Winchester To Buy or Not to Buy

-Good morning.

-Hello.

-And welcome to today's To Buy Or Not To Buy.

Today Ed and I are very privileged

to find ourselves in the second best place to live

in the whole of the UK.

And that second best place to live in the UK is...Winchester.

I think I want to live in the first best place,

-which is where exactly?

-Edinburgh.

But think about it this way - two is one more than one,

-making two better than one.

-Plus Winchester is very nice.

We're not here to talk about your property requirements, though.

-We are here for today's buyers. They wish to live in Winchester.

-Watch.

Today it's Peter and Stella McKeevers' accommodation

requirements that are on the agenda.

They're upping sticks from Cumbria and leaving their family home.

To relocate much further south

to be closer to three of their four sons who look like Take That

and to their granddaughters Alice, Anna, Katie and Lucy.

Both are retired former teachers.

Peter tinkers with his motorbike and doing some consultancy work.

Whilst Stella keeps herself busy

by teaching piano and conducting an all-ladies choir.

# Mamma mia, here I go again

# My, my, just how much I missed you... #

But the question is what are they

all going to do when Stella has moved down south?

Mamma mia!

Peter, Stella, good morning. Welcome to beautiful Winchester.

This is a big journey, emotionally and geographically, for you.

-That's right.

-Yes.

-The problem is that living in the frozen north

our four sons have moved south

for work and family and now we find ourselves isolated

so we're thinking, as we come up to retirement and look to the future,

we'd like to be closer to the family.

It's the grandchildren! Not the sons! The grandchildren.

We have family in the London area, the Bournemouth area, in Brighton.

And we're looking really

very flexibly within that space to find somewhere...

It's a wide corridor.

-It is.

-So who applied for the show?

-Well...

-He did.

We've watched a few together

and noticed you very rarely dealt with the problems of someone

-moving north to south at our time of life.

-We have lots of friends

and a church we're involved in,

but we just feel perhaps this is the time. If we don't do it now,

it could be too late.

Is your house on the market? Sold?

-We're just on the market. About a week ago.

-Yeah.

You own your current property outright?

-Yes.

-No mortgage? So you'll be cash buyers.

-Yes.

You're coming from Cumbria where house prices are quite a lot lower

than they are down here, you need to be in a commanding position

to get the property you do want.

We should start talking.

The house. Do you want to do any work? Are you DIYers?

-Decorating...

-Maybe.

-Light stuff.

Style of property. What do we fancy?

Well, we live in an old Victorian large house.

It would be nice to have a little bit of space.

To condense to a minute tiny place might be difficult

and I do have a large grand piano that I would like to house.

-Or I might have to come down to an upright.

-Right.

I'd like to keep it if possible.

What style? Semi? Detached? Terraced? Old? New?

Again, we're very open, really, but we've been used to a detached house

and since my wife occasionally plays the piano at 11.30 at night...

Not very often!

-..a detached house is probably...

-You could be in danger of an ASBO!

Don't tell everybody!

-They'll find out at 11.30!

-Is a garden important to you?

-It is.

-My wife's a gardener. I do what I'm told.

-How many reception rooms?

Looking for open plan?

We talked about the need for a space for the piano.

Ideally, two separate rooms is good.

If Stella did any teaching, you've got a clear space to do it.

She's probably approaching giving up teaching piano.

-It depends how I feel.

-Yeah.

Kitchen diner? All the youth want kitchen diners.

We've been used to a dining room, but it doesn't matter.

Maybe with the piano being so big,

we could put a dining table cloth on the piano and eat off the piano.

A lot of people go for conservatories.

-Is that something you'd like?

-Yes! Dare we say.

-Of course you can dare!

-I tapped into something there.

You've seen the show,

but never seen this episode ever happen before.

-You think it's quite a challenge?

-Yes.

Well, how much have we got to spend?

We feel if we're looking around about the £300,000 mark, we're OK.

-And we also want to haggle down.

-Of course.

-I'm up for this.

We're going to try to work out the dimensions of a medium grand piano.

-We'll see you later. Wish us luck!

-Bye!

-See you.

So they're moving from one of the cheapest parts of the country...

To one of the most expensive.

-In their budget, it's a challenge.

-Indeed.

You, me and the mysterious property hunting team need to get at it.

Yeah, let's go find some houses.

But before we do that, let's tell you about today's location.

Situated on the edge of the South Downs in Hampshire,

Winchester in ancient times was England's capital.

It's home, of course, to this, Winchester Cathedral.

The longest in Europe, it also boasts Europe's longest nave.

Alfred the Great designed the street plan, which is still evident today,

as is King Arthur's round table,

with all the names of the legendary knights written around the edge.

The River Test, just west of Winchester,

is regarded as one of the most famous chalk streams in the world.

It's one of the longest rivers in the UK -

39 miles from source to estuary.

Famed for its fly fishing sites,

the river is so clear that it's used to clean the paper for banknotes.

Must be why they charge so much to fish here, then -

between £500 and £1,000 a day!

That is some expensive fish.

Well, as we are searching today

for properties in one of the most expensive parts of Britain,

let's see what £300,000 gets you in three less dear parts of the UK.

First off, in the south of Ayrshire

there's this stunning detached Victorian farmhouse. Four bedrooms

and views over the Stinchar Valley for offers over £300,000.

Slightly further south in County Durham, you could reside

in The Hermitage,

a two-storey 19th-century mansion conversion. Two bedrooms,

ample living space, communal swimming pool

at offers over £299,950.

But finally how about this terraced gem in Hull?

Beautifully decorated

with contemporary fitted kitchen and bathroom at just £47,000!

With today's budget, you could buy six of these bad boys!

So you'll get more for your dollar "oop north" where the cost of living

is lower than the south east.

Very true. Although southerners may be grinning like Cheshire cats,

remember, with tumbling house prices nationwide,

the credit crunch affects everyone.

That's right, Eduardo.

Wherever you live, keep your property in tip-top shape to maximise profit potential

and clinch that killer sale.

And how do we do that, Mr Estate Agent?

First of all, find out what you're up against.

Log on to the Land Register records

and find out how much your neighbours' houses sold for.

Then you won't get sideswiped.

And as my old choirmaster said, first impressions count.

Enhance your home's kerb appeal.

Paint the front windowsills, buff up your doorknob and mow the lawn!

A double bedroom has more value than a single. Use them to their

best advantage - in here size does matter.

And if your dreams are big,

especially in the bedroom department, add an extension.

It could add 10%-50% to the value of your property.

And it might clinch that sale, especially if you've been stuck.

But there is no point in having all that space

when the space looks like a 1970s museum.

Remember, decor est king.

Yeah, I've got it in my hand now, Peter. It does look a beauty.

We'll do the viewing later. Ciao back to you as well. Bye-bye.

-There we go.

-Good old Peter.

I'm very confident because... I've gone for a bungalow.

Have a look at that.

They could be living in a bungalow in Chandler's Ford. Lovely name.

Lovely bungalow. Lovely place. Detached. Hasn't got a conservatory,

but it is linked by the buses and the trains. And has a lovely church.

Superb. My choice is property number two. Half house, half bungalow,

or a dormer as it's frequently called.

It is the biggest of the three properties, but needs the most work.

It's a challenge to Peter and Stella

with regards to how much they're prepared to do.

Lovely village of Nursling. Does need a lot of work.

It is a big place. They won't have to downsize too much.

That's been factored into the price. Fingers crossed it's a contender.

One major concern in Stella's mind is her gigantic piano.

I think I can house it in the beautiful wild card

in Sherfield English.

Every place today, lovely names. It's not detached.

-It's semi-detached.

-It is immaculate as well.

Transport links, fine. And churches. How many? Three.

So there we go. Those are the houses for today. Where shall we go first?

Your choice, Property 1?

Right on the edge of the M3 corridor

lies my choice in a village named after a car

-belonging to a character from Friends. Chandler's Ford.

-Nice work.

House prices have fallen round here,

so it's a good choice of location for Peter and Stella.

Indeed, Jonny, indeed.

Stella and Peter, we are outside Property 1,

the one I have gone for today.

Peter, you said you've never seen us do north down to south.

I could have stumbled across problem number one.

We are in Chandler's Ford or Chah-ndler's Ford?

Definitely Chandler's.

People here will pronounce it in a different way.

You'd have to immerse yourself and work out the correct way.

The house is a bungalow. Lovely. You have the three bedrooms.

There's room for the grand piano. And you're near buses and trains.

I think they're five minutes away and can get you to anywhere.

-Sounds good.

-So with that information, what do you think?

-Well, interesting.

-Quite impressed.

-We've no preconceptions.

We need to look further.

It's a lovely area. Walking down the road is lovely.

If you've got grandchildren, a cul-de-sac is a safe area.

-I think Ed's done fantastically well.

-It's really good.

-I don't think you'll be let down inside, either.

-I hope you like it.

-Are you ready?

-We are.

-Revved?

-Come on, then! In there. Enjoy it.

-Good luck.

-Your tie is like piano keys.

-Like ebony and ivory.

-I like it.

-What I liked was Stella's rev. Shall we rev to the headphones?

-Yes.

I think that's a wisteria.

Right.

Ah, nice plants.

-Nice plants. Very established.

-Light.

That's the first time I've ever had

anyone describe the flora and fauna before they get in.

This is a little bedroom. Nicely decorated.

-Yes, neutral shades.

-It's good.

Built-in cupboards there. Very good. That's very useful.

Adequate size for a single.

They're coming from a four-bed, detached Victorian house.

It's going to be huge, isn't it?

So this is the litmus test of how prepared they are to downsize.

-Room number two.

-Into here.

-A study.

-This is a study.

This is an adequate size as well. Little cupboard there, Pete.

-A bit of storage.

-Useful. it's not an airing cupboard?

-I don't know.

-Just have a quick look. Oh, no, it's storage.

-Just storage.

Oh, the mystery door! Opened it - storage cupboard. Not as exciting.

Always helpful.

Plenty of room for the computer.

Bookshelf.

-That's enough room for you for a study, isn't it?

-Oh, yes.

As much space as I have at the moment.

-What are they going to be doing in the study?

-I didn't ask.

-OK, now, then.

-Nice floor. Is it wood?

-Yeah, it is wood.

-Yeah. Sanded off...

-Very nice.

-..and natural.

They've used that lovely hardwood flooring. It's Canadian maple.

-The wood they make skateboards out of.

-Really?

-Very promising.

-The bathroom.

-Tiles, shower, in the bath.

-Nice bath.

-Fresh.

-Nice bath, cupboard. Everything you need.

-Shower, good.

-I won't look at the weighing scales!

-No, no. Don't do that.

-Oh, that's nice.

-Very nice. Now, then...

Storage for clothes? Wardrobe?

-No.

-No.

Let's think. You could... You could put one over there.

It would be a bit tight.

Probably this would be better. Anyway...judging from the size,

you could probably do it. Just about.

-We've got two at home.

-I know. We're downsizing, don't forget.

-Yeah.

They need that at the front of their minds. They are downsizing

and need to lose some life luggage.

Life luggage. Good description.

-Dining area.

-Dining area, good.

Small table. We might have to get rid of our large one.

Would ours go in?

Not much else. A cupboard there.

We've got a pine dresser. Whether we'd put it in...

There's a wall taken up with window there.

Quite small, but it's possible.

-It could be a tight squeeze.

-And then through to the kitchen.

Could be a tight squeeze. It's a lot lighter than I thought.

Yes, nicely clad with cupboards.

What a brilliant way of describing a kitchen!

"Nicely clad with cupboards". I've done maybe 6,000 episodes.

Never heard a kitchen described like that. It's the only way

I'm going to describe kitchens now.

-Nicely clad with cupboards.

-Nice units.

-Small compared with the

one we've got. Downsizing is hard!

-We've to downsize.

-Could you bake in here?

I could bake if I didn't clutter my kitchen tops.

Oh, Stella cluttering her kitchen tops? I imagine she'd clutter them

with lots of little cupcakes

and nicely-cut sandwiches on doilies. That's how I imagine it.

-The main room.

-Beautiful.

A little bit on the small side,

but it's taken us a bit of time to get used to that.

There's two bedrooms, then a study, but really only big enough for that.

-So we're struggling a bit...

-Yeah.

..if we wanted a study/bedroom as the third option.

I do like it. I'd like to think we could slip into it.

-We probably could.

-Because it is very pleasant.

-We have to be practical.

-It is ready to move in.

-Yeah.

There we go. That's it, really.

That's why we came here. Bang.

-Oh, my. Could you put a conservatory out there, Pete?

-Now then...

Could you put a conservatory out there?

-Yeah, you could come out into a conservatory.

-If it was right.

-And it's facing...south?

-Yeah.

-We'd get the sun a fair bit of the day.

-There's a silver birch tree.

-The same as at home.

-It's a little bit bigger than ours.

-Home from home, isn't it?

-It is.

-I think there's apprehension about size.

-Uh-huh. Not generally.

Living room's OK. We're trying to make plans as if we were moving in.

-Which is good.

-Such as...

-Shall we put the piano...

-In the big bedroom?

-I'd thought what about in here for the piano?

-Yeah...

-A bit small.

-But then it's separate from your major living spaces.

-Yes.

-The big bedroom's a nice idea.

-You could put a conservatory on.

-Absolutely!

You were very giddy about the conservatory, Stella.

The more I think of it, that room looking out on the garden,

the bedroom, could make a nice piano room with a sofa bed, which we have,

and would fit nicely in there.

-This is quite...

-To be an extra guest.

Lots of plans. Also, you could go

for the upright if you wanted a bit more space.

But you could just get away with

the piano size you've got, and there's a few options.

How much money do you think this is going to cost? Not right now.

We'll go and find Jonny

and you've got between now and then to come up with a price.

-So Ed gave you all the information for potential piano work.

-Yes.

-Time to guess the price now.

-Goodness me.

-It's a lovely property.

-He's kicked things off well.

-Yes.

We really like a lot of the aspects of it, including the garage

-and the eaves have all been done with the UPVC.

-Yes.

-A lot of good things have been done outside as well as inside.

-Fantastic.

So your maximum budget is £300,000.

Ladies first, Stella. What do you think?

-I would think...300.

-£300,000?

-Mm-hm.

-Straight to the top.

-I'm going under. 295.

OK.

We've been slightly naughty. We've gone a bit over.

Stella, you're closest. The actual price - and there is always room

for negotiation - is £319,950.

So with the old 10% haggling back,

-it is within your price range.

-It is.

-And also a little bit for the conservatory as well.

-Mm-hm.

-Property 2 - are you ready?

-Yes, please.

-It's this way.

Right. I'm taking Peter and Stella

just nine miles south-west to the village of Nursling

to show them this detached chalet-style home.

Another good location on the cusp of the M27

-leading to the M3.

-We ARE pleasant today! A great semi-rural spot.

Let's just hope the interior

of this property doesn't scare Peter and Stella off too much.

OK, Stella and Peter. My choice, Property Number 2.

It's being marketed as a four-bedroom property.

It's really three bedrooms and a fourth bedroom-cum-study.

That's optional. It's also detached, which was something you wanted.

There's an incredibly private garden. First impressions?

Well... Immediately you see the bluebells.

It's a house, which we've been more used to than a bungalow.

-So the first impression...

-More conventional.

It's a chalet style. It was built as a bungalow.

They've dormered the front and rear. You've got fantastic sized bedrooms.

Bear in mind that it's not as expensive as Ed's house.

There is a little modernisation required. Have that in mind.

Don't think, "That's terrible!" I've factored that into the price.

-Are you ready to go in?

-We are.

-Are you prepared?

-Open-minded?

-We are always open-minded!

-You made a little roar as you went into the last one.

-Did I?

-Rrrrr!

What do you want me to do this time?

What have you got in the bag?

-Zoom-zoom!

-Just quietly going.

-I like it! Go! Serene.

Oh, hello! Just hanging out. Think it's going to go well.

-This is Jonny's house.

-Straight in and up the stairs.

-This entrance point is where I am a little concerned.

-Why's that?

As Stella said, it's straight in. The stairs hit you immediately.

It doesn't give you much room.

In here? Right. Let's have a look. Is this a bedroom?

A bedroom with built-in cupboards. Again, a single bed in it.

At the moment.

-A single bed and a desk.

-A wee bit pushed for a double.

In need of decoration, obviously.

I tell you what, it is like Stella is sucking a metaphorical lemon.

She's not happy with this. It's not for her, I don't think.

-Ah.

-A bit bigger.

-Living room, quite small, I suppose.

-Square.

But... more neutrally decorated.

Nice front window. Nice size with the windowsill.

Mm. Not overly impressed.

I've got to put my thoughts together. It is small.

Houses are sold on your first impressions.

-It's not kicked off well.

-It was before she was in!

Study.

Probably bigger than mine at home, actually.

-Too small for a piano? Yeah.

-Yes.

I've not found the room yet that the piano can go in.

Unless it's hidden away!

-Unless this could be knocked through.

-Oh, dear.

Peter's trying to help out. She's almost lost the power of speech.

-Oh, my goodness!

-Deja vu!

-Undoubtedly, yes.

-Oh, no.

-Our second house had this colour of bathroom suite.

Avocado. They don't make it now. This would have to be changed.

Yes. The bathroom needs modernising.

-This would be...

-Used as a dining room.

I'm trying to picture us in it and I can't.

You just have to picture us in it.

In the other house we could begin to see where the piano might go

-but...

-I still feel, having seen the other house, number one,

that this isn't as good.

But think what we could do with it.

Peter, raise your positivity game!

Now kitchen...

The kitchen. Mm.

-Another small kitchen.

-Yeah.

A galley kitchen can be useful if you've got another side to it.

No, it's just got the two sides, hasn't it? The other two are...

I couldn't bake on this.

She's not even trying to like it.

-It is a narrow hall.

-Yes, it is.

I'm not used to open stairs.

I don't think we've ever had those, have we?

-I wonder how the grandchildren would get on with them?

-I don't know!

-They could fall through.

-Now then.

-Shower room.

-Oh, a shower.

-This is the shower that we didn't find downstairs.

These are the tiles we ripped off in one house years ago.

-Up to the ceiling.

-35 years ago.

A very handy shower room upstairs. They have a shower and a toilet.

And when they gravitate downstairs, a downstairs bathroom - perfect!

This is now back to the front.

A fair number of built-in cupboards here.

-Yeah, this is quite good.

-Useful storage.

-Some of it could be changed. Very nice at the back.

-Oh, yes.

-I like the view down there.

-It's a good garden.

Secluded, but the sun's on it.

And the trees are far enough back to give light on the lawn.

-It would probably be sunny in the morning this way.

-Yeah.

-And...

-In the early...

-..in the afternoon as well.

Good discussion there. This garden is great year round for sun.

-This one doesn't go right to the back.

-No.

-It's the eaves.

-I'm not very good at...

-He's not put the full extension on the back.

They like the white cupboards again.

At least there are cupboards. Good for storage.

Peter has come to the house's defence now. He's forgotten

about the negative downstairs.

-He's a bit more upbeat.

-Clean slate.

-Would it take a double?

-Yes.

We've seen a bedroom downstairs that probably wouldn't become one.

-You could put a double in here.

-Fine!

-I like upstairs more than downstairs.

-I think I do.

-Well, we'd better go and see the lads.

-Let's find those boys.

This is where they look round,

we're out here and you have to go in and explain that they COULD like it.

-Yeah.

-Have you got that in you?

-The sun's out. I'm happy here.

-Peter, the garage is important for you.

-Well, yes.

It's something we'd need very soon.

-You're a motorbike enthusiast? You ride bikes?

-Oh, yeah.

It's my second vehicle.

-What have you got?

-It's a Honda 650 Deauville.

-I love that one.

-No idea what it is. Sounds good.

-It's good for touring.

The garage here at the moment is a little on the decrepit side.

-Yes.

-The vendor would volunteer that, but it can be knocked down.

It could be rebuilt and replaced.

We've had it quoted.

To get a nice single garage done here could be built for £3,500.

Not a great deal of money.

You've also got the option of relocating it further down there

and opening up this space for gardening closer to the house.

-Does £3,500 faze you? Does that seem like a lot?

-No, not really.

Shall we check out how much it is?

Stella, I spoke to Peter about the garage. Let's talk about the house.

That didn't go very well for me.

No, not really.

There's possibilities, but a fair bit to do as well.

That would need to be reflected in the price.

What do we want it to be? For all the things you'd like to do to it,

guess on what you hope it is worth.

With a margin so that we can do a few things,

-I'm going to go for 270.

-OK. Stella?

Mm. Dear.

I think it would be... reasonable to say

260.

-For the lovely area of Nursling.

-Peter, you're back in the game.

You're only five grand out. It's on the market for £275,000,

for a four-bed, detached property.

-OK. You've got a lot to think about.

-It is.

Everyone's favourite part of the programme is next.

-The wild card. Ready?

-We are.

-Up for it?

-Which way?

-Lead us on!

So from one ludicrously-named village to the next as we head to

Sherfield English for our wild card.

We've gone slightly more rural and it doesn't tick all the boxes,

but it's a wild card! And the setting is superb.

Now, Stella and Peter, everyone always loves the wild card.

-Today we're not detached any more.

-It's certainly semi-rural here.

-We're a bit out in the sticks.

-True!

-The property is ex-local authority.

It's been beautifully refurbished inside. It really is stunning.

-My property had maybe one or two jobs needing doing.

-That's right!

Probably about 15 jobs, minimum. In there, there's nothing to do.

Kitchen diner to die for, room for the piano. And look at the setting.

Fields across there, and behind us.

Yes it's certainly got a lot to offer in terms of its aspect.

-So, yeah, we're interested.

-Yeah?

-Good news.

You've got a cricket pitch there!

-Cricket and football!

-Got it all! OK, it is the wild card.

-In your wildest way, enter the wild card now.

-We're off.

-So...

-A staircase going up again.

-Straight from the entrance here.

There's no furniture. No furniture at all.

A blank canvas!

There we go. Very interesting. They have not moved house for 25 years.

We've shown them a blank canvas.

It's tricky imagining your furniture in there. It's very hard.

Nicely done, very neutral.

Size - not big. I'm trying to picture our furniture now.

-Is this the lounge?

-This is a...

-Call it the living room.

-It's facing south.

It looks like the front. It would be the lounge.

-Good storage under the stairs.

-Under the stairs.

Don't they look tidy when they're empty?

Stella, true to form, every house, sees a cupboard...

Ooh! Loves it!

-Bathroom.

-A bathroom.

-Toilet.

It's a cloakroom, isn't it? Not a bathroom.

-Downstairs cloaks.

-They've discovered the essential downstairs WC.

With their grandkids - fundamental.

-Ooh, this is nice.

-Yeah.

-It's obviously been refurbished.

I think it's completely done through.

-It looks brand new.

-This is big.

-Well, this would be dining.

-This is a living/dining area.

Put the piano in there. You cook.

A lovely image. I imagine Peter whipping up a boeuf bourguignon

whilst Stella is accompanying with maybe a French hit on the piano.

This is nice. I like this.

-This is very well done.

-A nice kitchen.

-That IS nice.

-Plenty of space for baking.

-Let's have a look.

Oh, it is nice.

-Pity it's on a main road.

-Yeah.

-The kitchen's gorgeous.

-Nice.

-Dining room. Small.

-Couldn't put a big table. Or possibly.

-Or...piano space?

It hasn't been mentioned as much

-as I thought it would be because this piano is key.

-Good pun!

-No, it's too small.

-Too small?

-And there's no door on it.

Does it work? No?

-No.

-It's too small for the piano!

Newly-carpeted, I think. It's all just been done.

-Neutral carpet.

-Can we manage stairs as we're getting older?

Ah, well... No handrail, actually.

Oh, a little bedroom.

-It's all so clean. It's good.

-It's attractive when it's like this.

-Small, though. Just a single room, or study.

-A small single room.

-Study?

-Bunk beds?

You can do whatever you want! It's perfect for it.

OK. Oh, a bathroom here.

Let's have a look. The bathroom. ..Oh, nice.

Similar to the cloakroom downstairs.

-That's perfect.

-Shower.

-Is that a heated towel rail?

-Yes, Stella, a heated towel rail.

-Oh, look at that view, Pete.

-Oh, yes.

-Look at that view!

-Wonderful.

-Brilliant.

-Such an open aspect.

-Great.

-It's lovely.

Nice fireplace there. Can you hear the traffic?

That's a feature, isn't it?

-I'm quite excited.

-This is good.

I'm just happy for my own mood.

The last property kind of put us down a note or two.

Now Stella's excited, I'm up again.

This...is a large single.

-Or a double? Guest double?

-Could you put a guest double?

You'd be straight in and into bed. Behind the door, let's have a look.

-You could get a double in.

-You've got your sockets there.

Exactly! They're downsizing! It's a guest bedroom.

-You'll not be using it.

-Ever! Exactly.

Guests are grateful to have a bed!

And they won't be that long in there. They'll be in the park.

Then they'll be so puffed out!

I suppose we better find the boys.

I want to know whether there is anything at the back.

The car at the front is just on a little car park.

-There's no garage, is there?

-Oh...

-No off-road parking.

-We'll have to see. We'll talk to the boys.

-OK.

That is the end of the house tour,

-but there is one final part of the property.

-I know what it is.

Do you know what it is? Well, let's go find out!

Viewers and Peter, there were concerns about off-road parking.

-Yes.

-Concern no more.

-Shazam!

-These?

-Well, not all of them!

-Oh, right, just one.

But you could have them all.

It's ex-local authority so you hire these by the year.

Have a guess how much these cost for a year's hire for a garage.

-For a garage?

-For a garage.

-200 or 300?

-£10.

-Oh!

-Can you believe that?

-Goodness me!

You could become a garage magnate here, have the whole lot.

-Yes, £10. And you get your garage and also the space in front.

-Right.

And you know what else?

There's a shop down there as well. You've got everything nearby.

We have between now and when we see the others to work out the price.

-Mm.

-Shall we do it? This way.

Stella, I have a question for you.

Is there a hint of reluctance with moving down here?

I know it's a big upheaval after 25 years to come this far down south.

It's very important at our age to make the right decision,

but we... I think I personally feel less...

..unhappy about moving south.

-The more we've been looking down here...

-You're warming to it.

I feel definitely I'm warming to it.

-The grandkids are the focal point.

-They are now.

If you're not grandparents, you won't understand.

One thing that has sprung up

is in the first two the kitchen was too small.

This is fantastically large.

It didn't give you the wow factor that we were hoping to give.

-And the piano seems to have become a sticking point.

-I know.

I think I've found the location for it. If not, I'll get an upright.

-Yeah.

-We cannot get it all together.

You don't expect that at the price we're looking at.

This is fabulous in here.

-What do you think?

-I think the more we've seen, the more we realise

there is a possibility we could actually find something

at a price that we could manage.

I can see how you've managed to choose the three, each of them.

None of them are perfect,

but there's things that are quite interesting to us in all of them.

It is guess the price time.

The final one. And we need a decider. It's neck and neck.

Maximum budget, £300,000.

Who would like to go first?

Stella or Peter?

-You're nudging Peter.

-I'll go first. I've been volunteered!

-You have!

£300,000. You've spent time here. We've seen the garage, liked that.

-Peter, the price is...?

-285.

-285.

-Stella?

-295.

Stella, you have pipped him at the post. Congratulations.

Unlucky, Peter. The property is bang on your budget at £300,000.

-It's beautiful. Nothing needs to be done.

-You don't have to decide now.

You've got the time to go away and make the big decision

about which one to test drive.

-Are you ready to do that?

-We are ready.

-OK, head off that way.

Have a cappuccino. Have a think. And we'll see you later. Good luck.

While they're off thinking, here's a reminder for you at home.

Well, I'm saying my one,

but will Peter and Stella really go for house one,

a detached bungalow, three bedrooms, garage and a silver birch?

Could this be a home from home?

It may well be. I am less confident.

My detached chalet-style property didn't go down particularly well.

But it had buckets of potential

and was comfortably under budget.

Or will it be the wild card, the simply stunning semi?

With room for the piano and three local churches to choose from,

it might be just enough to entice them.

Bang on budget at £300,000.

OK, ladies and gentlemen,

you have chosen to test drive the wild card. Come up here.

You're nearly about to start.

We have had the surveyor come round.

It is not legally binding, so do not be too scared about this stuff.

He's had a look around and found some things about it.

-The first thing, the roof.

-Yeah.

-OK?

-There's a bit of moss on there.

-I had noticed, yeah.

He says it's nothing to worry about. These are concrete tiles,

so you can clean it off,

500 quid, tiles are still perfect, nothing wrong, sorted.

If they were clay tiles, that would have damaged the tiles

and caused some to explode.

-Not a problem.

-But he did find a rather large crack down the side.

But it's nothing to worry about.

Under this fancy rendering, it's built of clinker block.

That is the compressed residue from coal.

-That's how they built these houses.

-Thank you.

-There we go.

-You have to get in there and enjoy it.

-Thank you.

Look out - here come the girls!

Alice, Anna, Katie and Lucy and mum Alison.

Well done, Ed. Not easy to remember. But you have a script.

Isn't it huge?

And a good reaction from the girls in the kitchen.

But of course, it's the garden they're most interested in.

Nothing nicer than a game of footie.

And a spot of knitting, pop and crisps on a sunny day.

Knit one, purl two. Careful, Stella! Don't drop a stitch!

This looks lovely.

Peter and Stella, you've spent a bit more time in the wild card with...

-Anna, Alice, Katie, Lucy and daughter-in-law Alison!

-Yes!

How was the house for everybody?

Very excited, they were. And we were with them.

Alison is very good at picturing what to do with it.

My daughter-in-law is indispensable.

It was brilliant to have her. And it was just great.

-And you've got a glorious day.

-Yes.

-You are seeing it at its best.

-You see any house at its best on a day like this.

-Here it comes.

To buy or not to buy. Stella and Peter, that's the gigantic question.

Probably. We need to explore the area a little bit more.

These are places we've never been before.

-Is that a maybe buy?

-I think so.

-It's quite a maybe, yes.

-OK!

And if you don't know where any of this is, it's very hard

to get a "To Buy".

-This is as good as a "To Buy".

-It is.

-It's a big step on the journey.

Explore some other areas and properties and this hopefully

won't have been snapped up,

-which is obviously the risk you take. It's lovely.

-Absolutely.

It's a superb little building.

-We're taken with it.

-We are.

-We've come to the end of our journey.

We can't do any more. We can't get any more time on TV.

-Have you had a lovely time?

-Wonderful time.

-You've been so kind.

-Apart from your trousers, Ed.

-What?!

-We won't mention that again.

-Goodness me!

-But they're starting to suit you more.

-Thank you.

Viewers have come up with their own conclusions.

-We've had a lovely time. Thank you.

-Thanks ever so much. Bye!

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