Strangford couple in reality TV show

Strangford couple in reality TV show

26 June 2019

A STRANGFORD estate agent and his partner have appeared on TV searching for a dream home in Spain. 

Michael Dunn and Seamus Trainor were seen hunting for a holiday home on A Place In The Sun on Channel 4 last Friday with a budget of between £125,000 and £175,000. 

The pair, who are both 52 and have a budget of between £125,000 and £175,000, were taken to the village of Competa, near Malaga in southern Spain. 

Presenter Jonnie Irwin showed them five properties and while they didn’t buy any of them they did find their ideal property shortly after making the programme. 

Michael, who runs Michael Dunn Property Consultancy, said they were now in the middle of renovations. 

He added: “We found the show very useful as we would’t have known about Competa without it and we just loved the village.

“We ended up purchasing at the lower end of our budget with some capital left to complete a refurbishment and extension. The end result will be a house with character and a pool and should be worth in excess of £200,000.”

Michael is a fan of the show and applied to take part earlier this year “on a whim” without discussing it with Seamus. 

He said he was surprised to hear back so soon and when the team invited the couple to do a screen test, it was time for him to break the news to his partner. 

“I was watching an episode late one night when they appealed afterwards for people to take part. I just applied on a whim without thinking,” he remarked.

“Seamus and I had talked about buying an investment property in Belfast and then decided if we bought one in Spain, it would be fun to go out ourselves, as well as renting it out as a holiday let. 

“After some persuasion, Seamus agreed to take part in the show. We did the screen test by Skype in February and they flew us out to Spain at the beginning of March. 

“They have a team of researchers, who worked with us to find out what we wanted and what they showed us was exactly what we told them we were looking for.

“Each home was quite different. And while we weren’t buying any of them, it gave us a real insight into the market in the area and we then knew exactly what we wanted.

“I have a background in property but I don’t know the market out there and the show was a great way to navigate it.”

The men bought a home in the village which needs a complete refurbishment. The work is due to finish by the end of the year.  The traditional three-bedroom Spanish villa will have a plunge pool and a roof terrace.