Harrogate To Buy or Not to Buy

Welcome to the programme that boldly goes

where only a few other house-hunting programmes have gone before.

Where space, or lack thereof,

is never the final frontier in our quest for the perfect properties.

How do we do that?

By showing them three of the most kissable properties known to man.

One of which they get to fly... sorry, try before they buy.

We're in Yorkshire, God's county, home to the famed and delicious

-Yorkshire pudding.

-There's more to Yorkshire than food.

They have Michael Parkinson,

the man who put the fedora into cricket, Geoffrey Boycott,

the Bronte sisters and, of course, JB Priestley -

-not to be confused with JR Hartley.

-The fly fishing guy.

We're here to find three properties, one of which our buyers

will get to fly... sorry, try before they buy.

'Today's buyers are Kate and Matt Holiday.

'Kate is from Yorkshire, and Matt's from everywhere.

'His dad was in the RAF, so he's used to moving around.

'They live with Kate's parents and both work in Leeds,

'Kate for the NHS and Matt for the Environmental Agency.

'Living with the in-laws. Not everyone's cup of tea.'

Kate, Matt, good morning.

It won't be too personal if I let viewers know you're in your 30s.

They will be surprised that you live with your mum.

-I know!

-What's going on?

-Only since January though.

-OK.

We lived in London and met in London.

Then we quit our jobs, went travelling for five months and moved up to Yorkshire.

What made you decide to seek a new life?

Just fancied a change, didn't we?

Houses in London are expensive.

We thought if we're going to start a family I'd like to be near family.

-Is this a first-time buy?

-No. We bought a flat in London.

In Wimbledon. We've still got it. The idea was to get rid of it.

-Obviously, with the...

-Market took a bit of a turn.

-We're renting that out until things pick up.

-What sort of property are you looking for?

Hopefully, three bedrooms, nice garden.

In Wimbledon, we had a shared garden with the lady upstairs.

You want stairs as well, presumably? It's hard to get stairs in London!

-It is!

-You can have shared stairs. We're in Harrogate, which is nice.

Which part of the...up here in the Harrogate environs do we want?

-We really like Knaresborough.

-Yeah.

We moved up to Yorkshire and didn't know anywhere.

We spent the first few months, checking different places out.

-Knaresborough was the first one that jumped out.

-We've got the area.

We've got the stairs and garden. What will the house look like?

-Character...

-Everyone wants character. What kind of character?

We said we don't like new-builds, but then we looked at a couple that were OK.

I think we kind of know.

In London, we both kind of knew as soon as we walked in,

the ones that we bought and rented, we said, "This is the one."

-So you act on your feelings?

-Yeah. I always say not keen on open plan.

-But then I looked at ours...

-And you liked it.

All of this is irrelevant. We should just show you pictures, "Yes. No."

Have you looked at a lot of houses?

Have you thought, "We definitely don't want this in our property"?

We went to one and it was about five bedrooms, but just like box rooms.

You think they should have knocked through and made bigger rooms.

That's the next question. Would you be prepared to do any work?

Matt, I'm looking at you!

-Would that be something...?

-No. I struggle putting a picture on the wall.

-That would be a disaster.

-We could get your dad up.

-That's true!

If you were let loose, describe your ultimate house.

Ideally, it would have a kitchen that you could eat in, have breakfast in,

and a separate dining room.

-A nice lounge.

-A garden that isn't just all concrete.

-Yeah, lawn.

Our niece loves running around.

So a lawned garden, but with a patio area for barbecues.

I knew you had a vision. What else?

-A bath that I can fit in.

-A massive bath.

-OK. What else?

Nice big master bedroom, en suite.

-Getting a bit carried away!

-Doesn't matter.

A nice guest room.

And then, like, features...

-Maybe a nice fireplace.

-Right.

You want a good balanced house.

The living space is as important as upstairs bedroom sizes.

It's not just about you but, long-term, having children.

Is this a house you want to bring children into, or a stepping stone?

How long do you envisage living here?

-Ideally, for a while.

-Yeah.

We're not thinking of it as a year or two.

-We're looking at it with family eyes.

-Right, I like "family eyes".

It seems like a lovely dream.

The question is, how much money have you got to spend on it?

About 200,000.

-To actually spend?

-Yeah.

-But we've looked at properties a bit more.

-Yeah.

-About 220.

-OK, up to that.

-That's your haggle zone of 20.

-Yeah.

-Which is fair enough.

The market, the way it is, you've got a 10% swing.

You could legitimately look at properties up to that point,

hoping to negotiate down.

-That seems fair enough.

-Wish us luck.

-Good luck.

Bye.

Have you've heard of Old Mother Shipton?

She lived in a cave in Knaresborough and predicted the future.

She predicted the Great Fire of London, although was seen in Pudding Lane with a box of matches.

Suspicious. She also predicted carriageless horses.

That's just horses. You mean horseless carriages, cars.

-Will she predict the mighty Arsenal winning the Premiership?

-No. They need to sort out the mid-field.

-Shall we do what we're supposed to?

-Find houses?

-Yes.

Mother Shipton isn't this part of Yorkshire's only claim to fame.

It's an area celebrated for its H2O.

Yes, Harrogate was built on its spring waters. Not literally.

-Jonny, do you know what Dickens said about this place?

-Enlighten me.

Harrogate was the "queerest place with the strangest people leading honest lives".

If spring water isn't your cup of tea, what about a trip to the salty stuff?

A 45-minute journey will take you to Whitby and Scarborough.

Fish and chips and kiss-me-quick hats! Can't beat the seaside.

Anyway, Harrogate is an expensive place,

but not too far from here is Knaresborough,

8% cheaper and worth considering.

But what could you get elsewhere for 220k?

In Bath is this two-bedroom terrace

with separate reception rooms and area to the rear.

In Kent is this town centre flat in a double-fronted villa.

It has two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen area and a reception room.

In Buxton, you can have this gorgeous three-bedroom conversion.

Downstairs there's a lounge and a large kitchen.

Upstairs, there's a bathroom and three bedrooms.

Harrogate, spa town, home to the greatest water in the world.

Or is it?

On the tray of decision, I have two waters.

One is Harrogate water and one is from somewhere else.

Simon, what sort of buyers are coming into the area?

Leeds keeps us very strong, with regards to sales.

People relocating from London and the Midlands.

People want to bring the children up in Harrogate and commute in to Leeds.

Ladies, I have two types of water.

One from Harrogate. One from somewhere else.

Maybe do a bit of slooshing round the mouth.

-This one?

-Very wonderful.

-Really?

-What do you think?

-Tastes a bit dull.

-A bit dull?

The second one was better, more flavour.

-This is the good one.

-You're right. Congratulations.

The first one you drank, which means Harrogate water's winning.

Knaresborough is an area that our buyers are interested in. Not quite as big.

-Is that still quite sought-after?

-Yeah. Knaresborough's more quaint.

You get a little more value for money.

Pick your weapon.

Can we look at some of these?

Yeah. Knaresborough. A three-bedroom cottage near the church.

If you were going to drink only one water?

-That one.

-It would be Harrogate water.

We've learned one thing. Harrogate water is the greatest water ever.

Even the Americans love it. No-one didn't like it.

-They can tell the difference?

-They all could.

-This place is buzzing.

-Houses coming onto the market.

-Beautiful.

-Sales being achieved.

-Lovely.

-If Matt and Kate want a decent place they have to act fast.

My choice is this family home in Harrogate,

an area they're looking in.

It's a modest property. I've not been too adventurous.

I think they'll be satisfied with it.

Guess the compromise that the mysterious property-hunting team and I have gone for.

What have we compromised on? It's the back garden.

Everything else they want, not the garden. Will that be a problem?

What we find out from that will help us cos this is the wild card.

It's in Knaresborough.

It's gorgeous, a Georgian property steeped in history.

It's incredibly spacious, but there's zero garden.

It will challenge them on just how important these gardens are.

-But we're surrounded by them anyway.

-They need to use the public spaces.

-Where shall we start the journey?

-Let's go to property 1.

-Property 1.

My choice in Harrogate is like me -

modern, and offering more than what meets the eye.

-That's not how I'd describe you.

-No.

-Modern, and offers more than what meets the eye.

-If you say so.

Here we are at my choice, property 1,

a few moments outside of Harrogate.

Harrogate's an affluent part of the country.

A characterful property, you'll find difficult with your budget.

But this a very nice family home.

It does tick all your boxes, it's detached, it's yours, it has stairs!

-Yay!

-What do you think? First impressions?

-I like it.

I like the cul-de-sac, and the fact that it's detached is a bonus.

-You didn't specify semi or detached.

-No.

-No.

And the fields and stuff round.

Don't go too far and fall in, but there's a stream.

Oh, nice.

-Is that all right for flooding?

-KATE LAUGHS

-Good question, though.

-The honest answer is I don't know.

There's no tide mark in there.

The other thing is, they've test driven it for children.

-You were looking with family eyes.

-Family eyes.

-A lovely description.

They've got two boys in there, so it's fine.

Set you up for a few years.

-Plus, a family-friendly cul-de-sac.

-Yeah.

-Nice and quiet. No traffic.

-Ready to get inside?

-Definitely.

-See you in a bit.

-Cheers.

-Thanks.

-"Looking through family eyes."

-It's their phrase, a lovely phrase.

Property 1, nervous for the contributors, not sure what to say. These two are going to be fine.

The lounge. I like that we didn't walk straight into it.

There's a hallway.

Nice big bright window.

That is nice. Be nice and bright in the summer.

Good shaped room.

I like it.

-The lounge is very purple, isn't it?

-Yes, but purple can be changed.

Kate's adorned in purple.

-Purple shouldn't be changed.

-The perfect room!

-So this is your...

-Dining room.

-This is nice.

Separate from the kitchen.

You could fit in a six-seater table.

It's actually a fairly big room.

There's this big piece of furniture.

There's the separate reception room, plus the bonus of a conservatory.

I didn't think we'd get a conservatory. This is nice.

-It's big.

-This is a really big size.

-Nice little garden out there.

-Lawn as well, like we said.

You're not over-looked either. Well, not really.

-You could fit a little table in here.

-Yeah.

-For sunny Sunday mornings.

-You could even eat out here.

This is the first piece of their own furniture.

They're imagining some kind of furniture that doesn't belong to the house in that conservatory there.

So, into the kitchen.

It's not that big.

It's quite small, but you've got the separate dining room.

-Don't know that I'd be spending much time in here.

-It'll be me!

They've got separate reception rooms, a bonus in the conservatory.

It is detached. I hope the kitchen won't let them down.

Nice window at the top of the landing.

So this must be the little bedroom.

You can get a cot in. I don't think you'd get a full bed.

There's a wardrobe and chest of drawers

so it'll be all right for a cot.

Fortunately, Kate said as long as the third bedroom can squeeze a cot in she'd be satisfied.

Into the master bedroom.

-This is a nice big room.

-It is.

-You could turn it round a little bit.

-I guess.

-Get a king size.

-Yeah.

It's nice and light, not too dark.

-Exactly what I wanted to hear.

-It hasn't got the en suite.

This style wasn't built with en suites, they weren't in vogue.

Late '70s, early '80s, you rarely get them in this style of property.

-Nice.

-Yeah. Good size.

-Is that bath big enough?

-I reckon. Probably need to try it out.

Get in there.

Matt was concerned about a bath for his 6ft 9 frame.

He's 6ft 3, I believe.

-But during the summer he does rise to 6ft 9.

-Wow!

-The third bedroom.

-You could fit a double bed in.

-Is it?

-Do you not think?

-I'd want...

-Bigger?

-Yeah.

We've got the box room.

I'd want it bigger than this. You wouldn't get a double bed in.

Oh. Ooh. It's the double bed debate.

I have not measured it. I apologise.

-Have you?

-Yeah.

-Will it fit a double bed?

-Absolutely.

-No problem.

-I like the location.

-Yeah.

I just don't know if the second bedroom's too small.

-Bathroom's nice.

-Shall we speak to Ed and Jonny?

-Yeah. Let's go.

First viewing of the day.

I played it very safe with this property. It's not wow factor.

It is a very solid family home in a good area. How was it for you?

Really like the location. A ten, 15 minute walk into Harrogate.

It seems really central. It's at the end of a cul-de-sac.

-It's a great position.

-Yeah. The land is really nice as well.

And the conservatory is really big as well.

That's going to benefit you.

-The main room that put you off was the kitchen.

-Yes. Bit small.

You said you wanted two reception rooms plus a kitchen.

Your conservatory doubles up as a reception room.

Which gives you the option of taking down the wall

between the kitchen and dining room for a fantastic social room.

Great lounge at the front.

If you wanted a formal dining room, you could use the conservatory,

or it could be a second sitting room.

Upstairs wasn't too problematic.

There are two double bedrooms, Matt.

If you're unsure, do what Ed Hall does,

lie on the floor, spread your arms out...

-What are you talking about?

-Your double bedroom.

-Just do that.

-Did you know your wingspan is as tall as you are?

-Yeah, I did know.

-Why weren't you doing it up there?

-Next time.

-In MY one!

-We'll do that.

-You've listened to some lovely tips. You've liked them.

-Yeah.

How much do you think it costs? We are very near to Harrogate.

-A detached property. Who'll go first?

-I'll go first.

-Confidence!

Maximum budget £220,000 but you want to haggle back from that.

I think it's on the market for 209,950.

OK.

-I think...199,950.

-Right. OK.

-But being close to Harrogate, if I'm wrong...

-Be confident!

-I was making excuses.

-You've got to make no excuses.

-199,950.

-Congratulations. You're bang-on.

Absolutely bang-on. On the market for 199,950.

It has been reduced to under the 200k you'll commit to spending.

You'd like to take a bit more off

for the work that Matt's dad's going to be doing.

A great location, fantastic family home.

-A little bit of work to do, but under budget.

-Yeah.

-Good start.

Let's gaze our family eyes towards property 2.

And our family wingspan. It's this way.

My property is also a three-bedroom house and also in Harrogate.

And, like you Ed, it's slightly older.

Character and quality are the words you're searching for.

Kate and Matt, we're in the kind of amusingly titled part of Harrogate

by the name of Hornbeam, a beautiful name.

I've gone old style, with the mystery property hunting team.

I want, instantly, your thoughts on this style of property.

-Really nice.

-You like it?

-Very characterful.

-What you wanted.

-Can you sniff a fireplace?

-Hopefully.

-There's a couple.

Matt, you're billed as a guy who needs to commute places.

Sadly, that's the tedious bit. The train station's down there.

You could hold your breath and get there.

-And it's Hornbeam station.

-I'll be trying that out.

These terraced streets,

there is no driveway.

Are you OK with on-street parking?

Not concerned for me.

-LAUGHING:

-Kate might have...

-It's quite empty.

-I'll be fine.

There's no parking permits around here.

Other benefits to living here, fish and chip shop.

The house itself is lovely. There is one compromise.

-There is no garden. It's a yard, Nora Batty...

-Courtyard garden.

-Are you ready to go in?

-Yeah.

-Go in with your family eyes.

And check all the bedrooms out.

Maybe not Matt. That's too big a bed!

You're more of a double bed. He's a super king size.

-Three, two, one, go!

-Thank you.

This is the height of British summertime. It's chucking it down. That's England for you.

-Ed knows this. His house is better on the inside.

-Much better.

-But outside, I win. So it's about compromise.

-Does he?

-Nice square room.

-It's really nice.

-Bright again.

-Big bay window.

-What do you think to the fireplace?

-Yeah. I like it.

It's a good start. Shall we go and see something else?

They are spending over £200,000 on a house.

They looked in that room for not even three minutes.

-15 seconds?

-At best.

-If that.

Oh.

Oh, this is nice.

-I really like this.

-It's a really big room.

You can see the kitchen as well.

That's surprising. I was expecting to walk straight into the kitchen.

That's really good.

-This is a really nice size kitchen.

-Much bigger than the last one.

Loads of work surfaces and cupboard space. I really like this.

-And that looks out on to the little courtyard.

-Oh, yeah?

Let's have a look.

There is some kind of outside space.

-This is true. Compared to what they had in London, at least this is all theirs.

-This is palatial.

This straight away feels...

-Feels a good size.

-It does.

-This will be the second bedroom?

It must be the kiddies' one with two beds.

You'd fit a double bed there.

Of course! Knock two single beds together, they become a double bed.

Yes but, Mr Funny Pants, they're children's little beds.

Have you seen a single bed recently? They're all that size.

-This is the...

-The box room.

-It's perfectly adequate.

-It is bigger.

-Did Kate say it's bigger?

-Yes. Get your arms out woman!

Stick your arms out and do the test!

-How big's a baby?

-LAUGHS

Is that the same size as a cot?

Thank you! Thank you. Here we go. Obviously, we can't see.

About that big.

-It feels a lot bigger.

-It's ideal for a nursery.

-Yeah.

-Let's look at the master.

-OK.

You've got loft access here, as well.

Some of the houses on the street had a window.

I think they've done a bedroom up there.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have got two genuine house hunters!

It's taken a while, but they've done some tips from this show.

They've looked at the lights in the roofs, so this house can get bigger.

-Nice big bath!

-Yeah!

No outside window, though.

With the hot shower,

-might get a bit mouldy?

-Maybe.

This is a concern for people.

As nice as that bathroom is, it's a big issue.

-Doesn't matter.

-But...

-Wander around with nothing on! Deal with it.

Master bedroom.

That's more like it.

Wow. That's a nice big room.

Plenty of room for wardrobes and your dressing table.

-I could have a dressing table!

-Exactly.

-And a fireplace.

Little feature! I really like it.

-That would do the job, wouldn't it?

-It just depends on the garden.

Whether we're willing to compromise.

Kate and Matt, inside, you like.

We're outside and that was the debate.

You left us on tenterhooks.

-We're outside. What do you think?

-Well...

We could have a grown-up evening

around a table, drinking, but I don't know that it's child-friendly.

Is the inside enough... I know there are parks around and about.

..to make you compromise on the outside?

-Possibly?

-We might have to.

I think, Jonny's choice, the previous property,

it's an overall package.

You've got the parking as well.

-I do love the kitchen-dining area.

-There are lots of thoughts here.

We've got one more property but we don't know the price yet.

We're in lovely Hornbeam. Factor that in.

I can't remember who won what.

Kate was bang-on. Who's going to go first?

You go first because you lost. Losers first.

I think it's £195,000.

-OK. So you think this character property is less than the...?

-Yes.

-I think it's more. I think it's 205.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-205.

-Well, I'll tell you what you've done.

You've ruined Guess The Price cos you've won it. It's £220,000!

-220?

-Yes.

-Oh, right.

-It's maximum budget.

-Yeah.

-More expensive than the last one.

If you're, kind of, thinking about... You see?

For the price, I'd go for the other one.

-Don't spoil the bit at the end!

-But the wild card...

The thing is, the two properties you have seen are lived in by families.

Three children live here. Two live at the first property.

So it's just whether they're appropriate for your requirements.

There is one more to see. It is the wild card. Will it work? Follow me.

The wild card, the wild card.

How shall I begin to describe the wild card?

-You can say it's not in Harrogate.

-It's not in Harrogate.

It's in Knaresborough, five miles east.

A period property with four bedrooms. Lovely.

Come on through and feast your eyes on today's wild card.

We've brought you to your preferred location, which is Knaresborough.

-Yeah.

-Before you get inside, here's some history about this property.

Local legend has it that, when Oliver Cromwell came to the area,

he knocked down Knaresborough castle and these houses were a factory

built from the stone of the castle.

Around 1930, they split them into these houses.

-Matt, what do you reckon?

-Yeah, it's quite grand.

Living in London, how much is that? Which is where you're moving from.

-That's nearly a million quid's worth!

-Definitely.

These are London style homes, Georgian townhouses.

They do have loads of character.

-Once again, we've got to be honest, you are sacrificing a garden.

-OK.

This is really testing you. Is this a medium-term move?

Is it about a family home? Is it to get you on the ladder here?

-Maybe look to move on in a few years? So do bear that in mind.

-OK.

What you lose in a garden, you gain in the Knaresborough bed race.

-Have you heard about it?

-Yeah.

They go nuts with beds, pushing them through moats and ditches!

You could be part of that!

There's the property. Get in there, and we'll stand in the rain.

Oh, wow.

-Look at that.

-Oh. This is different.

-Open plan.

-I like it, though.

-It's a huge room.

-Good for entertaining.

-The ceilings are high.

-Yeah, they are.

-You look quite small, actually, in here.

-Do I?

It is like a separate dining room, though?

-Is it?

-It feels like a separate dining room.

I like the big open space, to be honest. I like the big room.

-They asked for two reception rooms.

-It's wild card.

They'll barely get anything they want.

There's more room to sit again.

I'm loving it so far.

BOTH LAUGH

They seem satisfied with the kitchen. It's got space for a table.

I don't know why, but she likes that.

She had an issue with it at the last place. Everything was so close.

We missed this storage.

With these stairs down to a cellar.

Oh, wow!

Watch your step.

Oh, blimey.

-It's a big old space.

-It's a whole extra room.

-Unexpected surprise.

-It is!

There's no back garden. How's about an indoor underneath garden?

Put a bit of Astro Turf in. See where I'm going?

Paint the walls blue and the ceilings a dappled cloud with a bit of sponging.

I don't know what else you'd do, but then it's a garden under your house.

The bathroom.

Separate shower, that's good.

-Yeah. It's a big bathroom, isn't it?

-The biggest one we've seen.

-I could probably fit in that bath.

-Yeah. That's big.

-There we go! Matt.

-Biggest bathroom.

-And a bath big enough for him.

Technically, my bath was better and bigger.

-But not as big as the bathroom.

-No. This has got a separate shower.

The first bedroom.

-Next door have put a roof terrace on.

-That's a cool idea.

A bit of outside space.

-You'd definitely get a bed in.

-Easy.

-Plenty of room.

Yet another bedroom. Oh. Gosh!

-I didn't expect another one like this.

-Another double bedroom.

There's another staircase here, look.

Here you are, look.

-Another roof terrace opportunity!

-LAUGHS

-Here we go.

-Top floor.

-Greeted with a giggle.

A roof terrace opportunity!

They have no back garden, but they do have a roof terrace.

I'll be honest, for children in the future, isn't much use.

Another good size room.

-What's that? Number three?

-And there's another one.

I'm not sure about the wallpaper.

-We might have to do a bit of decorating.

-Yeah. Different carpets.

Carpets and paint - a reason for Matt's dad to stay.

You don't have to fall in love with everybody else's decor.

-Biggest room yet!

-Bigger than the one downstairs?

-Yes.

Would you have it as your master bedroom?

-I don't know I'd be bothered going up three storeys.

-A nice guest room.

They wanted an en suite. They've got four bedrooms. There's one bathroom.

They could possibly sacrifice one of those bedrooms and make a posh bathroom.

-It's a big house.

-It's massive.

I'm bothered by the lack of outdoor space. There's a roof terrace.

-Shall we go speak to the boys?

-Go on, then.

You've had a good look around.

Before I get much of a reaction, let's clear up a few things.

Parking is something you need. There is a garage at £40 a month.

Garden, there isn't one. We'll be honest.

There's potential for a roof terrace but that's not child-friendly.

I'm really confused because I love this house.

It's massive and I love the location.

-But it's the outside space. What do you think?

-Location is ideal.

-It's a lot to think about.

-We don't know the other area that well.

-Also, you don't know the price of this place.

-No.

It could be astronomical.

Do you want to begin the potential for a hat-trick of Guess The Price?

You've blown it already. You've won. Who wants to go first?

I'd go for...215.

In which case, I'll say 2...

-210.

-210?

-210.

-210.

-210? Disparaging at 210. Do you think that's a good guess?

Well, I think it might be more.

Matt, congratulations, cos you have nailed it at the end.

-It's £210,000.

-Consolation goal.

That is a great price for a Georgian house. It does need work.

Your dad would have to get on board, as you're incapable of anything!

Anything you do will add value.

It is spacious, but the outside thing is a concern.

-You've now seen all three properties and you have not got a clue.

-No.

You've got to decide quickly.

You have to make the biggest decision of your adult lives.

Disappear to stage left or stage right, whichever you want to go.

A test drive is an important thing. Good luck with choosing.

Really is important.

We know which one they're not going to test drive.

Here's a recap of all three properties.

My pick is a modern three-bedroom detached house in Harrogate,

and it's affordable for Kate and Matt.

Or my house. Again, it's got three bedrooms. It's a terrace.

It's also in Harrogate, a short walk to the station.

At £220,000, it's at the top end.

What about the wild card in historic Knaresborough?

The price of this four-bedroom Georgian townhouse without a garden?

This is good news. You've come to my property to test drive.

-I can't believe it.

-This property seemed to strike a chord with you.

It's practical. It's got potential to develop into the home you want.

You could move straight in and have a home to grow your new family.

-Is that fair?

-I think so.

We can move straight in, and being a mile away from the centre of Harrogate.

-Just the whole package seemed the best.

-It's a detached house. It's a great location.

You like the idea of knocking that wall down to make a social space.

We have had the mysterious man of mystery,

the To Buy Or Not To Buy surveyor, have a look round it.

It is not legally binding but it's a good heads-up.

The soffits, they are a bit rotten.

You could get different wildlife in there. They're only wood.

They're easily replaceable, and it was built in the '60, early '70s.

-I'm guessing they haven't replaced it.

-OK.

The floor, did you notice a bounce? That might be the floorboards.

They're made of wood.

If you see the air bricks, that means you've got wooden floors.

Potentially, damp may have got into there.

You are near a stream. Potential for flooding.

They should disclose if that has happened.

You're about to test drive it, but I must give you this information.

If you like this house, you have to act quickly. I spoke to the agent.

An offer has come in from a couple that are proceedable.

They've sold to a first time buyer and in a bit of a chain.

So you are in a commanding position, but there is competition.

-If you like it, time is not on your side.

-Are you ready?

-Get in there and find out if you do love it! Now!

-Bye.

I'm excited. To buy or not to buy? Finally, we'll get a definitive.

-Do you want to go to the Harrogate tea room?

-Have a scone?

-Nice idea.

'And so the test drive begins.

'Making themselves at home, Matt and Kate.'

This was the one I didn't think you could get a double bed in!

'Stretch those arms out wide.'

That's 6ft 3. So that's a king size bed.

-That's the length then, is it?

-Yeah.

'What about the bath?

'Is it big enough for our Matt?'

So let's see.

That's quite a big bath, actually.

-'Everything's looking rosy.

-Who's she?

-Very funny.

'Look at them walking hand-in-hand. Isn't it sweet?'

-I really like it.

-So do I.

-I like it more second time round.

'Anyway, how long does it take to walk to the town centre?'

Matt and Kate, here we are in the centre of Harrogate.

-You've done the walk. Is it all right?

-Yeah.

-Not too bad.

-How long did it take?

-15, 20 minutes.

-Perfect.

-And Harrogate, compared to London, is there enough here to enjoy?

-Yeah.

-I think, definitely.

-It's got everything.

Theatre, restaurants, bars.

-It's very green.

-You preferred Knaresborough.

-Has Harrogate wormed its way into your hearts?

-I think it has.

Cos we haven't got kids at the moment.

-We can walk into town, go to restaurants.

-Make the most of it!

One guy said there's 300 restaurants in Harrogate.

You could go to a different place once a week for six years!

Some of those will be fast food restaurants, but that's your own problem!

Let's not forget this. Jonny said, how long ago in TV time?

45 seconds to a minute ago, that an offer has gone in on the property.

Which makes this one of the most important times in our lives.

-I'm nervous.

-I'm pretty nervous. This is quite serious, OK?

-Ready?

-Yeah.

-To buy or not to buy?

-Yeah...

-To buy!

-You're going to?

-Yeah.

-You need to...

-Get on the phone.

-Have you got your phones?

-Yes.

They're going to make the call. What a brilliant episode!

-Do you want to go now?

-Yeah.

-Let us know if it works.

-We will.

'They did make that phone call and their offer was accepted.

'Brilliant news or what?'

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd