said his main issue was spatial constraints of the rooms, which even Joanne admitted felt 'confined'.
On last night's episode of the Channel 4 show, Joanne and Nick struggled to make a decision on whether to sell their three-bedroom countryside bungalow in Lancashire (pictured)
The couple's kitchen pictured before the renovations
The kitchen pictured after the renovations
'I don't think the house operates as well as it could do - the entrance is very small, there's a lot of clutter which is just a byproduct of having a family,' he said.
He was keen to find the family a new home to accommodate for the growing needs of their family.
But Joanne was eager stay, saying she 'loved' the area for it's close-knit community and speedy school run.
'I love this house, it's in a good little cul-de-sac with friendly neighbours, it's got a nice garden that isn't overlooked and a lovely family home,' she said.
One added consideration for the couple was their five-year-old son, Joshy, who has learning difficulties with traits of autism.
Explaining the situation to hosts Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer, Joanne said Joshy was 'quite food motivated', and the kitchen needed a door or gate to be able to keep things closed off.
The family had a budget of £50-70,000 to renovate their current property, or £550,000 to buy a new one.
Their budget for a new home already put them at an advantage since it was around £150,000 above the going rate for a detached property in the area.
The small budget and even tinier house left 'love it' advocate Kirstie stumped, as she admitted 'Phil might be right'. She confessed she would have her 'work cut out' on transforming the property.
Joanne wanted to keep their house ('love it') while Nick wanted to move on ('list it'), insisting the house was too small to meet the needs of them and their two young children (pictured with Phil Spencer, left)
The family had a budget of £50-70,000 to renovate their current property, or £550,000 to buy a new one. The living room pictured before renovations
The living room pictured after the renovations. The couple bought a bungalow in a village called Scorton in Lancashire 16-years ago, initially adding a landing and a utility to expand but admitting they 'never went big'
The living room pictured after the renovations.
The living room pictured after the renovations.
Host Phil Spencer showed the couple three properties in an attempt to persuade them to 'list it' - including one stunning house in Bolton-Le-Sands that offered 80 per cent more space than their current home.
Despite initial reservations, even Joanne was impressed with the first property, which came with four bedrooms and one with a walk-in wardrobe - but she was unconvinced by the open garden and lack of countryside views.
A second property in Storth in Cumbria fit the bill for offering a cost country home with close access to schools - but was over budget at £585,000.
With spacious bedrooms, country views and a sprawling garden perfect for their young children, Joanne was beginning to feel convinced.
'You're pressing some buttons, I tell you,' she said.
Meanwhile in their current property, a huge extension on their bungalow upped their spending limit by £15,000.
Viewing the third and final property, was enough to make Joanne realise the family needed more than just space inside, but that there would soon be need for a bigger garden for the children to play.
'I understand that they need this space now. We can try and create that space inside the house but the outside becomes more important,' she said.
Phil Spencer and Kirstie Allsopp host the Channel 4 show
The renovations 'doubled the kitchen and dining room' by extending out sideways into the kitchen, with sliding doors to separate the two rooms and allow them to keep and eye on the children. They also added a utility room (pictured)
The bathroom pictured before the renovations. When it came to the finale of the show, Kirstie and Phil revisited the family's home in Scorton to take a look at the renovations and to discover whether the couple had opted to 'love it' or 'list it'.
The bathroom pictured after. The property guru said it was 'massive transformational difference in terms of the space'
When it came to the finale of the show, Kirstie and Phil revisited the family's home in Scorton to take a look at the renovations and to discover whether the couple had opted to 'love it' or 'list it'.
The renovations 'doubled the kitchen and dining room' by extending out sideways into the kitchen, with sliding doors to separate the two rooms and allow them to keep and eye on the children.
After 'supersizing' Kirstie's original plans, the couple were also able to add a utility area to their house.
The property guru said it was 'massive transformational difference in terms of the space.'
'It's a house for everybody,' said Kirstie, evidently impressed by the incredible makeover, with Phil adding that the pair had gone 'over and beyond' to transform their formerly tiny digs.
Kirstie revealed that the previous valuation on the house was £228,000 but had been bumped up to £331,000 after the couple spent £85,000 to renovate.
But despite the time and cost to create the perfect house, Joanne and Nick decided in the end that they wanted to list the property.
'What we've decided now is we want outdoor space,' said the mother-of-two. She said that seeing some of Phil's properties had made her change her mind on keeping their original home.
Viewers of the show have previously slammed the show for only showing episodes where couple's choose to 'love' their properties
Nick said: 'We're looking forward to the next chapter in our lives and the littluns are going look forward to the next five years and so are we.'
Viewers of the show have previously slammed the show for only showing episodes where couple's choose to 'love' their properties.
Social media users have historically blasted the show, calling it 'pointless' for its largely 'love it' home owners.
'This programme is just pointless. They wanted to list it in 2017. "Let’s revisit again in 2024 to see their new house"…..Oh,still there, changed ya mind. What's the point?' one wrote on X in relation to a previous episode of the show.
But this week's episode took fans by surprise, with many praising the 'lovely couple' who 'finally' chose to list their property rather than stick with Kirstie's renovations.
Sharing their thoughts on social media, one wrote: 'What a genuinely nice couple. No moaning or winging, as we usually get.'
Another said: 'What a lovely couple on #lioli this week. Surprised they listed it but good luck to them and the family.'
'Lovely couple, lovely house. Wishing them all the best for them and their family,' a third mused.
'Liking the couples on #LIOLI doesn’t happen as often as it should, so I get very defensive of those I do!'
However, not everyone agreed with one writing: 'Once they have spent that kind of money who on earth wants to move! I certainly wouldn’t, I’d at least want to enjoy my upgrade for a bit… may be they should actually just do a decorating job while looking at new houses, makes it more even?'
