Location Location Location: Big moves and big decisions

Last night's episode of Location Location Location Australia showed buyer's agents Veronica Morgan and Bryce Holdaway helping out two relocating couples.

Though one couple was upsizing and the other downsizing, they were both forced to negotiate the tricky realities of moving far from home.

Veronica was working with retirees Sue and Barney. After living in Port Macquarie for 16 years, they wanted to relocate to Wagga Wagga, where their son and his young family lived.

The couple, who have been married for 47 years, raised their own family in Wagga Wagga before moving northward to the beach.

For their return to Wagga, they wanted a three bedroom house with a double garage and a shed, which was close to the grandkids.

Their move, which they think might be their final one, had to be done on a tight budget of $350,000.

With limited stock on market in Wagga, Veronica was tasked with finding them the perfect final home among very few options.

She started by taking the couple to their preferred area of Turvey Park, in the heart of Wagga and only minutes from their son Ben. The three bedroom house, on the market for $329,000, had three bedrooms, a shed and a backyard.

The recently renovated home was a lot smaller than what Sue and Barney were used to, and the couple believed it would take a lot of hard work to make it worthwhile. It was immediately struck from the list despite its great location and the search continued.

The second house they inspected was in Kooringal, south of Turvey Park but only four kilometres from their son's home. The bigger house, with three bedrooms, only had a single car garage and the shed was on the small size.

While Sue loved the brick bungalow with an open plan kitchen, Barney was pretty skeptical. At $339,000, the house fell under their budget - but only just.

The third home they inspected was in Bourkelands, four kilometres from Central Wagga. The former site of a military base, developers have recently taken a liking to the area, with new builds popping up.

The house, which also had a $339,000, had a double garage, an open plan kitchen and living room layout. The master bedroom came with a walk in robe and ensuite, which also appealed.

With somewhat shabby bathrooms, the house (pictured below) would require a little bit of work. It remains on the market, with its asking price now at $332,500. 

After visiting three homes, none of which ticked all the boxes and all a step down from their dream home in Port Macquarie, the true reality of downsizing began to set in.

Sue and Barney showed just how difficult it is to downsize, especially from a home you love. Though they both wanted to be closer to their family, they weren't quite ready to make the final purchase of their life - especially if it meant settling for a home they weren't happy in.

In the end, although they couldn't find the perfect home, Sue and Barney decided they needed to be in Wagga. So they sold their Port Macquarie home and set out to rent a house in Wagga while waiting for the right home to come onto the market.

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 Bryce teamed up with Melbourne couple Ben and Amelia, who had the opposite move in mind.

They were planning to migrate northward, to the Gold Coast. After watching prices skyrocket in Melbourne, they decided they wanted more warmth and luxury for their dollar.

The upgraders, who want a family home they can grow into, had a budget of $1 million. They've been searching for a home in the Gold Coast for some time, but were finding the interstate property inspections a little impractical.

Enter Bryce. He was tasked with finding them a four bedroom home with a minimum of two bathrooms, a pool and canal views. Ben and Amelia wanted something close to the beach, with plenty of entertaining space.

Bryce was optimistic about their prospects, especially on their budget. The property market's downturn means that homes are more affordable than before, and it's a buyers' market.

According to Bryce, good capital growth potential can again be found in the Gold Coast, with high price growth in the southern states spurring on upgraders just like Ben and Amelia.

Their hunt began in Broadbeach Waters, at a home situated right on the canal. The four bedroom, four bathroom house had a pool and a six car garage. Unfortunately, it required some renovations - but with a price of $800,000, there was plenty of money leftover in the couple's budget for that.

It seemed, however, that Ben and Amelia had other things in mind. They weren't interested in extensive renovations, and wanted at least two living areas.

So house number one was a bust, and they moved along to house number two: a Mermaid Waters house with two open plan living areas. The contemporary tiled house had four bedrooms, four bathrooms and a spot to tie up the boat.

There was also an outdoor entertaining space by the pool. On the market for $995,000, it was within their budget, and made a good first impression.

But Ben and Amelia, it turned out, wanted a home with a better indoor-outdoor flow. So house number two was also out.

The third home they inspected was one on main road, which caused some concern. But its huge contemporary interior space and layout, pictured below, won them over. The home, on a wide plot, also included a pool and spa facing the canal, with its own jetty.

While the home's bedrooms weren't amazing, the outdoor entertaining area was enough to win them over.

The house had a $1 million asking price, but it turned out that the vendors had accepted a $950,000 offer previously, and finance had fallen through.

They inspected a final house, a single storey home with two large living areas and four bedrooms in Broadbeach. The house, which the couple wasn't keen on, had an asking price of $950,000.

The price gave Amelia and Ben a point of comparison, and solidified their preference for the third home.

Knowing that the vendors had accepted a $950,000 offer, Bryce proposed a $930,000 to $950,000 price for the home. Amelia and Ben decided to put in a $920,000 bid, and were happy to play the waiting game.

However, so was the vendor, who rejected the bid. Amelia and Ben pushed up their offer to $945,000 - which, after a few days of waiting, was accepted by the vendor.

By knowing the previous offers put in on the house, Amelia and Ben were able to gauge the vendor's needs, securing the home for $55,000 under the asking price.