Knowle To Buy or Not to Buy

-Welcome to To Buy Or Not To Buy.

-The show which is "ace" at finding properties.

If you hadn't already guessed by Rani's subtle hints, today's house hunters are interested in tennis.

And, to continue, we are going to "serve",

serve them three great properties.

Pathetic. Then we are going to be doing a "double-handed backhand"

into one of the dream properties,

and hopefully that might be the wild card.

Which they usually "love".

Get me a "deuce", Rani, I'm thirsty.

So, Rani, two more house hunters looking to live the dream.

You cannot be serious.

I am serious, Rani, that's why we're here.

You cannot be serious, man!

Rani, I am incredibly serious, and they are serious about tennis.

They want to live near to a very good racquet club.

I know, that's why I'm saying, "You cannot be serious."

It does seem quite strange to move house near to a tennis club.

But, for the third time, Rani, I am serious.

-Have you never heard of John McEnroe?

-No, why?

You cannot be serious.

Coming up on To Buy Or Not To Buy, Rani's property credentials know no bounds.

-This, this is what I wanted.

-This is going to fit the bill.

Ed gets that sinking feeling.

-Nice size.

-It's not the biggest lounge in the world.

If this isn't big enough,

then I'm sunk, and the wild card's sunk, and more importantly, they're sunk.

-And, the competition for best reaction hots up.

-Super size.

-Oh gosh, look at this, wow.

Oh! Did you hear that, did you hear that?

-An "oh gosh" and then a "wow". Or, a "wow", and "oh gosh".

-Oh, look at these.

So, let's meet today's house hunters - Angie and Rod Sergeant.

They've moved a lot throughout their lives,

because both their parents were in the Forces,

a career path that's obviously rubbed off on Rod,

as he went on to fly fighter planes in the Air Force, continuing their nomadic life.

After settling near Bournemouth, they have now retired,

but have decided to move again, this time for themselves.

Well, almost. They are relocating to the Midlands, so they can be closer to their family.

I think that's game, set and match, Ed.

But now, Rani, it's time for a game we are more familiar with, property mixed doubles.

Now, Angie and Rod, welcome to the show.

We are very excited because we believe that you are big tennis fans,

and you're going to be training up for the next Wimbledon.

I don't know who told you that, but that's not right.

We do get carried away with things.

-But, in all seriousness, you are looking for an area that has a tennis club, aren't you?

-Yes.

-And you've scouted out the tennis clubs of the area, haven't you?

-We know there's a couple.

Golf is your passion, as well, Rod?

-Yeah, I like to play no more than once a week, though.

-And the rest!

I'm a little and not very often person myself.

In terms of where we're going to find your dream property,

-leisure activities have to be factored in very much?

-Yeah.

-Part of it.

-Part of it, yeah.

-The driving force is really Grandma getting near the grandchildren.

-And Grandad, surely, as well.

-Yes.

That's the driving force, really - being near the grandchildren.

You have spent most of your life moving every two to three years, haven't you?

-Both your parents were in the services.

-Yep. That's right.

-And then you were in the services.

-Yes.

-And then you've moved every two to three years.

How many places have you lived?

I did 30 years in the Air Force and, in that time, I tried to work out last night,

-I have actually had 20 moves.

-Wow.

-Wow.

-But even some of those moves, we've had moves within the moves,

like, in south-west Wales, we had two places, and that's only one move.

Saudi Arabia, we lived in four different places in two years.

So, realistically, are you guys just moving from Bournemouth because you need another move?

We haven't moved for ages!

Certainly not, certainly not.

We've be in their 14 years, so this will be a big, big move for us, having settled there for 14 years.

Until then, we had never lived in a single dwelling for more than two years in our entire lives.

-We're looking for the perfect forever house really.

-Yep.

-What are we looking for?

Three, minimum of three bedrooms.

Four preferably.

A double garage, don't mind a single garage.

Garden.

-En suite.

-But the big one...

-The big one?

-Is the kitchen.

-The kitchen, yes, I do not want a dining room.

-I want a living kitchen.

-A living kitchen? OK.

-And this obviously is kind of like a kitchen diner, but you are going to be living in the kitchen.

-Yes.

Would you be willing to knock down a wall, or do we have to give you the living kitchen?

No, quite happy if there's a room next to the kitchen

that the wall can be knocked down and made into a much bigger space.

Some of the floor plans we've seen, for example, have a utility in the way or something,

so you can't always knock a wall through to make madam her big kitchen.

With the en suite, if we show you a house without an en suite,

would you be willing to knock a bedroom down?

-Certainly.

-And make the en suite!

We have a couple of bidets in our house, for example,

and once you've lived with them, then I always want a bidet.

Really? It's too early in the morning for this talk, Rod, really.

-I'm funny like that.

-Rod!

OK. Let's just say that you wouldn't be averse to a bidet. Areas, then.

Knowle and north of Knowle would be ideal.

I think we've got a good idea of what it is that you want. How much money have you got to spend?

Ideally, we'd have a cut-off of £500,000.

But something that ticks the right boxes, we could squeeze out more.

OK, give us our squeeze zone, as we like a haggle and a waggle.

530, really.

-530.

-OK, all right.

-Otherwise the pension's gone.

-All right, wish us luck.

-Thank you very much.

-See you later.

They must love tennis and golf, if they're going to move all the way from Bournemouth to Knowle.

-It's true. I've come up with a radical plan here.

-Go on.

-They've got £500,000-ish to spend.

-Yeah.

Do you think you could buy a tent for that money?

-A very big tent.

-Because, have you noticed what's over there?

Ooh, Ed, they said they wanted bidets, not bunkers.

Today, we are in the Knowle area, bordered by the M42 and the M6.

This semi-rural corner of the West Midlands is home to a number of very desirable villages.

Des res, not only because they are surrounded by picturesque countryside, but because

they are also placed for easy access to both the north and the south of the country.

As well as being within easy commute to Birmingham, via road and rail.

Knowle itself is steeped in history and is a sought-after postcode.

Some of the buildings dotted around this pretty village date back as far

as the 1400s, including parts of this library, but not the books.

Until the London to Birmingham Railway was opened in 1852, nearby Dorridge village did not exist.

The community grew up around the station, which arrived with the trains.

Next door, however, is an even younger upstart, Balsall Common,

with most houses having been built in the 20th century.

But history costs, Ed, as house prices for all types of property

in this area of the West Midlands are above the national average.

Angie and Rod are looking for a new home with tennis and golf clubs on their doorstep,

so let's take a look at properties for sale which are near to other sports venues around the UK.

How about this detached house overlooking the first tee

of the Royal Liverpool Golf Course on the Wirral?

It is architecturally designed, has three bedrooms,

and is pristine inside. The price? 725 grand.

Get your strawberries and cream. This one's in Wimbledon.

It's a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with three, yes, three balconies.

You could net it for £499,950.

If you like golf, then this stunning building is the property equivalent of a hole-in-one.

The listed former stable block is practically on St Andrews' Duke's course.

It has eight bedrooms, five reception rooms and six attached offices,

and is on the market for offers in excess of £1.5m.

Now, today's house hunters are keen tennis players

and would like a club in volleying distance of their new home.

But what does living near a famous sports ground do to the value of your home? Ooh!

Houses close to Wimbledon All- England Tennis Club can be worth up to as much as £20,000 more

than other houses in the area, simply because of the kudos that tennis brings.

In your face!

Properties overlooking cricket grounds can also benefit from a similar price boost.

For instance, ones nearby Lord's can be worth £14,500 more than others in the area.

And, if you've got one that overlooks the ground itself, it can be worth even more than that!

Ooh!

Edgbaston in Birmingham benefits from a double sports whammy.

It's got a cricket ground, but it also homes one of the most

important ladies' grass tennis court tournaments outside of Wimbledon, making it one of the most expensive

areas to live in Birmingham, with some of the highest-priced streets.

However, if you've got a property near to a football ground, it can have the opposite effect.

For instance, one nearby to Manchester United or to Bristol City

could be worth less than properties in other parts of the city.

Well, parking problems, traffic congestion and rowdy fans are the main concerns.

However, properties near athletics stadiums, rugby pitches

-and other sporting stadia make absolutely no difference whatsoever to the price of your property.

-Ooh!

Now, if you are thinking of adding your own sports facility to your home, be careful what you add.

Placing a tennis court at your house will cost £20,000-£30,000,

but will add that to the value of your property.

Ah, but constructing a swimming pool will cost the same as a tennis court,

-but only 10% of the building cost will be added to your property value.

-This country...

Ooh, it was near.

Now, with half a million quid or so to spend in these here parts,

we will be looking at some exquisite properties.

-Have the mysterious property hunting team and yourself come up with anything special?

-I think we have.

I haven't worried about golf courses and tennis clubs,

because there's loads around here.

I'm taking them to Dorridge. They mentioned Dorridge.

It's not too far away from Knowle, where their grandkids live.

So, a bit of space, I thought.

And I'm giving them a lot of space in their house.

OK, four bedrooms, that's what they wanted.

-Living area, kind of, kitchen.

-Yes, she wanted to live in the kitchen!

Now, I've kind of given them that, but I am also giving them scope, giving them a dining room

they can knock through, with nothing in the way.

No pesky utility?

Not in the way. And, Rod... En suite!

Does it have a...in it? Or not?

-No, but we've got an en suite, that's good.

-Nevertheless.

Now my property, property two, is an absolute cracker.

It is in Balsall Common. It's in the modern style, it's very nice.

-It has five bedrooms.

-Ooh!

But it has a massive downside - there is no bidet in there.

-Any en suite?

-There is, two en suites in it.

I don't want to spoil it, I think they are going to love this.

The living kitchen really is a cracker. Now, the wild card.

"Tout le monde aime le wild card", as they would say in French.

OK, so the wild card, this is it.

We're giving them some things they really want - keeping them in Knowle, giving them the space.

But then, it is the wild card, so there are some things that maybe they don't want in it.

So those are the properties. Rani, where should we start today's show?

-Can we start with property one?

-We should get that out of the way.

My property number one is a great sized detached family home,

which stands on a well looked after corner plot.

It's got the rooms they asked for. I think it will satisfy Angie's culinary requirements.

And, I'm banking on Rod liking the bathroom arrangements.

OK, then, Rod and Angie, welcome to property number one.

I've brought you to Dorridge.

-Now, we're not too far away from Knowle.

-No.

-Do you know this area at all? You have been looking a little bit.

-Yeah, we have looked in this area.

-We know of it.

-Ideal for Knowle.

-That's good, a good start.

-That's one up.

The property. Detached property.

What are your first thoughts?

Well, first impressions, I do like it. I like the UPVC windows

and I particularly like the UPVC soffits, etc, because I am all for low maintenance.

You are a very technical house hunter.

Because you've moved 30 times, you know what you are after.

Well, in fairness, most of our moving was quarters to quarters,

so we had very little input on what we were given.

You're in the world of soffits and UPVC, which is good!

-It all sounds good from the outside. Are you keen to get inside?

-We are.

-Certainly are.

-Are you ready to play hunt the bidet?

-We certainly are.

Three, two, one - go play that game.

This is nice, I like the wooden floor.

It is a welcoming hall, after the hail outside, isn't it?

-Right then, Ed, welcome to the garage.

-Thank you very much.

I thought I'd bring you, so you could see how much space was in here.

-And not because it's freezing or wet out there?

-Wargh!

Oh, nice, lounge.

-Nice size.

-It's not the biggest lounge in the world.

-No, but it's nice.

-But again, I like the warm colours.

A huge fireplace, with all the brickwork and things.

These double doors would be nice. I assume they go into a dining room.

So, once they are open, it will open up this whole lounge area.

I like the colours, but I am not sure.

It's a bit small, when you think of the furniture we've got.

-I'm aware we have to do a compromise.

-We are downsizing, dear.

We never asked them how big their downstairs lounge space is. Clearly, it's gigantic.

Because, if this isn't big enough, then I'm sunk. And the wild card's sunk.

More importantly, they are sunk.

Wow! Lovely kitchen.

-Oh, yes.

-Very nice, I like this.

It's got a cooker like ours.

You don't know what a cooker is, Rod, you never switch it on, so forget about the cooker.

-If you can read, you can cook.

-We'll see.

Ooh. That's a little dig at Rod there, isn't it?

It was a massive dig at Rod. Clearly, Rod is not the cook.

But then, Rod is a fighter pilot.

Tom Cruise in Top Gun didn't ever at any point say, "Shall we quickly make a souffle?" No, he didn't.

Yeah, very nice. Nice kitchen window overlooking the garden. Nice and big.

What is in here?

-Oh, look, nice room.

-Ah.

-Yeah, this could do as the dining area.

-Or a snug.

That's very good, we can go in here.

Let's have a look at the other end of the kitchen.

There's another room here that might be the dining area and we could use that as a study.

Ooh, look, this would be great, see.

This is just like,

it's a dining room, but it's still part of the kitchen.

-You could take some of that wall down.

-You've got your living kitchen.

Yeah, the huge kitchen, cos that's through to the lounge.

-There. There's the first wall that Angie could knock down.

-She's good at this.

This is nice. The landing.

This is a nice room, I like the eaves and things.

Good-sized room. I do like this.

You can see your granddaughters in here, can you?

Yes, and leave it all this colour, as well, for them.

So the bedrooms upstairs, all of them are really nice and spacious.

So that's a good thing for them.

I thought it was the master bedroom. Obviously not!

Well, I hope not.

No, it's not. They've got fitted wardrobes, anyway.

At last.

Adding up, we've got nine double wardrobes in our house, of which I have one.

-Yeah, well...

-You filled the rest.

-Storage is something we could do with.

-I've got season-wear to sort out.

They've nine double wardrobes?

And he's only got one! That means eight double wardrobes worth of clothes!

It's quite interesting that Angie is defining season-wear.

As far as I'm aware, there are only four seasons in a year - and she's got eight.

-Nice bathroom, wow!

-It's the family bathroom.

-Lovely bathroom. Very nice.

-Nice size shower, isn't it?

-You could get two people in there.

-And you can lower it, so you don't get your hair wet.

-Look at the radiator.

-Very trendy.

I love all this being fitted in along here.

-Really nice.

-Almost room for a bidet down here.

Oh, forget the bidet! Compromise.

You'll have to do without the bidet.

-There we go

-Hey!

You force them to compromise on a bidet. How dare you!

How many bidets are you giving them? Yeah!

Nice-sized room again.

Another room without the master.

-Again it's a good size.

-Look at that. Ben would love that.

-Boys' toys.

-Brilliant.

-Ben would like that.

Ay-yay-yay, look at this.

We've gone from a "wow"

to an "ay-yay-yay"!

Oh, look. These are gorgeous, aren't they?

-These are really nice.

-Fitted wardrobes, yes.

And I like the idea of the spots. You can point them where you want.

Preferably not on us in bed!

Lovely, look. This is nice.

Into the en-suite. Fantastic.

-Actually, it's not a bad size, is it, for a modern house?

-Very good.

Very nice. It suits the purpose, dear.

It's got a toilet, a sink and a shower.

-It's actually a good-sized room.

-Yeah. A lot to live up to with Ed.

-Better be as good as this...

-It's a good starter.

-..or even better.

Well, Rani, it would seem they believe this is the best property they will see today.

So, is this living room big enough?

It is big enough for me.

In that case, it's big enough for me.

Such a good husband, Rod! So good!

-With the doors open...

-I know, but we're downsizing.

Easy word to say, isn't it? "We're downsizing."

-Tricky when you come to do it.

-With the doors open, that becomes a kitchen.

No, it won't be, it'll be fine.

You have a choice there, because you've got this dining room.

You could either knock that through and get your whole living area with the kitchen

or there's the back of the garage, which used to be the old tandem garage.

So you could go either way or you could knock down all the walls

-and just have one massive living area downstairs and that...

-It does depend on the budget.

Do you want to do the dangerous thing, that is guessing how much it costs?

Who would like to go first?

I'll go first, shall I?

-So good.

-A gentleman.

We're playing with a maximum budget of, was it, 530? At a push.

At a push.

What do you believe this beauty's on for?

I'd like to think it's going to come in at the 499 side.

OK. 499. On the knocker.

-Go on, then, Angie.

-I was going to say 489,950.

489,950. 499.

That's what you'd like it to cost.

-Yes.

-What's it going to be?

It's a little bit more, I'm sorry to tell you.

You surprise me(!)

OK. Rod, you are a winner today, because the actual price

of this property is £529,950 - right at the top end of your budget.

No problem.

There's a lot of rooms in here.

It's a great area, you've got lovely places,

you've got your tennis court, your golf courses near by.

Dorridge certainly is an ideal position for us. It's fantastic.

Listen, you don't have to buy it. There's two more to go.

We can buy this one!

Let's say you should look at all three and then buy one.

-Mine's coming next. Shall we go to my one?

-Yeah.

-It's this way.

Property number two is mine.

It's on a small development in Balsall Common and is pristine throughout, with huge rooms.

And I cannot wait for Angie to see what I have in store for her downstairs.

Now, Angie and Rod, Angie and Rod.

We are at property two.

You liked property one, but you wanted to come to property two.

Now we're at property two, what do you think?

-I like it. Very much.

-It fits the bill.

-It's a really good place to live.

We've got the shops five minutes down the road. You've got your own tennis club.

-That's posh.

-Your OWN tennis club!

Maybe I'm inflating that, but there is a tennis club in Balsall Common.

So, Rod, what do you think about the idea? Do you know the area?

Not really. We've had a brief, and I mean a brief, look around it, but we quite like the idea.

-We're only five miles away from our son and daughter-in-law.

-Ideal, yeah.

Yes, it's a nice looking house and it's a nice secluded close.

-All right, then. Are you ready to go inside?

-We are.

Looking forward to it.

OK, then. Off you go. See if you can spot a bidet!

Yes, thank you!

-This is nice.

-It's nice to get in out of the cold, isn't it?

So, Ed. Are you sure Angie can fit a big 4x4 in this garage?

It's a double garage.

We are in one part of the garage. That's where her 4x4 will go.

And, if she wanted to, she could convert this back into a garage.

Thank you.

Ooh, nice dining room.

You didn't want a dining room, did you?

I know, but it might be nice.

-We might be able to knock through.

-It might become a study, who knows?

-When we're going to see around the place.

-Mmm.

-I like the idea of that mirror, it makes the room look bigger.

-We can copy it.

Nice lounge. I like the fireplace.

-Actually, that's very elegant, isn't it?

-Yes.

Nice having the doors out into the garden.

-Boys' toys, he's got a satellite thing in there.

-You'll be happy.

"Boys' toys. He's got a satellite thing."

Rod, with his military past, could probably rig that satellite up to work out,

as an early warning system, if we ever do get attacked.

And they could use this as a nuclear bunker.

Yeah, very good. Nice.

Nice. Like that. Mm-hm.

OK, we're going to have to slightly lower our voices, because they're coming to there.

Wow-wee, look at this. This is what I wanted!

This is going to fit the bill, isn't it?

-This is just what I wanted.

-Ticks all the boxes.

-Fantastic.

This is lovely, having a seating area down here.

You could have it just as dining, if you want to.

It will be nice as a big dining area.

If you're going to lose the front one as a dining room,

then that becomes a study and this the dining room. Smashing area.

-Really, really nice.

-And the garden?

-Let's see what the garden's like.

-I like the French doors, as well.

That's nice, onto the garden.

Nice garden, look.

-This is...facing north.

-Look, the sun's here, the sun's out.

-You'll get evening sun.

-Ed's done well.

Well, it's not just me.

It mainly is me, but the mystery property team do do a little bit.

But, you know...

There's no space wasted on the landing, that's for sure.

This is a nice bedroom.

-Double.

-It's light and airy.

-Yeah, light and airy.

-And an en-suite.

-Yeah, nice shower as well, look.

-Double shower.

-Double shower.

OK, I'm looking out for an "arriba". "Arriba, arriba" or a "whoopee-de-doo".

I got a, "Ooh, that's quite nice".

Right, let's have a quick look in this room, see what's in here.

-Oh, nice. A little bathroom.

-Must be the family bathroom.

Just a bath, yeah, bath, loo and sink. It's nice. Very modern.

This is a nice little room.

-The princess's room.

-Yeah!

-Very pink.

-It's a nice size again, look. Double bed.

Your granddaughters would settle in here, wouldn't they?

Certainly a good size for a single room. It's really a double, isn't it?

-Did you hear what Rod just said? Did you hear?

-No, I missed it.

"Single room but it's really a double."

So, maybe you want to take back the stuff you said about them

not all being double bedrooms, because Rod thinks they are and Rod was in the military.

Rod can fly a fighter plane, so Rod is very spatially aware.

-Could Rod park a plane in there?

-Yes, he could, if he had to.

Oh, wow, look. It's a study. That's very nice, isn't it?

So this could either be a study or it could be your sewing room.

Like you've got at home.

Yeah. So if we use this as a study, there's the front room,

which is a dining room, which we weren't going to use as a dining room.

So, spoilt for rooms now.

This is another super-sized room.

Look at this, wow! Nice big size.

-No fitted wardrobes, but easily fitted out.

-Blimey, yeah.

You could put them all the way along here.

-For Max's room, this is lots of space.

-Very good.

Hoo hoo hoo! Did you hear that?

An "oh gosh" and then a "wow".

-Look at this!

-Did you hear that?

-That's better than you got, "arriba, arriba".

-It's not!

This is better. This is good.

-Nice, look at the size of this place.

-Now, this is a good size.

-This is a master bedroom.

-We keep saying size, but this really does fit the bill.

Look, two lots of fitted wardrobes.

-Great.

-So I'm sure I can find a corner down there somewhere for me.

-Yes, fabulous.

It hasn't got the nine double fitted wardrobes they're used to, but the place is whopping.

I've given them five bedrooms.

-One bedroom, I've put those funny slatted things on it, pretend that's a massive cupboard.

-Oh!

Very good, I like this room very much.

-Separate shower, double shower, so it's a good sized shower.

-Brilliant.

-Nice tiles.

-No bidet.

I guess I'm finally coming to the conclusion I can't have everything.

But I can try.

Very good. Excellent.

Now, Rod and Angie, I think it's fair to say that you quite liked this house?

-More than quite liked.

-OK!

Now, when you said earlier on, a living-kitchen, redefining the term kitchen-diner,

I think this is a living-kitchen more than a kitchen-diner, isn't it?

It's definitely a living-kitchen.

-What were your thoughts walking around?

-The lounge.

It seems a bit awkward trying to put your furniture in the lounge.

But to put sofas and chairs in there,

it's going to be a bit of a jiggle.

Move the living room to the master bedroom, it's big enough!

-That master bedroom is out of this world. It's huge!

-Very nice.

-It's lovely.

-The whole upstairs is a big tick.

-Yeah, everything.

-OK, but what about the price?

-So far, Rod is in the lead.

-I went first last time.

So would you like to go first again this time?

-If you wish?

-Whoo!

-Confident!

-ALL TALK AT ONCE

-I'll let him go.

-Maximum budget £530,000...

-I'm going to go for the same price. 499.

-499.

-I'm going for 510.

-You're going 510 and 499.

-Now, Angie, you've won.

-Oh, right!

The price of the house is the same as Rani's. 529,950.

Now, this property has been on for a bit. It's been on at three prices. It started at 589.

-Oh, right.

-Then it went to 549.

Now it's on at 529,950.

-So, that would say that...

-Quite a lot.

-And I have had a nibble

and a niggle and a wiffle, that they have found somewhere that they like

-and wish to buy.

-OK. So they'll be keen.

So in terms of waggling and haggling, there is movement here.

But we haven't even been to the wild card yet.

No! And that is going to be an exciting...

-It's everyone's favourite part of the programme. Are we prepared, are we ready?

-We're ready.

-We're going this way.

-Let's do it.

-Let's follow them.

Today's wild card looks similar to property one and two on the outside.

But, as I know, it's what's on the inside that counts.

And this one, like me, holds a few surprises from top to bottom.

Right then, Rod and Angie.

Here we are, in the blustering rain and wind, but in front of the wild card.

-You've been excited about seeing the wild card.

-Yes.

The wild card gives you certain things you want.

We're in Knowle, where I believe your son lives.

He does, just down the road.

Literally 1,000 yards down the road.

-So that is very good, then.

-Big plus, big plus.

-Yes.

Great to have his grandparents around for the grandkids.

Have you ever seen this as you go to your son's house?

I've always thought it looked nice. But I do notice it's three floors.

Yes. You're still young and sprightly.

I'm not sure how old bones in a few years...!

-Can we get a Stannah lift in there?

-Why not?

-You do not need them!

You play golf, tennis. You're very sporty! This is a lovely property.

-It does look nice.

-There are a few things which it might not

be giving you in the order you might suspect them to turn up.

You should waste no more time. Get in there and enjoy the wild card,

-and remember, it is a little bit wild.

-Looking forward to it.

-Don't forget to wipe your feet on the way in.

-Thank you very much!

Right, Ed. Want to go in the garage?

That's a surprise, a bigger space than I thought it was going to be.

I've seen this house loads of times as we've driven past.

Now you've got a chance to have a look at it. Fantastic.

This room at the back looks fantastic.

-Here we go.

-Look at this. Very nice!

-Living-kitchen again.

-It's huge!

That will pass muster, won't it?

Yes, lovely.

Lovely. Units are nice.

-Space for your American freezer.

-Yeah, and there's the place round there for the table to eat at.

Angela is alive in here.

This is like breathing for the first time, in house terms.

She's over the moon with this living-kitchen.

This, I would have as the dining area.

With the dining table in here.

You can't block off the doors though, of course.

You have to sort of...

I'm not sure how it wouldn't work out there, possibly.

Well, anyway, it doesn't matter. It's a certainly large enough space.

-Yes.

-I could put a nice big vase of flowers there, look.

I've got it all planned already, where I'm going to put stuff and what I'm going to do with it.

This didn't happen in any of the other properties, did it?

-No, it didn't.

-This is a new style of living.

She feels the house needs christening with flowers.

I don't know where she wants to put the flowers. They're the neighbours.

Neighbours are heading off on holiday now.

-Very nice.

-Very friendly people.

Spoke to them earlier on.

I don't know what this room would be.

-I'm assuming...

-Trying to work out what three floors are, don't we?

I'm assuming a dining room.

-Yeah, I guess.

-I love the bay window, that's nice.

Where the curtains are. No, I think it must be a...

-Dining room.

-If you want to use it as a dining room.

-Yes.

-Or a study.

-Or she could think about Angie's sewing room.

-Yes!

-I think it's going to be Rod's room though.

-It's Rod's.

-Because she's going to be baking her wedding cakes in the kitchen.

-For who? Who's getting married?

What's happening? What do you know?

-She bakes wedding cakes.

-Does she?!

-Yeah!

-Are you making this up?

-Do you not listen to her?!

-She never told me!

She bakes wedding cakes, does a bit of sewing.

I talk to Rod about fighter pilots all the time and you're talking about sewing and baking.

-There you go.

-Who said stereotypes were true?

I'm intrigued to see what's up here on this floor.

This is a bit unusual, the house.

Here's a nice... This is a bedroom, obviously.

And we've got the skylight.

Unusual ceiling, but it works.

Painted ceiling, blue with clouds.

What's in here? I presume this might be...

-Yeah, a bathroom.

-Must be.

Really, really nice.

-Nice radiators, nice modern cistern.

-Shower over the bath.

Clean lines, looks really nice. All white.

You know those planes that you can go in, that go to the edge of the atmosphere?

Right, right high, high up?

-OK.

-Rod flies those.

Rod has seen space from his own aeroplane.

-That's not true.

-It's true.

-It's not true.

-It's true.

This is lovely, a very nice lounge.

Yeah, very nice.

-Lovely size, square, so you've got lots of wall space around here to put things.

-Yes.

-Nice fireplace.

-Have you seen the decking, Angela?

-Oh, yes, look out here.

This is different.

Look, fabulous!

I can just see me sitting up here, sun shining.

Yes, because south has got to be that way so you're going to get sun pretty much all day.

It's quite nice here, look. The green beyond us.

And we're not overlooked.

-Look what you can do with the garden? Look how pretty that one is.

-Actually, we could do that.

That is beautiful. Look at that. I've got a good feel, I like this.

-It's working well, isn't it?

-It's different, but I like it.

We've pointed out they've lived in 30 homes over their time

so they needed something different to make them go, "Yes! This is somewhere I could settle down in."

-Now, this is the top floor.

-Top floor.

The big climb to bed.

Now, what's this room?

This is obviously a nice double bedroom. It's got fitted wardrobes.

-Yes.

-Which is good.

Nice size, look? And an en-suite, which is really nice. Another one.

Oh, lovely. Big shower, look. It's very nice. Very nicely done.

Let's have a look round here.

This has to be the master bedroom.

I'm going to have a look, see what's in here because they're obviously empty.

Wow, look at this! Oh, look. It goes all the way along to the other end.

You open the other door, dear, and I'll pop out.

-Hi! That's great.

-Yeah, you can have fun in there, can't you?

-Yeah. I'll put all my clothes in there.

And I like the quality of the doors and windows.

It's good, I like it.

There, Rod is taking a look at the smaller features in the property.

"I like that. I don't have to do that. It's a good finish."

-And there is...very nice.

-Actually, there's a shower as well as a bath.

Yes, which is good.

So that's good. So as I don't like baths, you can have this one.

-This is yours.

-This is lovely.

-Bit of a surprise, a large en-suite like this.

-I like this.

Angie, you were slightly worried, but excited by the three floors.

-How was it getting up and down? Were we all right with that?

-Knees are all right, yeah.

-What did you think?

-I love it. I really do. I got a real feel for...

I can see myself living in here. Planning where I'm putting stuff.

Talking to Rod, can we do this, can we do that? I love it.

Did Rod say yes to all of those things?

I'm following everything else. I'm just a bit concerned about how much stuff we've got to throw away.

There is going to be a big clear-out. The charity shops will do a raging good deal.

-This is a downsize though, isn't it?

-A genuine downsize, which is not a problem.

So it's something different, is that what's exciting?

It's just nice. It's not quirky but it's got something different about it, which is nice.

I was just saying, on the first floor, on that living room,

that decking area, you could just open the door in the summer.

-South is over there and it all works.

-With the wine and the gin and tonic.

So, time for guess the price, and quite an intriguing guess the price.

Not only are you neck and neck but you like this one.

We're in Knowle, and Knowle is quite posh, quite expensive.

Maximum budget of £530,000. Rod, you shall be the gentleman, I believe. It's your chance to go first.

More by hope than any sense of conviction, I'm going to stick with my old ploy of 499.

OK. Angie, what are you going for?

I know it's Knowle and I know it's an expensive area, but I'm going to go less than Rod.

I'll go 489,950.

-But not much less.

-But it is a bit less.

-OK.

Now, you seem really excited about this property and I hope you're excited about the price.

489,950?

Congratulations, you are the closest and the winner.

This property is on the market at £460,000.

460?! Quick, quick!

-Get that cheque book out!

-Our estate agent,

I will be there next week when we come up from Manchester.

-You don't need him, you have us!

-Listen, before you blow the whole jeopardy of

I wonder which one they're going to pick, because you got a bit excited in here, maybe giving us a steer,

you need to go away, make the biggest decision of your life

about which one you wish to test drive.

-I think we've all got an idea, maybe.

-Discuss it, though.

-Exactly!

-Thank you, bye.

-Good luck with that.

Whilst they do that, here's a quick recap for you at home of all three properties.

Will they go for my property, number one, in the desirable Dorridge?

Angie liked the living room, with the inglenook fireplace,

but it was the kitchen and upstairs rooms that really won them over.

It's on the market for...

Or will they choose my property, number two, in Balsall Common?

It garnered a host of "wows". It had the biggest kitchen

I have ever seen in a modern home, and that's what Angie thought too.

It can all be theirs, including the massive kitchen, for the price of...

Or will they opt for today's wild card,

in the sought-after Knowle postcode?

Rod and Angie thought it was fantastic from bottom to top.

They loved the kitchen and balcony.

All those floors could be theirs for...

Rod and Angela, good to your word, you have chosen to test drive the wild card.

You loved it in there earlier on.

Can you explain to us and the nation why you've chosen this one?

Well, it's very different.

It's a genuine downsize, but it's a downsize that we're sure we can work with.

And it's about 1,000 yards up the road from our son.

That might be a bit too close for him but it's not close enough for us.

-Very good.

-Angie, you said you had nine wardrobes of clothes.

-Nine double wardrobes!

-You'll have to get rid of a lot of stuff!

I'm happy to for this house. I really am. I'm happy, I love it.

Before you test drive it, we had our surveyor look at the place.

I've got to say, it's not a legally binding.

If you go ahead with the property, we'd recommend

you get your own survey done.

We're on one of the points.

It's a shared cul-de-sac drive.

-You'd want to work out who's responsible for...

-Keeping it?

-Yes, exactly.

Upkeep, maintenance, et cetera. So look into that and find out

if there's a service charge for that and how it works.

-If they had a slush fund, look into that.

-Yeah.

-Good point.

Next point. It's a new build.

We're guessing it's between 10 and 15 years, somewhere around that mark.

-So it's outside NHBC then?

-Well, this is the thing.

It could still be within NHBC if it is under 10 years.

It could be eight years, we don't know. However, there is a thing called Premium NHBC,

which means it would be covered up to 15 years, which would be fantastic.

He had a look round the place and there are a few cracks in the plasterwork.

He thinks it's just a bit of isolated movement, nothing too serious.

-You'd have to get that checked out. But it could still be covered.

-OK.

-That would be brilliant.

-Good point.

-As far as the list goes, well, that's it.

-That's it.

-That is actually it.

-Really, it's lovely.

He likes it as much as you do. Are you still prepared to go in there for your test drive?

-We are desperate to get in there.

-OK, get in there, ready yourselves.

Make the most of your time, you'll never get this opportunity again.

-Okey-dokey.

-3, 2, 1, enjoy!

-Thank you.

Here we go, then. They did love this house so much when they looked round it, didn't they?

Yes. You know, they're looking very at home here.

-DOORBELL RINGS

-No cold callers today, please.

-We're test-driving!

-It's OK, it's just Ben, their grandson.

-Hi! Hello! Hi, Ben!

-I've brought Ben for you.

-Thank you.

Are we going to be able to play tennis? Get Granddad to look outside?

See what the weather's like?

I don't know if we'll be able to. Granddad, open the door and see.

I don't fancy their chances.

Oh, Ben, I'm sorry, it's raining, I'm afraid.

It's really not very nice.

-Where can we play tennis, do you think?

-In here.

In here?

Andy Murray, eat your heart out.

Now, that's how you keep Granddad on his toes! Good work, Ben!

That's a love game for Ben, but do Angie and Rod love this place?

OK, you've had a bit more time in the house, but more importantly, does Ben like his new second home?

He does. He seemed to be at home and he cried when he went home with his mummy because he wanted to stay.

That is as much a testament to the property... He was so at home here?

Yep and he had no problem climbing to the top floor.

-Excellent!

-He's not the one we're worried about.

-It's me we're worried about climbing to the top floor!

Having a look round, do you think you'd get rid of enough clutter

-to see this as a new home?

-It'll take time and a lot of journeys

to the Oxfam shop getting rid of our stuff, but it can be done.

-Yeah, I think we will.

-Do you genuinely believe you can achieve the downsize?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Hand on heart?

-Yes.

-Promise?

-If I want it hard enough, I will downsize.

-OK, all right.

-OK, then.

-I think we're there.

I think we're at the point that everyone has been waiting for. I'm nervous to ask it.

I'm not going to ask Rod because I think I'll get a better answer from Angie.

You're a pretty shrewd judge.

So, Angie. To buy or not to buy, that is the question to you, Angie, and partially to you, Rod.

-To buy. Subject...

-Go on...

-..to our house being sold.

-OK.

But I will be on the phone, as soon as we get home, to our estate agent, telling him to get a jiggle on.

OK. And because you know this is cheaper, you've got more jiggle room.

Exactly. It's freeing up equity.

We say downsizing, well, it's met that aim.

It'll free up equity, which was the secondary aim.

And we'll ask him to reduce the price of our house, so we can sell quicker, to get in here quicker.

It'd be a shame if you missed out on it because it seems to suit you.

-It's lovely. I like it very much.

-Congratulations. Please buy this because it's really good.

-Thank you very much, and all the team.

-It's been great, thank you.

-We'll see you soon.

-Good luck.

-Bye.

-Thanks for your help, bye.

Well, Ed, like they say in tennis, game, set and match!

Very true. Or, maybe as Rod would say, we've scored a hole in one.

If you would like us to score a try, maybe hit a 180 or even...

I've run out of sporting analogies!

-Maybe we could just find the home of their dreams.

-We could do that.

Don't hesitate, eh? Get in touch with us.

-See you soon. Bye-bye.

-Come on.

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