AFTER six years with their home on the market, Robert and Angela Morrison are hoping the renovations suggested by television property expert Phil Spencer will secure its sale.

Their four-bedroom house in Coxs Road, Shrivenham, was chosen by executives at production company Raise the Roof for its programme Phil Spencer: Secret Agent.

“We aren’t pinning our hopes on the success of what he’s done,” said Angela, 56, an Open University student. “Who wouldn’t take this opportunity? We got a new bathroom and kitchen out of it at the very least.

“We’re not even expecting an immediate bid on Monday, when we open the house to the public. These things take time.”

Each episode features a house which the owners are struggling to sell.

This Is Wiltshire:

Phil, above, acts as their secret agent, viewing the property without them present and preparing his own alternative set of sales particulars, entitled ‘The Brutal Truth’, designed to show why the property is not selling.

The owners then have a week to act on his suggestions before hosting an open day for buyers.

The Morrisons’ open day will take place on Monday, after a hectic seven days of decorating walls, storing clutter and gutting their bathroom.

“He didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know. We knew the bathroom was the worst room in the house,” said Angela.

“He actually liked the house as it was. He was very complimentary. He did say our house needed some extra clutter, unlike many others he sees.

“They have a set budget for each house they visit, which is rarely more than one per cent of the total value of the house. The idea is you spend as little as possible to achieve the sale.”

Robert, 58, was headhunted for a technical directorship in Sussex six years ago, when the couple decided to put their house up for sale.

In the years which followed, their daughter finished university and returned home for a period before their son was made redundant 18 months ago and moved home.

The couple could never work out why their house attracted such little interest, but when their children returned home the property came off the market for short periods.

They now live in Sussex while they attempt to sell their £315,000 house in Shrivenham.

Robert said the programme makers told him 75 per cent of properties improved by the show are sold in a short space of time.

Phil will return to the house with the programme’s cameras to film the open day and finish filming the improvements made.

Any prospective buyers interested in viewing the property cannot simply turn up on the day. They must contact Anna Strom on 07473 038076 or anna.strom@raisetheroofproductions.com