Rural Shropshire To Buy or Not to Buy

As the Americans might say, today we're in War-chester-sir-shire.

That's Worcestershire for you and me.

Jonny, there's some lovely names of places round here.

There's Flavell, Oddingley, Flyford, Bentley Pauncefoot, Bransford, Primsland, whatever you want.

That is the English countryside personified by Ed Hall there

and now for the personification of property shows.

Today we are Ministers Without Portfolio.

We are not governed by village or town, the whole of Worcestershire is our oyster.

And the rest along with it, Shropshire, Herefordshire, heck, we can go to Staffordshire if we like.

Today's buyers are getting out of the rat race and want to justify

their metaphorical four-by-four by moving to the lovely, lovely, lovely, lovely countryside.

So, it's going to Ed and I to scour every rural nook and crannie.

We shall find three rural nook and crannies and then...

-They can pick one that they can try...

-Before they buy.

-Shall we show them to the viewers?

-Yeah, let's do that.

-Come on.

Alison and Andy Foxcroft.

-Or Andy and Allison.

-What about Mr and Mrs Foxcroft?

I like to think of them as the two As. Anyway,

they're looking to move lock, stock and barrel halfway up the country.

They've had enough of the south and want to try the Midlands.

Andy has bagged a job working for an animal health agency in Worcestershire.

And he's been living here for the last 18 months

in a caravan during the week, travelling home for weekends.

But Allie misses her man in the week and that's where we come in.

Alison and Andy, we have decided to meet you at the top of a hill

in Worcestershire because I believe we are...

We are going for the country life, aren't we?

-Yes.

-And we might as well try and get right into it from the word go.

-Explain to us, we're doing a relocation from Surrey?

-Yes.

-And what is the theory behind this?

-Yeah, the cattery is the main thing.

Now, I've heard about this cattery.

-Yes.

-Explain to me, why...

Why go into the world of a cattery?

-Well...

-It's... It's been a... A... A lifelong ambition really for us both.

Yeah, we've both worked... Worked in animal welfare and it's something we've always wanted to do, really.

So it's that, but it's also working together.

Is it just the two of you moving up, is there a whole brood coming with you?

All of us, the four children, as well.

Yes, Claudia is at university, Abby's doing A-levels, William's at primary

and Toby's six and he's going to be coming into primary, as well.

-So schools are very important...

-Yes.

-..For wherever we're going.

So the number of bedrooms then, a minimum of four, is it?

-Four, yes. Four absolute minimum.

-What is it that you want?

We want country life, but somewhere where the children aren't cut off from everything.

Is land going to be important? You've got a love of animals and obviously the cattery.

-D'you want the cattery on the land you're going to be...?

-That's important.

-I think so. About an acre we're thinking.

-About an acre.

Abby's into horses, so if we can get somewhere big enough for horses as well, that will be a real bonus.

-Bribery and corruption.

-Any other animals coming with us?

-Dogs.

-How many dogs?

-Two dogs.

-You're not scared of the idea of space for where you could keep animals?

-No, not at all.

-No.

-It's more of a challenge.

-The more the merrier.

-This is a big move for you, sort of relocating.

-Yes, a scary move.

I mean, you've been down south for quite a number of years.

Does that mean that the prospect of doing work on a property is quite scary?

Do you want to find something that you can near enough move into?

I think the only scary thing about doing work on a property

is probably the money side of it, but, I mean, the actual work itself, I've... I've got no problems with.

I mean, a lot of it I can do, but because I do... Do it myself...

-It's time, isn't it?

-It tends to take time.

-I like you.

-So doing DIY isn't a factor at all.

-No, not at all.

-Location.

We believe that you're pretty open.

-We are. I think it's... It's sort of west, south and east of Worcester.

-Right!

We're looking... We're looking for about half an hour, an hour's drive out of Worcester.

You are open-minded, cos to get the land within the budget you want,

-it won't be the easiest place to find, so we are going to have to compromise somewhere.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-What else? What else has a property got to have?

-Four bedrooms minimum.

-Character.

-We like all the nooks and crannies, don't we? All the old...

-Old...

Old properties. Not... Not bothered about a new property at all, really.

-And detached, really.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-OK.

-I think we're at the point where we've got all the information.

-Yeah.

-The one thing we haven't got is the budget.

-Right, OK.

400 is our maximum, isn't it?

-400 is the absolute maximum.

-Absolute maximum.

-Between 350 and four.

-Yeah.

-OK, so you're prepared to commit to spending 400 if the property is absolutely spot-on...

I think we'd look at a property that was about 400 and try and get them down a bit, probably.

I like it. Honestly, that's what the world's doing. We encourage it daily.

-Ed goes in at 30% off.

-Honestly.

-At the very least.

-You're only ever going to go back up again, aren't you?

-Yeah.

OK, that's it. We're going to get out there and start doing this

cos clearly we've got an awful lot of land to cover.

-Take in the views and we'll see you later.

-Yeah.

-Brilliant. OK.

-All right, then. See you.

-Thanks very much.

-Bye.

We might be in Worcestershire, Jonny, but I think this here house hunt

-is going to stretch out all across this lovely land.

-Too true.

As we're in Worcestershire, we may as well tell them a bit about the place.

OK, let's go find some houses while you lot watch this small film.

So, Worcestershire, this county has it all, you know, it really does.

-Really? OK, does it have its own source?

-Worcestershire sauce, check.

OK then, famous music composer?

-Land Of Hope And Glory's very own Elgar, check.

-Rugby team?

The Guinness Premiership's own Worcester Warriors, check.

Well, there is literally nothing else I want out of a county.

At this juncture, though, we should mention Worcestershire borders

six other counties, so that will make our job that little bit harder today.

So many counties and the pick of rural Middle England.

But the pick of rural England will come at a price.

The housing market is far more robust in the sticks than it is in the city.

Oh, yes, the average house price in rural areas is around 235 grand, that's a whopping 15% higher

than you would have to pay in urban areas.

So what sort of place could you get in the city for today's budget of 400 grand?

Let's find out.

Firstly, north to the city of York where this impressive four storey terrace house less than a mile from

the city centre offers all the accommodation and space a family of little Foxcrofts would need.

With extravagant extras such as a cast iron roll-top bath, spiral staircase

and a wealth of original features it's all available for

just £50 below their budget at £399,950.

Back in the Midlands, there's this stunning penthouse apartment

in a prime canalside location, walking distance from Birmingham city centre.

It's within an hour's commute of Worcester, so would be good for our Andy,

but with just two bedrooms,

it would need bunk beds to accommodate the Foxcroft brood.

Price...£375,000.

And, lastly, set on a quiet through road close to historic Oxford city centre, this stylishly refurbished

three-bedroom family home may not have acres of land, but is set close to open fields and riverside walks.

Style and practicality all for 360 grand.

So, if you want to move out of the rat race and grab yourself

a slice of that rural idyll that you've always dreamed of.

Great.

-Fine.

-No problem.

Super.

But if you're a townie and you want to move out to the sticks then you may want to consider this advice.

Peace and quiet is lovely, but one man's seclusion is another man's isolated and scary.

All that fresh air, but beware, some of that air can become a little bit too fresh,

especially if you're living near to a farm where the cows have had beans for breakfast.

The countryside is glorious on a typical summer's day,

especially if you like grass and trees, there's loads of it!

But it may not be so glorious on a cold, wet February day.

If it's a slower pace of life you're after, you will DEFINITELY find it out here.

But make sure you can still get your fix of modern life, broadband,

mobile phone reception and, of course, TV signal.

Because you wouldn't want to miss the nation's favourite property should now, would you?

Ladies and gentlemen, fans of the show, this episode today

IS the greatest episode ever of To Buy Or Not To Buy. That is a fact.

We talk a lot about wild cards and today's wild card is the stuff of legends, the stuff of dreams.

I... I... Honestly, record today's show.

Let's talk about the other two, we don't want to spoil the wild card, but what have you gone for first?

OK, I'll kick things off with my choice, property number one.

It is a rare and unique blend of '60s kitsch and period features that works fantastically well.

The property is just lovely. It's quite unique, it's only a certain amount

of people that are going to actually like the way it's presented as it is, but as far as the land is concerned,

the location, it's got everything that Alison and Andy are looking for.

I think they're going to like it so I'm chuffed with that, properly number one.

My property, property two, lovely, brilliant.

It's in a place called Richard's Castle, which in itself

is a name deserving of a wild card, but this isn't going to be the wild card.

-Oh, no.

-It's got everything they want, room for the cattery, room for the horses, room for them.

-It's lovely, but it's not the wild card.

-No, it's not.

And the wild card, we literally cannot tell you anything about it.

When you think about a wild card, what kind of property are you expecting? This is it.

-I've got one in my mind. It's that.

-This is it. This is the one.

And the property search begins at property number one, Jonny's one.

Right then, you lot, my choice.

Set in the rolling hills of rural Shropshire close to the market town of Cleobury Mortimer, this house

has everything Andy and Alison require inside, but it's what's outside that sets this place apart.

It has its own wildflower meadow, a paddock, ornamental gardens, veg gardens, ponds and even a river,

not to mention the garden room with its own bathroom.

-You've done very well, Jonny.

-Thanks, Ed. OK, then.

Here we are, my choice, property number one. Are you all good, Ed?

Honestly, I was told... Told in the Cubs never leave a gate unlocked.

-I've done that now.

-That's right.

-That's fine, don't worry.

The reason I've brought you to the rear of the property

is so you can see what a wonderful plot this property has got. It's about two acres.

We're lucky we're even able to view this property because in the '60s it had a demolition order on it

and the current vendors actually saved it, had that demolition order rescinded,

did all this work to it and it is absolutely fantastic, it really is.

You seem like open-minded people, you seem fairly relaxed, I hope you like kitsch because this property

has got bags of that in there, but that's enough from me, what do you think, first impressions?

It's a bit... The back is modern

and quite square but, like you say, it's the back and, yeah, the front is...

Got a lot of character.

OK, well, not quite the reaction I was hoping for, Allie, but plot and location wise, I mean,

-come on, this has got to be pretty much spot-on, hasn't it?

-Yeah.

The plot is absolutely fantastic.

Bags of space, but it's... It's... It's...

It's been maintained to a very high standard and the only thing that sort of puts me off is the...

-Is the amount of effort that's going to be needed to keep it looking like this.

-It's a challenge.

-Yeah.

But space-wise it's just gorgeous and location -

it's lovely, absolutely lovely.

-You'll not be disappointed when you get inside. Want to go and check it out?

-Yes, please.

-All right, see you later.

-Enjoy.

-OK.

This bit's brilliant because Abby and the kids can put all their dirty wellies and coats and stuff

-in there, so that's fab.

-Yeah, absolutely.

So, if they do move in to the property and they start the cattery,

if you look around there, that would be covered with cats.

-A lawn of cats behind us. It would be lovely, wouldn't it?

-I can't wait to see it.

Right, utility room.

That's perfect because I haven't been able to...

I don't like having the washing machine in the kitchen.

-Well, this is nice. It's warm.

-It's warm isn't it, yeah? Good grief.

Yeah. It's quite elevated, isn't it?

We can see right over there.

Nice use of the word elevated there to describe the view from the...

I haven't heard that this series yet.

-I haven't.

-Oh, nice size.

Good size, yeah. Lots of cupboard space.

It's quite modern as well.

It's nice, I like the tiles.

It is quite a modern kitchen. It was refitted a few years ago.

Lovely granite work surface in there.

The price of the kitchen cost more than they paid for the house when they first purchased the house.

I have never, ever been in a house with doors like that before ever in my life.

No. Wooden floor in here.

Yeah, floor's really nice. Yeah. But that's probably a...

Are we allowed to open it?

Yeah, so it's like... What was behind there then?

-The drawers open at both sides, both in the dining room and the kitchen.

-I didn't notice.

There's a dishwasher in the kitchen, you unload it, put your cutlery in your cutlery drawer,

then your cutlery drawer opens up into the dining room too.

And an interesting partition here.

Between the dining room and...

-Very interesting.

-Now it's a sort of semi open plan cos there's only this curtain thing

that separates the dining room from the lounge, so you have got the scope obviously just to open that all up.

-Just to open the curtain back. You could actually do that!

-Yeah.

Man alive! There's scope for that?

-Yeah, you can open a curtain.

-Good idea.

-It's the future.

I don't know.

It's strange because it's a mixture of trying to do olde-worlde and then you've got really modern.

Yeah. Quite a nice size.

Oh, and look! Look, look, look!

Love that.

-Excellent. That's not a real one though, is it?

-No, it's the same as ours, fake.

That fire in there is very much like Burt Reynolds' fire,

which is always used as the set for Win, Lose Or Draw.

The entire set is always based on Burt Reynolds' house in the 1970s, and that fire is exactly like that.

-Oh, really?

-This staircase is...

I don't like that at all.

No, it's a bit too open.

But again you've got that strange mix, haven't you?

-I know really modern.

-Modern staircase.

Fantastic picture, love that.

And then you've got the old part of the house and the marble floors, it's...

-A mixture of everything.

-Strange mix.

See, those stairs are so funky!

-Open trade and rather than having balustrades they've got rope in there.

-Yes, that, that...

-That's cool, I think.

-It's not, really.

That's a very unusual sort of...

What would you describe this, fitted...

-I don't know, is a bed?

-I don't know. Let's have a look.

I mean, this is a bed, so this is probably a bed. This is a bed.

Oh, it's a pull-down bed.

-Yeah, this is one's a pull-down bed, as well.

-This is something...

-This is homemade this, someone has made this.

-Yeah.

Ed and I have got an interesting story about those pull-down beds.

Those pull-down beds. The lady who owns the house went into a very posh store in Birmingham and went,

excuse me, have you got any of those pull-down beds because I think they're really nifty and jazzy?

-And then he said...

-We don't have any of these pull-down beds, madam, we don't stock them here.

You should go to a camping shop or something like that.

The guy was from Somerset working in a shop in Birmingham.

The vendor was furious, stormed out of there in tears.

Got someone else to make the beds for her bespoke, went back in there a year later looking

for something else and they were selling those beds in that shop.

Bathroom. Oh, gosh! My parents had a bath this colour.

-That was when? Oh, I can't remember, '60s, late '60s, '70s?

-Yeah.

-Yes.

Look, vintage... A vintage bath.

You can live with this bathroom, can't you?

-It's functional. You can live with it as long as you... Until you want to do something else.

-Absolutely.

-It's got everything.

-Yeah.

-It's perfect.

Yes, they're in the bathroom.

It is gorgeous. I mean, I know it's kind of turquoisey teal, which isn't to everybody's taste... .

-It's not to anyone's taste is it now... Nowadays?

-But it's...

-If it was we'd be making those things.

-It's funky and it's cool!

Some of you must agree with me. It's cast iron, original, beautifully made.

It's very strong wallpaper.

Yeah, very... Very loud colours.

More built in wardrobes.

-So this must be the master bedroom then.

-Yeah.

Well, that's two bedrooms, but, yeah, it's a lovely square room.

Perfect.

-OK.

-So this is the...

-Bedroom number...

-Three.

-Three. You've got Japanese...

-Maybe this is the master bedroom.

Is this Japanese feel in here? This is...

Maybe this is the master bedroom.

It is the master bedroom with en suite. Wowee!

That's a bit sort of glam rock-ish.

-Oh, I think it's great.

-Do you?

-Yeah. Love it.

-It's not my cup of tea. It's a bit too Hollywood.

The en suite is super cool, though, isn't it?

That's my favourite washroom of the house.

Yeah. It's also got underfloor heating in there.

-It's nice-sized bedroom, look at that.

-Yeah, that's...

-And quite square again.

-This is the master bedroom.

-Well, I don't know. You can have either or, can't you?

-You could, but I think...

-Because it's got an en suite.

That's just a great suite. Nice big double bedroom in the master room, big en suite,

four-piece once again, separate shower cubicle in there. Superb.

Andy, three bedrooms.

-OK. Three bedrooms and that could be an issue.

-Yes. Three...

I know they're big-sized bedrooms.

Can you imagine Claudia and Abby sharing? I don't think so.

Before I get your feedback about the property, let's pick up on a couple of things.

-Number one, bedrooms.

-Yeah.

You're concerned that there's only three at the moment.

Behind us we have this lovely building here, fully insulated, fully heated and with an en suite,

-so that's really got potential for a bedroom for the daughter that's kind of half here, have not here.

-Yeah.

What did you think of the place?

It's a funny mishmash.

-There's loads of fantastic things about it.

-It's a fun house.

But, yeah, there's things that need doing as well, but it's just the location, the gardens, it's lovely.

-Lovely.

-It works, though.

-Yeah.

-I mean, it just... It's... It's got a really great sort of atmosphere.

You know, it is a mishmash. There's all sorts of different

things in there, you know, all sorts of different combinations, but somehow it tends to work.

-It sounds like you like it a lot.

-A lot, yes.

-Yeah, I think that's...

You might be a bit nervous about the next part of the programme.

-I think you're right.

-It's guessing the price time.

-Yeah.

A maximum budget today...

-What were we playing with, was it 400?

-Yes, yes, yes.

£400,000. This is lovely.

So, who wants to go first?

-I'll go first.

-Go on, Allie, be brave.

Do you... Are you going to go over budget?

-Well, listen...

-Yeah, sometimes.

-OK.

-Come on, you've seen the show.

Well, I... Looking round it and it's three bedroom, if it didn't

have all the grounds and stuff I'd say less, but it's got to be 400.

-On the knocker, you think, 400?

-Yeah.

Probably a bit more. I don't know.

-But you're sticking with 400, are you?

-Yeah, yeah. 400.

-Andy?

OK, I'd have... I'd have actually gone slightly more than that. I'd have gone 450.

-Really?

-Yeah.

Well, I'll surprise you both, it's actually under your top budget and it's on for £389,500.

-Wow!

-Well, that's...

-That's.

-Oh, here we go, look at that!

-There's smiles happening here.

-Very surprised.

-This is only the first of the houses, we've got two more to go to.

-Excellent.

-So don't buy this one just yet.

-OK.

-OK.

-Shall we go? Property two.

-Yes, yes.

-I think as the crow flies it's this way.

Okey dokey then, here is my offering, and what an offering it is.

This beautiful house in beautiful rolling countryside in beautiful Herefordshire

with a beautiful outbuilding is all ready for some beautiful cats to come and stay in,

all that and a beautiful paddock as well. Oh, yes!

-You've done very well there, Ed.

-I beautiful know, I beautiful know.

Allie and Andy, we are in place which I think has got a brilliant name, Richard's Castle.

-Have you ever heard of that?

-Never heard of it.

-No.

-Neither had I until today.

-It sounds good though.

But you could be living in Richard's Castle.

You could have your own castle inside Richard's Castle, which is an intriguing concept.

-There is the property.

-Yeah.

-Now, unlike Jonny's one, this is the same brick all the way round.

-Right.

-A smaller plot. We have got room for the cattery.

-We've got three quarters of an acre here.

-Oh, nice.

-We have got all four bedrooms inside the property.

-Good.

What I want to know is what do you think about the whole feel of it. We're pretty rural as well.

-I'm going to go over to you, Allie, first, what do you think?

-I think it's...

pretty, really pretty, picture box cottage and I like the location. Yeah.

There's no-one overlooking you at all, is there? Completely isolated.

-You could do whatever you wanted to in your back garden.

-Yeah.

Andy, how is the location as regards commuting to work, is it OK?

OK. It's reasonable. I think it's doable

but I'm looking at the dog walking country at the moment and just... Just planning those... Those walks.

-It is fantastic, isn't it?

-Absolutely superb.

What's beautiful about you two is you move in before you've even gone into each house and that's good.

The lady is currently walking her dog, she has a dog, the dog seems very healthy and happy, so while

she's out there crossing her fingers that you'll like it, get in there...

And be quick, cos the dog hates strangers!

-Go, go, go, quick, quick, quick! Good work.

-Thank you very much.

It's all made of the same stone, all four bedrooms inside.

-And it's at a place called Richard's Castle.

-Which is great.

-What more could be better?

Ladies and gentlemen, Andy and Allie going in the house.

-Crossing them.

-So it begins.

Nice little hallway, put your coat and boots, excellent.

-Positive.

-Yeah, great.

-Great start.

-Nice and positive.

-OK.

-Pine doors.

Yeah. The old latch handles.

Oh, look, straight into the lounge.

Wow.

This is old, isn't it, this part?

-It is.

-Yeah, I love it.

-Really thick, yeah. Single glazed windows.

I like all this.

-That's what we wanted, isn't it, something like that?

-Yeah.

Look, oh!

-Oh, that's a bread oven.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

I wasn't aware I'd given them a bread oven. Is it an electric one?

-No, a proper one.

-I've given them a genuine bread oven.

-Not like a rubbish wedding present one.

-Good.

I like these, the beams. It's a good job we're quite short.

Look, that's for hanging the meat on.

-Oh, right.

-This is interesting.

A pantry. There's a lovely space.

Fab space, isn't it?

What else am I going to see through here?

Oh, see, that's a bit of an odd arrangement, isn't it?

Lounge, pantry, conservatory.

-It is a bit.

-So straight through the lounge, into that back sort of pantry, utility area.

-Yes.

This must be the new part of the house because this smells completely different, doesn't it?

-It's a fresh smell.

-Yeah.

-Yeah. I bet this...

-And...

Well, yeah, and again the walls...

You can see from the walls that they're...

Yeah. I mean, it's very, you know...

-A dated kitchen.

-Yeah, it's.

But this space isn't bad.

The good thing about it is cos it's old kitchen,

you just go in there and know you're going to rip it straight out and change it.

It's when a kitchen is kind of new but not new enough and good enough that it leads to problems.

-This is an unusual shape arch.

-Again that's the stairs, isn't it?

-All right, nice floor in here. I like this floor.

-Lovely dining room.

-And it's a lovely space.

-That's a lovely dining room.

It's sort of not in keeping with the rest of the house, is it?

The kitchen's really, really dated

and then you've got this space with a really nice floor and...

Look at that archway there, I like that.

-Yeah.

-It's pointy.

They have interesting ways of describing the decor.

I've been on the show a long time, "pointy's" a nice way of describing something.

Oh, I like the shape of this. It's a nice wood one.

Nice secure staircase, yeah.

And the white with the wood is nice, I like white and wood together.

I like these doors, the latch doors.

Yeah, they're nice. Well, it's...

-OK.

-Small, but...

-Nice and compact.

It's the same size as the one we've got at home, so it's perfectly OK.

-Yeah.

-It's just...

-Colour.

-Normal plain bathroom. It's an avocado suite.

-Yeah.

We've kind of challenged them with the bathroom suites, though, haven't we?

The ones at my one were black and sort of a turquoisey colour, this one's avocado.

-It's not the traditional white suite that people...

-It certainly isn't.

-People...

-Crave for...

-Carve, yeah!

-In the noughties.

OK.

Oh, it's a nice bedroom.

-Oh, right.

-It's a double.

-OK. Yeah.

-But she's got fitted wardrobes.

A wee peak, yeah, nice big wardrobe.

-Look.

-Excellent, yeah.

-So, that's nice.

-A good outlook.

-Double-glazed windows.

-Lovely view.

-Right. Oh!

-Bedroom number two.

-Oh, this is much bigger. This is nice.

-Wowee!

-Yeah.

This looks like the master bedroom, maybe.

It's similar to the other one because you've got these have just

been painted, so you've got fitted wardrobes. Oh, and an en suite!

-Wow!

-Perfect.

A shower and a toilet.

Excellent. I like this room.

It's just got a nice feel about it, hasn't it?

Maybe it's just the colour. It's just calming and...

Yeah. It's really nice. I like it a lot.

I'm sensing Allie kind of likes it. Well, she said it, but she's sort of talking herself into it.

-She said it's got a nice feel to it.

-So, it's a nice-sized single.

-Yeah, good sized.

-I mean, she's got some, you know, big furniture in a little room, hasn't she?

-Yeah.

-So, it desperately.

-So you could make it, yeah...

You could... You could get more space out of it if you wanted.

-Yeah, you could.

-But, again, you've got your built in wardrobes so,

-again, you don't need a wardrobe in here.

-Yeah.

The focus of the bedrooms has suddenly become about wardrobe space.

Oh! I can walk straight in this door without having to duck at all.

No, I can't, I've got to duck.

Yeah, it's a small person's room, isn't it?

-It is a bit.

-Once you get in it just, whoosh, straight up to the ceiling, it's a lovely high ceiling.

-Yeah.

-Nice shape as well.

-Yeah.

-It's got a lot of character in here, I like it.

-It's a big room. Another big room.

You can see the thick walls as well, so you can see it's really cottagey, I like that.

-And a painted door this time.

-Yeah.

I like it... I like it white with black. I like all those features.

That's all the cottage element, that's all the stuff you get that

you just don't get in new houses, and that's... That's what I want.

-OK.

-What we want.

-Absolutely.

-Yeah.

-All right, I don't think this has gone as well as your one.

-No.

-But when they find out the price...

-Who knows?

-OK.

Andy and Allie, now in that house listening to you out in the back garden here

I don't think... I don't think you were on fire about it,

I don't think you totally loved it, but that's because obviously it needs a little bit of TLC inside.

But if you imagine it was done, what do you think?

I mean, is the property good?

It's really beautiful from the front, I love it,

and it's got a lot of potential, but there's things there that worry me.

-I think it needs a lot of work.

-These things are rectifiable.

If you could rectify it, it's possible. Yeah.

Andy, you had the idea of walking the dogs around here.

-I think maybe you were kind of, maybe more attracted to this. What do you think?

-I like it.

I think the layout is slightly...

Slightly unusual in terms of the pantry being at the end of the living room, for instance.

Where did you get to with that? What ideas did you come up with cos it's not convenient

having that off the back of a lounge, is it? What would you do?

Perhaps making that into a study. We could get it all sorted out and then put a big conservatory on the front.

We've got a shed here, I don't know about catteries much, but I mean

does it need to be bigger than that, is that... I'm an idiot, aren't I?

-Could it be, maybe? No, no.

-No.

-It's an idea.

No, no, the cattery has to be specially made, purpose made.

But look, we've got a... It's a big structure there, you could wipe that out...

Storage, perfect for storage, yeah.

OK, so,

-if this costs the right amount of money we could do all of these things.

-Yes.

Are you excited?

-Yeah, OK.

-Who wants to go first?

Well, it's 1-0 to you, Allie.

-OK, well, before I went in I said 365.

-Right.

But now I've gone in I'm saying 345.

-OK.

-And I'd probably go even lower than that. I'd go

-probably 325 and I think that would still probably be a bit too much for me.

-It's got a lot of land.

-I know it's got lots of land.

-Three quarters of an acre.

-Yeah.

OK. 345 versus 325.

Someone's out by £5,000.

-Me.

-It is you.

The actual price for the property is £350,000.

-Now, of course, we don't need to keep saying this, but deals are to be done on properties.

-Yeah.

And there is definitely a deal to be done.

-OK, we've seen two houses.

-OK.

This is normally everybody's favourite part of the show,

the wild card, but today it is going to be absolutely fantastic.

-OK.

-We are the most excited we've ever been about a wild card.

-Ladies and gentlemen...

-I'm worried!

-When we get there, it's the greatest wild card we've ever been to.

-Come on, this way.

-OK.

The wild card, I love the wild card and today we are providing the epitome of a wild card.

Indeed we are. It has everything Mr and Mrs Foxcroft

have asked for, a good location, good schools and rural living.

And it's only a converted Grade II listed windmill!

-With an observatory on the top!

-Every home should have one.

OK, Allie, Andy, ladies and gentlemen, the viewers at home, all day we've been building

up to this monumental moment, an opportunity to reveal to you possibly the best wild card we've ever had.

And contained within the greatest ever episode of To Buy Or Not To Buy.

Are you ready? Look at me, look at me, look at me. Keep walking.

-Keep walking.

-Keep looking at me, keep looking at me, keep looking at me. In three, two, one, that way!

-The wild card.

-Oh, my goodness me!

It looks like a lighthouse, but it's a windmill.

-It IS a windmill.

-It is a windmill.

-Yeah.

-Everyone...

-Without... Without the...

-The propeller.

-In place.

Oh, look, it's a windmill, though! It hasn't got...

It hasn't got its propellers like Windy Miller's one, but you could be living in a windmill.

-It's a bit, yeah, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

-Yes!

How amazing is this?

So, come on, Andy, what do you think, life in a windmill?

-Well, it looks nice and sturdy.

-It's been in the same family for 100 years this windmill.

-Wow!

This is an opportunity to get your own windmill and start your own legacy here.

All made of local sandstone. Original part of the building was done in the 18th century.

It is Grade II listed so there are certain restrictions from the outside,

but internally you've really got some got some great scope to make this place into something phenomenal.

-It is unbelievable.

-You said you liked quirky, Allie.

-That is really quirky.

-Is it too quirky?

-I'll have to go and look inside.

-OK.

-Yeah.

-Look at the buildings there.

-Yeah.

-Cattery.

-Big cattery potential. This is all yours, so that's pretty large, that.

-Yeah, yeah.

So, we've factored everything in.

-Yes.

-You've got a windmill, a garden that way, you've got a cattery there. Are you ready?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, let's go.

-Are you excited?

-Yes.

-Enter the windmill.

-Let's go.

-Right.

-See you later.

-There we go.

-We've built that up all day.

I think we have and, I tell you what, viewers at home, have we let you down? Of course we haven't.

-No!

-It's a windmill on To Buy Or Not To Buy as a wild card!

-I'm excited about the headphones. Let's do it.

-Let's do it.

Wow, look at this!

-Wowee!

-It's gorgeous.

-There's a chance that Ed and I are possibly more excited about this than Andy and Allie, but...

-No, no.

Everyone's excited about this.

-Yeah.

-It's amazing, isn't it?

-Absolutely wonderful.

That looks like a new...

Well, I don't know what they've done to that fireplace. It does... Maybe because it's just got a modern...

I don't think it is... I don't think it's a fireplace as such, it's...

-Well, it's just lovely. It's just got a lovely cosy sort of hobbit feel, hasn't it?

-Yeah.

Hobbit feel it a different way of saying it's quite small, but it's not really that small.

-Is that which she just said?

-Hobbit feel, yes.

-Oh.

Oh, Andy, assent begins.

-Shall we go up?

-Yeah.

Oh, it sort of comes in on you as you're going up.

Pretty steep stairs, aren't they?

This is lovely.

So the door they've just opened is the spiral staircase that works its

-way up the windmill itself, but there are other ways up, as well.

-Two ways I counted.

This is... Well, it's straight into a bedroom.

Ah ha! That's unusual, but of course this is, you know... I mean, it's...

The whole purpose of this was...

-Was a...windmill, not a house.

-But then everybody has got to come through this bedroom, haven't they?

-So it doesn't need to be a bedroom, maybe.

-No, maybe not.

It could be a, you know, a study. Let's go up higher.

You're going to feel fit by the time you got up here.

The beauty of this property, aside from being lovely, is it's like a free gym membership.

I love the fact it's just wood and stone.

It's really simple and it's... Oh, right, OK.

-This is...

-This is another room.

This is a nothing room at the moment.

You've got your lounge and you've got a bedroom, another bedroom.

-Yeah.

-Yeah. Or a little cosy for the kids.

-Views are getting better.

-I don't feel... I thought

I'd get scareder as I get higher but you don't because it's so thick and sort of comforting, isn't it?

Allie is scared of heights, she told us that off camera

after she gushed, and then she went, "I'm a little bit scared of heights, will I be all right?"

We went, "No, it's fine." She said, "Is it structurally sound?"

I went, "Yeah, yeah, it's been there for a couple of hundred years plus, it'll be fine, don't worry."

Yeah, again, you're getting a musty smell the further up you go, aren't you, actually?

-I can't smell any musty smell.

-Slightly musty smell. Yeah, but you can see that on the walls.

Wow, another... But this is virtually the same size. It must be getting slightly smaller.

This is the same size as the other one, though.

-Yeah.

-I thought this was going to be the top.

Andy made the point that it's getting mustier as he gets further up.

-It does get, you know...

-But there's more work...

-More work needed the higher you get.

Right, we get to the top.

These stairs are steeper again.

Oops, mind your head.

Wow, this is amazing.

Look at those views.

Yes, exactly! Gorgeous views uninterrupted, unparalleled, unprecedented dare we say?

I just... You know what worries me a little bit?

Is it sort of overlaps the top of the tower and I'm worried that if you stand on one side it might...

-Might fall off!

-Might tilt and fall off!

That's just the scaredy cat in me coming out.

We're going to have to make this into an observatory.

Going to have to have chairs up here and sit up here with a glass of wine or something. It's lovely.

Absolutely. That sort of roof very much like a parasol, isn't it actually?

It would be like being outside under...

If you could get all this done up it would be...

-This would be the most fantastic room, wouldn't it?

-Yeah.

In the olden days when windmills were been placed around the country each village

would have its own windmill locator, and that was defined by the boy with the longest finger in the village.

Obviously, because...

Ah, right, is that where that comes from?

Exactly. See where the most amount of wind is blowing from. There we go, a piece of history.

Not true history, but it is a piece of history.

Right, down we go.

I saw another set of doors a few flights down, so we'll go and see what's through there.

-OK.

-If you look back over history at the people who've

-lived in a windmill, you've got Jonathan Creek the detective.

-Yeah.

You've got Windy Miller the miller and you've got Rod Hull and Emu, and Grotbags.

It's quite an eclectic set of folk, isn't it?

You can imagine them living here as well, maybe they could start their own cattery detective agency.

Right, into the non-windmill part of the house.

Yeah, this is really modern all of a sudden.

Well, it's not modern, modern, but compared to that one it is.

-Right, oh!

-A bedroom.

It's a good-sized room, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah. I mean she's got a really heavy furniture in here, but I mean it's a good size, what?

A single, do you think?

You could fit a double bed in here, but it would be a bit squished. Single.

-We could put the boys in here.

-Let's see what's in this one.

-Ah ha, bathroom.

-Oh, toilet.

I like this old fashioned one with the cistern at the top.

-Yeah, good grief, yeah.

-And another bedroom. This is...

Is this the same size or... It's bigger. It's definitely bigger.

-Is it?

-It's got a double bed in it already.

-OK.

-Yeah, this is perfect. That's two...

-Two good-sized bedrooms.

-Without the windmill.

-Yeah.

Allie loves this property the most.

Allie loved the first one the most, then I think Andy was a little bit, you know... Not very far behind.

-Yeah.

-The second one Andy loved the most and Allie not so sure.

-This one...

-This one Allie's back in charge and I don't even know what Andy's thinking.

No, and I like that. He's kind of... Kind of ambiguous at the moment.

Well, he's got too much going through his brain.

So, this one then looks like it goes into the windmill.

Which part of the windmill?

-Ah, the lounge.

-And how many people can say they live in a windmill?

-Only the people that Ed listed and that wasn't many.

-That's true.

Bathroom.

-A very basic bathroom.

-Yeah, without a toilet.

But, I mean, it's a good size, isn't it? You've got...

-You haven't got a toilet in here.

-No, there's no toilet.

There's a lack of toilets in this property.

But you could do fit one in there though, possibly.

-We'll see if this is a toilet in here.

-Ah, good point.

-No.

-It's the kitchen.

Well, there you go, I've never had anyone mistake the loo for the kitchen before.

Allie has just done that.

Doesn't seem to be pleasantly surprised, though.

-It's a day of firsts, isn't it?

-Wow, look at that!

-Rayburn.

-It's a bit...

-I just feel it's a bit odd.

-Well, it's a bit bare, I think.

Oven stuck in the middle and then it's just not...

-Well, it's not... It needs massive modernising, doesn't it?

-It does.

-What's in there?

-What's in there? Pantry is it?

-Oh, I like that.

Pantry stroke utility room.

-Right.

-Oh, look at that.

-Yay!

-Lovely.

What's in here?

Yay, toilet number two!

-Oh, right.

-We do need two toilets with six people.

-Yeah. And you've got the same old type cistern again.

-Yeah.

OK. And then that's the end of house.

I could feel you're apprehensive cos I know you're thinking that...

-Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance.

-It's not maintenance.

I think it's probably... Restoration that's the main thing with this one to make it liveable.

-It's solid, isn't it?

-Yeah.

And it's got a lot of good rooms.

It's a lot of potential, but it would require an awful lot of money to put it right.

Well, there we go, what a dilemma! We've either caused a massive domestic dispute

or they've just found the house of their dreams.

-Yeah, which one is it going to be?

-I've not got a clue. Shall we go find out?

-Yeah.

Allie and Andy, we've been out there listening to you.

What a debate you've been having in here!

We're almost concerned because you loved this and, Andy, you've got the...

You've got very much the male reservation of this might cost a bit! So, how... How do you feel?

What... What was it like touring the first ever windmill that we've done?

I can... I can just see this place perfectly down up. I can see the rattan furniture in here and I

can just, you know, visualise it all, so it's quite tempting.

You've mentally moved in already, haven't you?

-Yeah.

-I mean, it's got bags and bags of potential. We can all clearly see that.

Go on, Andy, what's your concern?

OK, main concerns are... Well, you know, it's such a wonderful property,

I really do love it and I think there's masses of potential there, but I think if you're going to...

If you're going to do it then it needs...

If you're going to restore it then it needs to be restored properly

and you need to spend some serious money on it.

You know, otherwise I don't think you're going to realise the full

potential of the property, so for me, you know, if we...

If we bought it, if we wanted to restore it

then we'd really have to get experts in to do the work and that would cost.

So, it would be a labour of love really for somebody to take on?

-Yeah.

-You've got to be passionate about it. You can't go halfway,

-you've really got to invest money and get it done correctly.

-Yeah.

We have guess the price to play.

I don't even know what we are on this there's been so many things to think about today.

-Alison's winning two nil.

-Oh, right, you've won already.

-Yeah.

-OK, this is for pride, Andy, for you.

-Yeah.

OK, you had a maximum budget of £400,000 to play with.

Do you want to go first, Andy?

OK, I will go... I will go

at 340.

OK, you're hopefully optimistic with the money to spend doing the work and everything else.

I was... I was going to say 355.

Right, you've both being pretty optimistic on this.

This is a windmill, let's not forget that.

It's on for £395,000, OK?

-I think it's totally worth it.

-It's the quirky factor.

Yeah, exactly. It's right up near the top of your budget.

You've got to wander off, make the biggest decision

of your adult lives about which one you wish to test drive. We don't know what you're going to go for.

-They don't know. Can you do it? Are you ready? Are you prepared?

-It's going to be hard.

Don't fall out over this because I know you love this windmill and, Andy, if she can twist your arm...

All right, good luck, we'll see you later.

-See you in a bit.

-OK.

-I'm praying windmill...

-But I'm thinking maybe...

-Number one.

-It's going to be my one, isn't it?

-Possibly. It's a contender. It could be any of the three.

-Any of the three.

-But while Allie and Andy are off discussing which

property they're going to test drive here's a reminder for you at home.

So, house one, my kitsch and quirky choice.

All the house they required plus enough land to build a few more houses on.

Well, even a whole village, come to think of it!

Three beds, summer house and the all important brook at the bottom of the paddock

by the wildflower meadow all for 389,500.

Property two, my astounding pick.

Rural seclusion, rolling countryside, views to die for, four beds

and all the character you could ever wish for. Yours for £350,000.

And, last but by no means least, the amazing wild card.

Oh, yes. We cranked it up today with a four-bed converted windmill.

Set in some of England's finest countryside with views of everything.

And a price tag of £395,000. It's a windmill, a windmill I declare!

Well, Andy and Alison, you've chosen my house. Hurrah!

That's excellent news. How close did the windmill come because we were pretty excited, Ed and I?

-Well, now we're back here we know we made the right choice, so no worries.

-It ticks...

-It ticks more boxes for us.

-Well, it's true and as annoyed as I am that you're not

going to live in a windmill, I can understand why you've gone for here.

-It did grab you straight away this place, didn't it?

-Yeah, yeah.

This combination of '60s kitsch and period features.

-They blend well, surprisingly.

-And, of course, the space.

-Yeah.

-And this just lovely setting.

-Yeah, it's beautiful.

-We've had the mystery To Buy Or Not To Buy surveyor

have a look at the property for you, give you a quick once over.

It's not a legally-binding survey, bear that in mind if you go ahead with the purchase, get your own done.

-Overall, the property's in good condition. It's been well looked after.

-Good.

All the extensions were done in the '60s and they're all in pretty good condition.

You spotted the damp as well didn't you, Andy, down there?

It's got damp proof guarantees and everything like that, but with the...

With the size and the thickness of those walls,

one thing that he said you could do just to help dry it out and really it's tricky, is remove the pebbles

that are at the front of the house and just clear that area because the floor surface in the house is

lower down than the outside, so if you can do that then that's going to help out, but it's...

It's one of those things, it's got guarantees, but that will actually help it be a bit...

-A little bit drier.

-Yeah.

-Otherwise, he likes the property.

-Yeah.

-Loves it.

-It's pretty sound. Get yourselves in there, really.

-Get in.

-Away we go.

-OK.

-Test drive.

-We'll let you go.

-Brilliant.

-Thank you very much.

-Right, what do we do? Any... Any ideas?

-Do you want to play in the field?

-Be horses?

-Do we have to?

-Cup of tea.

-Tea and horses?

-Why the hell not?

-I'm sold!

I'm not sure what part of the extensive gardens

Alison and Andy are in. Have you got any idea?

I think they're going to check out the river, mate.

This is just so lovely.

-It's perfect, isn't it?

-Yeah. Can you imagine the boys down here?

-Yes, I think they're going to love it.

-Little boys' heaven down there.

And big boys, Ed, I was down there for hours mucking about, catching stickleback.

So, past the paddock and on to the wildflower meadow.

I sense a chat about les chats.

This is perfect for the cattery.

Purrrfect for a cattery, priceless!

Ah, perusing the World Wide Web, I wonder what for?

-So, we're looking at...

-Cleobury.

-Cleobury, I think it is...

-Cleobury.

-Mortimer schools.

The all important schools, Ed, of course.

OK, and just see what their OFSTED report's like.

Interesting, but how is Ed and Jonny's report going to fare?

So, then, you've spent some more time in the property. How was it for you?

-It was good.

-Wonderful.

-Really good.

-Yeah, it just confirmed our...

Our choice, I suppose, really.

Because you've obviously got a lot of plans for this place.

-Yeah.

-I mean, it does need some things changing to it.

It is quirky, but I assume that you do want to make alterations to help it fit your model, as such.

-Yes, we want to get in there and do it.

-What's on the horizon?

You're not getting rid of the rope balustrades are you? I know everyone hates them.

-Yes, you're getting rid of them!

-Yes, first thing.

-Yeah?

-I'll send you the rope.

-Seriously?

-Yeah, you can have the rope.

-Fine.

-OK.

-I want to ask the question.

I've wanted to ask the question for 45 minutes today!

You didn't want the windmill, you didn't want my property,

but I want to gloss over that fact, we are here and Jonny's property.

-Yes.

-It's a cracker. It's the relocation that you've hoped for.

Will there be a cattery here? To Buy Or Not To Buy?

You can't just say to buy, because we have to still do a bit of research, but...

You've sold your house, you've sold your house... To Buy Or Not To Buy?

-Yes.

-Buy.

-Yes!

-Hurrah!

-Come on!

-Yeah.

We're going to go back and we're going to talk to the estate agent and push ours

-and do everything we can to get here.

-Have you enjoyed yourselves?

-It's been fantastic.

-It's been a great time.

-Thank you very much.

-And three... Three good properties, as well.

Well, thank you very much. And you know what?

-You've only taken part in the greatest episode we've ever made.

-That's true.

-Of course.

It's been a privilege to spend time with you. We'll see you soon.

-Take care, guys.

-Bye-bye.

-Bye-bye now.

-See you later.

-Thank you.

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