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A Place In The Sun
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00:00Water sports enthusiast Tony and Trudy Allerton from Yorkshire are selling up
00:04in the UK. They're looking to invest in a Spanish property that they can convert
00:09into a bed and breakfast, so I've brought them to Spain's windsurfing capital, the
00:14stunning Costa de la Luz.
00:42Today's house hunters are hairdresser Trudy and engineer husband Tony. They want to leave
00:48their coastless lives in England for the costas of sunny Spain. But do these DIY aficionados
00:54really know what they're doing?
00:55Yeah, I mean, this would definitely come out here, wouldn't it? Or are they biting off
00:59more than they can chew?
01:01That's a lot of land.
01:02That's going to be a big pool, isn't it?
01:08Tony and Trudy Allerton are a pair of water babies at heart. With Yorkshire not being
01:13the best place for Finn-loving fanatics, they've decided to sell up back home in favour of surfing
01:18the light fantastic in Spain. Handy with doing up houses, they're financing their move by
01:24selling their renovated home in the UK. With the cash they make from that, they hope to
01:29convert a house in Spain into a B&B for walking and water sports holidays.
01:35And what better place to be outward bound than here in Spain's Costa de la Luz.
01:47The coast of light is just 200 miles from its more famous neighbour, the Costa del Sol.
01:53Lying in Spain's most southerly point, this stretch of coast is famous for its surfing.
02:00When paddling out to sea on a clear day, the coast of North Africa is visible. For 700
02:05years this part of Spain was ruled by the Moors and today Moorish influence is still evident
02:10in the architecture. Though still prettified rather than britified, the property market
02:16is booming. Modern villas and townhouses now dot the shoreline with prices for a one-bedroom
02:22property starting at around £90,000. Tony and Trudy have a budget of £140,000 with an extra
02:31£50,000 set aside for the renovation. What's made you want to pack up your life in the UK
02:36then and move over to Spain? Well we both worked really hard and we decided
02:40we want to kind of put our energies into a new business in Spain. And we just feel as though
02:45we want to move on and have a new adventure don't we? We do, yeah.
02:47You haven't actually been to the Costa de la Luz before, have you? No. You're hoping this
02:51is going to offer you everything you're after? Yeah, we've done quite a bit of homework, we've
02:55been on the internet quite a lot. For a start it just looks very, very green and we've just
02:58both loved that. And obviously the beach that we're on now, judging from the wind, it's
03:04fantastic for water sports. It's the kind of stuff you're into. Yeah, we love it, absolutely
03:08love it. So tell me about the business that you want to open over here. Yes, we obviously
03:13want a B&B but that's obviously the base. We want to offer a sports activity so people
03:19can come and they can come windsurfing, they can go mountain biking, they can go paragliding.
03:23So running a bed and breakfast, that's ambitious. It is, yeah. I don't know if you've got any
03:27experience of it. No, but I recommend bacon butter. I can vouch for that as well.
03:34So what kind of property do you want? Well, we're looking for, like we said, something
03:38in land slightly, with three bedrooms to rent and a bedroom for ourselves and a nice living
03:45area. We don't mind a challenge so if it needs renovating from top to bottom, we're up for
03:50the challenge. OK, so they've never been here before and they've never run a B&B before.
03:56But they did say they're up for a challenge. Well, so am I. To kick things off, I thought
04:03I'd take Tony and Trudy to the shimmering surf of Conil de la Frontera. Nestled halfway
04:09down the Costa de la Luz, this town's a former fishing village. Now it's visited by mainly
04:14Spanish holidaymakers who come to enjoy the fantastic beaches and thronging nightlife.
04:19Conil de la Frontera's coastline ends in Cape Trafalgar where our very own Nelson fought,
04:24won and died at this famous battle in 1805. Property here is some of the most expensive
04:33along the coast as the National Park is just a stone's throw away, meaning that building
04:37is heavily restricted. But I have managed to find Tony and Trudy a fantastic house in a
04:43semi-rural area just 15 minutes from the beach. This is a real find, this first property I'm
04:49going to show you. Is it? One more unusual ones that I saw because it's got all the sort
04:53of rustic charm. Yeah. But it's right by the coast. Oh, super. Sounds good.
04:58I'm coming through here. Yeah. It's just at the back of this property.
05:01For £142,000 this house has lots of land, a pool and great renovation potential. It's
05:09also near the beach and all those water sports. All right, so I thought I would bring you round
05:13to have a look at the garden first of all. Oh, wow, it's lovely. Oh, yeah, it's quite a big
05:18space.
05:18You've got a sauna. Yeah. Wow. What about the bed? Yeah, that's different. Yeah. I think you need some
05:25improvement space. Yeah. Let's see what you think of the main bit. Yeah, there we go. You've got a
05:30swimming pool over there. Oh, brilliant. Fantastic. This is what they're using as the pretty basic
05:37kitchen and this sort of living area. Oh, this is cute. Lovely. There's a lot of space, isn't there?
05:41And the roof. I love that roof. Fantastic. Gorgeous, isn't it? Yeah. Really coming back into fashion now,
05:45these thatched roofs. Yeah. And they're really quite easy to maintain as well. You'll need to pack more
05:50straw on it every sort of five straight years. Yeah. Yeah. So, going through here, you see, this is the
05:54other old part of the house. You've still got the thatched roof going on here. Oh, yeah, that's lovely.
05:57Can that follow us through, doesn't it? Yeah, it's nice. Yeah, it's good. And then going down there, this is
06:01what they've done. Okay, this is the new part of it. This is the new part of the house. Yeah.
06:05Right. So, going down the corridor.
06:06This opens into, well, it's a bedroom, but it's just a great space, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. Good size. Yeah.
06:15Check out this bathroom. Wow. How big is that? Oh, this is lovely. That bath. Yeah. Different colour.
06:21You can get a whole family in that, shall we? Yeah. And the bath. It's great, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah.
06:26So, this is your master bedroom, which, again, is huge. All the rooms are huge. Oh, this is lovely. Fantastic.
06:32Yeah.
06:32I love that bed. Can we keep that? I know. So nice. Yeah.
06:36And the patio outside, it's, yeah, the space is brilliant, isn't it? That's the reason I
06:40want to show you this place, is that it's got so much potential for you to run a business
06:44within it, hasn't it? Definitely. You just need to adapt it to your needs.
06:47Yeah. One of the options that you could do would be to rent out this extension, the modern
06:51part of the house, as a self-contained unit. Now, in high season, you'd be looking at getting
06:56something between, sort of, four or five hundred pounds a week. What do you think of that?
06:59It does. It sounds good, darling. It does. It sounds brilliant, yeah.
07:02Do you want to go and have a look around yourselves again? Yeah. And just, sort of,
07:05maybe have a think about what you would do, how you would divide it up? Yeah. Yeah.
07:09That sounds brilliant, yeah. Yeah. Okay, you go do that. Yeah. Okay. And then I'll
07:11wait for you outside. Yeah. Okay. Okay. That's great.
07:15Pick up a patio, patio doors there if you wanted. Yeah. Definitely. Yeah. Yeah.
07:19If you have the bed against it, yeah. I know it's only a small room. Oh, that's true, yeah. Look
07:21at it through that way. And that would make this room actually look bigger. Yeah, it would. Yeah.
07:25While this property may not be ideal for a bed and breakfast, it would make a great holiday let, which
07:30would be another way for them to make money.
07:33This could be, like, kind of a family room. And what we could do is, like, say, make, kind of,
07:36again, like, one in, like, an en suite. Yeah.
07:38And then what we could do is use, like, kind of a settee idea. Settee sofa. Settee sofa. Yeah.
07:44If you were, say, like, kind of just a couple, still have, like, a double bed.
07:49Tony and Trudy could create an extra bedroom for around £1,300 by dividing the large bathroom into an en
07:55suite bedroom.
07:58So, you've had a bit of a chance to have a nosy round on your own. What are your thoughts
08:01now?
08:02Yeah, we love the rustic charm of it. Yeah. If there was more rooms, it would be ideal. So, maybe
08:09we're, like, looking for, like, maybe one more room. But the charm's just brilliant. Love it.
08:13OK. But other than that, kind of on the right track to the character? On the right track. Yeah.
08:16It would have been nice if there were a nice, a bit of a view. I know it's green, but
08:20if it had been a view, it would have been...
08:21Oh, you're getting a bit fussy now. Yeah.
08:23I've obviously got the right idea, but they want more space and now views as well. I'm starting to see
08:28what they meant by a challenge. But I always believe in rising to the occasion.
08:37Because Tony and Trudy want to see something with views, I decided to pick up the property place and take
08:42them to the thriving town of Alcala de los Gazules, which sits at the western entrance to the Alcorna Cales
08:48National Park.
08:51This park has the Mediterranean's biggest forest and is one of Andalusia's best places for bird watching and outward bound
08:57activities.
08:59Until recently, access to the town was tricky, but a new section of road means that the area has opened
09:04up. The number of people now visiting the town is up by around 20%.
09:09Alcala is a traditional Spanish town with a daily market, bars and restaurants where the locals meet. The area is
09:16on the up and while at the moment it has the cheapest property prices in the region, that is likely
09:21to change as the town becomes more popular with tourists and foreign buyers.
09:25So this town is as traditionally Spanish as it gets. You've got a gorgeous old church, nice little square. Do
09:31you like the feel of this place?
09:32Oh, it's lovely, yeah. Really nice. Yes, beautiful. Fantastic views as well over the valley. Excellent.
09:37Well, the next house we're going to look at is just a ten minute walk from here. Oh, super.
09:42This house has four bedrooms, a garden and a roof terrace. It's on the market for £136,000.
09:49Right on the edge of the Alcorna Calas National Park, this is a prime location for people looking to go
09:55on walking and sporting holidays.
09:58Right, so I'm going to ask you to bear with me a little bit with this next property because it
10:02might not fill all your original specifications.
10:05But judging from what you've just told me, this is definitely going to offer you more space.
10:09So this is the house. Okay. What are your thoughts? Yeah, it looks good.
10:13It's a bit of a TARDIS from the outside. It really opens up in here. Okay.
10:17So this is like your main living area here. Right, yep. Yep.
10:21You've got a bedroom there. Okay. And a bedroom there. Right.
10:25I will ask you to see beyond what I will kindly call traditional Spanish furniture. Okay.
10:30This is what they're using as a dining room. Okay.
10:33But in terms of what you want to do, running a B&B. Right. Yeah.
10:37I think this is a fantastic self-contained unit. Yes.
10:40You've got a bedroom, a bedroom. Oh, wow, yeah.
10:43And currently that's a kitchen. Okay, yeah. Yeah.
10:46Erm...
10:47So it's a way it's difficult to imagine how I could do it. Yeah.
10:51And it's not getting me overexcited, to be honest. Oh, we want to get you excited, Tony. I know.
10:59This is the real reason that I've brought you here. Right.
11:03I think you'll agree with me that you've got a fair bit of space to play with up here.
11:08Wow. Wow. Fantastic. Excellent.
11:11Loads of potential, definitely. Tony, you wanted views, well...
11:15Here you've got it. Fantastic. Yeah.
11:18Could we just put the kitchen in that corner there?
11:20But you can do whatever you want here. Yeah.
11:22I like the space of here, but I'm still not over-impressed. Yeah.
11:27We've done below. I don't really think it's kind of ticking our boxes. No.
11:31No. This just feels more traditional, whereas I think we like something a little bit more kind of rustic. Right.
11:35And kind of more character. Yeah.
11:38Although the property needs some work, Tony and Trudy did specify that they wanted more room and views,
11:44both of which this house has. If they're going to get their ideal property,
11:48they're either going to have to consider a complete property overhaul or moderating their wish list.
11:54We really would like to have a pool. Right.
11:56And I think that would be kind of a major plus fact.
11:59I know you can sit out here, but it'd be nice to have a pool area.
12:02Your wish list is getting longer and longer today.
12:06I hope your budget's going to double your criteria.
12:10We'll see.
12:11I said moderate those ideas, not magnify them.
12:15Spacious, nearer town, with views and rustic.
12:18It looks like I'm going to have to pull out all the stops if I'm going to find the house
12:22that really floats their boat.
12:25But with two more very different properties up my sleeve, will Tony and Trudy find the B&B thereafter?
12:31Oh, it's fantastic. I mean, my head's just kind of spinning around with loads of ideas. It's great.
12:35Or will the wind be knocked out of their sails?
12:38I'm just more confused now. It's just like, yeah, you go from one extreme to another, don't you?
12:50Today I'm on Spain's Costa de la Luz, looking for an investment that water sports fans Tony and Trudy Allerton
12:57from Yorkshire can convert into a bed and breakfast.
13:01Outward bound enthusiast Tony and Trudy Allerton have so far viewed two properties.
13:05With more and more items being added to the shopping list, will they find the perfect house for their new
13:11business venture on the Costa de la Luz?
13:14Bearing in mind everything that Tony and Trudy said they were looking for, I decided to change tack and controversially
13:20head an hour inland away from the coast.
13:24To here, the town of Algar.
13:27While away from the sea, this town is right on Lake Algar.
13:30There is already a tourist complex on one side of the lake where holiday makers come to enjoy activities on
13:36or horse ride, mountain bike or windsurf.
13:39So I know that you wanted more space, but we've still got to stay within your budget.
13:44So I've had to bring you further away from the coast and a little bit more inland.
13:47But hey, there is no shortage of water here.
13:51It's actually fantastic.
13:52Do you think this would be a good option for your water sports?
13:55Brilliant.
13:55I love it.
13:56It's absolutely beautiful.
13:57As well as the lake, there's also the vast Guadalacassan Reservoir, which provides water for the entire region.
14:04That's enough water to satisfy any silver surfer.
14:07The town itself is a beautiful example of a typical Andalusian village.
14:12Whitewashed and built around a central plaza, the fewer than 2,000 inhabitants while away the sleepy afternoons in one
14:20of the cafes or at the water's edge.
14:23So, do you see anything here that you like?
14:26I see quite a lot that I like.
14:29Fantastic view.
14:30Well, if I tell you that the house I'm going to tell you to see is that one next to
14:35the big tree there.
14:36Wow.
14:37How much land is with that, then?
14:38With that property, you've got six and a half acres of land.
14:42That's a lot of land.
14:43That's going to be a big pool, isn't it?
14:46All right, let's go.
14:47We'll have to get some donkeys trod and some goats.
14:49You can have a whole farm going on there.
14:52Our next property is on the market at £155,000, which is £15,000 over their budget.
14:59But for that price, you get six and a half acres of land, incredible views, your own olive grove and
15:06a property with fantastic renovation potential.
15:10What do you think?
15:11Lovely.
15:12Got to wish it out.
15:13What a view.
15:14Fantastic.
15:15So, are you excited?
15:16Yeah, very.
15:18So, you've got a bread oven there.
15:19Mmm, pizzas.
15:20Nice feature.
15:21Yeah, yeah.
15:21So, before we go into the house, let me just explain.
15:23You've got two interconnecting parts of this house.
15:26Okay, yeah.
15:27And as it stands, you've got 100 square metres of property here.
15:31Okay.
15:32But because you're on such a large plot of land, if you get the right planning permission, you can double
15:37it in size.
15:38Right.
15:38So, Tony, I'm showing you what could be your big renovation project.
15:43Sounds good.
15:44Yeah?
15:44Yeah, hope for it, yeah.
15:46So, it's pretty basic.
15:48Oh, wow.
15:49Different.
15:50Potentially, aren't it?
15:51Yeah?
15:51Yeah, lovely, lovely.
15:53Look at that fireplace.
15:54Isn't this amazing?
15:55Oh, fantastic.
15:57It'd be great to keep hold of that, wouldn't it?
15:58Yes.
15:58Oh, yeah, definitely.
16:00Good feature.
16:01Excellent.
16:02This is what's currently being used as the bedroom.
16:04Okay, this is a good size.
16:06Yeah, nice.
16:07It is, yeah.
16:07There are just so many possibilities, just with the space you've got here, aren't there?
16:11I know, it's fantastic.
16:12I mean, my head's just kind of like spinning around with loads of ideas.
16:14It's great.
16:15Well, through that curtain there is the other section of the property.
16:18Okay, yeah.
16:18So, if I go and show you that.
16:20The house is about as rustic as it gets, and it seems to have hit the mark.
16:24Tony and Trudy are full of ideas about how they could turn this place into their dream
16:29property.
16:30As you'll see, it's kind of just being used as a storeroom.
16:34Right.
16:34As we can see, yeah.
16:35That's?
16:36Another bedroom.
16:37Possibly another bedroom.
16:38Definitely.
16:38And possibly a bathroom, if you just have a look round there.
16:40Oh, yeah.
16:41Quite a bit of length at the time.
16:42Yeah.
16:43Quite size.
16:43Quite size, definitely.
16:44So, let me point out the parameters of all the land that you've got here.
16:49Right.
16:50Olive Grove up there.
16:51Okay.
16:52And you've got a vineyard down there.
16:55Okay.
16:56That's your land.
16:57Wow.
16:57What are you going to do with it?
16:59Massive, isn't it?
16:59Yeah.
17:00We'll probably extend outwards and along, because you'll kind of want to put more bedrooms
17:04on.
17:04And have three bedrooms for guests.
17:06We'll definitely kind of extend back and probably then put all the en-suites at the
17:10back.
17:11This is such a big job.
17:13Are you not scared by it?
17:15No, excited.
17:16No, excited.
17:17Well, the good news is, because a lot of the local authorities are really promoting
17:20rural tourism.
17:22You could apply for a grant to claim back up to 50% of any renovation work.
17:26Wow.
17:27That's good, isn't it?
17:28Fantastic, yeah.
17:30Wow.
17:30Superb.
17:31The basic renovation would cost around £40,000.
17:34That would include fixing the roofs, making the house habitable and creating two guest bedrooms.
17:40This would push the house's value up to around £300,000.
17:44I think kind of the location would be ideal for mountain biking, walking, horse riding.
17:49Yeah.
17:50But the actual kind of business thing would work with it as well, yeah?
17:53There's a lot of options.
17:55But I think it's doable.
17:56Yeah, workable for us.
17:57With a good marketing.
17:58But, you know, good marketing, it is doable.
18:00Yeah.
18:01To end our search, I thought I'd give Tony and Trudy a choice between another rural
18:05house with less work or an original property on the coast.
18:09The choice is yours.
18:10Me, personally, I prefer Tarifa.
18:13Yeah, I'd go with that as well.
18:14Yeah?
18:14Great.
18:15Exciting.
18:16Having decided on Tarifa, I've got one last house which is worth showing Tony and Trudy
18:21as it's back on the coast in the surfing mecca of Spain.
18:29Tarifa is the Costa de la Luz's most famous town and is said to have one of the top three
18:34windsurfing beaches in the world.
18:36As well as propelling surfers along, the wind is used to supply energy to the region and
18:41is harnessed in the wind farms that dot the shoreline.
18:44The warm waters are also popular with marine life, with whales and dolphins often being
18:49seen in the straits offshore.
18:52Just 15 minutes down the road is one of Tarifa's pretty satellite towns.
18:56Property in Fasinas is much more affordable than in Tarifa itself and it's here that I've
19:02found Tony and Trudy their final house.
19:05This is a very unusual property as it's currently a bar.
19:09It has a bar licence, one bedroom, one bathroom and a pool table.
19:13It's on the market at £156,000.
19:16Well this is it!
19:17Oh wow!
19:19What did you think?
19:21Not so sure yet.
19:22Not so sure, you think it might possibly...
19:23It looks good, it looks good.
19:24No, it looks nice.
19:25The finish is nice, I like it.
19:26Yeah, it looks nice.
19:27It's currently being run as a bar.
19:30Oh.
19:31Oh, this is nice.
19:32Yeah.
19:33Surprised?
19:34Very.
19:34Very surprising.
19:35Yeah, very.
19:36Is this not what you were expecting?
19:38No.
19:39No.
19:39No, at all not.
19:40It's good.
19:41I like the finish.
19:43Yeah.
19:43Very Spanish, isn't it?
19:44Yeah, definitely.
19:45The reason I wanted to show you this place is because it's in a fantastic location.
19:50You're just ten minutes away from the town of Tarifa.
19:52You've got the licence to run it as a bar.
19:54Yeah.
19:54You just need to get that put in your name.
19:56Okay.
19:57So, could possibly offer you an alternative source of income from the bar.
20:02For that reason, yeah, you could make an income straight away.
20:04Yeah.
20:06Well come and have a look through here.
20:07Pool table.
20:08Pool table.
20:09Fancy game.
20:10Come and have a look.
20:11The tall roof is very hairy, isn't it?
20:13It's lovely little place.
20:14Yeah.
20:14I'm just more confused now because it's just like a...
20:17Yeah, you go from one extreme to another, don't you?
20:19You've got a really nice sort of shaded patio area.
20:23Oh, it's lovely, yeah.
20:24Really nice.
20:24So, the downside with this property...
20:26Yeah.
20:27...that's the only bedroom.
20:29Right.
20:29Just one.
20:30Now, scene next door...
20:31Yeah.
20:32...they've built up...
20:33Okay.
20:34...two levels.
20:35Right.
20:35Yeah.
20:35So, what I was thinking was that providing you can get the right planning permission, you
20:40would be able to build up those two levels...
20:42...which would give you the extra bedrooms...
20:44...to then run it as a B&B.
20:46Okay.
20:46Yeah.
20:46Come and have a look at the one bedroom they've got.
20:49I think he's done a really good job with it.
20:50Oh, yeah.
20:51This is lovely, yeah.
20:52It's nice.
20:53Nice size.
20:53And the current owner rents this room out for £25 a night.
20:57Okay.
20:57Yeah.
20:58Good.
20:58That gives you an idea, doesn't it?
21:00Yeah, it's nice.
21:01I think Tony and Trudy have definitely been thrown by this house, but I'm not sure if
21:05it's going to be enough to tear them away from their dream renovation project in
21:09the countryside.
21:11Although the house only has one bedroom, it is already an established business in the area,
21:15which could give Tony and Trudy a head start when opening their own business.
21:21Location-wise, I mean, the village near Tarifa, near the sea.
21:25Yeah.
21:25It's nice.
21:26It's great, isn't it?
21:27Spot on, isn't it, really?
21:28Yeah.
21:29Okay, so you've seen the whole house now.
21:30What are you thinking?
21:31Well, we really like the house, not much more.
21:34Yeah, but we're just not sure.
21:35You're a bit confused.
21:37Yeah, definitely.
21:38All right, well, it's certainly been a lot to take in.
21:40Yeah.
21:40I think the best thing I can do is just give you a bit of time to think.
21:43Yeah.
21:44And let's hook up later.
21:45That would be good.
21:46Yeah.
21:46Good idea.
21:47Yeah.
21:48Well, Tony and Trudy love the location of this house, but does it top their Country Manor
21:53renovation project?
21:55Both properties do need a lot of work.
21:57So I wonder, now that they've explored the Cote de la Luz, which one will be the favourite?
22:02So you've had a bit of a time to think.
22:04Yeah.
22:04Let's start with the bar.
22:05Yeah.
22:06Great location.
22:07So close to Tarifa.
22:08Yeah, they did a good job with it, but it was just too small for our needs.
22:13And also very, very restricting.
22:14We would have had to kind of just build up, but I just think what we wanted to do is
22:18have
22:18more land with the pool.
22:19So no.
22:20So the country thinker.
22:21We're very interested.
22:22You loved it when you saw it.
22:23Oh, yeah.
22:23And we love it even more now.
22:24Do you?
22:25We do.
22:25We do.
22:26Okay.
22:26We love it.
22:27We're so interested, but we do want to put an offering.
22:29How exciting.
22:31Fantastic.
22:32Yeah, definitely.
22:32What a project.
22:33Yeah.
22:34I just think it's just got everything that we want and the more thought about it, it's
22:37just absolutely ideal.
22:38Well, that is very exciting.
22:40But my advice would definitely be to speak to a lawyer and make sure you've got all the
22:44permissions that you need before you plunge ahead with your very big challenge.
22:48Exciting challenge, isn't it?
22:49Yeah, definitely.
22:50So tell me, providing this all goes well and you get the property, how long do you think
22:54it's going to take you to do the work?
22:56Hopefully within 12 months.
22:57That's our target.
22:58So I plan my holiday about this time next year.
23:01Yeah, we'll book you.
23:01No problem, we'll book you.
23:03First book in.
23:05Tony and Trudy have since put an offering on the house which was accepted.
23:09They are now the proud owners of their very own Spanish country finca.
23:15I hope you've enjoyed house hunting with me here on the Costa de la Luz and I'll see you
23:20again soon.
23:28That's a lot.ifi
23:50.com
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