Unit 4 House for Sale

Estate Agent: I’m afraid it’s been rather neglected. The present owner is in his eighties. He’s just gone into an old people’s home.

Robin: Yes. It looks as though a lot needs doing to it.

E.A.: That’s true, but the price is very reasonable. It would be ideal for a do-it-yourself man.

R: Mm. I’m not very good with my hands. I’m afraid. We’d have to get most things done for us, wouldn’t we, Jean?

Jean: Oh. I don’t know. Could we see inside?

E.A.: Of course. I’ll show you the kitchen first.

J: Oh dear! Just look at the sink. It must have been there since the house was built.

R: It’s a nice large room, though, and there’s plenty of light. We’d have to have kitchen units put in, and we’d need to get it tiled.

J: But you could do the ceiling yourself, couldn’t you? And the painting.

R: Is that the only power point there?

E.A.: I’m afraid so.

R: It looks pretty old. I’m sure the whole place would need rewiring. We certainly couldn’t do that ourselves and we’d need to have more points put in at the same time.

E.A.: Would you like to see the lounge? It’s through here.

J: Oh my God! It’d certainly need redecorating. I suppose we could do the painting and wall-papering. What’s it like upstairs?

E.A.: Pretty bad, really. It obviously hasn’t been decorated for years, and as I told you on the phone, it hasn’t got a bathroom. But you could have the small bedroom converted into a bath-room and get a grant towards the cost. All the other houses in the street have had that done.

R: What about the toilet?

E.A.: I’m afraid that’s outside, buy you could get one put in the new bathroom. And, of course, you’d get a grant for that as well.

J: Is there anything else that needs doing?

E.A.: Well, you’d probably have to get the roof repaired pretty soon.

R: The sooner the better if you ask me. It looks as though water’s been coming in over there. And, of course, we’d want to have central heating put in, and the windows double glazed, it’s a very noisy street. I couldn’t do any of that myself.

E.A.: Of course not.

R: Anyway, thank you for showing us around. But really I think the best thing would be to knock it down and start all over again!

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