The Cotswolds To Buy or Not to Buy

Good morning. Welcome to To Buy Or Not To Buy.

Today we're in the Cotswolds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

That, my bricks-and-mortar fans, is a fact.

What better place to start the show than in one of the Cotswolds' most beautiful villages?

The Cotswolds has many model villages, but I can guarantee that not many as are unique as this one.

Why is it that we met here?

It's due to BBC budgetary restrictions.

I thought if we met here,

we'd get an overview of the village.

Also, we can pretend we've got helicopter shots

to make the whole show zingy and new.

I like it! You do really get a sense of the lay of the village. Even the stone is accurate.

It's gorgeous, isn't it? You do get a sense of community, I feel.

I think, actually, we could show them this one.

It's a toy house. It's a toy house!

He's 6'3"!

I see your point. Well, this one only has two bedrooms.

Again, that's a toy house.

What about this one over here?

Coming up, we boldly go where no property show has gone before.

-Do you want to ask the rude question, Nikki?

-Yes.

We're not answering!

There's a whole new world of house design.

This is another one of the Jack and Jill... Jill and Jack...

Actually, in honour of Barry and Bart, it's a Jack and Jack bathroom.

-It is indeed.

-Have our buyers found their dream home?

Wow, what a bathroom!

Seriously!

I can't believe it!

Bart and Barry, To Buy Or Not To Buy?

Today's buyers are Barry Lewis and Bart Lelivelt.

Barry is a retired solicitor from London.

Bart is Dutch by birth and, after training as a teacher,

changed careers to travel the world with various airlines.

They've been a couple for 30 years and entered into

a civil partnership ten years ago, sharing their anniversary with none other than Sir Elton John.

With both of them now retired, they've travelled to the Cotswolds to hunt for their dream second home.

Somewhere they can retreat to

from the hustle and bustle of their current home in Richmond, Southwest London.

Somewhere to relax and unwind from the stresses of everyday life.

To be honest, they don't look that stressed to me, Nikki.

No, I think they may be onto something with this whole retirement thing.

Good morning!

-How are we?

-We're fine, thank you.

Now, we're all sat here in decadent glamour, because we're

-about to embark on something rather exciting today.

-Super.

It's quite an elaborate thing here.

-We are selling a property in... Majorca?

-That's right.

And swapping Majorca for the Cotswolds.

Yes.

Which is quite dramatic. What has made this all happen?

We want to have a dog again.

We've been abroad for so long, and to-ed and fro-ed so much over the years.

We just want to be able to get in the car and get out to the second property that way.

-Do we have to find you a dog as well?

-Would you?

-I'd like that, yeah.

Have we got a name for the dog yet?

-Fido?

-Fido!

We can work from that.

Why the Cotswolds? What is it about the Cotswolds that you like?

It's a very beautiful area.

-Has everything. It is very lovely and it's also very convenient.

-Yeah.

-Very accessible.

-Two hours.

-This is from your other place, in London?

-Richmond.

What are you really looking for?

What would be your ideal home?

The ideal home? Something that is quite stylish.

Ample accommodation without it being too much. A nice garden.

-If possible, nice views. Not absolutely essential.

-No.

And somewhere fairly pristine.

It could have a bit of a wow factor.

There's a lot to pick out from that. So ample, but not too much.

Let's define that in amount of bedrooms and living space.

-Three bedrooms.

-Three to four.

Three is ample.

OK. So you're kind of up for everything, really?

-Yes, we're very, very open-minded.

-Modern?

Could be very modern.

But something well done, cleverly designed with some sort of character and style, really.

But in particular something that doesn't need a lot doing to it.

Preferably something that we could walk into.

I have you down as entertainers.

-I reckon you would host quite good dinner parties...

-Yes.

Don't eat the food, but yes!

Is that an important aspect of your life?

Do you need entertaining space downstairs?

Some.

Less than we used to, but we still entertain.

It still happens, doesn't it?

We wouldn't have anybody to entertain here at the moment!

I think you'll make friends very quickly here.

-It's very friendly.

-Yes.

Do you want to ask the rude question?

-Yes.

-We're not answering!

-You answer that one!

What is your budget?

Budget - in the region of 700.

Possibly we would go over, but we'd rather not.

OK, so we're looking at...? Give us a hard, definite sum.

What's the amount we could go over the 700, that we could look up to and haggle back from?

-What's our haggle zone?

-750.

-750. OK.

-All right.

-Well, wish us luck.

-Good luck.

-You wish US luck!

-Yes!

And we'll have you a house and a name for the dog by the end of the programme.

-Good idea.

-See you in a bit.

-See you later.

-OK, bye.

Aren't they just fabulous and funny and charming and...?

I'm going to looking forward to finding them a property.

Same here. The houses I'm not concerned about - never have been, never will be.

Cut me in half and it reads "I am not concerned about houses," rather like a stick of rock.

My problem today is the dog, the naming of the dog.

We could go down the Hollywood route. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and you get...?

-Brangelina.

-Right, but if you do that with Barry and Bart.

You get Barry or you get Bart, which doesn't get us anywhere.

If we did it with my name and yours, we get Ned the dog.

Or we get Ekki, like Ecky Thump.

-Which is a ridiculous name for a dog.

-Come here, Ekki!

No, it doesn't work. You need to do something sensible now. What?

-See the estate agents.

-OK. I'm going to do something silly.

-What a surprise.

-See you later.

The Cotswolds covers a huge 2,038 square kilometres, making it the largest

of the 40 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England and Wales.

Inhabited for over 6,000 years, it was once famous for its wool trade,

at the peak of which the native Cotswold sheep provided wool for over half of England's cloth.

But it's not just the wool that the area is renowned for.

Cotswold stone is recognised worldwide, giving many of the houses here that distinctive yellow hue.

The agriculture heritage, combined with the historic villages

dotted amongst this rich, verdant landscape, gives the Cotswolds a real feel of Ye Olde England.

And Barry and Bart will be happy to know that this is one of the best areas for walking

and, with 3,000 miles of footpaths, there will be an abundance of beautiful vistas for them to enjoy.

But how much will amazing views cost you in other parts of the country?

This superb five-bedroomed detached house sits in one-and-a-half acres

of gardens on the fringe of the Lake District National Park.

With a first-floor lounge offering spectacular views, the price is...

How about this stylish five-bedroomed house near Newcastle?

The slightly elevated house has panoramic views of County Durham countryside. The price?

And now to the southwest.

This delightful five-bedroomed traditional farmhouse

has many original features as well as three-and-a-quarter acres of grounds.

Heading into the estate agents, I'm sure I saw Ed disappear with a map and a bag of shopping.

Don't concern yourself - this is not the part of the show where I eat

a poorly formed picnic, or indeed an audition for a cookery show.

This is actually a culinary map of the Cotswolds.

What is it about the Cotswolds that make it is so very desirable?

It's just a beautiful part of the world.

You can see, just driving around the undulating countryside, the beautiful villages.

It's also got fantastic access back to the places that a lot of people want to be.

Now, we are going to start in the south

of my culinary map of the Cotswolds, down here - Somerset.

You would expect Somerset to be represented by cider, wouldn't you?

They don't allow me to have cider, because I can't be trusted.

Anyway, we've gone for the other option, which is Somerset brie, which is a fantastic cheese.

I would say it rivals the French version.

Now we get to Wiltshire.

Wiltshire, famed for its gorgeous ham. There is Wiltshire ham.

Here, with the cheeses, South Gloucestershire and Gloucestershire.

What do we get? Double Gloucestershire.

-Are there a lot of people who want second homes here?

-It's interesting.

If you wind the clock back 10, 15 years ago, there were

a lot of people buying second homes in the Cotswolds, because it's a beautiful place for that.

But I must admit, over the last five or so years,

we've seen a migration of people buying their main homes in the Cotswolds.

Heading into the north of the Cotswolds, we of course

have Worcestershire, represented by Worcestershire sauce.

We've got Oxfordshire, represented by this...

rather bulbous-looking sausage,

which is an Oxfordshire sausage, which is very, very nice.

Here, though, we have Warwickshire.

Now, Warwickshire is represented by a plum.

It foxed us. We couldn't really find a famed Warwickshire thing.

If you can think of one, send it in. We've gone for this - plum jerkum.

It's a kind of cider made from plums. I've never tried it.

I don't think I want to, but if you do go on holiday in Warwickshire,

have a sip of it for me and let me know. So there we have it.

Ladies and gents, the culinary map of the Cotswolds!

-Hello.

-Hello, how are you?

-I'm really well.

I've just met the estate agent.

I've been telling the nation how they can eat their way round the Cotswolds.

-Oh, can I do that?

-Well, you could do.

What a yummy tour it would be - a lot of pork-based products.

Now, property-wise, have you found it easy or not?

Exceedingly easy.

Really? There's confidence for you.

I'm going to start with my one, because I'm excited about it.

What do you think that used to be?

It's all I'm going to say. Not going to say what it is.

Just have a think - a little game to play between now and property one.

It's quirky, it never really used to be a house and it's very modern inside.

It's deceptive in all ways.

-What have you got?

-Looks beautiful.

I've got something that's kind of a bit of both,

because it's a conversion from a barn - in fact, stables.

Once again it's really quite modern inside with the most stunning views and it is near Moreton-in-Marsh.

There we go. Now, the wildcard - everyone loves the wildcard.

They are selling their holiday property in Majorca in order to move to the Cotswolds.

They are going to be living in another beautiful property that feels like it's in...

Well, it could be anywhere.

Look at that! I'm not going to show it. No. But...

It's near water!

Don't spoil it! This is amazing.

It is amazing. I think they're going to buy all three of them.

Where shall we start the today?

-Yours.

-The mysterious one.

You've got between now and then. Here it is again. What was that?

What was that once? Go!

Property one is my choice.

Take old traditional Cotswold stone, plus stylish contemporary interior.

-But it's empty, Ed.

-I haven't finished yet.

Multiplied by a little imagination, equals this beautiful, converted, old schoolhouse.

Barry and Bart, walk towards what will become, possibly, your new future home.

We are in Mickleton. Any guesses for what this used to be?

A school? A small school?

You are bang on there.

So what are your thoughts about living in an old primary school in Mickleton?

I used to be a teacher, so I'd feel at home.

It looks warm.

Is it a nightmare that you could end up living in a school?

No, not really.

Do you like the idea of living in a building that has changed use?

Yes, I do. That's interesting.

It has a history. Yes.

Now, the dog question.

If you had a dog here, I've come up with a name for the dog, cos we've been struggling. I think Seymour.

Because of your name, Bart, I've gone down the route of The Simpsons.

The teacher in the Simpsons is Principal Skinner, Seymour Skinner.

-So I thought Seymour would be nice.

-I quite like Seymour.

-I have a...

-We'll bear that in mind.

-No, no, no.

I have a much better name. I'll tell you when you've done your tour.

-OK.

-So enjoy the house and think of a name for the dog.

-We'll try and think of one, yeah.

-Three, two, one, enter that school!

OK, thank you.

Are you going to give us any clues?

No. Well, I'm obviously staying, very cleverly - like you - with the school theme.

I think mine is even higher-clever, if there is such a thing, actually.

That's a very clever way of saying it, higher-clever, isn't it?

My head clears this.

Very interesting.

-High ceiling.

-Very nice.

-This is very nice.

-Very spacious, isn't it?

Beautifully done.

A nice bathroom en suite.

A nice bathroom, Barry.

-Shower?

-Yes, a very good shower.

Beautiful. Lovely tiling as well.

-It's good.

-I wonder what's in here.

-Oh, stairs!

-Wow!

Secret stairway.

Wow!

Now, that's lovely. Very, very interesting.

What would you use that for?

I guess you could use it as a study.

A gym for you.

I would be falling off it!

-You would anyway!

-Amateur dramatics on that stage there!

That's quite good.

I wonder what kind of am-dram performances Barry and Bart would put on.

-Oh, Gilbert and Sullivan.

-They could do that.

-Yeah.

Wow! Very nice.

It's massive!

Super shower. Look at that.

God, you'd get five in there!

I don't think we're going to do that somehow.

A small window into Bart's world, there. Five people in the shower?

Well, you suggested two. I thought THAT was...mischievous!

Five is an outright... I don't know what's going on there.

-Party!

-Party.

That doesn't make it any better!

Rugby team. Maybe he's in a rugby team.

-Oh, wow, Barry, look at that. Now, this could be used as a big dining hall.

-Beautiful room!

Sitting room, maybe dining room.

It could be either, really.

-It's super.

-Very nice.

-I love the windows.

They've kept the features. Look at that.

The beams.

I love the height! It's so great.

When you're 6'3", it's great.

-Quite overlooked, though, Baz, isn't it?

-Overlooked? Yeah.

You'd have to put some blinds up.

-It's super.

-Yes, you feel like you're in a village.

-Mm-mm!

-Oh, my God!

-More space.

-This is very nice.

Now, that is a super kitchen. I do like that.

Look at the window. That window's fantastic.

The only thing I would say, I don't like the proximity to the other buildings as much.

I noticed that.

But you could get over that.

-But this is super.

-You can grow lots of things in the garden there to start covering it up.

Look at the whole big dining area. It's like it's half divided up.

-Very nicely done.

-They've done it very well.

They've really thought it through really well.

Lovely spaces. Lots of room for our artwork.

It is good that they have got a good art collection,

-because there is so much wall space.

-It's a blank canvas

And odd little things - you can plop things here, there and everywhere and it really will make the room.

Plop.

Oh, more windows, Barry, look.

Beautiful windows.

-Beautiful.

-Amazing.

Very, very, very impressive.

Shame there's a wall so near.

-Another bathroom. A beautiful bathroom.

-That's number three, isn't it?

-No shower.

-No, bath.

-Lovely. Lovely.

-That's all right. It's a Jacuzzi, Barry.

-It's a super bath.

-You like Jacuzzi baths.

-Yes, I do.

The floors are lovely.

Fans of Barry and Bart, we have learned an intriguing fact about Barry there.

-What is that?

-He loves a Jacuzzi bath. Who doesn't?

There's a joke about that.

If you haven't got a bath with a Jacuzzi function, eat a plate of beans and...

You know what I'm saying.

God, these windows. I can't get over these windows.

It's really the windows - the windows are incredible.

The windows are lovely, I have to say.

They're just school windows in that churchy way. What do you call those windows?

Churchy school windows.

-Churchy school windows!

-Or schooly church windows.

One of those is the technical term.

They've spent a lot of money on this, beautifully done.

It is very well done. The floors are lovely, walls are lovely.

-I'm very impressed.

-But, how much is it?!

-I think we'd better go and ask.

-I haven't the vaguest idea.

I think we're going to be miles out.

Let's go and find out.

Well, gentlemen.

Super. Lovely, lovely, lovely.

-Beautiful!

-Amazing. It certainly has the wow factor.

That is good news, because you wanted the wow factor.

And we got it.

In spades. Now, this property, it is a school, it was a school.

What do you think of living in something that wasn't designed for habitation?

-Great character. It has the quirky factor.

-The Q factor!

Some of the rooms are super.

That main room was wonderful.

I'll never bump my head again - great!

-There was a sense of joy when you realised that.

-There was joy, great joy.

In terms of the layout, I love the way that you're surprised when you come around the corner.

It was pretty surprising, which is nice. I like that.

-We're stumbling toward a tricky part of the programme.

-I know.

In your price bracket it's impossible in the guess-the-price world.

It is, totally. I have no idea.

Nikki, it's up to you to choose who goes first.

Barry, would you like to go first?

I'd say about 575.

OK.

I think, because of the quality and the uniqueness, it's a bit more.

I'd go for 635.

It's happened again.

It's very hard to do it, but, Barry, you are miles out.

-Am I really?

-You're miles out as well, Bart.

But, Bart, you are the closest.

-750?

-That's a better guess!

It's 725.

725.

I'm going to try to defend your answers, because you don't know the area. How do you value a school?

I think it's impossible.

Let's talk now about the dog, because, of course,

Ed's named your dog for the school property, should you buy it...

Seymour. Strong name for a dog.

-I like Seymour.

-That's because of Bart Simpson, the school connection, whatever. It's OK.

I have a higher-learning name for your dog.

You do?

-Discipulus.

-Pupil! Student.

-In Latin!

-I'd forgotten that.

-See?

-I'd like to pretend I'd forgotten that!

-Isn't that clever?

-What do you think of Discipulus?

-Lovely name, unusual lovely name.

-Congratulations.

-Thank you very much.

Teach me how to spell it.

-D-I-S-C-I-P...

-Let's do that en route to the next property.

OK, my property - property two.

My choice is a bit more open, with sweeping views over the beautiful Cotswold countryside.

Yes, beautiful views, I'll give you that.

But it's attached to another house!

A little bit, yes. But look at those views!

So, gentlemen, this is property number two - my property, if we are to act like that.

-Well, for a start, look at that view.

-Lovely. Very, very nice.

You can probably figure out that this is converted - converted barns and stables.

There's a lot of space in there.

It looks big.

Yes, it is a very interesting layout.

What do you both think?

I think it looks very interesting. Like the other place, I need to have a look.

I think it's essential to see inside.

-I like the location.

-It's very unusual.

It's kind of semi-detached.

-Yes, I noticed that.

-Does it bother you?

The semi? No, that's not a problem.

No.

-I was concerned about that.

-No, because of security, if you leave it for a while.

-You see? There are advantages to that.

-Good, aren't we positive?!

-Absolutely!

-Absolutely.

Bart and Barry, are you ready to enter into the house?

-Have you got a name for a dog here yet?

-I do, actually.

You give yours now. Well, because of the sheep over there, I was thinking Shep. In honour of Blue Peter.

-That's a good one.

-Or Schlepp.

Yeah!

Well, why not schlepp into the house and we'll see you later.

Enjoy.

Have you got the name for the dog yet?

Yes, and I will stay in that higher-learning vein and I will be using a Latin term.

Brilliant, fantastic - can't wait.

Nice entrance, Bart.

Very pleasant. Wow! That's nice.

Wow, now there's a kitchen-dining-living-snug area. More than snug.

And a lovely cat.

And a lovely cat. Where's the cat?

Oh, wow!

That's nice, very nice.

Now, that is just lovely.

-Yes.

-That's the sort of thing we imagined.

-Yep, that's great.

-Right off the kitchen. That's good.

-That's lovely.

Cocktails there, cooking here, food here, coffee there.

That's quite nice. Mine had no furniture.

Here, they are imagining using the furniture for a dinner party.

Nice garden, by the looks of it.

Not too big, and nice sheep as well.

Super.

It's a lovely living room. Look at that fireplace.

Yes, that's gorgeous.

They've really kept the old features. It is wonderful. A bit like property one in that sense.

It is very, very nicely done.

Barry, a study-sitting area, TV area.

When you first see the stairs, you think it will lead you

-to the whole of the upper floor, but it doesn't, does it?

-No. No.

There is so much living space here.

Super. Very private up here, too.

The study area is nice, lovely desk.

I think there's stairs there.

Oh, look! A fire escape!

Fire escape!

-I love that Aga, Barry.

-I love the pussycat.

You're a sweetie, aren't you?

Hello, girl!

Does the cat come with it, Ed?

Negotiable, I believe.

There are other stairs there. I didn't realise that before.

I'd forgotten anyway. Now, what's this here?

-A huge room.

-It's a lovely room.

That's not exactly a small bedroom, is it, Baz?

That's amazing. Beautiful room. Huge!

It's like a hangar!

And the en suite there - perfect.

It just shows it still has lots of space.

A good shower, that's important.

No bath, but that doesn't matter.

-A lovely big shower.

-Super shower.

So they are slightly concerned they haven't seen a bath yet.

-Should they be concerned?

-No.

There's lots of natural light here, isn't there?

-There's your bath.

-Great, isn't it?

A lovely bath, Barry.

-Great.

-Beautiful, free standing.

Yes, it's super, a super bathroom.

It goes on and on, doesn't it?

-Very, very nice.

-Look at this - wall cupboards.

Cupboard space - that's important.

-Beautifully done, very nice.

-Look at the view, there - it's stunning. Just like a painting, really.

-It is.

-Look at that.

-Yes, it is.

Beautiful, lovely.

-Good God.

-Well, I don't believe it.

-Bathroom number three.

-That's amazing.

A huge amount of room here.

This is fantastic.

Yeah, lots of space. Lots of space, you can sit down and read a book here.

-Amazing place.

-Beautifully done again.

Yes, it is nicely done.

It's understated which I like.

-I think that's very interesting, actually, Barry.

-Here we go.

This is another one of the Jack and Jill, Jill and Jack...

Actually, in honour of Barry and Bart, it's a Jack and Jack bathroom.

-It is indeed.

-Lots of cupboard space again.

Ample.

Terrific space, absolutely a terrific space.

You need a cupboard probably to hang things stuff up in.

There are so many cupboards here it doesn't matter. It's lovely the way it flows around.

I have a feeling it's more than we need, though.

-Do you think so?

-I think it's very much a large family area.

Right.

-Well.

-Well, well.

-Well, well.

-What did we think?

-Lovely.

-Very wow-y again, wasn't it?

-Super. Very nice. The layout of the place is stunning. Lots of space.

Big.

Those are the likes. The dislikes - very close to a busy road.

Could you hear the road inside?

Not inside, but if you were outside you certainly would

-and in the summer a lot.

-Something you may consider to live with, because of the inside,

or still to think about?

To think about.

Because we like being outside.

Before we play the price game, I wanted to point out two other things you may not know.

This field that we are backing onto, going all the way down to

the fencing at the bottom, belongs to this house.

-Oh, wow!

-So it is just there is a bit of land that comes with it.

Guessing the price. Now, last time it was not brilliant.

-No, not very well.

-You won, Bart, and you were out by £100,000.

I'm not going to talk about how badly you did, Barry.

So, we've seen this one, now, what do we think?

I'm going a bit higher this time,

but because of the road, not as high as I would have done.

So, I'm saying 720.

720? OK. Radically higher than the last guess.

-Yes.

-I'm sticking at 675.

Actually it is 695,000, which makes you, Barry, the winner of this round

of Guess the Price. You are the closest.

You were only out by tens of thousands, rather than hundreds of thousands this time.

-You're getting good at this!

-We are warming up now for the final one you see.

-Yes, there is a career in valuing for both of you.

-I think so.

So, before we even talk about going to the third property, the wildcard,

it is my turn to suggest the dog name for this property.

You suggested Shep.

Which I think works nicely with this theme.

Because these are stables, I am sticking with my Latin theme,

I'm suggesting that your dog be called Equus.

-Equus.

-Do you like that?

-A good name...for a horse.

-Luvvie, theatre.

It's a terrible name for a dog!

-You call your dog Horse - that's brilliant!

-If we get a huge dog.

Right. Either way, just get a horse and call it Horse!

-Shall we go to the wildcard? You're not going to call a dog Horse!

-I could!

And so to the wildcard.

Now, I'm sure we both agree on this one, don't we, Nicky?

Definitely, Ed.

Barry and Bart are buying more than just a holiday home, they're buying a lifestyle.

We think that this property could be right up their strata.

Now, then, Barry and Bart, we are at everyone's

-favourite part of the programme. Everyone loves the wildcard.

-I love it.

Well, listen, right, you have taken the jeopardy out of this, because we were quite nervous about this.

I think that you either love it and you love it, or you hate it.

Yes. So far I think we love it.

-What do you love? Obviously we are on a lake. Yes, the lake.

-We like lakes.

The openness. Lovely skyscapes.

-I like that style.

-Just lovely.

What do you like about the style?

-It is quite like you see in the States.

-Exactly.

It is quite east coast.

They bill it as New England-y.

Absolutely right, yes, it is.

They don't add the -y on the end, I've done that.

A lot of lakes around here. There are 140 lakes, just over 140 lakes

some that have developments on them similar to this.

Some of them have a pastely... It is a lovely area. There is lots of everything.

-Do either of you fly fish or coarse fish?

-Could learn.

-No, could learn.

-In your dodderage, you could become a fly fisherman.

-How dare you!

-It's a long way off, Barry.

-Oh, I don't think so.

-Prepare for dodderage.

So, we're out, here, we're preparing for dodderage, are we excited?

Yes, I'm very excited.

We've come up with names for the dog so far.

I want an instant from you, it's the wildcard, so you have come up with the name.

-3, 2, 1, what is the name for the dog?

-Dodderage! No!

-Yes, Dodderage! Or Doddy!

-Doddy.

-Doddy the doddery dog!

OK, in 3, 2, 1, walk into Doddy the doddery dog's future dog house, go!

Enjoy!

-That was very brave of you.

-What?

-Calling them doddery?

-No, in your dodderage, it's in the future.

It's what you look forward to.

It's not an insult!

Look at that.

Very open. Look at the light.

-That's stunning.

-Wow!

This is super.

It's just like being in Holland.

-Home from home, Barry.

-Indeed.

Very nice.

It's simply done. It is a nice design.

-Lovely dining area.

-Very liveable.

Very, very liveable.

Look at that view. It is, isn't it?

Not too big.

You could sit outside have lunch, dinner, drinks, in the summer.

If they were to eat food out here on the terrace on a windy day like this

they should eat heavy food, lumps of meat, sausages, but they might roll in the wind.

-It is quite windy here.

-It is today.

-Maybe form a wind break there.

But, what a place to eat a sausage.

Wonderful.

Yes, I like that very much.

A lovely clean, clear-cut design.

-A great kitchen.

-Look, it's a terrace.

-It is absolutely great.

Huge, look at the views. I love that. I love the water here.

It turns you on.

It turns you on, I'm glad to hear it.

-About time something did!

-That something turns you on!

-No, it is great.

-That's fantastic. Lovely kitchen.

Lovely surfaces as well.

It's very spacious.

-It's very...

-It has a sort of slight Spanish feel to it.

It does, because of the light.

Hang about.

-So we have gone from it's Holland, it's America, it's different parts of America, now it's Spain.

-Yes!

They would know, they are selling their holiday home in Majorca to live here and you know what?

-This is a holiday home, isn't it?

-It is indeed.

Wow.

A lovely room, Barry. Look at the view on this.

Superb. Very light.

Cupboards both sides.

-Very nice.

-En suite.

-Very, very nice. Super shower.

-Huge shower.

I love it. Can't fault it.

-Two basins.

-Lovely. Very nice.

What they're going to discover is that there is not one, but two bathrooms with two sinks in.

They've got a his and his and a his and his style bathroom twice.

A his-his, his and his twice.

A his cubed, bathroom.

Look another bathroom. A bath, Barry. A bathroom.

Great.

-Beautiful.

-It's a smaller room.

-It is a smaller room, but you could have it

as a guest room, or a study come guest room.

-I imagine that is a sofa bed.

-In Majorca we have got that sort of thing.

And again, lovely views. You just look right over the water.

-Brilliant.

-Lovely views. Beautiful.

-When can we move in?

Yeah.

-End of tour.

-That's it, game over.

-Come on, then.

-To be honest, really there's no point... Come on!

We're going to come back, just in case they change their minds.

They won't, but we'll come back for the rest.

Oh, better and better.

-A lovely bedroom.

-Very nice, very pleasant.

Yes, good cupboard space.

I just like the simplicity of it.

It's got a very good feel, a nice karma, hasn't it, Barry?

It's very stylish.

-Yes, it's beautiful. I wouldn't want to do anything to it. No. No.

-It is nicely done.

-Very warm.

Look, Barry, I see a view coming on here again.

Good God!

-Look at... I thought we had seen the master!

-Oh, it is just stunning!

This is the master bedroom!

Yeah, I can't believe it, it's just...

Wow, what a bathroom!

No, seriously!

I can't believe it!

He can't believe it! He should believe it! He's in it.

Touch it, prod it, feel it - it's real.

So how much, Bart? Eh?

On the nose, you said beyond budget, it may well, it's really up there.

-It's a very difficult one.

-I think we'd better go and find out.

-It's a wonderful place.

-I think we better find out. Put us out of our misery.

Yes.

-Well?

-Well, well, well.

-It was like mind blowing to listen to you.

-Mind blowing.

-Did we sound a little hysterical up there?

-Just a little bit, and emotional.

Very emotional. Emotional people.

Explain the emotional bit for a minute.

It reminded me a lot of the Netherlands, the Friesland, the north of the Netherlands.

Similar to this, with lots of lakes and trees skyscapes and the flat countryside.

-You seemed to be really surprised.

-Not expecting.

You'd figured the master bedroom was on the first floor? And then...

And the better one even at the top. It was super.

With a balcony. A studio with a balcony and a bathroom.

I felt you would have bought it after you'd seen the kitchen, you were that taken with it.

-And they you went up and you were almost...

-It got better, it definitely got better, yes.

Do we want the good or the bad news? We've got to do it in a game show format, haven't we?

-Definitely.

-We're neck and neck at the moment, which is exciting.

Top of the range, I would say about 750.

That's your maximum budget, isn't it?

I think it could be a little bit above 760.

Barry, you are closest.

And in a strange way, you have done terribly again,

but, in a great way. So, you have won,

whatever that means, but the actual price of this property is...

£670,000.

So, quite considerably lower than you had guessed at.

That is unfurnished, but presumably you have got furniture.

If you wanted to get the furnished version, which is this, £690,000.

Interesting. Saves bringing stuff over from Majorca.

Extremely interesting, thank you very much.

It could be very interesting.

-There you go.

-It makes it more interesting.

Barry and Bart, the moment is upon us.

You have to go away and make the biggest decision of your adult lives

about which one you wish to test drive. I have no idea what it's going to be.

-I'm very puzzled too. You could be wrong.

-Well thank you for the....

-Head off and we'll see you later on.

-Enjoy.

Wow, who knows what they'll pick, eh?

Hmm, I wonder.

HE MOUTHS

Whilst they decide and do their trial, here is a recap of all of the properties

we have seen already today.

In the future will Seymour the dog be taking obedience lessons in the

back garden of my

£725,000 village school conversion?

Neigh, neigh, Ed, surely Equus the dog

will be horsing around in the countryside,

surrounding my £695,000 barn conversion.

Or will Barry and Bart surprise us all and bring Doddy the dog for a dip in the lake,

overlooked by the £670,000 wildcard?

-So, you chose the wildcard!

-We did.

What a surprise!

We did, you're not surprised.

No way, whatsoever. There is no jeopardy today, you ruined that by falling in love with this clearly.

-Do we even need to know why, do you think? I think that we all know why?

-I think we know why chose it.

-It has everything.

-There we go.

-It's peaceful, it's lovely, isn't it?

-Stunning.

Before you go in, there are a couple of things that...

We have had our surveyor come round and have a look at the house.

It is not legally binding, but it is a good heads up should you wish to pursue the purchase of this beauty.

The first thing he pointed out is - with this development,

to get planning permission, it is actually quite intriguing,

you can only live here for 11 months of the year.

You are spending a lot of money. Does that bother you?

Not at all.

-Wow, OK, I thought that may concern you.

-No!

The only other thing is, so, timber cladding, wooden cladding.

He was concerned about what type of wood this may be.

He suspects it may be cedar.

If it is cedar, you are laughing for the rest of the house's life,

as it has an ability with its own oils to protect itself.

If it is not cedar. which you can find out,

then it may be that you at some point will have to re-do all of the woodwork.

It looks very well finished to me.

Well, we have to ask this before the test-drive commences.

Would you still like to test-drive this particular vehicle? Because you could say no.

We'd panic. We would have to call the next programme and start early.

-You don't think we are going to say no.

-I don't believe you are.

-We'd love to.

-Alright.

-Enjoy!

-Go! Enjoy!

Well, I must say, these guys know how to do things with style.

Hang on a minute, is that bubbly? Where's ours?

Cheers. Great. Here's to it.

No, no, Nicky. If we were there we'd ruin this idyllic lifestyle that Barry and Bart are test-driving.

They would be amazing, the sunsets here, I think.

With this beautiful setting, I imagine it won't be such a wrench for them to leave Majorca.

-Watch a bit of telly?

-Why not?

Who is that handsome devil on the telly?

Ed, is that the only coat you own?

-Well cheers then.

-Cheers.

Here's hoping.

Barry and Bart! You have test-drunk your way around the test-drive!

-We have.

-It would seem.

-But that is part of the lifestyle here, isn't it?

-It is...

You are imagining yourself in this, I mean look, the sun is coming through the window.

It is lovely. How has it felt?

-Wonderful.

-And it's still wonderful?

-Very comfortable, very lovely.

Very homely. Very nice indeed.

Lovely and spacious without being too big.

The outside decking and the terrace really is fantastic.

Can you see yourself here on a summer's evening with the sun going down?

-I think...

-Have you flash forwarded seasonal as well?

-I have.

-Absolutely.

-I have.

-Beautiful, it is spot on.

Part of the deal when we were playing guess the price way back when,

there were two prices for this, one with it fully furnished, one without it being furnished.

So you have had go and you have experienced the furniture, so we are test-driving your sofa.

-You are.

-What did you think about that concept?

Do you like the way it's furnished? Is it worth it to you?

-I think so. What do you think, Bart?

-Yeah.

-The furnishings are very nice.

-We probably would have done it the same way.

-Almost certainly. So it really is....

-A bit scary, really.

-It is scary.

-Well this is scary.

-This is right. I feel this is right. Yes.

-You know what? We could talk for a while, but really we need the answer, I think.

-Yes.

-I have to ask.

-Let's do it, come on.

Bart and Barry, To Buy Or Not To Buy?

-To buy!

-Wow!

That is not, "I want to think about it" it's a to buy!

It is to buy. All things being equal, to buy.

We are buying the place. And one of the things that was going to happen was an animal was

going to be brought into the world and would live here with you, so can we have a definitive name now?

I think Bernard. I like the name Bernard.

-After all that! After all that.

-We were so clever.

I did Discipulus for the school, I did Equus for the stable.

I will let Bart have the last word, what do you think, Bart?

Bernard it is, otherwise my life would be hell.

-Well, it is very helpful to some people.

-So it's Bernard!

-Well, we are off. You go buy Bernard and we'll see you later.

-We will indeed. Well done.

-Thank you very much.

-Thanks, bye.

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