North London To Buy or Not to Buy

-Welcome to a very special To Buy Or Not To Buy.

-We're heading to Finchley in North London.

We've got a property match ahead of us that will test all of our stamina and skill.

-Just one thing, Ed.

-Yeah?

-Can you only head the ball?

-You can't see Tim in this, can you?

-Oh, no, no.

-You're going to look really good.

-I can do loads of football stuff.

Ladies and gentlemen, you may have guessed

-from the amazing display...

-Thank you.

..of Ed's almost professional soccer skills

that one today's house-hunters is a football fan.

They need us to help them score a metaphorical property goal

before extra time.

-I don't get the extra time bit.

-She's pregnant.

-She's pregnant?

-And they desperately need us.

-What, hot towels and that stuff?

No, they don't want you at the birth. Don't be offended.

I'm sure they'll like you

but they need you to help them find a house.

-They still need us then?

-Yes.

-OK.

Do you want to show the viewers your heading skills?

-I'm more of a kicking man.

-Go on, then.

-Observe.

GLASS SMASHING

Oi!

Coming up on today's To Buy Or Not To Buy.

Jonnie confronts a serious issue.

-Size, I think, is a problem.

-Size is a problem.

-Yeah.

If I was down here like you, because he's on a box,

everything looks massive.

Ed imparts some property wisdom.

-That shower head's like my old place.

-You like those old shower heads.

I'm saying there's many reasons to buy this property.

-A shower head and the dishwasher.

-It's a reason to buy a property.

-You've lost it.

'And there's confusion at the wild card.'

Is that a shed, is it a summer house, is it another home?

Is it a chalet? Is it a ski lodge?

Our buyers today are Maria and Kiri.

They live in rented accommodation

but are desperate to get on the property ladder.

The reason? Maria is pregnant with their first child

and they want to be settled in before the baby arrives in a few months' time.

But both with day jobs for the civil service...

..and Kiri's studying for a law degree in his spare time...

..and Maria's after-hours work as a fitness instructor...

..and Kiri's life-long love of Manchester United...

..means there has been precious little time for house-hunting.

Until, that is, now.

So we're looking for a home for you guys.

What's wrong with this one? Are you not happy here?

Well, we are, it's just that we've got some great news.

Maria's pregnant.

-Congratulations.

-Congratulations. How far along are you?

-About five months.

-Oh, right, so we've not...

And are you looking to be moved in by the time...?

-Hopefully, yes.

-Hopefully. Well, you're clearly focused

and it gives us a challenge.

I would say we've not got much leeway.

-We do need to do it in this programme or we're in trouble.

-Yeah.

-Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?

-We don't know.

We decided not to find out.

I would be guessing from some of the things I know about you, Kiri,

that you'd be hoping for a boy, with your footballing obsession?

I would love it whatever it is, as you know,

but it would be lovely to have a little boy to take to the football

and to wrap in a red and white scarf from an early age,

just like I was by my dad.

Do you have the name Wayne, maybe...?

Wayne. It would have been Cristiano if he didn't leave.

-Dimitar would be different.

-Dimitar's a nice name.

-So you're renting here?

-So we're chain free, ready to move immediately, really.

-You're a hot ticket, then.

-Yeah. Mortgage in place, everything.

-Wow. So, OK. You're committed cash buyers, almost, an estate agent would say.

-Yes.

So what do you want in terms of a property?

We're quite open about it,

just as long as we've got some sort of outside space.

-It's got to have outside space.

-OK.

But obviously, the further into London you get, the more expensive the properties are,

so that's part of the reason why we're moving out.

Are you commuting by car

or are you doing the traditional London route of tubes, trains, etc?

-Tubes and trains.

-Public transport. Fairly close walking distance.

-Give me a time?

-Maximum 15 minutes walk to a station would be great,

-if that's possible.

-OK.

So it's outdoor space. You're not too fussed about the layout.

You're not too fussed about the age, style of the property?

I prefer old properties but I know that we're limited,

so I have to be open-minded about it

-but I am a fan of old-style coving and original features.

-Ooh.

-I know.

In order to get the old-style coving, we might be looking at a Victorian conversion.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-A ground-floor flat with a garden.

That's ideal. You've narrowed it down. That would be ideal.

It sounds simple enough, depending on the budget.

-Yeah, big question.

-Come on, then.

-Yeah, I guess we're kind of limited to about 250.

-Yeah.

At a real push, 255.

255 at a real push.

With stamp-duty threshold, you're not paying any stamp as well.

I mean, this extra money you've got to maybe spend on the house.

-That's right.

-OK, well, wish us luck.

We're doing this for Baby Wayne.

-Dimitar, Ed, Dimitar!

-We'll see you later on.

-Thanks.

-Bye.

Now, viewers, don't be fooled by these calm facades.

Ed and I are like swans. Underneath, we're panicking. Why?

Because there's a baby on the way.

Normally, we...

-What are you doing?

-I'm working out gestation periods.

-Obviously, Maria isn't an animal, she's a human being, and we've got four months.

-Four months, yeah.

If she was an elephant looking for a house, we'd be laughing. 645 days, we'd have.

If she was a sperm whale looking for a house - I know it sounds weird...

-This is loads of time.

-590 days. We could relax.

Let's make ourselves feel better. What about a short gestation period?

If she was a mouse, a normal mouse, 19 days. We would be up against it.

But she's not and now I'm worried

because we've got four months maximum and it might come sooner.

-This is costing us time. I'm off to some estate agents.

-I'll go and meet the people.

Today's search brings us to the ever-popular North London suburb of Finchley.

Situated around seven miles north of the City of London

in the Borough of Barnet, the area will always be associated

with someone who never actually lived there.

The Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher, who was the local MP for 33 years,

from 1959 to 1992.

It seems Mrs T favoured

living in Dulwich, south of the river, instead.

And number 10 Downing Street, of course.

However, many famous people have called these leafy streets home.

The list includes David Jason,

Del Boy out of Only Fools And Horses, who grew up here

and American chat-show host Jerry Springer,

who was born in East Finchley tube station during the Blitz.

But with house prices in Barnet averaging just under 400 grand,

you're certainly paying a premium to live around here.

But what will Kiri and Maria's top budget of £255,000 get you

in other suburbs around the United Kingdom?

Our first fixture today is this semi-detached Victorian house

in the Acocks Green suburb of Birmingham.

There's plenty of living space, four bedrooms,

large rear garden and off-road parking out front.

Yours for 249,950.

Located only a 15-minute drive from Kiri's beloved Man United,

how about this two-bed period apartment in Didsbury, Manchester?

The ground floor property has ample parking

and the use of the communal gardens. The price - 255 grand.

And finally, this two bedroom apartment in Lee Woods, Bristol.

This Victorian conversion has a spacious reception room,

modern kitchen and dining area, set in beautiful landscaped gardens.

A snip at 255 grand.

Here in London, there seems to be a bit of a north-south divide,

so I'd like to find out from the locals what makes north London

so much better than south London.

-Hello, how are you? Pleased to meet you.

-I'm David.

David, I'm hoping that you'll be giving me some good news.

-Definitely north.

-Why definitely north?

A different feel about it. The infrastructure's better.

When I cross the river, I feel like a foreigner.

He's a Manchester United fan who's considering calling his child Wayne.

-OK.

-Schools for Wayne, primary schools around here. Are they good?

Schools around here are excellent

-but I wouldn't suggest they support Man United.

-Why not go for Arsenal?

-No, this is not going well.

When was the last time you even went south of the river?

-A long time ago.

-Not a year?

-No. About five years.

-What?!

-But anyway, schools.

-Schools, schools, for a boy that could be...

-It's a very family-orientated area.

-OK.

-It's quieter, you know.

-It's quieter here?

-It's quiet, nice.

Yeah, it's not so...

I've got to say, it doesn't seem that quiet.

It's not the middle of a village.

They're ready to go, everything's in place.

-How quick do they need to act?

-They need to make their mind up the same day.

-As quick as that?

-Yeah.

-OK.

So, Ed, estate agents for you.

I was, for the first time in my life, rather jealous of you.

I don't know why. Obviously, it's the hard part of the programme.

As the senior member of the team, I've taken that bullet for you.

David, a lovely man. I notice it's raining.

That was my jealousy, Ed, the fact that you were dry.

Oh, right. Ah.

-Anyway. How did you get on?

-Brilliantly.

Properties round here are selling like hot cakes.

Really. Recession, schm-cession.

OK. Well, we've got good news there.

Also, according to North Londoners,

North London is the place to be, much better than South London.

-Funny that.

-Though if we did go to South London, they'd say South London was the best.

They probably would. That is the mystery of life.

-What have you got for property number one?

-No mystery there.

She's a beauty. It's a block flats. It's got a bit of character.

It's got the two bedrooms, it's in a quiet street, access to the tube

-and it's got some outside space.

-"Some outside space"?

-What's their garden like?

-I don't want to ruin it for the viewers.

-Let's get to the property first.

-So it's not their garden.

Now, I have gone for everything they wanted.

I've even laminated it just in case it rained during this part of the programme.

They wanted a Victorian conversion. I've given them it.

They wanted two bedrooms and a back garden - I've given them that.

They wanted to be near a primary school. Have I given them that?

I have. They wanted to be near a tube and I've given them that.

Will the bank manager need to give them any more money?

-Shall we go to the wild card?

-He's full of it, today.

Now look at the wild card. Look at that.

She ain't pretty but what she's got is a family home for the future.

It's got all the bedrooms, it's got a garden.

This, my friends, is a wild card to never be beaten.

It's the Jonnie Irwin of wild cards.

They've sacrificed on the looks but delivers inside.

-Where shall we go to first?

-Property number one,

before I take you somewhere for a hiding.

Let's kick off with this lovely apartment in North Finchley.

On the ground floor with direct access to the communal gardens, it's beautifully finished.

The perfect place to start a new family, it's the winner already.

Not so fast. This is a game of two halves, remember?

Now, then, Kiri and Maria, we have come to the first property.

My choice. Here we are.

Now, before we start talking about the beauty that is this property,

let me tell you what's around here.

Now, at the top of your search is access to transport links.

Woodside Park, which is a 10 to 15-minute walk, is on the Northern Line.

It is. Perfect for us.

There are shops at the end of the road.

So with that in mind, let us all praise property number one.

-What do you think?

-Yeah, it's nice.

-Yeah.

-It's a nice area round here.

-It's got a bit of character.

-It's a good street.

-Nice street.

-It's quiet, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-And away from the road.

Now, these are your gardens. These are communal gardens.

As you walk around the house, you'll see your access to it

but all in all, the package, the style - like it? Not like it? Not bothered? Love it?

Choose one of the four.

-All of the above.

-Hopefully the last one.

Let's wait till we get inside but certainly a nice bit of character from the outside.

-Er, gardens...

-Mm.

-Yeah.

-They're communal gardens,

so you've all got them, that's the compromise, I'm guessing, yeah?

It would be a compromise. We'd prefer our own garden.

Barbecue, summer time, that kind of thing.

It's important, as a Greek man, to have a barbecue at all times.

-That's not been ruled out yet, so let's keep that in mind.

-We'll file that, yeah.

-So be very vocal when you go inside.

-We'll try.

Keep it positive because he's going to be very negative.

I genuinely will be.

OK, in three, two, one, enter that house. Go on. Good luck.

-Right, here we are.

-Hmm.

-Front door's nice.

-It is.

-Yeah.

-So this is the kitchen.

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

-I like the tiled floor.

-Yeah.

-Quite a nice size, as well.

-It's quite cool.

-You've got everything you need.

-Wouldn't need doing up.

You've got a nice view out there.

-I wonder where that door goes?

-Mm.

-Oh, it's like a utility room.

-Ah, OK.

-Straight out into...

-Into a garden bit.

-Into a garden.

-It's quite nice.

-Mm.

-As far as communal gardens go...

-It could be all right.

And because it's quite quiet, the main street and stuff.

I always think, right, in a communal area,

if you've got a door onto it, it's a bit more yours than a person that doesn't have a door onto it.

I know that sounds strange but if they've got access onto it,

it's a bit more theirs.

-They could make that area their own.

-It isn't their own

but it could feel like their own.

So what's this?

-OK, so this is the spare bedroom.

-The spare room, yeah.

-That's OK.

-You'd have to look beyond this, obviously.

-Yeah.

-We'd have a little cot in here, wouldn't we?

-Yeah.

You've got the storage, there.

-Oh, those little...

-Underneath there.

-Yeah.

It's quite small. It's quite small but it's all right.

-A baby doesn't need that much space.

-No.

No.

I'd normally say don't base your house around a baby being tiny

but I don't think they'll be in this property for more than three or four years,

so I think that will be perfectly adequate.

And it's not a box room, is it? It's a good-sized single bedroom.

It's a good room for little Wayne.

-Right, we've got the bathroom, here.

-OK.

It's a bit small, so have a look round.

-It's quite nicely done up, though. Really nice.

-Yeah, it is.

-And if we did decide to go with this one, we wouldn't have to do any work.

-No, no.

"If we did go for this one." It doesn't sound overly positive.

-It's a bit quick to make a decision.

-It sounds like a possibility.

They are going to buy something today. They're going to buy one of the three.

-"One of these three, that's fine."

-"Shall we just do it now?

"Let's get it out the way because you're nearly..."

-Someone's going to buy a house today and it ain't me or Ed.

-No.

-This is nice.

-Lounge.

-Yes.

-Yeah, it's nice.

-It is nice.

-It's a bit small, though.

-That's the general thing about this place.

Little bit small rooms.

This tends to happen to you. To you it seems quite a normal size,

-obviously, with your height.

-Since when was this Height Hour?

-He's standing on a box, now.

-I'm not.

No, you walk into somewhere and it seems the perfect size,

whereas I'd find it a little bit cramped.

There doesn't appear to be anywhere to eat.

Yeah, that's a good point, actually.

Because if you think about it, you can't really eat in here.

It would be all right for the two of us watching TV

-but if you're having people round...

-No, you couldn't, really.

-We'll have to think about that.

-Yeah.

-Size.

-Yeah, size is a problem.

If I was down here like you, because he's on a box, everything looks massive.

-And as you say, there's no space for a dining table.

-No.

And there's not even space in the hall to put a computer desk.

I see what you mean, yeah.

All right. We've got the main bedroom here, I think.

-OK.

-Again, it's quite nice.

It is quite nice.

-Again, you've got a nice view.

-Yeah, lots of light.

Lovely.

-Space isn't too bad.

-No. It's all right in this room.

-It's bigger than our bedroom at the moment.

-Yeah!

-You could live in this space.

-Yeah, it's all right, actually.

"It's all right." I was hoping for more than all right.

Having said that, I'll be honest with you, two beds, North London,

maybe all they'll get is all right.

-I feel so depressed.

-Mm. I know but you know. Reality bites.

-I can't complain about anything.

-No, it's just the size.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-For us.

-It's lovely. It's really well decorated.

There's a lot of care been taken. The floors, the kitchen's lovely

but it's just too small.

So, Kiri and Maria, inside, it sounded all very average, didn't it?

-Size is an issue, isn't it?

-Yes, definitely.

It was lovely, it was really nice but it was just too small.

Yeah, we're a bit gutted.

It ticks pretty much every box.

The area's really nice, it's quiet, it's set away from the street,

it's not far from the tube, it's a nice high street as well.

And the garden, as well. You can hear the birds cheeping away.

BIRD SINGS On cue, thank you.

Could you cope, first of all, with the communal garden?

Well, normally, we would say no

but this seems almost like it's your back garden, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

-There's a bench.

If you didn't own this flat, you'd feel uncomfortable standing here,

because it does feel like it would be your own.

I asked one of your potential neighbours to ask if it's OK to have barbecues and he said it's fine.

That's great. So that would be fine.

It's just a shame. It's so nice, it really is lovely inside

but it's just too tiny.

-Too tiny.

-Could the price make a difference?

-So we're playing with a maximum budget of 255, weren't we?

-Maximum.

Maximum, maximum, maximum. Who'd like to guess first?

-Go on, Maria.

-240.

-240.

-Mm.

-OK. Kiri?

I think it's a little bit more. I'd say 250. 249,999.

That's a real estate agent price.

Yeah, well, you were guessing for two, let's not forget,

erm, and whether it's help from the little one or not,

-you're spot on.

-Oh!

-Well, 50 quid out.

-OK.

-239,950.

-Wow. Well done.

-Get me.

So does knowing that you're freeing up 15 grand-ish make any difference?

-Hm...

-I don't know.

Listen, we have two more properties to go to. My one's next.

-Are you excited?

-Yes, very.

-I cannot wait.

-Let's go this way.

-After you, please.

-Cheers.

Well, my choice today is certainly in the Premier League.

It's a lovely first-floor maisonette with plenty of space

and the period details Maria will love.

I'll give you that, Ed. It's a hard but fair challenge.

Kiri and Maria, Maria and Kiri, I would like you to stop and gaze

at what I believe should be your North Finchley residence.

Now, Maria, you said your ideal type of property was a Victorian-style house,

-maybe a flat within it.

-Yeah.

You haven't got the ground floor but you have got the above floor,

so you get loft storage, as well.

If you're cunning, you might be able to go up there but who knows?

What do you think about the outside?

Look at those beautiful window boxes.

Street first, then the area, and say about how brilliant it is.

Enough of these instructions. What do you think?

-I like it, yeah. The windows are really nice.

-They are lovely.

-It's exactly the kind of thing you said.

-It's almost like I understood more what you said.

-We wouldn't say that.

-No.

-It's almost like that.

-And what about the environment?

-Yeah, it's a nice area.

It looks quite nice from the outside.

-Would you imagine you'd get a back garden as well?

-That would only be a bonus, really.

-OK, are you ready to go in there?

-Yeah.

-You'll love it.

Three, two, one, enter!

Right. Up these stairs.

Yeah.

Wow.

-Oh!

-Wow, this is a very big space, isn't it?

-Yeah. Straight away, as well.

-Yeah.

Hello, I'm Dannii Minogue. Welcome to the Wow Factor.

I'll be judging Kiri and Maria on their tour round here and aren't they doing well?

-Wow.

-Look at that fireplace, as well.

That's lovely.

-That's really nice.

-It's really spacious.

Is that a working fireplace, do you think?

Those look like logs.

I think it is, you know. I think it might be.

It is a working fireplace. There's even some wood stored by the back door.

I saw it, oh, yeah.

Right, now, of course, Jonnie has looked at the evidence

-but you would want to get that fireplace checked out, wouldn't you?

-Indeed. Any maybe swept.

-Mm. A little boy or something like that.

-Or a dog.

-Not a dog.

-That's really unusual.

-Yeah, it is. I was surprised at that.

-You walk up and you're in the lounge. I like it.

-It's good.

-Yeah.

-So far.

-So far, yeah, exactly.

-Keep going.

-Let's see.

-So this'll be...

-One of the bedrooms.

-One of the bedrooms.

OK.

-Again, it's...

-Again, really nice coving.

-You like that, don't you?

-Yeah.

And it's not a bad space,

-considering you've got the...

-The cupboards.

-Yeah, the wardrobes there.

-Yeah.

It's difficult to know... This is probably the main bedroom.

-Do you think so?

-Yeah, I think so.

-OK, yeah, probably.

I can't imagine there's going to be a bigger room.

-Nice thing here.

-What?

The bedrooms are at the back of the property,

affording the sleepers a nice snooze,

because you don't want to be at the front with the cars going back and forth.

-It's a dead-end road.

-Sh! I'm trying to make it seem more of a positive.

-Nice.

-Got that there as well.

-And that's going to be a loft, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-OK, so this is the second room.

-Yeah.

Erm...

-OK, yeah, so this is small.

-But it's for a baby, so...

Yeah.

-Or a small child here, it's fine.

-Yeah, yeah.

No, it's all right because you'd have the cot or bed sort of...

-Cupboards there.

-Cupboards there.

My spare bedroom, ladies and gentlemen, is a little bit small

but little Wayne Rooney that's in the tum-tum of Maria

is only going to be small

-and they're not going to be in here for too long.

-So they can only live here for three years?

-Four or five.

We've got like a storage cupboard here, as well.

-There you go.

-OK.

-It's got a washing machine in there.

It's quite handy really because it's out of the way of the kitchen.

-This is a nice size.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-It's quite big.

-This is a really nice size.

-Because they haven't got the washing machine, there's more space.

-Yeah.

-It's all right.

-I really like the size.

-Yeah?

-I like the ceiling, too.

-You could have a table there to eat your breakfast.

-You could, mm.

Mm.

-They've got a small dishwasher there, as well.

-Yeah.

-I know you'd prefer a dishwasher.

-Yeah!

Rather than making you do the dishes.

Everyone prefers a dishwasher and I'll tell you why.

Because it means these don't have to go in there.

-Yeah, it's good.

-And then there's a little bathroom here.

OK, yeah.

-Ooh!

-What?

-Look at that shower head.

-Oh, you like that, do you?

-Yes.

Very much. Yeah. That shower head's like my old place.

It's like your old place. You like those old shower heads.

There's many reasons to buy this property.

The shower head and the dishwasher.

-It's a good reason to buy a property.

-You've lost it.

-Did you have those in yours?

-Yeah, I did, actually,

but I chose not to use them as features, you madman.

So this must be the toilet.

Yeah, and that's the toilet.

-Yeah, cool.

-You could sit in there with the paper all day, couldn't you?

-I could.

-Right, this is the stairs out to the garden.

-OK.

I guess you just go down there. They've split the garden.

-We might have to do something about those stairs.

-Yeah, we would.

-It's not an insurmountable obstacle, is it?

-As they say.

-As they say. No.

The garden's all right.

-You could stick patio furniture out there.

-Yeah.

-Nice in the summer.

-Enjoy the sunshine if we ever get any.

Kiri and Maria, now, this, don't you think, is more like it?

-I think we're closer to it.

-Yeah.

-I think we are closer, yeah.

It's very, very good. I feel there was a good sense of you enjoying it,

liking every room.

-Compromise, I guess, the bedroom's slightly smaller.

-A bit, a bit.

-Not too small, though.

-Not too small. It's workable.

Surely it's not the bedroom that's the compromise, it's the garden.

You have to go up and down, basically, a ladder to get to the garden

and with a baby, that's not ideal, is it?

Yeah, I mean, you're spot on in terms of the garden.

It's a bit small and it's a bit dangerous down the stairs.

It's almost like a ladder, as you say.

Stairs can be fixed, though, can't they? They can be moved.

I think half the thing is, obviously it's been raining out there,

-and the stairs are wood.

-A bit slippy.

-They are very slippery.

If you change the tread on it, it will be 100% easier to go down them.

-It will still be steep.

-Yeah.

Something you may have noticed, over there is a primary school.

-Yeah, we saw that.

-Very nice school.

-You won't struggle to get in in terms of catchment area.

-Yeah. You couldn't be any closer.

-So that's something that makes this property really good.

-Yeah.

Shall we do it?

You've got the school. It all comes down to the price.

-Yes, it does.

-OK.

-Now, you went first last time, Maria, didn't you?

-Mm.

So you're not going to go first this time.

-So, Kiri?

-I've been thinking about this.

Erm... 260.

-So you think it's five grand over your maximum?

-I do, yeah.

-OK.

-I was going to say that. I'll go slightly lower,

in complete optimistic mode.

255. Bang on budget.

Right, well, Manchester United have just scored.

-We are one all.

-Right.

-But I've gone slightly over the top.

-OK.

-£270,000.

-Right, OK.

But you are in the best position you're ever going to be

and you are in a housing market where people want to sell.

This house is empty, you are ready to go,

so in terms of negotiation, you're in a great position.

It's true. You have got lots of room to negotiate down

and a lot of people will be on the edge of the stamp duty threshold, anyway.

But that aside, that is a pretty good argument for being that much over budget, Ed,

-so well done with that.

-Thank you.

But we don't have to worry about a buffer zone yet

because we've still got the wild card and hopefully, you can afford that.

You could afford this.

Here we are again at the nation's favourite, the wild card.

But will this first-floor maisonette with a pretty private garden take today's winning trophy?

The stats do look good but will it deliver on the park?

Now, the wild card, the wild card, everyone loves the wild card.

This is the wild card.

Can you explain to us why this is, indeed, the card that is wild?

LAUGHTER

-Well, you're kind of more looking for something with a bit of older kind of character.

-Yeah.

-OK.

-It's more of a modern property, isn't it?

-Do you think?!

-Yes, yes. It is more modern that the last one.

But on a positive note, think about it this way.

You come into the house, you see it for about five, six seconds,

you're in the door, you're in your home

but you're looking out on a beautiful park.

-Yeah, that's pretty cool.

-Yeah.

Take young Wayne in the pushchair or the pram round that lovely park.

This is your own front garden. It's beautiful, isn't it?

Yeah, it's unusual to get that in London.

And you've got ducks to feed.

That is life when you're growing up, feeding ducks.

You might not be able to hear it now, but earlier, you could hear children playing.

The primary school is just up the road.

There's a tube station on the Northern Line ten minutes' walk that way.

It's got all the facilities you need

and, hopefully, if you can bear the 1960s facade,

you get the plus points of the 1960s style of the layout.

All right. Are you prepared to enter into the wild card?

-Let's do it.

-Yeah.

-Three, two, one, all three of you go in there.

Good luck.

Right, here we are.

Mm.

Lots of artwork on the walls.

Right, shall we look through here?

-Oh, this is quite big, isn't it?

-Yeah, it is.

It's really big.

-And they've got a big sofa there.

-Yeah.

-You could have a few people in here quite comfortably.

-Yeah.

-There's no problem with the size.

-Yeah.

-I like those lights. They're quite funky.

-They are.

-Nice big windows, too. Lots of light.

-Mm.

-Yeah, that is a big window.

-Yeah.

-Nice view of the park, as well, which is just opposite...

-Yeah.

..which is a good feature.

It's true. If you look at that park over there,

the kids' area, the area that they're going to be focusing on,

the little kind of rocky ones and the whoo and the pushy ones

and the doingy-doingy ones and the wobbly-wobbly ones,

they're all there

and that, you'll spend an awful lot of time doing.

Oh, wow.

SHE GASPS

-Yeah, here we go. A bedroom.

-Yeah.

Hang about. This is the second time we've had a wow today.

We didn't have one at your property. No wows there.

We had one in my property. We've got it here in the bedroom.

There should have been one at yours at the price. "Wow! How are we going to afford that?"

-But anyway, we've got a wow here.

-And it's a good wow.

-It is.

-Yeah, there's space for a cot and whatever.

-Yeah.

Yeah, it's a good-size room, this.

You wouldn't need to do anything, really, would you?

-No, absolutely.

-Although you don't like pink, do you?

This is definitely a girl's domain.

Yeah, yeah.

Real men like pink. Real men eat quiche.

It's true. It is true.

-This is obviously the second bedroom.

-Yeah.

-It's quite a nice size.

-It's bigger than the others we've seen.

Definitely, yeah.

And there's a lot of cupboard space. It's quite spacious.

A chest of drawers. With the kid, we're going to need all this space.

-Yeah.

-At least it shows you that it's doable.

-Definitely.

I think they're coming round to the idea of living somewhere modern

because it's more convenient.

It's true. That's why modern properties exist.

-Yeah, bathroom.

-Yeah.

-It's obviously quite small.

It is small but it's got everything.

It's got a shower.

-That bath's quite deep, isn't it? It's quite big, that bath.

-Yeah.

It's quite small, isn't it,

but you know, the other rooms are bigger, so that makes up for it.

-Definitely.

-You can't have every room to be big.

Now, that is the Achilles heel of the property.

The bathroom is quite small.

For some reason, everything else is large but the bathroom...

..a bit small.

And this'll be the kitchen, I'm guessing.

-This is a nice size.

-Yeah, not too bad.

Yeah, it's really good.

-They've got enough space for a...

-A table to have your breakfast.

-They've got two tables in this flat.

-You could have two separate dinner parties.

-One for you and one for me.

-Mine would better, though, I think.

Yeah, it's large. It's got everything you would need, as well.

Room for manoeuvre. It's liveable straightaway

-but we'd probably do it up.

-You need a little bit of paint and stuff.

But it's got a good enough space to fit everything in here

and you can look out onto the garden and stuff.

-It's a very light flat, isn't it?

-It is.

-I think that's the best thing of it, as you said.

-Yeah.

In every room, there's loads of light.

And loads of light, quite a boring bit, this,

through pretty new UPVC windows, much nicer than the...

ED SNORES I do that to him all the time.

Sorry, you mentioned UPVC windows.

It was sensible but it was slightly bore...

It's quite green, as well. There's loads of trees and everything.

You've got that out the back and then the park at the front.

Yeah, it's a good point, so when you're looking out,

rather than someone's house or some buildings,

-you got a bit of greenery to look at, which is nice.

-It's good.

-When you're washing... When I'm washing the dishes.

-When you're washing the dishes.

I wonder what that is?

-It's a shed-type thing isn't it, really?

-It's a nice garden.

-That is nice.

-Really good garden, yeah.

-Hello.

-It's a real garden, isn't it?

-It is.

-Definitely.

Just one of those brick sheds is yours but you've got something else.

Is that a shed? Is it a summer house? Is it another home?

Is it a chalet? Is it a ski lodge?

So you've got a lot with this. What are your thoughts?

A little bit tentative because of the outside of the property

-but inside, could you understand why we showed it you?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Yeah, it's big rooms, lots of light coming in.

-Loads of natural light.

-Lovely.

-So...

-And nice outlook, as well, over that park.

-A lot green.

Out the front, you've got the park, out the back, there's the gardens,

so that's a positive.

-I think the mystery property-hunting team were thinking family.

-There's some children living here.

You can see a family's living here.

Their parents live here with them, so there's room for a whole family.

-Two children live here.

-Yeah.

Right, we're neck and neck. Maria, you're a Sunderland fan.

-Kiri, you are a Manchester United fan.

-I am.

-This is it. This is for the Premiership.

-OK.

Erm, how much is that beauty on the market for?

Who would like to go first?

-Kiri?

-I'll go first. I reckon it's 255.

All right, Maria? What do you think?

I'm not going to go much lower. I'm going to say 250.

250. Sunderland is scoring at 250, Manchester United at 255.

Oh, it's end to end, it's end to end,

it's a winner from Sunderland!

-Oh!

-Finally.

For the first time ever, Sunderland have beaten Manchester United.

-So what do you think about that?

-It's 50 quid off 250 grand.

-You're very good.

-Mm.

-Well done.

-So what do you think? My one was a little bit over.

-It was, yeah.

Jonnie's one, small. What do you think of this one in terms of price?

It's quite fair, bearing in mind how far away it is from the tube station

and this garden's lovely and the space that you've got inside is really good, as well.

All right, well, you're at the point now

where you've got to make the biggest decision of your adult lives about which one to test drive.

-Head off over there and we will see you later.

-OK.

-And good luck with it.

-Cheers.

-See you in a bit.

-Oh, my goodness.

-I don't know what they're going to go for.

-It won't be yours.

It could be yours but I'd be surprised if it was yours.

If this was a football match, the first two properties would be a game of two halves

-and this one would be, perhaps, extra time.

-I like it.

Let's look at all three.

We kicked off with my beautifully formed ground-floor flat.

Kiri and Maria seemed put off by the communal gardens

but I'm pretty sure I swung them around.

Size was an issue, though.

-Not for the shorter man like you, Jonnie.

-Shut it, fatty.

On the market at 239,950.

I'm pretty confident I've got the win today, Jonnie.

Maria loved the period details and the room sizes.

Even the steep stairs down to the garden didn't seem to faze them.

How much was it again, Ed?

All right, it was a little over budget at £270,000.

Unbelievable.

Or will the wild card prove victorious

as the final whistle blows?

Kiri and Maria were lukewarm from the outside

but once they got inside, they couldn't fault the layout

-and the room sizes.

-Not to mention the good-sized private garden.

On the market at £249,950.

Well, lookee here, you've chosen the wild card.

You've chosen not to financially overburden your family

by choosing Ed's property, which is wildly over budget.

We're here and we've chosen practicality over style, maybe?

Yeah, I think that's right. It's within budget, nice big rooms,

loads of green space.

-Yeah, I think...

-Good garden.

-Good garden.

-A garden.

-An actual garden.

Well, it has been a property lesson today.

We've found out what houses cost at the moment in the Finchley area

and it's more expensive than we all thought, I would say.

I think you're right, yeah.

But we have had our mysterious To Buy Or Not To Buy surveyor come round

and do a non-legally binding survey on the property.

You'd have to get your own one if you were to purchase it

but it's a heads-up as to what you're getting into

and they could be negotiation points if you do put an offer in.

-Jonnie.

-First one, quite obvious.

If you look at the gable end of the property,

where there's no windows, if you like,

-you'll notice a few loose tiles. They need a bit of attention.

-Sure.

OK. Not a big job but you need to get a man and a scaffold up there

-or a set of ladders.

-OK.

OK. I don't think the insulation's been changed since the house was built, your loft insulation.

It's about that much and it should be about that much.

You can get that at the DIY store.

-Your dad could do that for you.

-Sounds good.

So it's the cost of buying it, rather than the cost of laying it.

And it would save you money in the long term.

You've already got new windows.

More insulation, lower bills and you're greener.

-Would you like to test drive the wild card?

-Let's go.

Three, two, one, enjoy!

Well, Kiri's got all his family over to take a look round.

This is always the big test.

And if they like it, I think we've got a buy, here.

Kiri's headed straight to the garden for some fancy footwork.

They're leaving no stone unturned.

It's not a bad size. You can get quite a lot of units in here.

Yeah, definitely.

I personally like a shower cubicle

but there's not enough space, is there?

Do you know what I'm thinking? Storage.

'Ah, the old storage issue. They seem to be having a good chat about it.

'I'm more of a go-in-hard kind of player, myself. Check this out.'

'Unbelievable.

'Well, we've heard from Kiri's mum. What about his dad?

'Here's the verdict.'

-Do you think we could live with it?

-Oh, yeah, for a family, yeah.

It's not too small.

Now, then, the test drive, we've seen members of the family in this very apartment.

What were their thoughts?

Erm, yeah, they're quite positive about it.

They like the room sizes, they like the garden.

Erm... It wouldn't need too much work, maybe a bit of decoration.

-Because your dad is the expert, here.

-He is.

-He had a spirit level on him.

-He just carries that with him, so it's lucky he had it with him.

So was he sucking the pencil and saying, "Oh, well..."

"It's going to cost you."

Yeah, no.

Does he think it's doable? Does he like it?

Yeah, definitely doable, yeah. He does quite like it.

It's not going to take a lot of work, so that's quite good.

We could move in as it is and not have to do anything to it.

-We could do things gradually.

-Yeah, exactly.

The question is, would you want to move in?

To buy or not to buy?

-We'll have to have a chat.

-Yeah.

-Walk around the area a bit more.

There's nothing wrong at all with the property itself.

That's not an issue.

I just think we need to get a feel for the area, for the street.

-But do you know what, I'm sensing amid all this...

-Yeah.

..that maybe the emotion is not...

-This is a sensible decision.

-Yes.

-It's not an emotional decision to buy the house.

-You're right.

They say that you walk into a place and you're like, "This is it."

-Yeah, you know.

-This isn't that.

-It would be a very smart choice.

-Yeah. But not a, you know...

-With your heart. It's your head rather than your heart.

You had that emotional feeling in Ed's choice, really.

It was the price, wasn't it?

We started out with the gestation period and all of that.

We've got four months left,

so you've only got a couple of weeks, if you want to get in before the child is born,

-in which to find this.

-It's a race against time.

-Goodness me.

Well, if you do buy this, let us know.

It is a sensible choice

and if there is nothing out there that wins your heart, this is a good idea.

-We could do a lot worse.

-You could do a lot worse.

-Although that's not necessarily a reason to buy a property.

-Quite right.

Good luck for the one with the heart. And on that bombshell...

-We're going to go and buy some presents for the baby shower.

-See you later.

-See you.

-Bye.

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