Leicestershire Escape to the Country

Today I'm in a part of the world that's famous for producing

one of Britain's oldest and well-known of fast foods.

Its ingredients are very simple.

A good chunk of pastry, a lid, a handful of pork and a dolly.

What am I talking about, you wonder?

Join me in Escape To The Country, and I'll tell you.

'In today's show, I'll be helping a growing family leave suburbia behind

'so they can all spread out in a grand dream home in the country.

'I'll be showing them some of the most luxurious houses they can buy in the area.'

It's like a lottery house, like what you buy when you've won the lottery!

'And they will be spoilt for choice.'

-You brought the cheque-book?

-That's a bargain!

-Can we move in now?

'Making it a challenge to make up their minds.

'And I'll uncover a mystery house that's full of hidden surprises.'

Today, I'm in Leicestershire, in Melton Mowbray,

home to this, the classic pork pie,

and I'm here with Steve Hallam in Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe.

Steve, what's so special about a Melton Mowbray pork pie?

Three key things - the pastry should be rich and crunchy,

succulent pork, and tasty jelly.

All three together.

You don't pie a pie just to eat meat and leave the pastry.

But I'm told there is a secret part to the recipe.

There is, and if I tell that you, I'd have to kill you -

it's no longer a secret!

The good news is Leicestershire has plenty of other secrets that we can tell you about.

Lovely.

'Nestled in the heart of England,

'and surrounding the thriving city of Leicester,

'the county of Leicestershire offers an array of pretty villages

'and colourful market towns.

'There are beautiful rural landscapes

'with diverse wildlife and hidden nature trails,

'including the National Forest, which embraces 200 square miles of growing woodland,

'thanks to an initiative to plant new trees.

'Perfect walking, cycling and horse riding territory.

'Famous too for Stilton and Red Leicester cheese,

'Leicestershire has something to suit everyone's taste.'

Given Leicestershire's central location and excellent transport links,

you would expect house prices here to be high. But here's the rub.

Your average detached will set you back £256,000.

That's 5% below the national average.

It's great news for today's buyers,

and should give them a reasonable chance of getting their first foot on the rural property ladder.

'Today's house hunters are Rachel and Anthony.

'They live in a four-bed house in a suburb of Tamworth in Staffordshire.

'Anthony works as an HGV lorry driver, while Rachel works for the local council.

'Family is everything to them,

'and they want to give their ever-expanding clan a better life in the countryside.'

It was just the perfect house, but we've outgrown it.

The bedrooms are too small. Obviously, the new house we would like bigger bedrooms.

-Three bedrooms, four bedrooms.

-Hopefully, four bedrooms.

'But it's not just their three daughters that need more space,

'there are the grandparents to think about too,

'and they're not just coming to visit - they're moving in!'

We'd like to move to the country to combine our house with my mum and dad's, so we can all live together.

'It's not just about size, either.

'Rachel's dad needs special care, so they need easy access ground-floor living space.

'They'll be looking for ready-made self-contained accommodation or something like a garage to convert.'

The property we'd like to move to would have accommodation downstairs for my mum and dad.

My dad's disabled so he would need a bathroom downstairs as well.

'They also want a place for everyone to come together.'

At the moment, we have a separate kitchen and dining room.

In the new house, it would be ideal if we could combine the two to make a larger area.

And outdoor space is also on the wish list.

At the moment, we've got quite a small garden.

In the new house, we'd like a big garden where we can have some ponies

and pigs and goats and chickens and things that I can rescue.

'They're keen to embrace a traditional rural lifestyle,

'where the kids have got plenty of space to grow up and play around in,

'with the support of a thriving village community.'

The kind of life we dream of is a slower pace of life.

-Spend more time...

-Playing with the kids...

..the children, getting involved in village life.

Yeah. Trips to the village pub, and fetes, all the things that go on.

'They're going to have the sale of two properties to play with -

'their own house and Rachel's parents' place.

'So we've invited round an estate agent

'to see how much Rachel and Anthony can contribute to the kitty.'

'This is a well-presented four-bedroom family detached residence

'situated in a highly sought-after and residential location.'

I would put a valuation on the property in the region of £240,000.

'Making a grand total of...'

We're combining the sale of our house and Rachel's mum and dad's house.

So our budget for our perfect property is a maximum of £500,000.

I think this house hunt could be something of a challenge.

We're looking for a house not just for Anthony and for Rachel,

but also, of course, their three children and Rachel's parents.

Here's the important bit - the accommodation for the old folks has to be on the ground floor.

On top of that, they also want a garden for a vegetable patch and maybe the odd chicken,

and ideally, the whole lot should be close to, if not in, a nice village location.

All of that for half a million quid.

'Rachel and Anthony don't want to be too far away from friends and family

'in Tamworth, so we're focusing our property search around Leicester.

'As space is the main priority for today's family,

'we'll have our work cut out trying to fit everyone in.

'In today's show, we'll take our couple on a tour of three beautiful properties,

'but they won't find out the prices until after they've viewed each one.

'And the last of the properties will be a mystery house,

'to throw something completely different into the mix.'

Rachel, Anthony, here we are on Escape to the Country and you've got a cool half a million to spend,

-but it has got to go quite a long way, hasn't it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

So who exactly have we got to fit in to this house?

We've got three children, and my mum and dad.

-Right, so three generations?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Have you looked at many houses in the past?

Just a couple on the internet, really.

So you've no idea, really, if this is going to be possible?

-No!

-No!

OK, right, well, the good news is that we're in quite an interesting part of the country

as regards property and property prices, particularly at the moment,

so I'm confident your £500,000 will go some way further than you perhaps thought it would.

But nonetheless, it is going to be a challenge fitting all of you in to one house.

That's going to take a bit of vision and a bit of imagination.

Have you got bags of that with you?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, definitely.

-Good. I'm pretty optimistic.

-Shall we?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

'So, Anthony and Rachel have a total budget of £500,000.

'Ideally, they're looking for four bedrooms

'with separate ground-floor living space for Rachel's parents,

'and a downstairs bathroom for her dad.

'They are after a big family kitchen and a large garden for animals,

'but most of all, they need plenty of space to keep everyone happy.

How are we all feeling, then, about our first day's house hunting?

-Excited. Can't wait.

-Can't wait.

Good. It's quite interesting when we talk about this idea of bringing three generations into one property.

For some people, that's their idea of a nightmare.

But you're quite willingly taking this on. How do you think it's going to be all living together?

Well, it will be fine, as long as we could get... We need something that has got their own living area,

like living room, just so we're not on top of each other all the time.

'For our first property, we're travelling 20 miles north of Leicester

'to the sweet little village of Nether Broughton.

'Whilst it feels very rural,

'just ten minutes away is the village community of Old Dalby, complete with school.

'Such a pretty village, it's an idyllic peaceful place for the whole family,

'so I think Rachel and Anthony will be all smiles.'

Now, you did say you wanted to be somewhere rural.

What about this, then?

-Breathtaking, that view.

-Brilliant. Well, I'm glad you like it so far.

If you like this bit,

wait until you see the house, because it's pretty special.

This is what I want to you look at.

-How about it?

-Wow. It's lovely.

-It's great. Yeah.

It's quite typical for this part of the world, really, this red brick.

It's probably 200 years old or thereabouts.

It's been much converted and the standard in here is extraordinary.

It really is extraordinary. You'll see what I mean when we have a look.

Now, come on in.

Wow! This is definitely big enough.

I like the units, the colour, the taps, the way the kitchen's set out.

It's just what the doctor ordered.

Brilliant! That's fantastic.

Well, come and have a kind of broader look at it,

because the whole thing, really, is set off by that cast-iron range.

It just screams country life to me.

Proper escape to the country in here, isn't it?

Yeah, very good.

And as you would expect, everything's integrated.

Hidden behind all these doors, look at that.

There's the fridge, freezer underneath it, and these things I love.

-Look at that. Can you get all your bits and pieces in there?

-Yeah!

So nothing - nothing - has been left to chance.

Now, in terms of dining. Come and have a look at this.

This is quite interesting.

What would you do with this space?

-Dining room.

-Definitely.

It's beautiful. Looking out over the garden, skylight.

I can't stop smiling.

That's a really good sign.

The floor is also quite special.

I could feel it, is it underfloor heating?

-Underfloor heating.

-Perfect.

-I love it.

Great. Brilliant.

-It feels comfortable.

-Yeah.

-Doesn't it?

Well, it certainly should, because this is a terrifically comfortable house.

There's no doubt about it.

Now, in terms of Mum and Dad, you want them downstairs, don't you?

Come and have a look at this.

Because the current owners had this room designed and built

as part of the extension to allow them to have one of their elderly relatives here.

They've never used it, as such.

They've currently got it set up as an office, as you can see.

-But take all this out, and it would be a bedroom.

-More than big enough.

Yeah, nice size.

'Next door, there's a beautiful bathroom and a handy utility room,

'enhancing the living space for Rachel's parents.

'But we're heading back through the kitchen area to the other downstairs rooms.'

So, through another lovely old door off of the kitchen into this space.

-Come on in.

-Right.

You could have your dining area in here.

-Yeah.

-And that could be a family room through there.

-Yeah.

-Choices, again.

Lots of choices here.

But there is more. Come and have a look through here.

I think you'll quite enjoy this Rachel. Come on in.

-Lovely.

-It is nice.

-Very cosy.

Yeah. I can see us sitting in here. A good-sized room.

-This is what I had in mind.

-Yes?

Brilliant. You know, out of ten?

Nine.

Upstairs is where we're heading next.

What would gain an extra point up there?

-Decent-sized rooms.

-Yeah.

You're going to love this.

Off you go.

'Upstairs, coming off the large landing, are four bedrooms,

'three of which would be ideal for their daughters.'

-It's perfect. It's like it's made for us.

-It is.

-It's just the right size, isn't it?

-Yeah.

For all of us. I love the doors and the skylight.

As you can see, this has been very heavily designed,

but very sympathetic, I think, to that cosy country feel that you're after.

'There's also a deluxe bathroom,

'but let's see if they fancy what would be their room.'

Finally, the last bedroom.

-Wow, again. Nice size!

-Very nice.

Now, how does this one compare to what you've got at the moment?

-Similar size, isn't it?

-Similar, yeah.

It's got fitted wardrobes as well.

-But I bet they're not like those fitted wardrobes?

-No!

I think this is a beautiful home.

But there is one more thing of course, as you would expect in this property...

Oh, wow!

-Go and check it out.

-It's beautiful.

Yeah? Your kind of thing?

-Yes. I love it.

-You see the taps?

-Crystal taps.

-Very high standard.

I could see me using this.

So, now, then, downstairs, you said it was a nine out of ten.

-Upstairs is...I would still say nine out of ten.

-Yeah.

Wait a minute! We came up here looking for one extra point, mate.

This isn't a whole start again thing on the numbers!

This is have we got a ten out of ten overall for the property?

Overall, yeah.

It can't not be. It's lovely.

-Breathtaking.

-It is. It's perfect.

Perfect.

-Just one snag.

-What's that?

-The price!

-Well, we will get to the price in due course.

First, though, let's go out and check out the garden area and see what you make of that.

And then, yeah, we'll see if you want to get your cheque-book out.

Come and have a look.

This way...

Right, guys.

Now, come out into the garden.

It is in the middle of a working farm, as you can see all around you, so you're only overlooked by that.

-I like the pond.

-Well, there's fish in there too. They all come free!

But there's plenty of room for veggies and chickens and things.

So you would get this, and, of course, the main event,

you get that. So how much do you like it?

-A lot.

-A lot.

You said ten out of ten.

Yeah. It's Anthony that's probably going to be not giving it ten out of ten when he knows the price.

Well, let's see. Will the price score ten out of ten, I wonder?

You've got half a million to spend, 500,000.

Go on, Anthony, make me an offer.

-I would say 550.

-Might be a bit more than that.

I mean, if it was 550, could you find another 50 grand?

-At a push, but...

-Yeah.

-At a push.

-Mmm.

-All right, suppose you don't have to push at all?

Supposing I told you could afford this house with 85,000 to spare.

-No way!

-Wow!

Have you done the maths yet?

It's on the market for £415,000.

-Have you brought the cheque book?

-That's a bargain.

Can we move in now?

-That's an absolute bargain.

-Gosh!

-Pretty cool, eh?

-Yeah.

-Definitely.

£415,000 and you don't even need to pick up a paintbrush.

-No! I can't believe it.

-No, nor me.

Well, believe it, because that's what it is, that's the truth of it.

Go on, go and have a walk around in what may be your new house.

I will prise you away later.

There we are, it doesn't come much better than that, not only under budget but by a cool £85,000.

'So, at 415 grand,

'this spacious farmhouse will leave them plenty of change.

'It has four bedrooms, and separate ground floor accommodation for Rachel's parents.

'And a large modern kitchen, perfect for a big family,

'all set in a rural location.'

I had a good feeling to start with because the garden was beautiful,

-and I couldn't wait to get in the front door.

-Wow!

It's lovely. It's just perfect.

This room I can see being our room.

-Yes, especially with that fire on.

-Yeah.

This is what escaping to the country is all about.

-That room is ideal for your dad.

-Right next to the bathroom.

-Brilliant.

-Yeah.

I would say this property is more or less 100% what I was looking for.

-What do you think about the price?

-The price was very cheap.

-I know.

I thought it was going to be more than that.

-So we can buy this, can't we?

-Yes!

-Yeah!

Now then, have I got to drag you out of here with a coach and horses?

-Yes.

-It's pretty special, isn't it?

-It is, it's lovely.

-So it's clearly one on the list?

-Yes, definitely.

-So good so far.

Right, come on.

'As clouds roll over the Leicestershire fields,

'day one of Rachel and Anthony's house hunting draws to a close.'

'Rachel and Anthony from Tamworth are looking for a house in Leicestershire.

'They're doubling up with Rachel's parents,

'so, with the value of two properties, they have half a million pounds to play with.

'So far, they've seen one property above and beyond their wildest dreams.'

We can buy this, can't we? Yes! Yeah!

'But the search is about to go up a notch, adding yet another temptation to the mix.

Wow! Again, wow!

And still to come...

We unearth a hidden treasure with the mystery house.

How cool is this!

Unbelievable!

We're now halfway through our house search here with Anthony and Rachel,

and the daunting task of trying to find a property that will contain their ever-evolving family

is at last beginning to hit home, but, so far, so good.

We've certainly got one property on the list as a possible contender,

and coming up are two more that may well throw a spanner in the works.

'For our next property,

'we're travelling ten miles south-west of Leicester

'to the small village of Kirkby Mallory.

'Surrounded by open countryside,

'it's a pretty little village with a 13th-century stone church

'and a handy convenience store.

'But there's something very special here I think Anthony is just going to love.

'He's fond of motor sports,

'so wait until he discovers Mallory Park Race Track is right on his doorstep,

'and if this is the house for them, they'll even receive complementary tickets.'

This is a location, guys.

-It's nice.

-I like the lane.

-Yeah.

-Very pretty, isn't it?

-It is.

-Wait till you see what we've got in store for you here.

-Look at this, these would be your gates.

-Oh, my God!

-Look at that!

Oh, wow!

Look at that. You are joking!

I'm not joking. What do you think?

-I could cry!

-Yeah!

Come on, Anthony.

This could be your new home.

-Come and have a look.

-It's beautiful.

I bet this says a lot.

-What do you think?

-Unbelievable.

I'm speechless.

It's about 1950s, so it's 60 years old, but much developed over the last 60 years or so.

Quite interesting. Who knows?

Maybe it's the one. Come on.

'Well, it does seem that this property has made an overwhelming first impression.

'So let's see what happens inside.'

There's not much to say about any hallway, particularly,

however, the important thing is there are two doors leading off of it.

One of them goes into a kitchen.

-You wanted a nice big kitchen, didn't you?

-Mmm-hmm.

-Go and tell me if that one is big enough.

-OK.

-In you go.

SHE GASPS

Oh, wow!

Oh, God, I AM gonna cry!

I don't know what to say.

-I mean, look at this.

-Oh, wow.

Is this what you had in mind?

It's big. It's massive!

-More than what we had in mind.

-More than what you had in mind?

I feel at home already!

-That's a very good sign, and this is only the kitchen.

-I know.

Oh, dear, I imagine the girls sat there watching the telly while I'm cooking.

It's miles away over there!

It's fantastic, it really is.

Yeah? Come through, because the other thing, which I love about it, is this.

How do you fancy cooking on that?

Oh, yes. I'm sure I could create something on that!

-Knock something up for supper.

-Yes.

It's like a lottery house. What you buy when you won the lottery.

Well, have you got the winning ticket, I wonder?

I mean, I think this is very much the heart of this home.

I can see that an awful lot of your day-to-day life would occur around

that central island and in and out of here.

-Yeah.

-You really don't need anywhere else, actually. We'll just stay here!

I'd love to just say to you, "This is it",

but, of course, as would you expect with a house like this, there is a lot more to see.

Come and have a look through here.

-So...

-It's a nice big space, isn't it?

-It is, yeah.

What would you do with all this space?

-It would be lovely for us to sit there, wouldn't it?

-Yes.

And have the children...

..have this area. We could have it as a play area, couldn't we?

They've got bags of room, haven't they?

-I like the layout.

-It's so open.

Yeah. Yeah, it's lovely.

'There's also a beautiful conservatory.

'And a downstairs cloakroom.

'But how about this for Rachel's parents?'

Right, now, last but not least, this room on the ground floor.

What about a bedroom?

-Yeah, it's perfect size.

-Good size, yeah. It would be great for a bedroom, this one.

-Yeah. It's like it was made for us in mind, isn't it?

-Yeah.

But you said that before about other houses!

I know, but this one's just...

I bet it's way over budget.

Might be!

But well worth looking at nonetheless, I think,

because I get the sense this is really what you guys are after.

-This is gorgeous.

-Look at your face.

I love it! I love it! Brilliant.

OK, so, upstairs, how many bedrooms did you really want?

Four would be ideal, wouldn't it?

-So five would be really cool.

-Hmm-hmm.

-Yeah.

Great, because you've got five!

'As we head upstairs, three of the bedrooms are perfect for their little girls,

'one with its own en-suite, and another with its own shower.'

And this is...

..the master suite.

Wow! Again, wow!

-Is this big enough for you?

-Yeah!

Through that little door there,

you've got a dressing room with built-in his-and-hers rails and cupboards and all the rest of it.

But also through here, this is lovely, this is your en-suite with a difference. Come and check this out.

-Oh, wow.

-It's like a space ship.

-Yeah.

-I'm actually quite sad now.

Why? What's to be sad about?

This house has got to be way over budget because it's so lovely.

-It's worth seeing, though.

-Oh, yeah, definitely.

It gives us some ideas, doesn't it?

Yeah, a few ideas, I should think.

Now, then, the other thing about this bathroom is,

the smallest bedroom also leads into this bathroom,

so I'm thinking your youngest child could be in here.

So what about this for the latest addition to your family?

-Oh, it's lovely.

-Perfect size for her, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-It's great layout.

-It is.

-Perfect.

Couldn't wish for anything else.

You could, mate, because wait until you see the bathroom!

Come in, mate.

-Now this is a bathroom!

-Yeah?

-It's beautiful.

And this, do you know what this is?

-It's a remote for the TV that's up there. What about it?

-I think I've found my room!

He'll be gone missing for hours in here!

I can see you in there, beer, watching what's going on at Mallory Park round the corner

on the telly in your bath tub, listening to it live out the window.

That'll do me.

I will lose you for hours, won't I?

'It seems our buyers think everything about this house spells luxury,

'but let's see what they think of the outside.

'At the rear of the house is a pretty paved lawn area, but we're taking a stroll around the front,

'overlooking that entrance which made such a big impression as we arrived.'

Now, the garden... This is arguably the biggest garden we've yet shown you.

-Yes.

-And plenty of room for a pony.

-Yes.

-And chickens and anything else you want.

The obvious thing to point out is, of course, the noise of the racetrack.

I like it, I do. I like the sound.

-So you'll be out there, will you?

-Yeah.

Looking at the races, and all the rest of it.

-So the land is good, the house is good, location you love.

-Yeah.

Despite the motorbikes. How much?

This is the bit I've been dreading.

-And me.

-You've got £500,000 to spend.

I'd say it's over that.

Oh, definitely. It's got to be at least 600, hasn't it, at least?

At least.

OK. £675,000.

£175,000 over your budget.

So here's the thing... It's been reduced to 499.

No way! No way!

Get the cheque book out!

No way!

I'm going to faint.

Cheque book, now!

Oh it's... Oh, no.

-It's ideal.

-Oh!

-It was made for you.

-Definitely.

Its location may put a lot of people off.

It may explain the price reduction

and, of course, the current state of the market,

but I think it's got you written all over it.

-It has.

-Definitely.

-It has.

-Right, go on.

Go and check out your new home.

Find some tissues on the way!

Well, there we are. That, I have to say, has made my day.

That is why I love my job,

seeing two very happy smiles on two very happy faces.

A huge amount under its original asking price of £675,000,

theirs comfortably under budget at 499. What a result!

This property is an absolute steal

and meets their budget at the reduced price of 499.

It has five bedrooms and downstairs space for Rachel's folks,

a glamorous kitchen-diner that had Rachel practically in tears

and more than enough communal space for the whole clan.

When I first came up the drive, it was just breathtaking.

The property has got bags of room for all of us to get in.

There's enough there to feed an army on!

Yeah. You'd need it with our lot!

If I was to buy a kitchen and put one in from scratch, it would be something along those lines.

This room is perfect for George.

Seven-year-old who wants her own en suite. She's got one.

I never had that when I was seven.

Where we live at the minute, we're pretty close to the M42. It's a different sound with the racetrack.

The sound won't be a problem.

It will be nice with that lit in the winter, wouldn't it?

-Lovely. Think about the price.

-I can't get over it.

-I know. I'm still in shock.

-I can see us living here.

Well...

What can I say?

What can I say? How are we going to possibly better that?

-I don't think you will.

-No, nor me.

I love a challenge. Come on!

'They think we can't top the last house,

'but round the corner is everything they're after, bar a racetrack,

'and plenty of surprises in store.'

What would be the worst kind of mystery house to show you?

Barn conversion. They're lovely, but they're more like show houses.

They're not comfortable for us.

So you just want a nice big house.

-Yes.

-That's mysterious?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Somehow.

-Yes.

-Right!

They'll be pleased to know it's not a barn conversion.

The mystery property is quite the opposite, a grand family house

right in the heart of the gorgeous village of Stathern,

about an hour's drive north-east of Leicester.

Set in the Vale of Belvoir and surrounded by a picturesque rural landscape,

the village offers an ideal family life, a strong sense of community,

a primary school for their young daughters

and even a pub with its own award-winning restaurant.

Now then, you said what you didn't want for the mystery house

was a barn conversion.

So we haven't got you a barn conversion. We've got you this.

Really imposing village location.

-Looks nice.

-It's nice and it is very old, this.

-Early Georgian, which is about 1720 to 1730.

-Lots of history, then.

Lots of history.

As ever, can we fit you lot in it?

I'm thinking particularly as well about your folks.

In terms of accommodating them, that may take a bit of thought.

But I'm sure you're up for that.

-OK, yeah.

-Shall we have a look?

-Yeah.

Grab the door, Anthony.

Right, let's start in the kitchen. What do you think?

It's a nice size, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-It's a nice layout.

-It's really different from the last property we saw.

-Yes.

But I like it just as much.

It's not old fashioned, it's not modern,

it's just right for the house.

Yes, if you replaced it and put a modern one in,

-it wouldn't look right.

-But does it suit you guys?

-I think so.

-Yeah.

-Plenty of room.

-Good.

'We're off to a good start.

'Downstairs, there is also a decent sized living room

'and a downstairs cloakroom for Rachel's father.

'But next up, something of a snug.'

Now, this is real period.

This is lovely. Look at that fireplace.

-It's like stepping back in time.

-Yeah. I love the colour.

These kind of heritage colours are coming back,

everyone's making them now.

This room and its decor gives you a sense of what could you do

in terms of breathing a bit of history back into the decor...

-Yeah.

-..of the other rooms.

-Definitely.

Now, Anthony, it's often said that every Englishman's

home is his castle so it's only fitting you should have a dungeon.

Oh, wow.

For which we'll need this!

-Let's go and find out.

-OK!

Down here, down here.

Who's for a bit of ghost hunting?

Come on in.

HE CHUCKLES

Look at this place. Look, great wine cellar.

-How cool is this?!

-Unbelievable.

You can't stand up.

Plenty of storage space.

Well, it's like having an upside-down attic.

The girls would love this.

-I could see them using this as a den or something.

-Yeah.

-That's the cellar. Shall we go upstairs?

-Yeah.

Now, come on in here.

-This has just been renovated, the bathroom.

-How big is this?!

Family bathroom. What about that?

-Looks great.

-Massive!

-This is plenty big enough, isn't it?

-Not bad, eh?

So, this is newly renovated,

but the rest of it you can put your own mark on.

Come and have a look...

at some bedrooms.

'There are four bright and airy bedrooms upstairs

'with one currently used as an office.

'Let's see if Rachel and Anthony can imagine waking up in theirs.'

-This is the master.

-Wow!

-It's a nice size, isn't it?

-Yeah?

Yeah, it's massive.

-Huge, isn't it?

-It's really pretty.

Now, then, there is a bit of extra space here. It also has an attic.

-Right.

-But this is going to require a bit of DIY.

OK. Come and have a look.

Come with me up here.

It's like being in a submarine.

Look at that. Now, there's a huge amount of space up here.

-There is.

-You've got, effectively, three rooms.

One through there, this one, and one right through there.

-Oh, wow.

-Massive!

This would have had access via a normal staircase at one point

but that's been taken out,

but my suggestion is that somehow you reconfigure that

because this would be a fantastic set of rooms for the kids.

Oh, yeah, I can see them up here.

-I like this.

-It could be beautiful, couldn't it?

-So quiet as well.

I'm blown away, I am with it.

-Good, so worth struggling up the ladder?

-Yeah.

I'm just worrying about going back down now!

-Right, then, ladies first!

-Oh, thank you(!)

THEY LAUGH

'Everything about this house is absolutely made for them.

'So, we're heading downstairs to a space that could be converted

'for the parents, but will require Anthony and Rachel

'to use all of their imagination.'

Right, now, when your mum and dad sent you out to find them a home

-as well, this probably isn't what they had in mind.

-No.

But, I'm thinking it's ripe for being converted

to some quite flexible purpose-built accommodation.

There is planning permission to knock this down and build a new one.

-Interesting...

-Yeah.

-Mmm.

-OK, so if the house overall is of interest, that is a possibility.

-Mm-hmm.

-Right, come on, let's have a look at the rest of the garden.

-OK.

'They don't seem particularly taken with that idea,

'but there are many surprising features in the garden that should win them over.

'There's plenty of outdoor space for the family, with a massive lawn,

'a flourishing vegetable patch

'and a pot of gold at the bottom of the garden.'

And in here...

-You've got your own little orchard.

-Oh, wow!

-Isn't this cute!

-Really cute.

Apple trees bursting with apples, a little greenhouse over there.

That will keep my mum busy making apple pies.

Well, there is a lot more to this little part of the garden

than meets the eye, because this has planning permission on it

-for a four-bedroomed detached house.

-Oh, right.

This equals cash, whether you build something on here or you sell

the plot off to a developer, this could be something for a rainy day.

-Worth thinking about, isn't it?

-It is.

Through here, you get another view of the property which,

-I think, is absolutely delightful.

-It is. Oh, it's so pretty.

-How much do you think this is all worth?

-I haven't got a clue.

I wouldn't like to say.

Go on, have a stab. You've got half a million.

I think it's over that, don't you?

-I'd say 575.

-I'd say 600, easy.

OK, this house was valued originally at considerably more than that...

..but the owners tell me that the asking price is now...

£550,000.

Right. And now I'm confused!

THEY LAUGH

-I like this one.

-Yeah.

What is it about it do you think?

It's just the history.

It's so different from what we've seen but it's just as nice, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-OK, well, there's an awful lot to consider, I can see.

In my experience of these things,

having a choice of properties is a good thing.

I'm confused!

Go on, go and be confused inside. Have another look around.

I love it.

A bit of confusion sometimes does help you make the right decision.

Admittedly, this is £50,000 over budget, but let's not forget

this is not a short-term move for these guys,

this is a long-term family decision.

They're looking for a long-term family house.

Now, it is 50 grand over budget, but I do believe that in the long term,

50 grand could be money well spent.

This ironstone country house in the village location

is on the market for £550,000.

It's just a tad over budget, but they could sell off

the plot of land which has approval for development.

It has four well-decorated bedrooms, an expansive attic which the children could enjoy,

a garage which can be converted for the parents with ease,

and a number of garden areas to keep everyone happy.

So, did we save the best till last?

When I first saw the house, I thought how pretty it was.

The brickwork's lovely, it's gorgeous.

I like this room.

It's nice and light. I like the outlook.

Yeah. I think I'd have this room as the master bedroom.

Yeah. The garage space is perfect for my mum and dad.

They could design it how they wanted it.

The parents would really love this, especially the gardens. They'd be in their element.

-I'm so confused.

-Can we stretch?

We'll have to try.

Now, then, that's it, guys.

House tours are over.

-Are you confused?

-Very.

Are you happy?

-Very!

-Brilliant.

That's a good place to be for you guys to have

-a good think about everything and maybe make a decision.

-Mmm.

-Shall we go?

-Yeah.

Over the past two days, Anthony and Rachel have been hankering

to get their cheque book out on more than one occasion,

but now it's time for what will be, I suspect, a tough choice.

Now we have reached my favourite part of the show.

It is, of course, decision time for Anthony and for Rachel.

And to say they were confused would be an understatement.

Now, when we started out on this, I was a little unclear

as to what your ideal property was going to look like and

-I suspect you weren't really sure what you'd get for your money.

-No.

-How have you found the whole experience?

-Brilliant.

-Yeah, really good.

-A real eye-opener.

It all started with the farmhouse.

I was surprised about the size of the downstairs rooms, actually,

the living room and the dining room are lovely. And it was a nice layout.

So you could have your own little space at the far end

-and mum and dad would have that big atrium area.

-Yeah.

-And you probably thought it wasn't going to get any better.

-Yes!

But the following day, we took you to the white house,

up that huge drive.

I felt like I was in a scene from Dallas going up that driveway.

-It was lovely.

-It was nice.

-And a kitchen that blew you away.

-Yeah.

-I think it was big enough!

-It was.

-And you weren't put off by the noise of the racetrack?

-No.

-Not at all.

OK, just when you probably thought it wasn't going to get any better,

we took you to the mystery house.

Very different location in the heart of a very established village.

-What did you make of that one?

-You couldn't fault it, could you?

-You'd have been lord of the manor, wouldn't you?

-Yeah.

Again, the potential was there with the rooms cos of the loft.

You could have converted that and had another three bedrooms up there.

OK, well, any one of them could have worked for you.

What are you going to do next?

We're definitely going to bring the folks up very soon

to see one of them.

Well, come on, which one are you going to see?

Out of all of them, it's got to be the white house.

And what a bargain!

-Yeah, definitely.

-I do think, for what you need and for

the money that you've got to spend, it's probably absolutely right.

-Mm-hm.

-And you can have a pony.

-Yeah! THEY CHUCKLE

Brilliant, well, we wish you all the very best of luck.

Do let us know what the folks think, what the kids think.

Georgia's going to get her en-suite that she so badly wanted,

-and you get a racetrack, mate!

-That's it.

-Right on your doorstep!

-It is.

-It is the perfect combination, isn't it?

-It is.

Well guys thanks for coming on the show, it's been great fun.

-Thank you.

-And we wish you all the best of luck.

-Thank you.

You know, finding a house to fit this enormous family

was always going to be something of a challenge,

but I have to say it's one that I've really enjoyed.

I've been really impressed with the way Anthony and Rachel

have applied themselves to each and every one of the houses that we've shown them.

They've done it with a real determination

and a sense of gusto setting out to find their ideal country property.

For a couple, so unfamiliar with most things that the countryside has to offer,

I think they've done a fantastic job and have finally ended up

with their ideal dream home. I do like a happy ending.

I'll see you next time.

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