Beaconsfield To Buy or Not to Buy

Welcome to To Buy Or Not To Buy.

And today, we're in Beaconsfield, celebrating someone's 60th birthday.

Oh, Ed, I'm so sorry, I haven't even got you a card!

Not my birthday! What do you think I'm wearing the hat for?

Noddy, Noddy's birthday.

Ah, love the hat. And those big ears, great touch.

I haven't got big ears. They're not big, are they, viewers?

Do not adjust your sets, viewers, we have not swollen to

gargantuan proportions, nor has the world shrivelled around us.

Quite simply, we are in Beaconsfield in the world's oldest model village.

-Lovely, isn't it?

-It really is lovely.

But it's in the life size surrounding area that today's house hunt will take place.

And it was here, 60 years ago, that Enid Blyton was inspired to create Noddy and Toytown.

Do you know what, being here has got my creative juices flowing,

-and I've come up with the idea of a house building hero.

-OK, then.

He goes by the name of Hoddy.

Hoddy the Builder, having lots of fun with his hod, his bricks and his tiles.

Ed, what about Bob the Builder?

Never going to work, Rani, it's not got an 'E' sound.

Learn from Blyton, OK? You've got Noddy, brilliant.

Hoddy, will be brilliant. And what about that, see that river, that's inspired me again.

Roddy. Now that is a very distinct possibility.

-Roddy, Roddy the fishermen.

-Great idea(!)

Today's house hunters are Narinder Chopra and his wife, who's, uh...

-also called Narinder.

-Fortunately for us, they've adopted the nicknames Nin and Nuz to avoid confusion.

Five months ago, they had baby Millan.

And returned to the UK after two years in Singapore, moving into rented accommodation...

-Hey, girlies.

-Hey, there.

..near Nuz's family in High Wycombe.

In fact, family is something neither of them are short of.

This is Marla, Reg, my brother-in-law...

FILM SPEEDS UP

And then this is Parveen, my sister-in-law.

By day, Nuz works as a scientist in Maidenhead...

What's the matter?

..while Nin's taking a busman's holiday from her childcare career to stay at home and look after Millan.

Right then, time to discover exactly what they want from their very first family home.

Now, Nin and Nuz, have you seen the programme before?

-I have, plenty of times.

-OK, now are you aware that you are giving us quite an important job here?

-We're finding your first house.

-You are.

This is quite something.

There's a lot of house hunting programmes. We're the best one.

-That was why you went for us?

-Yes.

-Yes. Good, good, good.

-Are you twisting her arm?

-And so, have you struggled?

-How long have you been looking for?

-How long, Nuz?

It's been about three months and we've see about 15 to 20 properties.

-OK. I've heard that you would like a proper house. Can you...?

-What's a proper house?

Exactly. Define a proper house for us.

A proper house is an upstairs and downstairs.

We lived in a flat in Singapore, we used to live in a flat in Ruislip before,

I've always wanted to be in a house with an upstairs and downstairs.

Do you have a need for a big lounge? You've got a little one.

We've got a lot of family so we really would like a big lounge where everyone can sit and socialise.

And probably a big kitchen as well?

It would be very good if you could. He likes cooking.

-Is there a speciality dish?

-Mine's chicken vindaloo.

-Oh, really?

I wouldn't recommend it!

-This is the first you've realised that your vindaloo isn't very good.

-He thinks it's good.

-OK.

It is very good.

It's a Chopra thing. The Chopras likes their vindaloos.

-What else are we looking for?

-Open-plan, lots of windows, loads of light.

So, upstairs, how many bedrooms do we need, because you've got a little person.

-Are we thinking maybe of having more children?

-Yes.

-Are we?

This is a day of revelations.

The vindaloo's no good and you're going to have another child.

-How many bedrooms do we need?

-We need three.

Ideally, we've got one for the little one, one for us and we have a lot of guests.

How long are you looking for this property to live in for?

I guess we haven't really thought about it, but I'd say probably at least five years.

-At least five to ten years.

-What about DIY?

Proper like knocking down walls, extending?

I think there is a bit of potential for that but ideally,

we'd want something currently just to live in so that we can settle.

-You want a home.

-Yeah.

-Not a money-making project!

-However...

-If we could make money...

..in the long term, that'd be great.

So whereabouts do you want to be positioned in your new property?

We've got family around this area, actually here in Woodburn Green,

and also on the outskirts of Slough.

My workplace is in Maidenhead, so ideally we'd want to be 30 minutes away from everything.

You know, from work, from family, and very close to the motorway.

Midway in between the two, so you want to look in those areas. Perfect.

Right, it's a big question. It's a rude question to ask people when we've only just met, but here we go.

How much money have you got to spend on this whole dream?

It really depends. For about £300,000, we'd buy a property which

-needs a bit of work, redecorating, refurbishment...

-Right.

But for something that's about 360 to 370,

we'd probably expect a house that we could move into and kind of enjoy the space.

-That seems fair.

-All the things that we're looking for.

-That's quite a good spread then.

-Right, we're going to head off.

-Good luck.

-Thank you very much.

-Ed, we've learned a lot from Nin and Nuz.

-We certainly have.

We know Nuz can't cook chicken vindaloo very well.

But he can cook a decent prawn laksa.

And Nuz has found out he's expecting another child sometime soon.

And also he wants a proper house, one with steps and all.

Exactly, that is what a proper house is.

-How much money?

-£370,000.

-We better get to it.

-I think we should.

The epicentre of our search is the market town of Beaconsfield

in Buckinghamshire, just 25 miles north-west of the capital.

Nestled between the Chiltern hills like a fine piece of brie

tucked into a rustic baguette, it's easy to see why this is a popular and bustling community.

The town dates back to 1185 and its name comes from

the beech trees that were used to supply the local furniture.

But perhaps it's better known as the home of author Enid Blyton

and for being the constituency of Prime Minister and all-round dandy Benjamin Disraeli.

The picturesque environs that have enticed Nin and Nuz have also lured

many a film-maker, providing backdrops for Brief Encounter and Thunderball amongst others.

All this popularity comes at a price, though, and the combination of countryside and commutability

to the city means house prices here are running almost 30% above the national average.

Yes, but how far would Nin and Nuz's budget of £370,000 stretch in other creative corners of the country?

This grade two listed thatched cottage in Hampshire is

just a few miles from where romantic writer Jane Austen was born.

And I'm sure it won't take much persuasion

for this two-bed beauty to be snapped up at 325 grand.

This rural retreat is far from the madding crowd in Hardy country,

also known to you and me as Dorset.

With four bedrooms and period features,

it's on the market for 350 grand.

And this Shakespearean epic of a semi near the Bard's home town of Stratford-upon-Avon

is a hard act to follow, with three bedrooms,

magnificent views and planning permission to extend, all for 350K.

With Beaconsfield being a creative hotbed for aspiring authors

and orators, I thought it was time to test the storytelling skills of the population at large.

So I've come up with a plan.

I've come up with my very own story and I would like people to add to it.

Here it is, the first line. "Ed opened the door of property number one,

"and there he saw..." Let's find out.

There we go. An estate agents.

This looks like it's got a couple of crackers in there.

I'll see if I can just squeeze in through...

This is going to be a bit... Get in through the door here.

Right, give me five minutes.

This is unbelievable.

"Ed opened the door of property number one and there he saw..."

-What did he see?

-A huge mirror.

A huge mirror? Oh, that would have given him a shock.

I've got a lovely couple who are looking to buy their first property together.

They've lived in Singapore. They used to have a swimming pool and marble floors there.

I don't think they can really afford that here.

Out of interest, how much, if they wanted a swimming pool

and marble floors, would we be talking in the area we're in?

We're probably looking at least £1,500,000.

-Right. They've got £370,000.

-Ah.

What happened next?

He saw a mirror. He's not very attractive, let me just tell you.

-He's not?

-No.

-We can't have romance then?

-Well, you know, Shrek.

-What he saw was a handsome man.

-Oh!

We've got a lot of Victorian, Edwardian, of that era, but the villages outlying

Beaconsfield, there is a lot more choice in the more modern property.

That is probably where you may get better value in terms of space and garden.

-And he didn't know who it was.

-Hoo-oo!

And he had to look again.

In a parallel universe maybe?

There you go, like that movie Sliders.

The whole country has had a slight dip. How has it been round here?

The last three to four months we've seen a good gradual process of improvement

and the level of interest now in this area has risen substantially.

Smashed the mirror and looked to see that he's not that good looking anymore.

Oh, he smashes the mirror to find his true self!

I have selected one which I think might be quite good for you,

in a village just close to here in Flackwell Heath.

-This pretty much ticks all their boxes then.

-It's got a lot of what they want.

-Ed, let me tell you a story.

-OK.

One where one female property hunter found the perfect home for a young

couple, where they moved into and fell in love. And it looks like this.

Property one, there you go, beauty on the inside, beauty on the outside.

This is what romance is all about.

-Have you been drinking?

-I'm just very giddy.

-Unbelievable.

I've gone the scientific route, because Nuz is a scientist.

So I've distilled everything they want in a glass jar.

I have then taken that glass jar and formed the contents into bricks.

I've placed those bricks in Flackwell Heath. Metaphorically, of course.

The house is beautiful. It is everything they want and it's next to a brilliant primary school.

-This is what they will buy.

-That's what you think.

Now this is the joint choice, the wild card. Now, Nuz said he wanted a house with stairs.

Well, this one, Ed, has it got stairs?

Well, if it boils down to stairs and the house with the most stairs winning, then that will win.

But I'm convinced they'll buy this and you're convinced they'll buy your one.

Well, Ed, I think we should start this story at the beginning and start with property number one, my choice.

My choice, property number one, is just down the road in the charming hamlet of Stoke Poges,

within walking distance of the Common.

The literary theme continues as the area features in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.

But will this house be the start of a new chapter for Nin and Nuz?

Right then, guys, step up.

This is property number one.

And I am very proud to say this one is actually my choice.

Come a little bit closer, don't be scared of it.

-And also, we're near Stoke Poges, do you know this area?

-Very little.

We don't know Stoke Poges itself very well.

Well, we're only ten minutes from where you're renting at the moment.

And it's ten miles from your work, Nuz, so that's not a bad distance, would you say?

-Fantastic, yeah.

-I know you've got a little one,

so I've had a look round the area, and I've been told there's a little park nearby.

There's also Stoke Woods as well, for some nice walks and stuff.

Also, got a lot of baby groups.

-OK, that's good.

-So a nice way for you to meet other mums in the area.

How about the house itself, what do you think?

Great from the outside.

-First impressions, it's very well looked after.

-Beautiful.

-Lots of parking space for the family members that visit.

-Brilliant.

The living room probably isn't as big as you'd like it,

but I am giving you more space in the back garden and some nice eating areas.

-OK.

-There we go. Also, the gentlemen of the house is quite the interior designer.

It's immaculate in there, lovely.

If you don't like it, you'll have to deal with the gentlemen of the house.

-OK.

-Are you ready to experience this beauty in Stoke Poges?

-We are.

-Yeah, I think so.

-I think you are. Ready? 3, 2, 1.

-Erupt into Stoke Poges.

-Let's go.

Here we go.

Oh, this is nice.

A nice bit of space, here. A nice bit of reception area.

-Shall we go in to the first room?

-Into the lounge.

OK.

Not as big as I thought it would be.

I was quite... Yeah, I thought they were going to come with a bit more wow.

They went down. It was tangible, wasn't it? They went down a note.

Room for our sofas, do you think?

-Not the way...

-We may have to split them again.

Yeah, we'd have to split the sofas.

This is a bugbear of mine, when people look at a new house and say,

"We can't get our furniture in."

Unless your furniture does cost £370,000, don't worry about it.

-Seen the fireplace?

-That's nice.

-Good fireplace.

-Yeah.

High-spec. The whole thing, all the things look reasonably high-spec.

Whoever's been living here has looked after it well.

Let's check out in here. Wait for me.

-Wow. Very nice kitchen.

-Very nice.

I think we'd like this very much.

Great big fridge as well.

Bit of storage, underneath the stairs.

-Oh, look.

-What is it?

-Oh!

-Washer dryer, yeah.

That's a good use of space.

You could potentially make it into a downstairs loo.

You could, yes, with a macerator toilet.

And I do love the macerator toilet tip.

I think episode 79, series six, I did a great macerator toilet tip.

We don't really need to replace the kitchen, everything seems brand new and perfect.

Rani's thought about wanting to live straight into a place. Look at the size of that.

You like to cook, so there you go.

Maybe consider in the future, maybe you could probably change this orientation and take out that wall.

Really open the whole thing all the way through.

Wow, look at this space, Nuz.

-Very nice.

-Loads of light.

The problem is that there's quite a lot of disconnect between these two rooms and that room over there.

I think it'll still work.

-Yeah?

-Yeah. I'm not sure if our dining table

will fit in here, though. It'd be quite cramped.

-All our furniture is too large.

-Too big, yes.

What can you say to them? They want to bring their dining table and it doesn't fit.

Well, half of me's angry. The other half of me understands.

But they need to have a compromise, I think. Unless...

-Which is chop the dining table...

-Chop it in half or sell it.

Quite easy to get furniture up here, as well.

We have got all the big stuff.

This is the bathroom, here.

Is there a shower?

A shower, yeah. Shower, mixer tap.

-OK, let me have a quick peek.

-Nice little bath.

The viewers will be going, "See, they're listing now. Don't like it.

"Thought they liked it, but they're listing now."

Ed will point that out in a minute. Watch him, see if he does that.

Maybe they're just very organised folk and they're not letting emotions

-get in the way.

-You can't fool the viewers.

-This is a big buy.

This is a nice sized room.

This is where the man from Milk Tray lives, I guess.

Is this the main bedroom?

I don't know, actually.

-I'm not sure if our bed will fit in here.

-I think so.

Do you think? I think it'll be quite cramped.

The gloves are off, Rani. Cramped?

Cramped! Did you hear that?

And it sounded so lovely at the start.

We'll have to check if it's the main. We'll have to look at the other one.

But it's a nice room. Space-wise, it's nice. Colour, not my cup of tea.

I've just noticed, these glass panels above all these doors.

Loads of light coming into each of the rooms.

Wow, they're loving the light.

Maybe their home in Singapore was very light and spacious.

It did sound it, it had a swimming pool.

-Swimming pool and marble floors.

-I haven't given them a swimming pool.

Or marble floors. But you have given them a trampoline.

Marble floors would be terrible with the little one.

He'd be sliding everywhere!

If you ever want to trap an alligator, place it on marble floors. It can't get any grip.

-Very pretty room.

-It's nice, actually.

-Everything minimal.

Do you think he'll be happy in here?

I think so. You've got a single bed in here, storage cabinets here and over here.

-We'll probably have to put one of those safety catches on the windows, here.

-More child friendly.

-Yeah.

-I think this has got plenty of room for him for at least five, maybe eight years.

Have you noticed the upstairs seems smaller than the downstairs? It is more bottom heavy.

It's a Jennifer Lopez, this house.

Big on the downstairs, smaller on the upstairs. If you're watching, Jennifer, sorry.

This looks like the master bedroom.

Loads of wardrobe space.

-Actually, this is very nice.

-Very bright.

-Very big room.

I like the light fixtures.

I actually liked the wardrobes as well. Fixed, do you think?

I can't tell. It's nice, actually.

-I love the bay window.

-It's off the main road, so it's quiet. You can't hear the cars.

So you can sleep with the windows open in the summer.

What a lovely way of describing the calm and tranquillity of Stoke Poges.

I like this house.

Probably one of the better houses that we've seen.

-I'd agree with that.

-Yeah, Rani's done a good job.

Hang on, they're saying I've done a good job?

I don't know what that's based upon!

They didn't like the living room, the kitchen was too small.

They needed to move everything around.

But obviously I've done a good job. Hi-five, me!

-We're back.

-All right.

Listen, guys, you were going round the house.

It was quite confusing. Did you like it or not?

I thought it was a great house.

All right.

I thought you wouldn't need to do any work in it.

But you still managed to find some jobs. Have you come up with a plan for the downstairs toilet?

Yeah, there's where the washer-dryer is.

I think that could be a little wet room.

That's a fixable solution.

The other work is, every time I go and see a property we always

think about other things we can do to make it absolutely perfect.

I can see myself living in this bit of the house more than the front part of the house.

That's what I was saying, the living room is very cosy.

However, I know when my family comes to visit we spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

I thought that would be a nice way to go for you and your family.

Stoke Poges, the other thing I didn't mention is it's got

a doctor's surgery down the road, which would be great.

They are trying to build a post office and a supermarket.

For you, Nuz, you said, potentially, make some money on the property.

If these things all come off, and hopefully they will do,

that would add value to your house in the next four or five years, if you did want to stay here and move on.

I'm considering moving to Stoke Poges based on that.

It's a great place. It's a really lovely, family area.

Let's play guess the price, then. Who wants to go first? You've got a maximum budget of £370,000.

-Do you want to go first?

-I'd say about 360.

OK, Nin. 360. Nuz?

I'd probably go for 350, 355.

-I'm going to pin you down to one. What do you want?

-350.

-350, right.

350, 360. OK.

Who do think is better at this game?

-I am.

-Hopefully, me.

-That means we spend less.

-I'm going to tell you.

Nin, it's actually you. This property is slightly over your budget.

It's £374,950.

Once again, it is because of the area and the building itself.

Ed mentioned earlier, the guy's an interior designer and it is done immaculately.

So, you could just move right in here.

Just get your couch, I know it was a bit big, you could chop it in half,

bring half of it in there and it would be perfect.

Also, in terms of haggling, you are ready to go and you want to move in quickly.

So you are great. You could definitely get that under your budget.

-But you don't need to buy this in Stoke Poges.

-Why? Why? Why?

Because there's two more houses and my one's next.

Do you want to come? Yeah, this way.

My choice, property number two, is in Flackwell Heath.

Commutable for Nuz and, unlike Rani's property,

it has shops that are already built just half a mile down the road.

It may look plain from the outside, but it packs a punch that will knock their cotton socks off.

Nin and Nuz, we are in Flackwell Heath, which I think is a lovely area. Beautiful area.

From the outside it doesn't reveal what it's got within it.

We're in a lovely cul-de-sac location.

We are half a mile from the shops. So you're within a lovely community.

You're very near to a very good primary school as well.

All those things factored in, and knowing that this house is magical within...

I am going to go to you first, Nin. What do you think about it?

I'm guessing, um... it's nice.

-It's very nice.

-Not as nice as the one you've just seen, obviously.

I couldn't think of any words!

Let's go to the husband. What do we think?

Yeah. In comparison to the other place, it's a little bit more dated, perhaps.

-I don't know why I bother with you two, sometimes.

-The garden could do with some work.

-Right, listen.

-It's a really well-kept garden, but you could add your own touches.

But it's a nice quiet place.

You've got parking space, which is what you want when all your relatives come to visit.

I want you to remember this lack of enthusiasm from outside.

When you get in there, you'll love it so much that

you might try and invoke squatters rights and stay. It's that lovely.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-I think you'll buy this.

-He's pointing the finger, there.

-He is, he's telling you what to think.

It's turned from pointing to aggressive wagging.

Ready, steady, go in that house you will eventually buy.

You've scared them into the house.

I scare myself with my passion for this property.

This is very nice and modern.

Right, Ed, your reputation lies on this.

Yes, it does. And I'm a fool to have staked it on that.

But here comes the oohs and ahhs. Ready?

-I'm not too sure about the walls.

-That's my reputation gone, if I ever had one.

-Nice wallpapering.

-No cornicing in this one.

I don't know... It's got a lot of... It's quite bright, as well.

Very long. I can see the kitchen from down here.

It's got potential.

How can it have potential?

-It's...

-This is exactly what you were thinking about the other place.

A very long lounge. This is very nice, actually.

Our furniture would fit in there perfectly.

-Look at the fireplace.

-That is really cool.

-Lovely use of space here.

-It's exactly like the open plan we were talking about.

Did you hear that? "This is exactly what we are looking for.

"Exactly everything we're looking for, this open-plan spacey feel."

-No. What I heard is, "This is exactly what we talked about."

-Yeah, wanting.

And Ed's somehow given it us.

-Dining area.

-This is really nice.

-Lots of space.

-I like these double doors here.

Great big window.

See the worktop?

See if you can find a dishwasher.

Electric hob.

I didn't even know they'd gone in the kitchen.

The kitchen is phenomenal.

Then I realised they'd gone in the kitchen when they were looking for a dishwasher.

There was no point when they went, "Wow, this is the greatest kitchen ever!"

None of that. "I wonder where the dishwasher is." How dare they?

There's a dishwasher.

That's definitely a plus point.

-Definitely a dishwasher.

-Dishwasher, definite.

Actually, it all goes round. This is fantastic.

Wow, this looks nice.

Microwave.

-More storage space.

-Fridge.

-That's the kind of fridge you want.

-Huge fridge. A door out here.

-This could be...

-The downstairs toilet.

No. Wow.

-We could actually convert this into another playroom or lounge.

-Absolutely.

It hasn't got any windows, but you can probably make a window out of that door there. Or even here.

-Use this space.

-I think so.

Because we're not going to use this as a garage, to be honest, are we?

No. A lot of this is storage and there's walls.

The ceiling is a lot more fixed compared to the other place.

There's a lot that can be done in here, actually.

There's your downstairs bathroom. Look at that tiny sink on the side.

THEY LAUGH

-A downstairs toilet, right? You didn't give them one.

-I didn't.

You gave them a cupboard with a washing machine and said you could use that as a toilet, right?

-I've given them a toilet and they've laughed at it.

-I didn't say... Hang on!

I'm not sure about these banisters here, Nuz. Think they could do with...

-Dated?

-Yeah, Very dated. Very '70s.

I like this more than the last place.

It's smaller, but it's actually very modern and reasonably high-spec as well.

But it's a nice little bathroom.

OK. It's a nice double room.

I like those wardrobes.

-They're great, actually. Loads and loads of space.

-This must be...

-..the third bedroom.

-Again, about the same size as the last place, actually.

Got a single bed. Again, all the double-glazing needs modernising.

It looks a bit dated again.

They probably do need updating. Some of them do.

Some seals have gone, so there's condensation. Doesn't cost as much as you think.

-This must be the master bedroom.

-This is.

Again, fitted wardrobes.

-It's a bigger room.

-Huge window.

The views are lovely.

Listen to the peace and quiet. There's nothing wrong with it.

It's idyllic. Bill Oddie could sit and watch his favourite birds saunter by.

Definitely good for storage and a lot more space here than the other place in the bedrooms as well.

I think I'd like to look at downstairs again.

Ed, I think it's going to take more than that wagging finger to convince them to buy this property.

I actually give up. I've given up.

-I've given up.

-Get all your hands on them.

-I'm quitting the show.

Right, you two. Do not let Ed get his finger out again.

-I don't want to see that finger again.

-I'm going to put it away.

What happened in there? Ed thought this was the perfect property.

First thing you said, "The walls need doing.

"It has potential."

I thought you were going to love it.

All open living space.

Living space, definitely. Lots of open space.

-So that was good.

-Once you get round the corner, the initial walls are a little bit dated.

-Whilst retro, currently, a little bit dated in my opinion.

-Not our cup of tea.

With this property, was it kind of a bit nerve-racking because you can't move into this straight away?

-Is that what you were feeling?

-I think we can live with it for a while.

My finger's going to come out!

Put that finger away!

But I feel as though I need to pick this house and put it somewhere else. I'm not sure about the area.

-It's not an area you've looked round much, is it?

-Not really, no.

-We've overlooked this area.

-OK. Maybe that's why.

-Put the finger away!

-The finger's away.

I'm not sure about the front of the house, either.

-The finger's back out again. Listen.

-A few hanging baskets.

It's very showpiece.

It doesn't feel very homely.

You're getting two fingers now. I am prodding and pointing. This is lovely.

You've really upset his fellow, now.

Let's go for guess the price. Nin, you were closest last time.

-It's 1-0.

-Flackwell Heath, I would say...

She's going first, you haven't even got a chance on this, Nuz.

370 is your maximum budget.

-I'd say about 355.

-355? Nuz?

-I'm probably going to go for 360, I think.

-360?

-The actual price, someone is out by £50. Who is it?

-It's me.

It isn't you.

THEY LAUGH

It's Nuz. The actual price is 359,950.

Which is a great price. Again, as I say, you're in a brilliant position.

You have nothing to sell, you're ready to go, ready to move in. You could get more money off this.

I've got the finger back out again.

Stop, stop, stop. It's 1-1 now. But you've still got the wild card to see.

Would you like to see that?

-I don't think they should be allowed to go.

-That way, wild card, go!

Be on your best behaviour.

What can we say about today's wild card?

It's a step up from the rest. Ten extra steps, in fact. I've counted them.

Let's just hope they've got a head for heights, because they might need it with this three-floor monster.

Well, Nuz did want stairs and this house has them in spades.

We also think it has fantastic living space and with these views,

it's a baaa-rgain they won't bleat at.

Right, guys. This is the part of the show that everyone loves.

Or hates.

-Or hates?!

-How dare you?

This is the wild card.

First impressions, do you hate it?

-It's massive.

-There you go.

-But you wanted a lot of space.

-It looks huge.

-Think of the heating bills.

When I first looked at it, I thought it was just this bit here.

It's the whole thing. I'm thinking, wow, it is very big. Now that you mention the bills...

It is the benefit of global warming. It's getting warmer these days.

Really, I think we've got that covered.

We're in Chesham. Very nice place. You are on the tube here, on the Metropolitan Line.

You can get into London that way.

I think we're just on the edge of the furthest point to Maidenhead, where you need to be.

We're probably pushing the half-hour mark, I would say.

About 16 miles to Maidenhead, to your work.

Nine miles back to where your family live in High Wycombe.

It's not too far away. You don't have to worry about that.

Talking about keeping warm, something you mentioned,

-you wanted a proper house with stairs.

-We said an upstairs and a downstairs.

-We've got an upstairs and an upstairs and a downstairs.

-It's doubly proper.

It's a proper house cubed, almost.

-So, are you excited about your wild card?

-I am.

Now, I think for you, Nin, this is the nicest area of all of them for the cappuccino factor,

the shops, the community, because you are maybe a ten-minute walk and you are in everything.

-Tried and tested?

-Yes, we've done it.

With a pram to make it nice and brisk as well.

I'm sure it looked a bit strange, because it wasn't a real baby.

-Ready to go in?

-I am.

-I think so.

Three, two, one. Enter your proper, proper house.

It was a bit odd, wasn't it, when you pushed me in that pram?

It was weird, but it was worth it for that moment there.

That's probably good, we could keep the pushchair there.

-Storage downstairs.

-Yeah.

Downstairs room.

A small office or something, or even a store room or something like that.

Or maybe a bedroom for someone.

-OK.

-OK, shall we go to the next...up these stairs?

Who do you think lives in a house like this, Nuz?

I just don't know.

Small little bathroom. I thought it went round, but it doesn't.

OK. Actually, I like this. The floor's excellent.

Yeah, I do like the floor, yeah.

It is original flooring, and, right, it's lovely.

It's a house that was built in the '60s. They do have original features.

This must be the kitchen.

Kitchen on the first floor.

-OK.

-A great big window.

It's a functional kitchen.

It could do with a bit of modernising.

They want to modernise this kitchen.

Fair point, they have to modernise the house.

Keep the flooring, but everything else does need an upgrade.

It's a lot more narrower than I thought it was. It's not as...

Actually, it comes round here as well.

OK, bit of space round here. That's good. That's where the door.

Ah, OK. That door connects into...

Then the room comes round. An interesting shape.

I quite like these open doors here.

Nice way out down here. Now, in my property, the brilliant property that I believe was brilliant,

that was a little bit lost on Nin, but anyway, they were talking

about dividing the rooms up maybe somehow with screening or whatever, it's done here. It's perfect here.

Great garden, Nuz. Look at this garden.

That's very nice, actually. It's split on two levels.

-Nice trees.

-And they've even got a little outhouse there. For the summer.

There's nice views out here.

The view's excellent. It's also very light. Have you seen the amount of light that comes through both ways?

She does like her light.

There is lots of light that floods into this property, as an estate agent might say,

from all angles, and then on the front of the house, lot of higgledy-piggledy windows there.

If they put any more windows, the house would have fallen down.

-Would it be a conservatory?

-It'd be a conservatory.

I don't think this is going to be practical for your mum.

No, she's not particularly fond of stairs at the moment.

Yeah.

Especially if she wants to go upstairs and have a shower.

They wanted stairs. They said, proper house, we want a house with stairs.

-We have given them a lot of stairs.

-A lot of stairs.

And they wanted a lot of space, so we have given them a lotta, lotta space, as Cilla would say.

-Like a lead balloon. Like a lead balloon.

-This must be the first bedroom. Oooh.

Bedroom number one.

I'm not too sure about this. Yellow's not my colour.

I don't think the decoration's what we would go for, but it's a lovely garden.

-Yeah, well looked-after.

-But also a lot of maintenance, I think.

Lots of cutting back and pruning and all that kind of stuff. Hedging.

Build your muscles up, Nin!

Four or five bedrooms. A lot of space. OK, so this is...

-Quite small rooms.

-This is a box room.

Most amount of bedrooms here in this property, and for some reason, they are saying they're all small.

I went into the smallest room and I was with you.

-You were with me.

-And what did I do?

-You did this.

-I always do that.

-But you have to do this.

-No, I didn't!

You did this, and there was still a bit of room.

-They could have a double bed but not a side table.

-No.

It's good for a nursery size.

Blue for boys, not bad.

Wouldn't have to redecorate. Doesn't really do much for me, this room.

No, it doesn't do much for me, either.

This must be the master bedroom.

Nice room. It's a nice room.

It's actually quite big.

-Nice window.

-All the windows, there's no double-glazing here.

You've got cupboards again.

Built-in wardrobes, again quite dated.

Quite a lot of modernisation required.

The reason why they're disappointed is not because of the size, or views, because they are great.

The reason is because of the decor, I would say,

-and it really isn't as much as they think, to do it up.

-This must be...

The fourth bedroom.

-So, lots of bedrooms.

-Again, this is a box room.

Could use this for your mother.

You could get a double bed in here if you wanted to, I think.

What are you laughing for?

The box room for my mother!

-Ed, they don't like it.

-I know.

-And you know what? Don't get your fingers out.

-Why? Cos I want to.

I am getting MY fingers out.

I'm very angry as well.

Right, you two, I have got a finger each for you.

Nuz, you wanted a proper house with stairs, we've given you loads of stairs.

-You wanted space, we've given you space.

-But it's not practical.

Practical! Two young people like yourselves and the growing family!

What's not practical about it?

We're thinking about the extended family, so elderly parents...

Going up and down the stairs.

-This is your problem for wanting a proper house with stairs. We thought...

-That was him, not me.

So you want a bungalow. You want a flat?

-I want a normal house.

-Right, OK, so this a little bit too wild.

This is too wild, yes. Probably doesn't tick enough boxes for us.

If it was the right price, you would have money left to do it up,

maybe make some money on it, like you said you wanted.

-Absolutely.

-You'd take the stairs out.

-We're neck and neck, guess the price. £370,000.

-Maximum budget.

Who would like to go first on this, the most important guess the price?

-You go.

-You go. No, you go! No, you go. No, you go!

There's little bits of information you're giving us. Probably...333.

Oh, I was going to go for that.

All the threes. Were you?

I'll say 340.

-340.

-All right. We said 370 was your maximum project.

Nin, congratulations, you are the closest.

You have won guess the price.

-This property is on the market at 359,950.

-OK.

-Same as your price.

-Same as my one, and there's more house here.

So, knowing the price and everything else, where does that...

No, yes, no?

Probably the least favourite, I'd say.

I don't want you to spoil it for the viewers to see which one you are going to pick,

because you can now go away and make the biggest decision of your adult lives...

-I think I've made it.

-Ooh! But what about Nuz? Give him a say.

She makes my decisions for me!

Wander off, confer about your decision and we will see you outside your chosen vehicle. Good luck.

Off you guys go.

Well, if Nin can convince Nuz, it may be your one.

We don't know, but here's a quick recap for you at home.

Will it be my choice of property number one?

Close to Stoke Poges Common with three beds and a great

kitchen/dining space that would be ideal for family get-togethers.

This has to be top of the house heap,

even though it's just over budget at 374,950.

Not so fast, my dear Rani.

Maybe you're forgetting the diamond on the coal face that is property number two.

With the open living space Nin and Nuz wanted,

a top-of-the-range kitchen, the all-important downstairs loo,

and it's well within budget at 359,950, c'est bon.

But let's not forget the wily wild card.

Ah, yes. This dominating detached got a cool reception at first.

On reflection, will its combination of space, light, views...

And stairs, enough to satisfy Nuz's footfall fixation...

Bring them around to its bargain price, also on the market at 359,950.

Well, I have to say, it's lovely being back in Stoke Poges.

Property number one. Whose choice was this?

Oh, it was my choice, of course.

It was just to over your budget, so how come you have chosen property one to test drive today?

-I think it just felt right. This is a beautiful property, and it just felt right.

-Real homely feel.

Oh, homely feel. It's exactly what you want, so that's great news for me.

Well, you know, yes, I am livid, but I am pleased you found something that gave you a homely feel.

Now, we have had our mysterious surveyor come round and have a sniff at this property.

Now, he spotted a few things.

It's not legally binding, but it's a good heads up just to let you know what you're going into.

If you take a look at the chimney stack there, he has pointed out the pointing.

Can you see in between the bricks?

-Yes.

-Kind of where the plaster work is going.

Well, that needs to be redone.

What he said, this isn't an immediate problem, but in the next five years,

it's something that needs to be looked at.

Now, if you don't, water would seep in.

-Eventually, there would be damp and you'd see that inside the house, down the chimney stack.

-OK.

You have got asbestos for the garage roof.

-Now that sounds terrible.

-Always sounds terrible, and people have a fear of asbestos.

Now, it's not damaged, there's nothing wrong with it.

If it was damaged and cracked and broken, you would need to get rid of it,

and in getting rid of it, you need to get a professional person to do that.

Asbestos needs to be handled correctly.

Because there's nothing wrong with it, you don't need to worry.

You don't need to replace it, so it is asbestos, but don't fear it.

Other than that, our man said it was lovely, fine. Perfect.

-He did that, literally.

-He said two thumbs up. He really liked it.

Are you ready to... Sure you don't want to go back to my one?

-Stop.

-No, no, we are sure about this one.

-Really?

-Yes.

-All right, then.

Go on. Go on, enjoy it!

Hello, who's this? Are the owners back already?

Hello.

No, Ed, I think you'll find it's the descent of the Chopras.

You're right. Blimey, there's one, two, three, four, five, si...

-I give up! It's a veritable gaggle of Chopras, large and small.

-Is that it?

Wow!

Looks like the place is getting the thumbs-up from the family.

And fair play. That kitchen dining space is proving to be the perfect entertaining area.

Nice and spacious!

In fact, with the feast they have laid on, I am sorry we have left them to it!

And after cramming in those carbs, there's nothing better than a quick

run to take off the calories, and take in the local area.

Wow!

-I love this room.

-Meanwhile, Nin's giving the living area the creche test with her nieces and nephews.

And what's that song they are singing?

# Buy the house! Buy the house! #

Ah, yes, that old classic, Buy The House,

or as I believe it's also called, Rani The Victorious.

THEY CHEER

You were loving that so much, we didn't think you were going to come out!

Right, now, this is it. You have had, how many people have come round during this test drive?

Four adults, four children, two babies.

-More fingers.

-But a lot of people, and a lot of opinions, I would say.

What was the consensus? Do more people want you to buy the house?

Do they like it? Do they think it's a good area?

More people have said they like the place.

They said it's really nice inside, very bright, lots of space.

-They have been saying to buy.

-Yes, there was a lot of bullying from the children.

-Yes. Did you hear them chanting?

-Yes.

-Are they aware of how much money £370,000 is?

They don't know how much £3.50 is!

I think we are there. I think we're at that very nervous point.

We've had nearly 45 minutes of television building to where we are now.

You're looking for your first family home, and you have got £370,000 to spend.

Are you going to be spending it on this property, to buy or not to buy?

Maybe if the price is right.

Can we have a hint at what the right price is, maybe?

And then we may come in with an offer below 370, but we may come in with an offer.

All right, well, I'm going to take that as positive, and as it is just starting to rain...

Don't take this as a bleak end to the programme. It's a British summertime end.

If you do buy a house, and if it's this one...

-We'll invite you round for samosas.

-We'd love it.

-Sounds good to us.

-See you soon.

-Take care.

-Thank you. Bye.

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