Kent Escape to the Country

Welcome to Escape To The Country. Today we're in a county that's home

to one of the most important pieces of historic rural real estate in the British Isles.

That now peaceful field beneath me was once the scene of one

of the most important turning points in English history.

If that isn't enough of a clue,

you can poke my eye out with a Norman arrow!

In today's show, I'll be helping a couple escape urban sprawl for a new home in the country.

What do you think?

Perfect.

I'll be showing them some fantastic country homes

and when we talk numbers, there are some real surprises.

-I love it.

-He's gone quiet now.

-I've gone silent again.

And, of course, there's the mystery house,

but will any of the properties match their country dream?

Well, today, I'm in East Sussex and do you remember the tale, I wonder,

of William the Conqueror, 1066 and all that? This is Battle Abbey,

built to commemorate the site of the famous Battle of Hastings,

and this stone was laid to mark the spot where poor old King Harold

got that infamous arrow through the eye and which, of course,

changed the face of English history. But the good news is that

1,000 years on, everything around here is a lot more peaceful,

ideal for the jaded city dweller who wants to Escape To The Country.

Bordered by Kent, Surrey and its former partner,

West Sussex, the coastal county of East Sussex

boasts some of the South Downs' best landscapes,

not least, the spectacular white cliffs at Beachy Head.

The fashionable, vibrant city of Brighton dominates East Sussex urban attractions,

with its mix of interesting architecture, shopping and entertainment options.

Whilst most famous for Battle Abbey, East Sussex is studded with castles,

including the 14th century Bodiam Castle,

one of the very few originally built for a private citizen.

The average local, however, is far more likely to live

in a property covered with the typical Sussex weatherboard,

reminiscent of America's New England.

As you might expect, the close proximity of Sussex to London

makes it a very popular place to live, not just with commuters

but also those who've given up their working lives

and have come here to retire.

Combine that with an already quite high local population,

no surprise that house prices here

are some of the highest in the country.

To be precise, a whopping 34% above the national average,

meaning that your average four bed will set you

back around about £325,000,

but there is some good news.

In the last 12 months, house prices have dropped 12%

which means that if you think this place is for you,

there are some really good opportunities out there.

If you've got 2.45 million in your pocket,

then this nine bedroom house in Peasmarsh is worth a look.

The highlight has to be the kitchen diner,

where no expense has been spared.

And if you can't handle the heat in the kitchen, why not take a dip in

the outdoor pool which sits in just over 14 acres of landscaped gardens.

Alternatively, if you're hunting for a four bedroom country cottage,

then 735,000 will buy this property in Rotherfield.

It has a little bit of everything,

character features, sleek modern lines, a plunge pool,

and south-facing garden.

Or for a more reasonable 395,000,

how about this mock Tudor Edwardian property in Hastings?

The feature fireplace takes centre stage in the lounge

and the property's elevated position overlooks the mature gardens.

So has you can see, if you think East Sussex is for you,

there's a good chance that you will be spoilt for choice,

at least, that's what I'm hoping for today's buyers.

Today's aspiring urban escapees

are accountant, Brian, and credit controller, Caroline, who live

in a three bedroom detached house in Crawley, West Sussex,

with their cats.

We originally paid £110,00 for this house.

We hope it's now worth round about £330,000.

The house has three bedrooms and two reception rooms,

with a south-facing large garden.

We feel very sad leaving our current home because we've been

here 15 years, but at the same time, we feel it is now time to move on.

After years of urban living,

they're now eager to head for the East Sussex countryside.

I was brought up in a village community

and I think Brian would really enjoy the new life.

I've spent most of my life living in a town

and it's about time I went to see what the countryside was all about.

We've seen a number of houses over the last 18 months.

A couple were too near the main road. It just totally put us off.

Their current home has generally suited their needs, but with a move

on the cards, they've drawn up a few new requirements.

This is currently my dining room. Brian uses it as an office.

We'd really love to, in our next property,

have a separate dining room and an office.

This is our porch which also doubles up as a utility room.

What would really put the icing on Caroline's cake

would be in our new property, if she had a separate utility room.

This garden's been great for us.

We're looking for a bigger challenge in our new house,

having a bigger garden where we can grow more vegetables,

and also a bigger greenhouse if we could possibly have that in there.

That all sounds pretty reasonable, but where would be their ideal spot?

The location we're both looking for is a village,

where perhaps they've got a pub, a small village hall and basically to join with the community.

Before we can kick off the search, we've invited round a local

estate agent to give a valuation for their current home.

This property's located in a sought after area.

It's convenient for the mainline station.

There's good primary and secondary schools located nearby.

We'd value this property at £315,000.

We're happy with the evaluation, and that's going to help towards our next property.

which might be a little bit more expensive.

So what sort of figure do we have to work with?

The budget for the new property, with our savings

and the sale of our existing house, would be £800,000.

When it comes to finding your ideal property, sometimes knowing what

you don't want is just as important knowing what you do want,

so what exactly are Brian and Caroline after?

Specifically, at least three bedrooms, a nice big kitchen,

a separate study so that Brian can move all of his clobber out

of Caroline's dining room, a nice big garden for some vegetables

and of course, room for all of those cats.

They've got a very healthy budget of £800,000, so fingers crossed,

we should be all right.

Brian and Caroline are happy for us to cast a fairly wide net,

so our search is going to focus roughly on the south of the county,

around the Eastbourne and Hastings area.

Over the course of two days, I'll be taking them on a tour

of the best rural hideouts East Sussex has to offer.

I'll be keeping tight-lipped about the prices

until after they've given the properties the once-over.

The last on the list will be the mystery house,

a property they may not have chosen to view themselves

but might offer them options they hadn't realised they wanted.

What a lovely sunny day we've got for the start of our house search.

-Welcome to East Sussex.

-Thank you.

-Are we all excited?

-Yes.

-Definitely.

Are you sure you want to write a cheque for £800,000

-of your hard-earned money?

-For the right house, yes.

This is interesting because your requirements are pretty do-able,

but I'm concerned you've been looking for a long time and haven't

found anything, so what are we going to do that you haven't done?

We've been too narrow-minded in our approach to look for a property,

-you'd provide a wider perspective.

-A broadening of the mind.

-Yes.

-That's right.

-OK. There's plenty to choose from.

The sun's still out. Shall we get a move on?

-Yes, please.

-Come on.

Brian and Caroline have a very healthy budget

of £800,000, and are looking

for a spacious three to four bedroom house.

Caroline would love a utility room

and Brian definitely needs a study.

Above all, they want a garden

large enough to accommodate

a vegetable patch.

It's a good budget

so hopefully, we should be able

to find some real gems.

Caroline, you are a country girl at heart?

-I am. Yes.

-So where did you grow up?

-In Lingfield, Surrey.

So I suppose in many ways, Surrey, Sussex,

this part of the world is sort of familiar.

It is. Yes. Yes. As a child, we used to go out cycling

and walking long walks across the fields.

How about you, Brian? Is the country something

that you are discovering or is it something that's familiar?

Yes. It's something I want to discover more of.

I've lived in a town all my life and I think now's the right time

to sort of move out into the countryside permanently.

Well, I'm sure it won't take too long to feel at home around here.

The first stop on our property tour is just outside Fairlight,

five miles east of Hastings.

It's a small village, with just a post office,

but its position on the doorstep of Hastings Country Park

makes it an attractive place to settle.

The house we've lined up sits in a secluded setting,

so it will offer Caroline and Brian plenty of peace and quiet.

Right.

There you go. What do you think?

-Lovely.

-Yeah.

-This is a nice shaped house, traditional style house.

-Yeah.

It is very light and airy.

There's a real kind of contemporary mix in here, as well.

lots of tall ceilings.

It's also had the addition of that extension put onto it which

really does extend the accommodation beautifully.

-Come on. Let's have a look.

-OK.

Right. Come on in.

Feast your eyes

on one of the reception rooms that this place has to offer you.

-One of how many?

-Well, there's a few.

I'm not going to give it away just yet, Brian.

It's not the name of the game, is it?

Essentially, as you can see, dining room.

I like it. I like the high ceiling. I like the picture rails, as well.

-Yes.

-So it adds to the age of the property.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-OK.

Nice and spacious. I like it.

-Yeah?

-Yeah. Nice size.

-All smiles all round.

-Yes. Nice.

-OK. I think we might have struck a note with this one.

There's no doubt this is a good start.

Across the hall is the smaller of the two sitting rooms

which has great views over the garden.

Next for us, though, is the hub of the home.

Right, Caroline, this is all for you.

-Wow.

-Come in. What do you think?

-Perfect.

-Perfect?

-Somewhere to eat.

-Really?

-Yes.

Nice and big. Plenty of workspace.

It goes on. Come through here. Loads of space.

Very much kitchen diner going on as well,

but I know the utility room is of interest to you.

It's not the biggest, but it is there.

Washing machine, all that sort of stuff.

Extra fridges if you need them.

That's the thing about this house, It's all here.

-You've just got to walk in.

-Yes. It's nice.

-Yeah?

-Yeah. Like the kitchen.

Brian, I'm not getting a sense that this is wowing you.

I would like more of a country style kitchen.

Do I feel like I'm pulling teeth? I'm not sure. Right.

Let's go and have a look at the rest of it,

because there's lots more to see.

Back off the central hall

is the study which I'm sure will be big enough for Brian's needs

and it also gives access to the larger sitting room.

Tell me what you think of this.

-Wow. That's big.

-Yes. This is nice.

-This is nice.

-Yeah?

-Yes.

-I like this.

This is the new extension. They've done it in such a way

as to reflect the architecture in the rest of the house,

so nice tall ceilings, big windows, loads of light.

And more doors out to your garden, which we'll explore a bit later.

And of course, I've got my fireplace, as well.

Well, again, I mean, you know, one of...

let's see, one, two, three working fireplaces in this house.

-That's probably the biggest one.

-That's a nice one.

All right, let's go upstairs cos you wanted, how many bedrooms... three?

-Three to four.

-Three to four.

-Yes.

To five?

How about five? Come and have a look.

Ah, I've surprised them there.

All the bedrooms up here are good sized doubles

with plenty of space for wardrobes and finished to a high standard.

Two of the five have en suites.

The family bathroom is fully tiled and ready to go,

but I'm keen to cut to the chase and show them the best room of all.

Now, what about this? This is for you guys.

Your own little wing, as it were.

I mean, this is above that great big living room

down below with the huge fireplace.

So this is on top of the extension that's coming out.

Loads of space, loads of light

and of course, as you'd expect, you get your own bathroom.

Come and have a look at this, have a look in there.

And something of a walk-in wardrobe,

so all that clobber and storage you need, in there.

Go and have a look at the bathroom.

-Nice. It's a nice size.

-That's nice.

-Yes. Yes.

-Nice.

Nice. Nice. Nice.

Come on.

Good nice or bad nice?

-This is good nice.

-It's a good nice.

-Hurrah.

-Good nice.

-OK. No chance of wow, then?

Stupid question. All right.

I'm unsure as to what they really think about this place.

They're both being so polite, it's difficult to gauge,

but maybe they'll give me some clues in the garden.

Outside, you've got a purpose-built barn storage down there.

The whole thing operates in this sort of L-shaped arrangement...

with this bit making the best use of the views of the sea.

It's a nice bonus, I like that.

You can see how it's all come together in the renovation.

There's the new extension.

Loads of doors out to the terrace that's been laid out.

-I like the garden, the views.

-Yes.

So you still feel confident about it working in terms

of the amount of space you need?

I think so. In terms of vegetables,

I think that side area there would be more sheltered.

-That's a good idea.

-It'll catch the south westerly sun.

Yeah. And out the back here, perhaps leave this to lawn.

Well, let's get down to the business part of this, shall we?

£800,000 is burning a hole in your back pocket, Brian.

How much do you want to spend on this one?

I don't think we'd get much change out of 780,000.

-Caroline.

-I'd say 820.

820. Interesting. Well, you've kind of straddled it, I suppose.

It's on the market for £795,000.

Good for you, cos you said 820.

You've gone a bit quiet.

Yes. No. It's grown on me.

I think on the scale, the nice scale, it's just gone up a notch.

-Hurrah. At last. OK. Go and have a look around inside.

-OK.

-I'll catch up with you later.

-OK.

-Off you go.

-Thank you.

-Enjoy.

-OK.

This immaculate house

is up for grabs at £795,000.

There are three reception rooms

and a separate study.

Five bedrooms

and a large garden which has plenty

of options for a vegetable patch.

Kitchen, yes, a nice big area.

-Yes.

-I think you like the decor better than I do... to be honest.

Yeah. It's all contemporary, isn't it, to a country kitchen.

Yeah, but I think it probably fits in better, the style of house, overall.

Yes. The house is brilliant. Lots of lovely rooms.

The kitchen has excellent space for us. A place to eat, as well.

And the living room is lovely. Plus also, added bonus,

a big dining room and a study for Brian, which he really needs.

Slightly disappointed with the kitchen.

It wasn't a country kitchen which I was expecting, or hoping for.

The rooms themselves were very large, which is great.

-Nice garden. I like the lounge.

-Yeah, it's a nice size.

-Yeah. Nice square shape.

-I can just imagine Christmas in here.

-That's right.

-Yeah.

-If we do go for this property,

then I think the tree would look nice in that corner there.

I could see us living here and growing vegetables and doing

bits and pieces to outside, watching the day go by.

Right. I'm going to drag you away.

But I think we could be getting there with that one.

-Yeah. It's nice.

-Very nice.

-Very nice.

-It's growing on me.

It's growing on you.

It is, it is an uphill battle, isn't it, mate, it really is.

And I tell you what,

we are going to overcome this word "nice" with the other properties

that I'm going to show you because they're not just nice,

they're gorgeous. Come on.

One of Brian's top ambitions is to get a private pilot's licence

and admire the beauty of the local landscape from the air.

So we've arranged for him to have a taster.

Roger Burford is a retired commercial pilot and he has kindly

offered to give Brian a flight in the aircraft he co-owns.

-Hello.

-Hello.

Brian has got it in his head that learning to fly will be a good idea.

I've always wanted to get my private pilot's licence

and now seems the opportune moment to do that.

Presumably this is not a cheap hobby, Roger.

Oh, no. The full private pilot's licence would probably cost

in the region of £7-8,000.

OK. And how long would it take to do the course?

Depends very much on this wonderful weather in Sussex, you see.

You could probably do it in a month,

if you went every day, but I should think probably six months, overall.

-Yeah.

-Going a couple of times a week.

I know with your aircraft seats are limited,

so the plan is that you and Roger take to the air

and you and I will sit this one out and have a little chat

down on the airstrip and you can go and see Sussex from the air.

-You can watch the fun from the ground.

-Yeah. Come on, then.

-Off you go.

-Right.

-Enjoy.

-Come with me, Brian.

Spilstead, this is Golf. Give me a foxtrot, foxtrot.

We're on runway 16.

-Look at that.

-Woo-hoo!

Give her a wave.

Brilliant. How about that?

-There they go.

-I'm jealous now.

-Are you?

-Yeah.

It's fantastic, Roger.

On a day like this, Brian really is getting a fantastic bird's-eye view

of the East Sussex coastline and surrounding countryside.

Look at those cliffs,

that is fabulous.

I should have taken up flying earlier.

I've wasted so many years of my life just not flying. It's amazing.

I bet my wife Carol, she's jealous.

But all good things must come to an end and it's time

to head back to the airstrip.

-That's them up there.

-Yeah. Yeah. It is.

-More power. There we are.

-Thank you.

LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE

Brilliant.

-Great stuff. Right. Let's go and see how they got on.

-Yeah.

Well, how was that then?

Wow. That was fantastic.

-Oh, brilliant.

-I really enjoyed it.

I don't know why I didn't do this years ago.

How did he get on?

He did pretty well, I think. Yes. He's a natural.

-Thanks very much, Roger, for your time today.

-You're welcome.

I think you've definitely converted one member of this family

-and probably another one as well in the future.

-Yeah.

-It's going to be a joint hobby, I think.

-Come on.

-OK.

As the sun sinks into the horizon,

day one of our property hunt draws to a close.

Caroline and Brian, from Crawley, are looking to break free

from their suburban lifestyle and make a bid for

the East Sussex countryside.

They have a budget of £800,000 and are chasing a spacious

three to four bedroom house with a large garden

big enough to grow vegetables.

So far, they have viewed one property which they have been

terribly nice about.

-This is nice.

-This is nice.

-Yeah?

-It's a nice size.

-It's nice.

Nice and big, spacious. I like it.

But, coming up, it's no more Mr Nice Guy and there's a bonus

that lights Brian's fire.

-Fantastic. I love it.

-It's great.

-Yeah.

-That's what I want.

-And the mystery house that creates a splash.

-It's not going

to be too big to maintain but big enough to have fun in.

It's the beginning of our second day's house hunting

here in East Sussex, with Caroline and Brian.

You remember when we started, they were very keen we should

broaden their minds, give them food for thought.

Yesterday, I think we managed to do that.

Today that process continues.

Can we continue to stretch their minds? I think we can.

And we've got a fantastic mystery house

that I think will really impress them.

Our first house this morning

is located in Crowhurst,

four and a half miles

north west of Hastings.

It's a peaceful rural village with the usual amenities,

plus the bonus of a farm shop abundant with local produce.

The house we're heading for lies on the fringe of the village

and dates back to 1904.

-All right, Caroline?

-Yeah.

-Come on down here.

Now, going on a theme, another Edwardian number.

-What do you think of this one?

-Got lots of character.

It's very long. Looks like it'll be a lot of room inside.

It's huge. Space is one thing you will not be short of

-in this property.

-I'm excited.

Good. And we haven't had the "n" word today, the "nice" word.

-No. Not today.

-Top of the scale!

Come on.

Right. Come on in.

Now then... first impressions coming inside?

-It's nice. Nice size.

-Spacious. I like the floor.

-Stripped floor.

I like the little bell up there. Does it work?

-I'm not sure, we'll try it later.

-To call the servant?

You've got enough room for servants. This place would have had servants

in its day, when it was built, turn of the 20th century, early 1900s.

But there are loads of reception rooms, as you would expect.

Let's start through here.

-What do you think of this?

-Oh, yes.

-Come on in.

-Wow.

-Brilliant ceiling.

-Yeah. Lovely.

-Yeah?

-Lovely.

-Yeah.

-This is lovely. This mantel is genuinely Edwardian.

-Lovely.

-Loads of light and space so I would suspect this would be

be one of your principal living rooms.

Not a bad start. Choice is what this house is all about,

but the kitchen really is extraordinary because it's not just a kitchen,

it's a living room and a reception room, possibly even a dining room.

It's kind of anything you want to be, really. Come and have a look.

You'll see what I mean.

Right. Caroline.

-Wow.

-Crikey.

Crikey. Whoa!

Yeah. But it works.

-Well, doesn't it just?

-I like the windows.

-Aren't they great?

-Yeah.

-And it really does let light pour in.

We'll explore that area in a moment,

but you've got this lovely bay window, window seat.

And this is very much a kind of relaxing cosy living area.

-Yes.

-Proper country kitchen.

-Hurray! Brilliant.

Well, let's have a look at the kitchen. Come over here.

You've got all this wonderful way to enjoy your cooking,

with a view out of those windows and you've got that gorgeous range.

-Look at that.

-I bet you love that, Caroline?

-Yes.

-That's the real thing.

-I love it.

-You love it.

-Yes.

-Hurrah! We haven't had "love" yet, have we?

-We had lots of "nice", we've had a "crikey."

-Crikey!

Now we've got a "love it."

Now that's what I've been waiting for.

Off the hall is a second reception room and there's a handy cloakroom,

but we're heading to the next floor.

The large landing is almost a room in itself and I can't wait to see

their reaction to what I think is a pretty impressive bathroom.

It's huge!

It's pretty special, isn't it? Well, the bath is a bath for two.

So imagine the fun you can have in there.

And you've got this lovely wet room, walk-in job.

-Lovely. Yes.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-And is that under floor heating I can feel coming up?

-Absolutely. Well spotted.

-Wow.

-Yeah. So really cosy room, this.

-Bedrooms. You wanted three.

-Yes.

-You've got three.

Three enormous doubles, as you would expect.

Let's go and find a room for you guys. Out you go.

-OK.

-They certainly won't be stuck for space in these bedrooms

which have plenty of room for storage.

In addition to these two doubles,

there is another single room which is currently used as a study,

but it's time to look at a room for them.

This, you know, another huge double room.

I think this is probably for you.

-This is nice.

-This is the main bedroom. Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Lots of light.

-Very light and bright.

Lovely view over the garden from that bay window.

Also loads of storage.

You've got a little built-in arrangement in here.

There's one over there, Brian.

-So you've got a kind of his and hers, if you want.

-Wow.

-Yeah.

Through there a little en suite

-if you don't want to use the big bathroom.

-Can we have a look?

-Yeah!

-Yes!

-A little skylight up there.

-Does the job.

-There you go.

So all in all,

this is quite an impressive kind of end to this bit of the upstairs.

What are we thinking? Are we going to get a wow?

Not yet. Want to make you work a little bit harder, Jules.

Why did I know that was coming?

Caroline and Brian are hard to please but I do have a few more cards to play.

Next up, something for Caroline.

Now, Caroline, how about this? Proper, pukka utility room.

Yes. This is great.

Yes. Be quite happy in here.

If Caroline wants to be happy in here, that's fine.

-I'll be happy in my new kitchen.

-Doing all your washing and drying, mate. Yeah. Lucky old you.

Well, you say new kitchen, you've got a choice of kitchens, actually, cos you haven't just got that one.

You've got another one because this annexe is vast. It goes on and on.

Come and have a look.

The annexe is a real bonus.

Downstairs there's a fully fitted kitchen diner and a lounge come bedroom with doors to the garden.

But the marvellous bedroom upstairs is something I can't wait to show off.

-Wow.

-You've done it again, haven't you?

What, what have I done?

Amazed us.

I mean, this is whatever you want it to be, really.

It's a separate office, if you really want to work from home and have clients in.

It's a granny annexe if you need it.

-So, you know, all sorts of potential.

-Definitely.

-Right.

Let's go and check out the garden cos that may be the make or break.

-Yeah.

-OK.

-Come on.

-Right.

-Well, that has impressed them.

Let's hope the garden does the same.

Come and enjoy the weather. Look at this.

-What a day, eh?

-Gorgeous.

Nice little vegetable patch for you.

-Yeah.

-This is just right.

-Big enough?

-Yeah.

-It's big enough to support ourselves. Yeah.

-Yeah.

The other really nice thing is if you get that original Edwardian green house.

-Jules, you want a wow? You get a wow for the greenhouse.

-Wahey!

-This is fantastic. I love it.

-It's great, isn't it?

-I love it. That's what I want.

-It needs a bit of work but nothing you couldn't do.

-That's my dream greenhouse.

Brilliant. Right. Well, let's see if the garden is your dream garden. Come and have a look down here.

The plot is just under one acre and is mainly lawn

with mature trees and shrubs,

providing plenty of scope for redevelopment.

It seems to be a lot of property here.

A lot of space.

Well, will you be happy, I wonder though, with the price of it?

-Probably not.

-You've got your 100 grand, of course.

Make me an offer, Caroline.

I'll say 830.

I'm going to be optimistic and go for 780.

780. If it was 780 or thereabouts, what would you think?

Definitely see us interested.

OK. So you would be really interested then if it was on the market for £749,000.

-No!

-You're joking!

-Absolutely serious.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-He's gone quiet now.

-I've gone silent again.

I think this is a good thing, though, on this occasion, Brian.

Well, look, have a good old think about it.

There's plenty for you to explore still.

There's a bit more of the annexe to look at and down there, there's some chickens.

The good life awaits you. Go on.

-Go and enjoy. I'll catch up with you later.

-All right, Jules.

-OK.

-Off you go.

-Let's see these chickens.

At just under £750,000,

this house is 50 grand under budget and still offers plenty of space.

There's a huge kitchen diner, four bedrooms,

the bonus of an annexe and a large garden

that could provide Caroline and Brian with the good life.

Chickens'll be useful.

-Eggs for breakfast every day.

-Yes.

-What about the rest of the garden?

-Yeah. The garden's lovely.

-It is nice, isn't it?

-Yes.

I'm impressed. There's a lot of space.

The kitchen is just fantastic and the fact that you've got this whole

dining area, sort of living area, which we're sat in now, it's just amazing.

We were looking for a house in the country with lots of big rooms,

lots of space, lovely character and this really fits the bill.

This is really a bonus, isn't it?

Yeah. We were sort of thinking perhaps, an annexe for your mum and dad, perhaps.

Yeah. It's just right for the both of them.

That's right. They can do their own thing if they want to.

Yeah. Locationwise, this is great.

Down a country lane which isn't busy.

This is really what we're looking for.

I think it could be hard to top this property. However, Jules has surprised us a couple of times.

I bet he's got something up his sleeve for the mystery house.

There you are!

-Hello.

-Exploring the new greenhouse.

-It's nice. Blossom on the peach tree.

Fantastic, isn't it? I'd love one of these at home, I have to say.

I really would. Is this going to be your home though, I wonder?

-Could be.

-Could be.

-Could be.

-Well, it's not over yet. There's one more to go and that, of course, is the mystery house.

Will that change your minds?

-Well, what you've done to us so far, Jules, and come up with all these surprises...

-Anything's possible.

I'm really intrigued to what your definition of a mystery house is going to be because, yes.

Anything's possible. Come on. Let's see what you think.

Well, our house tours are nearly at an end and the thing I love about property hunting here in Sussex

is you've got a wonderful mixture of lovely properties,

wonderful countryside and some fairly pretty coastline.

But now, of course, it is time to reveal my mystery house to Caroline and Brian.

Now, like most mystery houses, it is a little bit challenging

and with this one in particular, not everything is quite as it seems.

-Now, are you excited about the mystery house?

-Very.

-Yeah.

What would be your ideal mystery house, do you think?

Oh, it's going to be a difficult one.

I don't know. I mean, what we've seen so far plus something else

which you believe that we want

and we don't realise we want it until we see it.

I've got just the thing.

We've headed west for the mystery house which is in Hankham,

five miles north of Eastbourne.

Again, it's a quiet village with few amenities, but there

is a nursery for picking up your plants for the garden and a couple of options for afternoon strolls.

Our final house sits at the heart of the village

and has a little surprise that they haven't asked for

that I'm hoping they're going to love.

So, this is the mystery house.

-Yeah.

-Like it.

-I like the front of it.

-Do you?

-Yeah.

-What do you like about it?

-It's got character.

It's got a lot of character.

Lots of space. Beautifully made.

And some really, really lovely details. Come on.

Let's go inside and have a look.

Come on in. Grab the door, Brian.

Now then, the mystery house inside. Your first view of it, what do you think?

-Oldey-worldey.

-Oldey-worldey.

-Nice?

-Nice beams.

-Yeah. The beams have effect without getting in the way.

Well, you've got that beamed feel, but you can stand up, Brian.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-That's it.

So come through here.

Let's start with this living room. What do you think of this?

-This is nice.

-Parquet flooring.

-Yeah. Parquet flooring.

-Nice.

-This goes throughout.

Very typical for this kind of early interwar period.

Well, this is the biggest fireplace we've seen yet, isn't it?

-Yes.

-It's fantastic.

-Even you could stand up in there.

-Yeah. You're right, Jules.

-There you go. Yeah.

Off the hallway is a reception which Brian could use as a study.

And next door again, is a good size dining room.

But what will Caroline make of this?

And then something of a kitchen diner, effectively. What do you think?

-It's what we're looking for, isn't it, a kitchen diner?

-Yeah.

-Be useful.

I like the windows.

-Double-aspect windows.

-Yeah.

-So light.

It is a long kitchen but you've got behind us, we've got the work space, haven't we? We've got the sink unit.

We've got the oven.

You know, it doesn't have your modern double gas hob, etc, but you can do all that.

I mean, that's an easy one to fix.

-Yeah.

-All right.

-Yeah.

-Crikey.

I do feel I'm struggling a bit, with this one. It's the mystery house.

Come on. Come on. It's going to get better. Follow me through here. Let's go upstairs.

They do seem to be keeping their cards close to their chests.

From the kitchen, there's access to the garage which also doubles as a utility room.

Time now, though, to head upstairs.

Immediately ahead of us, is a small but adequately fitted out bathroom.

This house has four double bedrooms which should be ample for their requirements.

And some have built-in wardrobes.

It'll be interesting, though, to hear what they think of the master suite.

What do you think?

-Lovely apex.

-Yes.

-I like that.

-Yeah. You're not used to this, are you?

This sort of slopey ceiling thing, with bedrooms.

I think you've picked up on that before. But you like it.

-No. I like it. Adds character to the property.

-Yeah.

Yeah. It is a nice size, as well.

Loads of room in here for storing all sorts of stuff.

And this is very much a kind of built-in arrangement but again, you can easily change that.

Good. All right. Well, master should have an en suite.

This one is no exception.

Come in to here.

-It's huge, actually.

-It's a nice size.

-Nice.

-Yeah.

-Yes.

-It's quite nice.

-Nice and bright and cheerful.

It's really bright and this really is a pukka room in its own right.

You've got, not just a bath, but shower as well,

which is nice to have that flexibility and all the things you'd normally expect.

-And loads of light and views and so on.

-Yes. It's nice.

Yeah. This is a nice en suite. Yeah.

-Yeah.

-OK. That word's back again.

That 'nice' word. Oh, I'm getting nervous now.

Well, it is of course, the mystery house

and no mystery house is complete without a mystery,

or indeed a surprise. Come and follow me.

-You're going to like this.

-That's what worries us, Jules.

You'll like this.

OK. So it's nice but I sense they're not completely sold on this place.

I do, however, have other surprises in store which hopefully, will tip the balance.

Right. Let's go back outside.

Lovely day for this house hunt, I have to say. Let's go for a little wander through the garden

and see what we can find.

-Oh, my God.

-How about it?

It's a big fish pond.

Shark pond, I would suggest. Yes.

I like it. It's not going to be too big to maintain.

In fact, it's going to be big enough to have fun in.

-A lot of fun in it and it's really beautifully built, too.

-I'll have to learn to swim now.

-Can you really not swim?

-No. I can't swim.

-Well, perfect place to learn.

But it's not just about the pool.

-There is more to it than that.

-More?

More. It's the mystery house, Brian. There's a lot more. Come on.

Yes, indeed, I do have more up my sleeve.

The back portion of the garage building houses a useful space which,

being plumbed, could make another utility room.

But it's the room upstairs that I have high hopes for.

Right. Brian, you wanted an office.

-Oh, wow. This is my office.

-It's good, isn't it?

-I like it.

-They don't come much more purpose-built than this one.

-It's perfect.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

I think you can see why this is such a good mystery house.

Because the property is big, it's spacious, it does accommodate all that you would need.

But it's also got some really useful features to make your life work immediately. Plus a bonus of a pool.

Yeah. So after a hard day's work, can go down the pool and relax afterwards.

Or relax in the garden. Let's go and have a look at that.

Last but not least.

-You forgot about that, didn't you?

-I forgot about that!

I knew we'd hit the nail on the head with that one.

Now, it's just down to the garden.

Lots of room to play with. Mature trees, as you can see, some beds and whatnot,

and one or two kind of little areas that you could dedicate perhaps to vegetables, if you wanted to.

-But of course, the whole thing frames that view of the property which, I think, is glorious.

-Yeah.

It's a nice quaint, country garden.

Yes. Nice and quiet and really lovely.

-You know what I'm going to ask you now, don't you?

-I know. Yes. Yes.

-Go on then. Oh no, I asked you last time, didn't I?

-You did.

Brian. Let's put you on the spot.

Well, very nice property, but I'm always an optimist. 760.

760. That is optimistic.

Yeah. Go on. Caroline?

Mmm...795?

795. Part of the reason this is the mystery house is because

it's also the cheapest property that we have shown you.

This is on the market for £745,000.

-Really?

-Really?

-Wow.

-Has your view changed? Because knowing the price and knowing what else you'd get for it...

-I think so.

-I think Caroline's only concern was the kitchen

which can be put to our taste

perhaps a bit more, although it's very nice as it is.

-I can't remember anything else we didn't really like about the property.

-No.

Well, go and have an explore. Go on. Go and see if it would work for you.

-Which way shall we go? That way or that way?

-Go that way.

-This way.

Don't fall in the pool.

Well, there we are. That was the mystery house,

mysterious not just because of its size and its appointment

but because it is a whopping £55,000 under budget.

Yours for a cool 745,

but you do get a wonderful house and a wonderful pool.

Caroline and Brian got a pleasant surprise at the £745,000 price tag for this place.

It comes complete with a large living room, a separate dining room,

four bedrooms, a study for Brian and the bonus of a swimming pool.

I can imagine us having quite a bit of fun in here in the summer months.

It's heated, so maybe in the winter months as well.

This house, definitely THE mystery house.

The pool and the office combined,

wasn't expecting either.

Pleasant surprise, both of them.

Although I didn't ask for a pool, now I've got the option of possibly having one and I quite like the idea.

It's really amazed both Brian and myself.

the actual outside of it, as we drew up, it took my breath away.

It's a really individual style property.

I was hoping to have a nice big cooker put somewhere.

Perhaps if we went for this property we could move the cooker and oven.

Yeah. Rearrange it slightly. But other than that...

-Yeah. It's workable, it's practical.

-It's liveable.

-As it stands.

I was pleasantly surprised when Jules told us the price of this property

because it does have a lot of character and it's got a lot of features to it.

It has put the cat amongst the pigeons.

It's going to be a really tough choice, now.

-All done?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Good. Want to see any more houses?

-No.

No. We've got enough to think about, I think, after this one, Jules.

I thought you might have. Well, let's get you somewhere

where you can have a good old think about it and then I'll see if you've made a decision.

Caroline and Brian have been thrown some interesting property propositions.

It's time now though to weigh up the balance.

Well, at long last, it is the moment we've all been waiting for.

It is, of course, decision time for Brian and for Caroline.

To be honest, picking which house, if any, they may go for isn't as easy as you might think because they

have been pretty cagey about all of the houses I've shown them, but of course, as ever, there is only

one way to find out what they are going to do, to go and ask them.

Well, guys, I'm afraid this is it, we're nearly done.

All right. Well, let's just remind ourselves of the journey we took to the properties of East Sussex.

We started with that lovely renovated Edwardian property with the new extension on it.

-Yes.

-What did you think of that one?

-Fantastic.

The room sizes were brilliant.

-Lots of space.

-The living room was fantastic.

That's probably the best part of that property.

-The extension was superb.

-And it's nice views out the back as well.

You can sort of go upstairs and look out over the fields, see the cows grazing.

Well, then it was another day, a sunny day, I'm glad to say.

And we took you to that wonderful property just outside Crowhurst.

What happened there?

We liked that property. I liked the style of the architecture, the arch-shaped windows.

The kitchen was great cos it's so open-plan.

The kitchen was fantastic.

Also, the separate annexe type site at the end of the house, as well,

-which was independent.

-Well, I kept that as a bit of a surprise.

Yes. It was a very big surprise.

-My goodness me! That was a huge addition.

-Yeah.

But it wasn't over yet. There was, of course, one last property to see.

The mystery house. Now then, what about that one, Caroline?

I love the actual frontage of it.

It's so different from anything else we'd seen.

The lounge was lovely.

Large inglenook fireplace.

Nice size dining room. And I think the only drawback was the kitchen.

Obviously, there wasn't a large gas stove, cooker in there.

-The thing that amazed me at the property was the study.

-That's right.

It's the perfect office, independent from the rest of the house, so no unnecessary interruptions.

-And what about the pool?

-That took us back.

Nicely secluded in the grounds of the property.

Big enough to have fun and swim around and enjoy it.

We've talked about it endlessly now. We've shown you round. What happens next?

-I think we're going to go back and see the mystery property.

-Right.

Definitely. But at this stage, we don't want to rule out the property in Crowhurst.

If you were to ask us now to make a call, although this could change

-in the future, the mystery house is edging it, at the moment.

-Yes.

Well, thank you for being such good sports.

I hope we've been able to point you in the direction of your ideal dream home.

Either of those will be fantastic.

The mystery house though, great choice. So thank you and well done.

-Thank you, Jules.

-Thank you.

Well, dusk is setting and that,

of course, brings us nearly to the end of this particular show.

When we started our journey with Brian and with Caroline,

I really did not believe they knew quite what they were looking for.

Have we solved the problem, I wonder?

We've certainly given them lots of choice, maybe too much choice.

The mystery house played its part fantastically.

Certainly put the cat among the pigeons

and maybe will be their ideal dream home.

I suspect it's a debate that will rumble on, however, but if they do buy it, it'll be perfect.

I'll see you next time.

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