South Wiltshire To Buy or Not to Buy

Good morning. I'm in a top-secret location on a very secret mission.

-What's going on?

-I'm saying we're in a secret location on a secret mission. We can't even say this!

-Surely we can tell them that this...

-Please, no, nothing.

-It is the very popular property programme...

-Oh, no!

-..To Buy Or Not To Buy.

-What the...?

-Ed, what is going on? This is all very straightforward. It's not top-secret.

-Why, how, who, what?

-This is a military barracks in Bulford.

Not Area 51. We're house-hunting, not on military manoeuvres.

We can still show today's buyer three properties,

-one of which she can try before she buys?

-Yes.

-We won't get forcibly removed by any burly men in outfits?

-It's often a possibility with you, but no.

Oh, good.

'Enough of the suspicious behaviour.

'Let's meet today's hopefuls who are Carol Musgrove and her friend Jo Evans.

'They're both army wives and their husbands are in the Royal Signals.

'Carol is married to Richard. Jo, married to Darren, is her best friend and house-hunting helper.

'They've known each other since they were on postings in Germany in 1999.

'Carol is a great socialite and, with Jo, has organised a fashion show for the Help For Heroes charity

'and does other charity fund-raising events.

'Richard comes to the end of his army commission in a few years.

'He and Carol want to move out of their rented army house

'and buy their own place for the first time since they were married.'

-Carol and Jo, this is lovely(!)

-Beautiful.

-You get to come on To Buy Or Not To Buy and it's raining.

I hear gunfire in the background. There was a big one there!

-Your husbands are both military, tough men. They've been in wars.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-But they were too scared to come on To Buy Or Not To Buy, embarrassed to come on this programme?

-Bless 'em!

So you are the driving force, the trousers in the army department?

-I wouldn't say "trousers", more "lipstick".

-The lipstick of the army.

-Behind every good soldier is a good wife?

-Yes, excellent.

-We are on a military base. Carol, you are the house-hunter. You have a house here.

-Yes.

So what's going on here?

Well, it's five years until he gets to the end of his army time.

I'm from Salisbury, so we're local.

It's time to settle down, become grown-ups and get a mortgage.

-How many houses have you lived in, you pair?

-Seven.

-Seven.

-Seven in fifteen years.

-Have you been all over the world?

Germany, Dorset, Germany, Cyprus, Dorset, Dorset, Wiltshire.

Is it like winning the Lottery if you get Cyprus?

-Everybody wants Cyprus.

-Is that the best place to go?

-Yes.

OK, the property, we're looking for a house. How many people have we got to house?

-You've got two children.

-Two girls.

-Do they need to be near schools? Where are they in life?

Lucy's in secondary school, so, yeah, we'd like to be near that.

-How far away can we go from where the school is?

-Half an hour commute would be fine.

-The school is currently...?

-In Durrington.

-So half an hour-ish out of Durrington is our radius?

-Yeah.

-I work in Swindon and I love my job.

-You're a nurse, aren't you?

An A&E nurse in Swindon. My family live in Salisbury. Somewhere between the two would be fab.

Jo, you know Carol very well. Taste and style - what is she after from her property, do you think?

I think she wants something with three bedrooms for the girls and themselves.

A nice garden for Rich to use his petrol lawn mower.

How will we convince you? Have you got a style of house you like?

I'm not particularly keen on the new builds with the tiny garden.

-I'd love to have a kitchen-diner.

-Everyone wants a kitchen-diner.

-Do not give me a sitting room-diner.

-World War Three would break out?

-Pretty much.

-Old character buildings?

-Yeah. I don't want anything with any work to do.

-Would you get builders in to do a project?

-If it was within my budget.

-What sort of money have we got to spend then?

-180 to 200.

-Is there anything else we need to know before we leave?

-I don't think so.

-All right, we're off.

See you later on. Should I be concerned? Both their husbands are in the military.

-I may have been a bit cavalier about them.

-If they're too scared to come on the programme, don't worry.

-Pathetic. Wimps almost!

-Having said that, they're masters of camouflage. They could be anywhere.

Is that...? The tree's moving!

Let's relax and take a leisurely look around Wiltshire,

a place of grandeur.

I'm talking Salisbury Cathedral, the tallest spire in Britain,

the abundance, nay, plethora of white horses cut into the chalk hillsides.

And, of course, the World Heritage sites of Stonehenge and Avebury.

Let's just pause for a spiritual solace.

Never mind the stone circles. What about the crop circles?

Wiltshire seems to be a centre for them.

The biggest one ever recorded, measuring 787 feet in diameter,

was at Milk Hill in 2001.

If you're going to get specific,

I can point out that 92,000 acres of Wiltshire is owned

by the Ministry of Defence.

This brings us neatly back to our couple and their budget of £200,000.

The house prices in Wiltshire cost around ten grand less than the countrywide average.

So the property hunt today might not be too much of a struggle,

unless I get removed by burly blokes before I can find anything!

What else can you buy in other military areas for that money?

In the army stronghold of Colchester,

you can pick up this Grade 2 listed, three-bedroom charmer on Hythe Hill.

It's got beautiful beams and character

and it's well worth its price tag.

Here is a more modern and more detached option

in Hereford, the home to the SAS.

This one has got an enormous kitchen, almost a kitchen-diner,

and an en-suite too.

The very desirable price is:

But why not drop a bedroom and drop a floor level and head down to navy country, Portsmouth,

for this fabulous two-bedroom apartment?

With secure parking and a full-time concierge service,

you'd never need to look over your shoulder.

On the market for:

Meanwhile, I ventured out of hiding and on to Amesbury high street.

Whilst I cornered an estate agent in Burbage.

-What's nice about Amesbury?

-It's just quite a local environment, friendly. Everything, really.

It's got countryside around. I've always lived here.

-Would you ever move away?

-No.

-Never, never?

-No.

What's the property market doing here?

With relatively low stock levels and high applicant levels, properties on the market are moving.

-Never?

-No.

-Never?

-No.

-Never, never, never?

-No.

-Never?

Do you find many buyers opting out of barracks living and trying to find their own house?

We do. All the way from Brize Norton to the north to Tidworth in the south,

you get a lot of military personnel looking for property in the area.

-Now, have you heard about crop circles round here?

-Yes.

-Have you ever witnessed any crop circles?

-I've never witnessed them being made.

But do you believe they're made by drunk farmers or by aliens?

I think they're made by people that own narrow boats.

I don't even know what that means!

-Looking around, I would love to live here.

-Yes.

But would 200 grand get me a house here?

Traditionally, 200 grand around here would probably get you a two to three-bed semi-detached,

depending on condition and age.

A period property, it's going to be more of a one-bed,

but if you're going 1960s, a more modern build,

two or three-bed semi-detached with a nice garden and maybe a garage.

They've normally got a board and attached to it is a piece of rope.

-They just go round making...

-It's not aliens?

-No.

-People with narrow boats?

-In South Wiltshire, we're not that bad.

Where is he?

-Captain Chaos?

-Hello.

-Here he is!

-I've been on military manoeuvres.

-Oh, yeah?

-Don't ask me how I got here.

-Captain Chaos, whilst you were on manoeuvres, I was talking to an estate agent.

-Very clever move.

I thought so. Property number one is pretty good, really.

It's got three bedrooms. It's got period living.

It's got a garage, the garden, it's got opportunity to grow veggies.

It's got all the bedrooms and period charm.

Has it got a kitchen-diner?

Kind of.

That isn't an answer. Does it have a kitchen-diner?

-It has a...

-I would answer the question more succinctly.

-Does it have a kitchen-diner?

-Kind of.

-No.

-No.

-It doesn't have a kitchen-diner.

Very often on this programme, there is a tendency to underwhelm the buyer.

Jonnie is doing that with his non-kitchen-dinered house.

But I have decided to give them everything they want.

My property is very beautiful. Ask me if it's got a kitchen-diner.

-Has that really pretty house got a kitchen-diner?

-Yes, it's got everything they want.

-That's lovely.

That said, it's not the wild card and the wild card is a cracker.

People ask us what makes a wild card a wild card.

This one is pretty wild, as you've got a road that separates the house from the garden.

It's got character and she loves character. This is the first house they'll ever buy. That is lovely.

Where shall we start the journey?

If it was a military manoeuvre, you'd start at the beginning

and that would suggest property number one.

'I'm quite excited about this first property, Ed, in my own quiet way.

'It ticks nearly every one of their boxes.

'Should we be worried about the ones it doesn't tick? I'm already on edge as it is.

'Well, don't worry. Well, not yet, really.'

-Welcome, ladies, to Ludgershall. Do you know this area?

-Vaguely.

-Vaguely.

-Have you been here before?

-No.

-How do you vaguely know it, then?

-I've grown up in this area.

-You've seen it on the map.

We're next to a road which is half an hour away from the schools you need to get to and maybe your work.

The house is this little puppy there. What do you think?

-I like it.

-Do you?

-Lovely.

-Yeah?

-You're sort of like the stylish, creative department, Jo.

-What are your thoughts on the property?

-It's traditional-looking. I really like it.

Yeah, a lovely garden at the front.

You might need to bring out these creative thoughts

when you go inside.

It's built late 1920s, by the looks of it.

-The lady who is selling it has been in there 47 years.

-Wow!

You'll have a different style. You might need to update bits and bobs,

but there's nothing structural.

I like it. It's exactly the style I like.

So the main battle is won here.

We've got to fight the battle of the interior.

-Are you two ready to go in there and be very positive?

-Yes.

-We are.

You seem ready. OK, all right.

Remember that you aren't soldiers.

-You are property soldiers fighting the campaign...

-Just go, yeah?

-Yeah.

-Yes, I will.

-This is exciting.

-Wow!

So, yeah, property armies on military manoeuvres...

-They'll be military manoeuvring into this house. That's what the girls are doing.

-Stop this. Concentrate.

-Cosy.

-Oh, I like that.

-Yeah?

-It is cosy.

-Do you like them fireplaces, yeah?

-I love them.

-We've not met the husband yet and there's a lot of overgrowth.

-That cabbage seems to have lips!

-You get loads of light though. Nice and bright.

-Can you hear the road?

-Can I hear the road?

-Can you hear the traffic?

-Can you hear the traffic?

-No.

-No.

They're testing to see if they can hear the traffic

and they have chosen a bad time because no cars are going past.

-But I'm happy for them to think it's a quiet part of the world.

-Yes.

-This is nice, Carol.

-Yeah.

-It's nice to have a hallway.

-It's like a blank canvas, isn't it?

-You come in, go up the stairs and you have a big hallway as well.

-Yeah.

-Room to move in.

We know we've got a fan of the show when they say "blank canvas".

Oh, this is nice and big.

Magnolia walls.

Magnolia walls. It's blank, isn't it?

-You've got the hatch again, as well. It's like home from home.

-It is!

If they kept the serving hatch,

Richard would be a dab shot with a gun because he's in the army...

Sometimes the most boring part, after eating your food,

is taking the plates back into the kitchen,

trudging through the corridor.

Richard... Through the serving hatch, perfectly.

-If you knocked that wall out...

-And just make it a big room.

-It would be lovely, wouldn't it?

-Have like a little breakfast bar.

-Get rid of the hatch.

-Yeah.

Hang about!

Hang about! This is the sound of Jo the expert chiming in with Jonnie the expert's theory.

-Problem solved.

-Perfect.

Jo, look at the garden!

That is fab, isn't it? That is just what you wanted, isn't it?

-Big garden.

-Is that a greenhouse?

-You like that, don't you?

-Great. Nice little room, isn't it?

This would be nice with the sun coming through.

What a garden! It's a cracking garden.

That's nice.

It's the same cupboards as I've got. SHE LAUGHS

We've just left all this, haven't we, where we were?

-You could put your own in if you wanted, couldn't you?

-Yeah.

-And maybe jiggle it about a bit.

-I'd need somewhere to put my dishwasher.

But if you got a new kitchen, you'd have it all built in.

And if that's going to go through as well, maybe if you did knock that down, yeah.

-What's through here, Jo? Shall we have a look?

-Yeah.

-Oh, that's somewhere you can put your...

-Washing machine?

-Yeah, washing machine, tumble drier.

Look, she's got some storage up there.

You could put them on top of each other.

It's your utility room. Your dishwasher could be through there.

-Larder...

-"Slash" glory hole.

-"Slash" utility room.

-"Slash" what you will.

-Oh, nice landing.

-Nice and big.

-I like a landing.

This way.

Oh, my...

-Shocking, isn't it?

-Shocking pink.

-You don't see many pink ones in the army.

-Definitely not.

-It's got an electric shower, though.

-That'd be all right, yeah.

It's got everything you need.

-What's this, the main bedroom?

-First bedroom.

-Single bed.

-You would fit a double, wouldn't you, in here?

-Yeah.

Oh, yeah, storage.

-But there's room to put all your stuff as well, isn't there?

-Yeah.

-All your units.

-Look at the garden!

-That's massive.

-Vegetable patch!

-You wouldn't have to have it that big, though, would you?

-No.

We can now see their beautiful faces looking out to the garden

and...they're loving it.

It's a small room here, look.

-Let's have a look.

-Oh, bless!

-But then you get...

-That's a sliding door.

-Oh, that's...

-To make it bigger.

-You haven't got the swing of the door. Yeah.

-They'd fit the bed in.

-You could get one of those...

-Loft bed? Yeah.

This is a fairly small room, but it's perfect for a young girl.

-Would your girl be happy in this size room?

-Over the moon.

Is this the bigger room, bigger than the first one?

-No noise again.

-No noise.

-You couldn't hear the car going past.

Not a lot of room, is there?

-I think the other room appears bigger.

-Hmm.

-Maybe it's just because it had a smaller bed in.

-Probably, yeah.

-Overall, there's lots you can do with it.

-It would be a working project.

-Yeah.

-You could move in.

-Yeah.

-But you'd need...

-I do like it, though.

-I know, it is nice.

I think this house has ticked all the boxes. Do you think it will win a medal?

-You don't get medals in the TV property game. They won't give you the Victoria Cross.

-What do I get?

A shake of the hand?

-At ease, Ed.

-Sorry.

-How did we get on? How did

-I

-get on?

-I'm quite pleased with it.

-You sound surprised. What are you on about?

It's going to need a lot of work to have it how I want it,

but it would be, I suppose, a home for life, an ongoing project.

-Oh, a home for life?

-I think it could be a home for life.

-That's good.

-I like it. Lots of nooks and crannies.

This house is energy-efficient. You've got the double glazing. And there's solar panels on the roof.

They provide 20, 30% of the hot water in the winter and up to 60% of the hot water in the summer.

A few bits and bobs in this house seem quirky, but it's fairly modern.

-It's been brought into the 21st century.

-You probably want to know how much it costs.

There are things you would like to do to the house and you need money for those.

The maximum budget was £200,000, right?

-Yeah, top.

-Okey-cokey, who would like to go first? I'm actually going to force you to go first, Jo.

-184,950.

-OK.

-Carol, what do you think?

-I'm going to go a little bit more at 189 flat.

-Oh, on the knocker.

-She knows what she wants. Well, you did very well.

It's on the market for 189,950, Carol.

-Oh!

-Pretty good, eh?

You're cheering because you've won "guess the price", but it's five grand over what...

-Yeah.

-The chances are, put a sensible offer in, you'll get a sensible answer.

You might be able to pick it up for £184,000 which will leave you plenty to re-decorate

or put that wall through in the kitchen and have that kitchen-diner.

You've got a lot to think about,

-but why think about this house when you can go to property two? Shall we go?

-Why not?

'We move from the '20s to the '50s for my offering,

'this rather nice, double-fronted house in a lovely village.

'It's already been refurbished, so that box is already ticked.

-'Are the rest of them all ticked?

-Just look at it.

'Hand on heart, I say yes.'

Carol and Jo, Jo and Carol,

welcome to the second part of today's three-part journey.

We are in Burbage.

-Have you ever been to Burbage before, Carol?

-No, I drive past it.

So what do we think about the property? I am going to go to you, Jo.

Just on impact from the outside, I would say this looks bigger than Jonnie's one.

It looks lovely. It's got a nice colour to it.

But what do you think?

-Not as much character.

-Character, "schmaracter", you've not been in there yet.

-From the outside.

-It's quite a bit newer.

-Yes.

-What period would you put this in, Ed?

-I'm placing it 1950s-ish.

-And you asked for a kitchen...?

-Diner.

-I've given you one of the greatest kitchen-diners known to man or woman. Are you ready?

-Yeah.

You're in Burbage. People in Burbage are lovely and posh. Three, two, one -

enter that house. Go!

-It's all right, isn't it?

-Yeah. Nice hallway.

We're whispering. They're about to walk in. We are positioned right next to the kitchen-diner.

If it's as lovely as I think it is, I want to be like grandstand vision, well, audio, of them loving it.

That's nice, isn't it?

-Kitchen-diner.

-It's massive.

-You'd fit your table in, wouldn't you?

-Yeah, definitely.

-And it's nice and bright.

-The breakfast bar looks nice, doesn't it?

That is lovely. You could all fit along there.

-It's really nice.

-Loads of cupboards.

-There's storage under there.

-Yeah.

-They like everything here.

-They love it. What is there not to love?

This is the Taj Mahal of the house.

And how many houses have a Taj Mahal within a Taj Mahal?

-I don't think I've seen one before.

-It's a cracker.

Yeah, they've got really nice floor tiles. I like them.

You wouldn't need to do anything here at all. You could just move in.

-Lovely.

-Lots of lovely storage.

-Yeah. Really lovely.

-It's lovely and quiet.

-It is. No road noise.

-No road noise at all.

-No guns going off!

-No!

-No tanks driving past!

-No barbed wire.

-No barbed wire! Love it.

-Aww.

I think showing them the kitchen first was genius.

-They'll love everything else now.

-It's the wow factor. That would win X Factor if that kitchen could sing.

-If wow factor had an arm wrestle with X Factor, who would win?

-The kitchen.

-Oh, he's got laminate flooring again, all the way through, to keep it tidy.

-Yeah.

-A good size.

-It is a good size.

-Fit all your stuff in here.

-Nicely decorated, isn't it?

Very nice.

Jo needs to just relax in this house. She doesn't need any decoration advice.

-Carol doesn't need any builders. No one needs to do anything.

-If you had a key...

-It's a key turner!

-It IS a key turner.

-Turn the key?

-Boof! You're in!

-You're done.

-Nice with this bit here, look. You could put all your stuff on.

-You'd put some things on there.

-Big landing again. I like the landing.

-Yes.

Oh, let's have a look. He's got a double bed in here.

The girls could have one of these.

-Just put a single.

-It's a bit bigger than the small bedroom in the other house.

-Yeah.

I'm not going to mention the bedroom being much bigger than yours.

If I was being mean, I would. Don't pump iron to attack me later.

That's what I'd do if I was mean. I've not even mentioned it.

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

Yeah. It fits better in here, doesn't it, the double?

You've got built-in wardrobes.

Mirrored.

Oh, this is nice. Look at the floor. I like that.

-It's nice, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Clean. It's big, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Corner bath.

-Nice.

I like that.

-Yes.

-Plain white. What we're used to!

-Definitely!

They're saying nice things, but not amazing things.

Superlatives weren't included within their vernacular.

Is this the main bedroom?

-Very spacious.

-I like it. It's nice by the window.

-Yeah.

-Room for all your stuff.

-You could have the bed that way.

-Yeah.

-Yeah. What's there, though?

-Let's have a look.

-A little surprise, I think.

-It's like over the garage.

-Look at this.

-A walk-in wardrobe!

-Brilliant.

All your stuff in here. You could have more space.

Have your shoes there.

Always wanted a walk-in wardrobe! Nearly there.

This - and you thought they didn't like it up to this point -

this, ye of little faith, is two women falling in love with a house based on a wardrobe!

-Nice big house, isn't it?

-Yeah, very.

-Downstairs, the kitchen-diner is lovely.

-Yeah.

-Nice and quiet outside. No gunfire! No tanks.

-No barbed wire.

-Yeah.

-I think he's done quite well.

-He's got a good choice there.

-Yeah.

-Makes it difficult now, though.

-I know!

Carol and Jo, we are sat in the Taj Mahal of your house.

-This is amazing, isn't it?

-It's beautiful.

-Bar and dining area. Got it all.

-I know.

-It's beautiful.

So you've got the garage that you can access from here

-and the utility area. What do you think?

-I thought that was a really good space, actually.

-A bonus.

-You could, if you wanted to, do a bit of conversion in there if you wanted,

or keep it as a garage.

But you've got three double bedrooms here anyway.

You could make that into a bedroom or into a study. Lots you could do.

OK, the thing is, how much does it cost?

-That's the question!

-Who went first last time?

-Me.

-Let's even it up.

You were very close last time, Carol.

I think it's more because it's ready to go, to move into.

I'm going...

209. And maybe a little couple of pence on the end there.

-OK.

-209 and three pence.

-Strange price.

-A ludicrous guess. Jo?

202,950.

You're playing a very, very intriguing game. You were closest last time, Carol.

-You are NOT closest today. Again, you are disappointed about good news.

-"Oh, I've lost!"

It's the competitor within you. So it's neck-and-neck now.

The good news is it's underneath your price as well, Jo. The price is 198,950.

-Ooh!

-There you go. So even if you got it for its price, which doesn't happen in these times,

-it's under your budget. And because you're ready to go...

-I hold my hands up. Ed chose well.

-Yes.

-But we've not got to the proper part of the show yet, the most famous part - it's wild card time!

Come on, everyone!

To complete our trio of period properties, we're entering the Victorian era.

-We think Richard will love it.

-It's wildly unconventional,

-with lots of surprises, hopefully pleasant.

-Of course!

Good. Because I'm in enough trouble with action man Richard!

Ladies, welcome to everybody's favourite - the wild card.

When I first saw this property,

I was very unimpressed, but when I opened that door,

what I saw was amazing.

The creative amongst us might feel a little bit redundant in this one.

-That's a big clue!

-But, area first,

what do you think of the locality?

-Yeah.

-What do you mean "yeah"?

-It's quiet.

-Apart from the guns.

-There's guns everywhere!

-It was lovely, the drive here,

-seeing the canal.

-And not far from the town.

-But away from the noise.

You're having a nice discussion!

Now here is the property. The oldest one we've shown you.

This is character-a-go-go.

Is this good? Are you excited to be going into something Victorian?

-Yes.

-It's nice from the outside.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-It's got character.

-I think she's stunned. Go in there, enjoy it,

and once you've looked round it, you still haven't looked round it. What about that for a conundrum?

-The reason it's wild will reveal itself MUCH later.

-Oh!

-Get in!

-Go on! Gertcha!

-Let's go.

-Oh, nice hallway!

-I like it.

-Have that. That is the greatest entrance we've had so far.

-In your face, Property One and Two!

-Not Two.

-One AND Two.

-Not really Two.

-What's this, then?

-Living room.

I like it. Nice and big enough for the furniture.

It's really big, yeah. You'd fit everything in here. There's room for your big telly.

-Oh, it's nice.

-Very plain. Magnolia walls.

-Feel at home!

-Yeah. Home from home.

-They're sounding very girlie now.

-They're gushing over magnolia walls.

-I've never had that on here.

-I think that's army regulation colours.

-Oh, very nice.

-That's lovely.

-This is... Look at this.

-Going up.

-Yeah.

-Got your fireplace.

-Interesting.

-I like it.

-I like the step.

-Get your Christmas decorations there.

-Yeah!

-Nice balustrading.

-They've done it very nice. Sometimes they're just open. Here, cunningly,

you've got under stair storage, which is hidden away.

-And it's got an open feel. There, I've said it.

-What's going on?!

I said a flamboyant thing.

-Love it.

-Yeah, brilliant.

Love it!

We have had a double love it. "Love it. Love it!"

-And that doesn't happen very often. "Love it."

-A Wiltshire love it. "Love it!"

-They really love it.

Look at this.

Yeah. Oh, look... Room for a dishwasher. You've got your washing machine there.

-I like the cupboards.

-It's nice.

-Lovely. You could move in. That's all there.

Straight to the kitchen and not a mention of the lack of a kitchen-diner. They love it.

Well, they do. That was the one concern.

It's plain sailing almost.

Oh! Bathroom!

Is this the one? Is this the only bathroom, I wonder?

How bizarre to have your bath downstairs.

-Yeah. I like all this.

-It's done nice, isn't it?

No, I like it. I really... I'm excited!

-Fear not, because there are solutions further up.

-Solutions in the form of porcelain.

-I do like these stairs.

-This is great, isn't it?

-Beautiful.

-All open plan.

-Lovely. Natural, isn't it?

-Oh, yeah.

I like the floor. The floor is lovely.

Oh, yeah. Wooden floorboards.

Wow.

-This is big.

-A beautiful room.

-Look at the wardrobes.

-All fitted, yeah. That's great, isn't it?

-They're gushing! There are big wardrobes.

-I put my hand in, like Flash Gordon in the tree...

-How far in?

-Right up to there.

-I like the size of this room.

-Yeah. And this - Rich could put his desk here, couldn't he?

-Fit all his computer stuff in.

-Yeah.

-It would be big enough.

Airy, isn't it, in here? Light and airy.

-Nice for the girls. A nice size.

-And you've got the height of the ceiling for the beds.

-You know the high beds?

-Yeah.

-Cos it's a bit older.

-Isn't it?

The house is a bit older. You've got the height on the ceilings.

A shower room!

-So you've got your downstairs bath.

-Oh, yeah!

-And a shower room.

-It's not the only bathroom, then.

-That's great. This is ideal for Rich. He likes his showers.

-And I like a bath.

-We're all happy, aren't we?

-Yeah.

-Wow.

-Love all this.

-WOW. I like it.

-They can have showers and baths at the same time.

-It's true.

-He says potato, she says potahto. He says shower...

-She says bath.

Let's call the whole thing ON because it works.

-How exciting!

-I know. What's up here?

It's all the wood again. I like it.

Wow!

-Look at this!

-Oh, my God!

That is... Oh, that is so nice, isn't it?

-Look.

-The only thing that is wrong with this...

-Poor old Rich.

-We couldn't have it as our room.

-Well, no, because look.

-Rich would be above it!

-We'll have to banish the kids to the attic!

-They'd love it!

-You'd put the kids up there.

-Well, I quite like it.

If I was Rich, I would... get some kneepads to walk around.

-Loads of space.

-And the computer could come up here and have the kids' room.

-Yeah.

-What do you think?

-I think it's lovely.

-Everyone loves the wild card!

-Yeah!

Ladies, you may well have been worried - what's so wild about this house?

The reason why it is wild -

we have the need for a lawn mower.

And a canal.

-Oh, wow!

-You see? You see?

You are on the canal. Quite weird, having your back garden as your front garden.

But you still have that little space at the back of the kitchen.

You've got so much here.

You sounded, both of you, very excited at that property.

-Lovely.

-It was.

-It was... You've outdone it with that one.

-Really? There's no kitchen-diner.

-Doesn't matter.

-You've got a downstairs bathroom and first floor.

-That didn't bother you either.

-No.

-You've got two bathrooms.

The dining room does spill off the kitchen, you get this garden,

and you know your girls.

-How much would they love that top room as a bedroom?

-Yeah.

With still maybe a spare bedroom.

-And at 6'4" Rich is not allowed in the kids' room!

-Ed, 6'4" Rich is!

I may have made a mistake by saying he was a wimp earlier on!

I've said it again! Right.

Guess the price. We're neck-and-neck. We have £200,000 as our maximum budget.

I want to know who would like to go first.

-I'll go first.

-Come on, Jo.

-I'm going to go above the budget.

-In the haggle zone.

I'm going to go 204,950.

-Carol?

-I think higher.

-More than that?!

-208.

-208!

Well... There's winners and losers in this.

-Ohh...

-The property hunting team today have behaved - all three properties are WITHIN budget.

It's on the market at 199,950.

-Oh, wow!

-That is good!

-That's amazing.

-So, 2-1.

-But wouldn't you prefer to lose under those circumstances?

-Absolutely.

-Yeah.

As it stands, you've got 50 quid to spare out of your budget.

-Wouldn't need it.

-No. You are ready to go.

You haven't got anything to sell, so you're in a great position.

Now you wander off and make the biggest decision of your adult life. Which one will you test drive?

-Would you like to head back...

-Give Rich a call.

-That way.

See you later. I wonder which one they will choose today?!

Whilst they're making the perhaps obvious decision,

-here's a reminder of today's three house tours of duty.

-Mine was nice.

Will the charming 1920s family home manoeuvre its way back into Carol's heart?

See what I did there? It needs a bit of updating, but lovely garden.

No, it will be my one, definitely. It's a perfect location and kitchen-diner.

It has three double bedrooms and Richard's car will have a home.

But what about the colossus of the wild card?

Carol's half in love already.

Jo's rejoicing because she's got nothing to do

and it's under budget!

Can we keep the suspense going any longer?

Oh, my goodness, Ed! Look where we are. Who would have thought it?

-The wild card.

-Everyone loves the wild card.

Now, you have chosen the wild card. Carol, why have you chosen it?

-Erm... I like the house.

-Uh-huh.

-A good start.

-The garden.

The canal. The upstairs bit. The downstairs bit.

-You like it all! Do you think it's a good decision, Jo?

-Very.

We've had our mysterious surveyor round. Have you seen him? No!

He's had a look round the house. This is a very good heads up as to what you're getting into.

The first one is fire alarms, bizarrely enough.

At the moment, they're battery powered.

Our surveyor recommends you install a fully integrated system connected to the mains.

It may well reduce your insurance premiums, but most of all, it will give you peace of mind.

Especially with the girls on the top floor.

And always make sure all the windows are fully operational so they could be escape routes in an emergency.

Right.

Damp proof coursing. Down there, injection damp proofing has happened.

Because the house has been done so well inside, you want to check the guarantees on this.

Most expire in 20 years or every 25 years. Check they're valid, just check the details.

He did mainly state that the property is lovely, beautiful.

-There's really not much wrong.

-It's almost prepared for sale.

-These were built to last.

-They are.

-Are you ready to do it?

-Yes.

-Do you want a test drive?

-Yes!

Three, two, one. Start your engines.

Carol's phone must be red hot with all these girls coming round.

-A whole battalion of ladies!

-She's a red hot organiser.

The Christmas tree! That's what we said.

-Some decs on the banister.

-The stairs are a nice feature in the room.

-Dig in, girls.

-Will they leave any for us?

-I doubt it! They're stuffing themselves.

-Maybe they'll leave a few handbags or necklaces instead.

I quite like that one.

Hang about! I can smell a fashion show in the brewing!

-Carol must be in the throes of planning the next one.

-OK, girls - Jo and Claire!

And first down the runway is Jo, looking great in that natty little turquoise number. Gorgeous.

Isn't she beautiful? She's a natural.

Carol's friend Claire looks stunning in this gold ball gown.

I'm almost scared to head back into the house! It's so girlie!

But we have the most important question in daytime TV to ask them, so we should get back in there.

So, girls, this house turned into a very glamorous place to be! These ball gowns!

-A fashion show in the planning stage.

-Right.

So we've had the ladies look round. Ladies can spot stuff. They know things about interior decor.

Jo, you've spent more time here. You're our interior decor queen.

-Is this, I believe, a house you feel is fit for Carol to reside in?

-I do, yeah.

-It's almost like proposing!

-"Yes, I do!"

-This is a big step.

-You're moving out of the army life.

-Stepping into civilian life.

Right, we are at the point. For these purposes, Jo, pretend to be Richard.

-OK.

-Are we ready?

-I'm ready.

-Girls, here it comes.

To buy or military not to buy? That is the question.

Subject to Richard having a look round...

to buy!

-To genuinely buy?

-Yeah!

-Your first ever home!

-I know!

-And we and the viewers have shared in it.

-That's a privilege.

-Well, we're going to disappear.

-When you do buy it, will you invite us round?

-Maybe.

-Just say to Richard that he didn't mean it.

-I want him here next week.

-We'll see you soon. Bye-bye!

-Well done, ladies. Bye!

-I tell you what, Ed, I do hope you're not in hot water with Richard.

-Carol's husband?

The man I just found a house for? Yes, earlier on I called him a wimp for not coming on the programme...

-He's a soldier, mate.

-Help me!

Not my face! Not my beautiful face!

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