Becky works at a busy estate agents. This morning she has seen two clients. Listen to their conversations and then answer the questions about what you have heard.
Conversation 1
Becky: What sort of apartment are you looking for? We have quite a good selection in your price range.
Client: Well, it's just for me, so I only want a place with one bedroom. It’s no use paying for rooms I won’t use.
Becky: I agree. Let me make a few suggestions and see what you think.
Client: I really have an open mind as long as we don’t exceed the top limit of what I can pay.
Becky: I understand. Let me show you this one. It’s exceptionally good value for money. It is vacant already so you could move in pretty quickly.
Client: Cool. That sounds good.
Becky: It’s got a small entrance hall with storage, a separate kitchen, a living room, bathroom and bedroom.
Client: That sounds ideal.
Becky: It’s on the below the top one floor in a five storey building.
Client: I’d like that. I’m in a massive tower block at the moment. On the sixteenth floor.
Becky: Let’s have a look at some on-screen photos.
Client: In a smaller building, I’d be able to walk up to the flat if the lift broke down, which it is always doing in the building where I live right now.
Becky: Ah, we might have a slight problem. The building doesn’t have a lift. It's a walk-up, I’m afraid.
Client: No lift! Oh, I’m not sure about that. I like to cook and I always have lots of shopping when I’ve been to the supermarket. I don’t want to be in a building where there isn’t a lift.
Becky: Would that really be a problem? This is a really nice apartment which I’m sure you would enjoy.
Client: Not at all. Walking up so many stairs, whether I had shopping or not, would be a nightmare. I do like to keep fit, but not by walking up the stairs. Why isn’t there a lift? Is it a really old building?
Becky: The building is only five years old, and it is in a very good part of town. I suppose the builders didn’t think it was worth going to the expense of putting in a lift in a low-rise building.
Client: I’m sorry. It’s out of the question. I like the idea of being in a block like that, but I definitely want a lift. Let’s have a look at the next one you want to show me.
Conversation 2
Becky: I’ve got five flats for you to consider today. If you are interested in any of them we can go and look at them immediately.
Client: I hope I do find something soon. I’ve been looking for eight weeks now and nothing interesting has come up.
Becky: Property prices are coming down slightly at the moment so now is a good time to buy.
Client: If I find something I like. I'm anxious to buy because we’ve been in rented accommodation since we got married and would like something of our own now.
Becky: Let’s hope I can show you something of interest today.
Client: I’ve said we want a two-bedroomed place, but I’d like to look at some flats with a single bedroom as well. There might be more choice.
Becky: Let’s have a look at the ones I’ve sorted out for you first.
Client: Fine.
Becky: This first one is in a newly built property. The flats only went on sale last week and already half have been sold.
Client: Are they within our budget?
Becky: The first fifteen floors, yes. The top half of the building is more expensive.
Client: Of course.
Becky: We have units for sale on the fifth, tenth and eleventh floor.
Client: Oh, not on the eleventh, please! Eleven is not a lucky number for us. So many bad things have happened to us involving the number eleven!
Becky: Right... floors five and ten. We have both two and one bedroomed flats on those two floors. The two bedroomed have a small balcony off the second bedroom.
Client: I’d love to have a balcony.
Becky: It’s only a small balcony and there is no view, but it's a good addition.
Client: Are both the bedrooms the same size?
Becky: No, the second one is smaller. But it’s still a reasonable size. Let’s have a look at the floor plans of both types of apartments and see what you think. We can arrange a quick viewing for this property as well, and obviously there is no one to move out.
Client: That’s great. We could move in quickly.
Becky: You certainly could. Let’s have a look and see what you think.