MALCOLM
If you were looking to rent the flat out, that would be a canny way to get a higher yield.
CUT TO the kitchen.
MALCOLM
This kitchen, like the rest of the place, is a bit tired. One of the drawers needs to be repaired.
CLOSE-UP of the front of a beige formica drawer hanging off.
MALCOLM
But it’s charming in its own way. It holds a lot of potential.
MUSIC: ‘Somebody Told Me’by The Killers. Specifically, the section where the lyrics are about it not being confidential that Brandon Flowers has potential.
Montage of the empty rooms we’ve just seen Malcolm occupying.
ENTER ESTATE AGENT, male, early thirties.
MALCOLM (VO)
Time to consult a local estate agent to get his opinion on this one-bed tenement, which has a guide price of £55,000.
Shot of the ESTATE AGENT holding a clipboard, looking up at the ceiling, ‘assessing’ the property.
GRAPHIC ON SCREEN: BRIAN DEVLIN, PERFECT PROPERTY SOLUTIONS.
BRIAN
My thoughts on the property are that it needs some money spent getting it up to the kind of spec the market around here expects. Every room needs to be decorated and finished to a higher quality than it is currently. However, once they are, the place could easily be rented out for £500 per calendar month.
CUT TO Malcolm in the building’s communal garden.
MALCOLM
What could be more Scottish than a sandstone tenement? It’s fabulous. The inside, not so much. It needs some love and attention, but don’t we all? Let’s find out who wanted to be the one to give it just that at auction.
CUT TO footage of the auction. The auctioneer calls the lot and we see a bidding war develop between an elderly woman and a man in his late fifties, who wins, paying £52,000 for the flat.
MALCOLM (VO)
Local accountant Colin already has a number of rental properties in the area. I met up with him to find out what he has planned for his latest addition.
COLIN and MALCOLM stand in the kitchen, the broken drawer in between them.
MALCOLM
Congratulations on getting this flat. What happens next?
COLIN
It has to be brought up to standard. The wiring in the bathroom especially has to be sorted and I’ve factored that into my renovation budget of £8,000. Then, when it’s done, I’ll be keeping it and renting it out. I’m working towards expanding my portfolio so I can have an early, comfortable retirement.
MALCOLM
(Direct to camera) We’ll find out how Colin gets on later in the show.
