A Place in the Sun couple John and Maxine, from Durham, were looking for a two-bedroom, two-bathroom home close to the beach and local facilities in Cyprus
A Place in the Sun fans took to Twitter with strong opinions after a couple staunchly adhered to their “lowball” offer, ultimately missing out on a Cyprus property showcased on the hit Channel 4 show. In an episode filled with sun, sea, and property-hunting, presenter Jean Johansson was tasked with helping Maxine and John find their dream holiday home on a £150,000 budget – significantly lower than the usual price for the kind of property they wanted.
The couple were keen on finding a two-bed, two-bath getaway close to the coast and amenities, with hints at a financial buffer, expressing willingness to stretch to £180,000 for perfection. Yet, by the end of the programme, their decision to bid just £140,000 on a £157,000 townhouse – and bump up this offer by only an additional £4,000 upon rejection – had the audience questioning their seriousness, prompting tweets like: “17k lowball is taking the p*** #aplaceinthesun.”
Another user posted: “Still 13k under offer – can’t have wanted it that much with a 150k budget. Knew they weren’t buying. #aplaceinthesun.”
Meanwhile, another viewer’s tweet exclaimed, “Owner actually said F*** RIGHT OFF #aplaceinthesun,” mirroring the presumed reaction of the seller, while yet another chimed in with a hilarious Muttley GIF, mocking the seller’s potential dismay.
One tweet showcased a GIF of a man fervently hitting a “Decline” button, with the caption: “Footage of the vendor. #aplaceinthesun,” reports the Mirror. Another viewer simply posted a “No” GIF and tweeted: “£144k? #aplaceinthesun.”
The couple has a deep-rooted love for the island; it was their first holiday destination as a couple and also served as the setting for their wedding, making it a place of great sentimental value. Initially offering £140,000, John felt they made a reasonable offer, stating: “We’ve decided to go in what we feel is a fair offer of around about 10% under the asking price.”
The seller’s counteroffer was £155,900, and Jean stated that the seller believed it was “worth asking price.”
However, John and Maxine wouldn’t exceed their limit of £144,000. “Our top end would be the £144,000 and possibly leave that on the table…although we love it, we don’t want to be paying more than what we feel it’s worth to us to be honest,” they declared.
When presenting the offer to the seller’s agent, Jean added: “Please emphasise one more time to the seller that they are cash buyers, because if it’s not accepted, they’re happy to leave it on the table. It’s their final offer.”
Jean expressed optimism to the couple: “This [offer] is on the table. If this property doesn’t move in a month, the seller’s position changes…so definitely keep an eye on this,” she advised.