Bedfordshire To Buy or Not to Buy

A hooligan's game played by gentlemen.

But he's not talking about the scrum that is the housing market.

Today we're talking about rugby.

AND we're going to be introducing this egg-shaped ingredient

into the house hunt that is today's...

To Buy Or Not To Buy.

Viewers, in this ever-changing world of housing,

we could all do with just a little bit of help

to help us, er...avoid the potential pitfalls of the property market.

-You were brilliant out there.

-Yeah.

-Have a drink. Go on. Excellent...

HE GROANS

More for the mouth. Less for the eyes. OK. Good.

And who better than two robust players like Ed and myself

to help you ruck and maul your way step by step

and rung by rung up that property ladder?

-Sure you want to go back out there? Cos...

-I'll be fine.

I don't... I don't think he will be.

Ladies and gents, if we can string enough passes together to form a grubber kick,

we may be able to organise some games at three properties,

and in one of those, today's househunters will get a chance...

CROWD ROARS

To try before they buy.

'Coming up on To Buy Or Not To Buy, it's big-budget day.'

'Oh, yes. Today we have three jaw-dropping properties that will leave you calling for an encore.'

Oh, wow.

Wow.

Wow. I've just stepped back in time.

-Wow!

-SHE LAUGHS

'But with so much to choose from, can we still hit the jackpot?'

To buy or not to buy?

'And today's lucky, lucky buyers are Helena and Stuart Evans.

'Stuart is a former international rugby player

'and not only played professional rugby league for St Helens,

'he also represented Wales in the first ever Rugby Union World Cup.'

'After hanging up his boots, Stuart turned his hand to coaching

'and South Wales is still where the Evans family call home.'

'Helena, along with children Lauren and Ellis,

'love the country lifestyle

'and enjoy all the great outdoors has to offer.'

'But since Stuart has taken a new coaching position

'with the Bedfordshire-based Ampthill RFC,

'his mammoth 1,500-mile weekly commute has ignited an urge

'for a family relocation to the East Midlands.'

Bye! Bye!

So, we've just heard a bit about why you're moving up here,

but let's talk houses.

What are you leaving behind in Neath

and what are you hoping to find up around here?

We're leaving behind a farmhouse set in about 13 acres of our land,

and we have the usual chickens and horses and...

You say "the usual". Not that many who come on the programme have "the usual" chickens...

-It's the usual thing people have on smallholdings.

-These rural idylls, yeah.

Put us out of our misery now. Is that what you're hoping to replicate here in Bedford?

I don't mind if it's a same-sized house or a bit bigger.

The land was not my major concern. I'm thinking horses, chickens...

-The chickens won't be coming.

-Chickens won't be coming. Horses?

The horse may come. We don't know yet.

Depends on the property. If there's an acre paddock...

-Can we have the horse's name?

-Angel.

-Angel.

-Angel Delight.

Let's talk about, sort of, inside the house - the kind of rooms you're after.

-Socialising? Sort of party people?

-Yeah.

-You like to entertain, have family and friends round?

-Yeah.

-Yeah. Dead on the nail there.

Obviously, we have plenty of friends around, you know.

Summer - barbecues, obviously. Nice, big kitchen, dining area.

-It has to have a big kitchen.

-You both do a bit of cooking?

-I'm the barbecue... That's my...

-Well, it's a male domain, isn't it?

So, being a barbecue man, back garden - how big is our back garden?

Do we need a whopper to have, like, marquees up and have fun in there? Talk about the outside spaces.

If it's got a paddock separate from the garden, great.

A tidy-sized, obviously, garden so we can entertain with the kids, you know.

So, in terms of type of property, do we want old, new, something in between?

Do we want thatched? Do we want to live in a lighthouse? A load of barges? What's the plan?

-The thing about old is the size of the rooms.

-Headroom.

Cos I'm quite a large man, so, obviously, headroom and, obviously, size of property. So, you know...

There's that critical period.

I think you get up to Victorian, Edwardian, Georgian times,

it's fine, the rooms are large and grand,

but you trip back a couple of hundred years and suddenly we're in cottage era

and everything is very much, uh...petite.

So, Stuart, you've been commuting back and forth.

Have you driven up here as well, Helena,

and looked around the areas you might fancy living in?

Well, we've had a look around some of the villages.

It's difficult, though, when we live so far away

and the time that we DO get to come up and have a look around is quite limited.

But from what we've seen, the north Bedfordshire villages are the nicest areas.

So, the fundamentals, to boil it down -

it's got to have a fantastically large kitchen, and what else does it HAVE to have?

Uh, five bedrooms, a very large kitchen/diner.

-It'd be nice to have a playroom.

-OK.

-Yeah.

And obviously, if you've got a media room, it'd be even better - with a big flat screen.

-So, maybe a bit of man space as well?

-That would be nice.

-OK. All right...

-Possibly.

-Ah. Right.

You thrash that out amongst yourselves.

Is there anything we missed before we ask how much you're prepared to spend?

-I don't think so.

-You didn't mention a swimming pool.

We're thinking maybe about a pool as well, possibly?

-Shall we ask the question?

-Yeah.

(Please have enough money.) OK, ready?

How much have you got to spend on a house with a swimming pool?

We're hoping that you can find us something for 900.

Nine... Yes. We would fail if we don't find you a house with a swimm... I'm saying that now.

Failing that, can I just get you a place with a gym membership?

-That'll be fine.

-Great. Well, we'll see you later.

-Will you wish us luck?

-Yeah. Lots of luck.

-Thank you. See you later.

-Cheers.

-OK. Bye.

Now, I'm not sure if the cameras are truly portraying just how large a man Stuart is, but he's enormous.

-We cannot afford to fail today.

-We certainly can't.

I've had the mysterious property-hunting team in their swimming cossies all week long

and they are trained now to seek a pool out at 500 yards.

So, fingers crossed I won't fail there. What are you doing now?

-I have a date with an estate agent. So I'm off.

-OK, good.

I'm gonna go and talk about...rugby.

'Away from Stuart and his gladiators of the sporting world

'to beasts of a different kind.

'Bedfordshire is home to not one, but three wildlife parks,

'where a myriad of worldly creatures roam the plains

'at Woburn Safari Park, Woodside Farm and Whipsnade Zoo

'in the southern realms of the county.'

'The region of Bedfordshire lies within the Chiltern Hills,

'home to the Stokenchurch Gap,

'a goliath excavation

'which, like something from Jason And The Argonauts,

'eases the M40 motorway through this geological chalk elevation.'

'But if, like me, you haven't got £900,000 to spend on a property,

'look in awe at what else WE couldn't afford around our Great Britain.

'Back over the border in Cardiff,

'this impressive five-bedroom family home

'mixes period and modern to perfection

'and flexes considerable charm, character

'and a price tag of £995,000.'

'In the shadows of rugby HQ in Twickenham, Middlesex,

'this 1920s semi is a drop kick from a mainline station into London,

'has four bedrooms, two reception rooms

'and a plush dining room to boot -

'on the market for 950 grand.'

'Up near the flanks of Murrayfield,

'this architectural delight in the suburbs of Edinburgh

'sports stunning whitewashed walls, slate roofs and five bedrooms,

'which would help entice any rugby-loving househunter

'north of the border.

'The price - £996,000.'

Stuart's former rugby club, Neath RFC, are known as the All Blacks -

not to be confused with the New Zealand national team, who are known as the All Blacks.

Now, before every game, the New Zealand national team

performs a Maori war dance known as the haka.

Some of the lyrics contained within it

translate loosely as "This is the hairy man who fetched the sun."

Quite an intriguing way to start a game of sport.

The main bit, which most people know -

"Ka mate, ka ma..." - when they do that bit,

that means "I die, I die."

'Lovely!

'Luckily, I'm still alive and well with local estate agent Sue, who has some pre-game pointers.'

-£900,000. Cos it's a commuting area, you get more property, but you don't get as much land.

-Right.

Commuting is the bane of Stuart's life.

Now, the average person has a daily commute of 8.6 miles,

which takes about 54 minutes.

Now, Stuart's weekly commute is 1,500 miles.

If Stuart continued doing what he's doing,

he would, in a working lifetime,

rack up nearly 4 million miles commuting,

which is the equivalent of 1,566 times round the world.

Unbelievable.

Go on. Keep driving.

So, £900,000. I mean, we always like to push it.

What percentage do you reckon we could take off to get to 900?

Could we push it to a million and get a sale at 900? Or do you think that's just a bit too far?

I think that's slightly too far. Unless the vendors really, really have to sell.

I think you probably...if you've got a house on for £1 million,

you could probably get it for around about 950, 975.

'Away from rugby,

'Bedford has a famous son from the world of athletics.

'Born in 1899,

'Harold Abrahams is one of only two British-born males

'to win the 100 metres dash at the Olympics.

'Harold's moment came in Paris in the 1924 Olympic Games.

'The moment was so significant, it was documented

'in the 1981 Oscar-winning film Chariots Of Fire.'

MUSIC: "Chariots Of Fire" by Vangelis

The mysterious property-hunting team, on my instruction,

have come up with some cracking stuff.

Is that what they were doing?

I promised Stuart and Helena a swimming pool.

I have delivered them a swimming pool, a sauna and a tennis court.

This - I'm just gonna show it from the outside -

this could be a leisure club for princes.

I don't want to spoil it, but you've got to watch this.

We don't normally do houses this posh. This is phenomenal.

I might try and get squatter's rights on it. That's how nice it is.

They've come from 13 acres down in Wales.

22, we've got with property two. Just have a quick look at that.

-There we go.

-Delightful.

-Doesn't it look lovely? OK.

Everyone loves the wild card.

One word describes the wild-card buyer for me - "symmetrical". Show 'em it.

It is truly a fine example of Georgian design. Absolutely lovely.

All three of these houses will be fantastic.

This is gonna be 45 minutes of absolute property heaven.

There's only one place to start - property one.

The leisure centre for princes.

'This amazing Grade II-listed family home was built in the 1600s

'and boasts a whopping seven bedrooms, four bathrooms,

'a conservatory, a snooker room,

'a sauna, a swimming pool, a tennis court

'and even a pony paddock with stables.

'I think the Evans family would feel right at home

'living in this action-packed homestead.'

Helena and Stuart, I would like you to walk toward the property

that you will never, ever, ever, EVER have to move out of.

-Oh, wow.

-Right?

Now, you've got too much money, I think, for this,

cos I am concerned that I have given you too much.

I mean, it's huge, this place.

There is the phrase "keeping up with the Joneses". If you move in here, you WILL be the Joneses.

Have a look. I don't want to give you too much.

But this house, right, featured in the Domesday Book - parts of it.

So you've got a bit of character there.

There's modern facilities as well. But what do you think from the outside?

-It's quite impressive.

-Mm-hm.

-Quite big.

-QUITE big?!

-Very big.

-SHE LAUGHS

-Right. Thank you.

-Yeah, it's nice.

-What do you think?

-Yeah, impressive. Very impressive.

I like the...obviously, the drive-in and the walled garden.

Very...very interesting.

I can't wait to get in and have a look...obviously, if it suits us.

It's an imposing building. I mean, is this the kind of thing that you had in mind?

You said you wanted an older-style rural property. This certainly ticks that box, right?

It's got the size we want, and the character, which is important.

-And it has the one thing that I promised I would deliver you.

-Oooh.

I'll give you a clue.

-Oh, wow.

-Ah!

-That IS impressive.

-And if you want another clue to what it's got...

-Oh! Even better.

-And also, it's got...

-And it's got...

-Oh, wow!

-Oh!

I can't do an action for the other thing it's got. Um, anyway...

-Are you ready?

-Very ready.

-We can't wait to go in.

-Three, two, one. Into the house. Good luck.

-Thank you.

-See you later.

It's literally a house that will keep on giving.

Normally, our headphones bit, we sit in the garden. Do you want to...?

-Yes.

-Definitely.

Nice hall. Nice entrance.

-Oh, wow.

-Splits the house nicely.

-Shall I break?

-Go on, get on there.

If I do that, I might shatter the cameraman's lens, which would be no fun at all.

Oh, this is lovely.

-Oh, this is nice. And the fireplace.

-Ah! Look at that.

-That's nice.

-That's nice, that is.

I was only teasing with the pool, but he's got me one! He must have worked all last night digging it out.

I hope he doesn't come out to the pool, cos it's just a painted blue square.

It's not actually a pool.

Would your TV fit over there?

SHE LAUGHS Yeah. We'll have to find somewhere to put the flatscreen.

It's a huge reception room, which is what they wanted - a big room to entertain in.

This place has got that in abundance.

-Very good.

-And the height. The doors. And the width.

-You haven't got to duck. Perfect.

-Plenty of room.

This is good news, that Stuart's happy about the headroom,

because I forgot to say, it gets a lot worse the higher up you go.

I'm not the tallest, and I did clonk my head quite hard somewhere in the upper levels.

When you get in the rooms, they're really, really high.

Oh, another nice fireplace. Look at that.

-That's a real inglenook.

-Lovely features in both rooms.

-Stunning.

-With the beams and the fireplace.

And the amount of windows in here.

Great thing about this place as well - lovely fireplaces.

Not just on the ground floor, but in the bedrooms too.

Gorgeous cast-iron stove in the lounge.

-And the inglenook is huge.

-It's lovely.

Kitchen.

-Look at that! Lauren would love that.

-And the wine rack.

-YOU love the wine rack.

-Superb.

She'd like the window seat.

It's not a big kitchen, but what it's got is plenty of light again, plenty of height.

Four people. Table and chairs. Tidy.

So far, every room has been impressive.

It has. I'm impressed with the height as well.

Just the size of the rooms. The height is very good.

Impressed with the height downstairs. They're hoping the rest will be as nice.

Now, it is, but the height is an issue.

Kind of height-wi... Width-wise, he could fit through...

He and his lads could scrum their way through most doors.

But they couldn't... they'd have to duck down a bit.

-Oh. You're gonna have to duck.

-THEY LAUGH

-No, I'm OK.

-Oh, wow.

-Oh, a little bit of ducking.

-This must be...

This could be the master bedroom.

Jonny would have a problem. He'd be dead in this one.

Especially with what's outside.

I can't wait to get out there and look.

Aye.

This could be Ellis's bedroom and we could put a chute.

-Slide straight in the pool!

-Now, now.

-He'd love that.

-Now, now.

Big boys and your toys.

Tennis court in the back as well.

This is a man called Stuart

experiencing his near-million-pound property

discovering he's got a tennis court.

I would have expected a "Can you believe it?! Yes!"

Nice height again.

Yeah. The only one you had to duck was that last bedroom.

So you're doing well.

-And this one.

-Oh, yeah.

OK, well, this one can be Lauren's room, then.

Oh, look at this! Look at that!

-Original again.

-Oh, my gosh!

I don't know. It's stunning, isn't it?

Oh, well, this is almost an ensuite, isn't it?

They always fight over the sink.

-That is lovely.

-A marvellous job yet again, yeah.

-Beams.

-Two bedrooms. Two out of two so far.

That's why there's so many chimneys outside. Fireplaces everywhere.

-Good?

-Lovely. Let's look at the next one.

Next room.

That's nice.

Oh, my gosh.

-Wow.

-SHE LAUGHS

-Two bedrooms.

-Two bedrooms and a dressing-room.

And that's it, is it?

That's the only negative so far - there's not enough bedrooms.

If this is the only point in which Stuart's expressing disappointment,

he need not be disappointed, because he's not seen the floor plans.

-Cos it goes...

-No-one sees the floor plans on this show. No-one knows. Massive.

Narrow stairs.

Oh, my gosh. Watch your head.

Come up.

Wow.

Oh, that's a place for an office desk.

Oh, look at this. Oh, now, that is impressive up there.

I like all those beams. That is nice.

-So this is a bedroom.

-Obviously a nice bedroom.

Lots of little steps.

-Oh, my...

-Another room.

Not just a room.

Wow. OK.

Got to be another bathroom in there.

-En suite.

-Shower room.

Yeah. Great.

Oh, we could have all the kids up here. Ellis and Lauren.

He'll have that side, she'll have this. Downstairs all to ourselves.

The children, right, should be seen but not heard. Obviously, they're not saying that.

But they could have a great time up there. They are self-contained.

Brilliant. Perfect. Or they're thinking it's self-contained for themselves.

Either way, they're all contained.

And then when they come downstairs, they're released into the family world - swimming.

Um, low headroom up here for you, babe.

Oh, well, that's it. Lauren wanted an attic bedroom, look.

-That's lovely.

-She can put her bed up here and have a playroom down below.

-Oh, we'd never see the children.

-SHE LAUGHS

Only trouble is, the children get the best bedrooms.

Helena and Stuart, I won't ask you for your overall opinion because you haven't seen it all yet.

You've got that there - tennis court. Did you ask for one? No. I've given you one as a bonus.

Look here. Have a look at this. Can you see it? What do you think that might be?

-Looks like a garage to me.

-It looks like a garage from one side.

-But from the other side - stables.

-Oh, wow.

So Angel the horse can come with you.

Um...I...you've got a sauna in that garage over there,

which also could double as a gym,

which also has the lighting for a backup snooker table if you need another one.

-We said that that could be the man zone for you.

-Yes.

-Drum kit for Ellis.

-Drum kit. Right.

And what child wouldn't want a house that could contain a drum kit?

Er...er...we've seen it all. I'm virtually speechless.

I'm excited to show you. What did you think of it all?

-I mean, it's a lot to take in.

-It is.

There's an awful lot of house. So many rooms.

-It'd be fantastic. But, yeah, it's a good choice.

-OK.

You can see why, when it comes to viewing properties, that people come back for two or three viewings.

-You can't absorb it all.

-No, definitely.

Is it too much, Stuart? What do you think?

No, it's obviously a great family house.

-It's got all the, um... Ticks all the boxes that we requested.

-And more.

But the beauty of it - it's all on your doorstep.

You know, you've got a nice little paddock there to keep the horse.

OK, so the house is a definite box-ticker.

But is it going to be within your budget?

Now, you gave us 900,000 to play with.

How much do you think this house is on the market for? Helena?

It's got to be at the top of our budget, I think,

with all the extras that it's got that we didn't expect.

So I'd say probably about 895. 895,000.

895 grand. Stuart, what do you reckon? Higher or lower?

I don't think it's at the top of our budget, because we're a little bit out of Bedford.

I think it'll probably be about the 850 mark.

Someone has guessed the price correctly.

-Hope it's you.

-Got to be you. SHE LAUGHS

-Well...

-She's always been expensive.

-Helena, it's you. You've guessed the price correctly.

-Oh, no.

Which means you've won - guessed the price bang on the nail. It is £895,000.

It is one-nil, but you can equalise at my choice, property two,

which I'm slightly concerned about because of those extra boxes.

-Have I foreseen this already?

-Hope so.

-Come on, let's go.

-Come on.

'Well, my Grade II-listed manor house also dates back to the 17th century,

'and is nestled in a spectacular rural setting.

'It is even enclosed by its own horseshoe moat. Very impressive.

'The wealth of exposed beams and original features

'is of Bill Gates proportions.

'And with four reception rooms, six bedrooms, an additional annexe

'and 22 acres of land,

'the whole family, their horses and the entire rugby team

'can move in with room to spare.'

All right, then, Stuart and Helena, the weather has turned against us.

But one thing that hasn't is the quality of properties that we can show you today.

What we're looking at here is a 17th-century manor house

with some really fantastic features.

-What are your first impressions?

-It's very nice. Nice approach.

I like the location.

-It's quiet.

-It's very rural here, isn't it?

-Yeah, it's lovely.

You've still got neighbours as well. You're not on your own.

-Stuart's thinking. What are you thinking?

-A big ask, after...

It's true. Stu and I, we've got our trunks and racquets.

I'm just wondering where you've hidden...

We don't have a swimming pool. We don't have a tennis court.

-We don't have a sauna.

-Oh.

-We don't have a snooker room.

-Oh.

We don't have 1.68 acres, though. Cos we've got 22 acres.

-Oh, my God.

-That's a wow.

-That IS a wow.

-Exactly.

Let's talk about equestrianism. That was something you were keen on.

There's 22 acres available here. That is phenomenal. You've got 13.

-You didn't think you'd get near that.

-No.

-You've got it.

There are a host of character features, as you'd expect in a property of this era.

Two things to look out for.

Number one, in the master bedroom - it's Grade II listed itself, the bedroom.

The second thing is absolutely gorgeous Jacobean staircase, which is also listed itself.

-A beautiful building with two items within it listed independently.

-Fantastic.

-It's pretty unique.

-True. And unique in not having a swimming pool or a tennis court.

-Well, you know.

You've got enough acreage to build your own.

Three, two, one. Enter that beautiful property.

-OK.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-A bit low for you.

-I liked the look of the house straightaway from the outside.

Yeah. It's nice. It's quite inviting.

-It's an excellent entrance hall.

-Lovely.

-A reception room in itself.

Oh, look at that staircase.

-Mmm.

-Now, that is old.

-Is that the Jacobean staircase that...

-Jacobean. I even like the carpet.

-..Jonny was saying?

That's fantastic.

-Oh, it's a really...

-Oh, it's great.

-Nice, little cosy lounge.

-It is cosy, isn't it?

The ceiling is slanting, look.

All the beams.

Oh, you can't beat that, can you? A real fire.

They've noticed the lovely open fireplace. It's a wood burner.

One traditional element you'd expect in a property of this ilk.

It's got an abundance of them. Different styles of fireplace.

Log burners. It's got the multi-fuel burning stove in the kitchen.

-All these things that one would look for in a country pile.

-Yes.

-And they've got a nice big flatscreen in here.

-Yes.

So it shows you've got plenty of room. SHE CHUCKLES

They're in the lounge where the flatscreen TV is. They spotted that.

What I would do is smash that old fireplace out,

then I would make the flatscreen TV the focal point in that room.

That would be... I'm obviously joking. It's a lovely room.

Right. I do like that staircase.

That is nice.

Under-stairs cupboard - when the kids are naughty.

-Or you.

-SHE CHUCKLES

Right. What do we have?

-Another reception room.

-Office.

They use it as storage. It depends what's after it - if it's leading into something else.

It's a good size again, though.

-Watch your head.

-Oh, wow.

Oh.

-This is totally different.

-Look at the character in that.

And the colour in these, stripped back. Wow.

It's another example of a house where you've got to give a testament to the vendors throughout history

for not compromising the integrity of the house itself.

-Another room.

-And another fireplace.

That is nice.

-Look at the...

-That looks newer.

-Isn't it?

-That's beautiful.

-That is gorgeous.

Oh, they love it. They're digging it.

Look at the ceiling.

-Old.

-Amazing.

-So full of character.

-Yeah. All the furniture will fit tidy.

I do love Helena's lovely Welsh lilt.

-WELSH ACCENT:

-So full of character.

When I say it, I sound like Ruth Madoc from Hi-De-Hi!,

but when Helena says it, she sounds adorable.

-Can you get in? Oh, you're OK.

-No, no.

-OK. It's quite good.

-It's a good height, again.

It's a good size. It's square.

I'm not going to see that as a positive. I've done plenty of house tours as an estate agent.

Somebody goes, "That's a good size. It's square." That's not falling in love with the kitchen.

You see, you could get a table and chairs in here, maybe.

They're spending nearly £1 million, and they're wondering whether they can get a little table into a room.

-That's not what they want. He's a giant of a man.

-They could get a really big table out here.

-Yes.

A 22-acre table, if they could build such a thing.

-HE PANTS

-This would be... a Lauren sort of room.

-There's more.

-Ah. Can you squeeze through there?

Aye, I can. So, this is... This must be the master.

-Or...

-No, no, it wouldn't be the master, would it?

Because it's come up the back stairs. Not the main stairs.

-Double bedroom.

-So it could easily be guest area.

Oh! It's been stolen from Lauren and turned into a guest bedroom now.

-She was this close.

-It's a roller-coaster for Lauren.

She'll be on the seat of her pants watching this.

Right. Bathroom first.

Same floorboards as downstairs.

It's pink.

-HE LAUGHS

-This is definitely the listed bedroom.

-Look at this.

Wow. A step back in time.

-Oh, my God.

-Look at that fireplace.

And that panelling.

-Wow. It is, er...

-I bet it could tell a story or two, this bedroom.

-Yeah, definitely.

I imagine that bedroom, being of Jacobean age,

would be so polite it would not say what had gone on within the walls of that bedroom.

Wow. Oh, and a window seat.

Here are the things that money can't buy - well, money can buy in this case.

But you can't put that into my property. It would look ridiculous.

This has that, and that is the point of this.

Right.

Another bedroom. Oh, my gosh.

These floors are amazing.

They just... Look at the shape of the floor.

Yes. Another bedroom. This is a bit bigger. Bit bigger than the last one.

-Good views right down the valley.

-Yeah, you've got nice views.

I'm trying to see if I can see the swimming pool or the tennis court.

-Don't hold your hopes up.

-HE LAUGHS

He's going to need a very high powered lens to see the swimming pool and tennis court from here.

He'll have to look back at my one, quite a distance that way.

OK, that tour seemed to go reasonably well.

I'm not going to get overly confident about it

because you seemed slightly reserved throughout that tour

despite this beautiful period room that we find ourselves stood in.

What worked for you and what didn't work as well for you with this place?

It's a job to say. There's so much to see.

Downstairs, I thought, was more what we could do with.

Upstairs didn't seem to work as well.

The bedrooms are a little bit smaller than I hoped.

And it's not something that you can change or alter in any way, being listed.

Because you've got... In this wing, there's five double bedrooms and one bathroom.

-Yeah.

-And then in the other wing, there's one bedroom and two bathrooms over there.

That acts as my separate stairs. So I get that it's not immediately convenient.

But it's got so much character and so much going for it.

-There's got to be some compromise, do you think?

-There is.

But I don't know if that's too much of a compromise.

But when you're spending nearly £1 million, do you want to be even thinking about compromise?

To be honest, Ed, you know, obviously, there is a compromise, you know?

You know, the rural area compared to the last property.

You know, this ticks the box. It's a beautiful area. Beautiful views.

The difficult thing is that, you know, I don't think it fits as a family home, you know?

Where the last one you showed us had more of a family, you know, feel to it,

with, obviously, all the activities...

But what about the acreage? You've got a moat.

-Think about it.

-There's only so much you can do with a moat.

So, now, closest was you last time, Helena, wasn't it? I think.

-And we are playing with £900,000.

-Oh, yes.

Um...Stuart, do you want to go first? You want Helena to go first?

-Ladies first, yes. Yes, she's one-nil up as well.

-Oh, gosh.

-All right, well, you're being forced into this, Helena.

-A hard one.

-850.

-850.

-Right.

-OK. Stuart?

I'm going to go above our budget, and I'm going to go 925.

-HE TAKES SHARP INTAKE OF BREATH

-925.

-Radical.

You've won this one, but still a little bit short.

The property's on the market for 950,000.

-Oh, well.

-I was going to say 975, to be honest.

I know that's over your budget and there are jobs to be done, but it's a vast amount of land.

Am I convincing you at all?

-No.

-No.

-Wild card.

-Yeah.

-I'll go first. Thank you for your honesty.

'Our wild card is snuggled in the village of Upper Caldecote,

'and is a lovely country dwelling

'with a charming symmetrical frontage that would make a Jane Austen adaptation proud.'

'Those impeccable gardens and heated swimming pool are a delight,

'but it's when you get inside that the magic begins,

'with palatial living spaces and an epic eight bedrooms to choose from,

'all brimming with wonderful original features and ceilings of a lofty magnitude.

'The Evans family could lose themselves within the three floors

'of this stunningly presented Georgian gem.'

OK, Stuart, Helena. Here we are at the wild card.

Now, the sun has come out. The rain has stopped. I've lost a layer, just trying to keep cool.

And here we are at the third property today.

-Property two had loads of land but didn't really impress you much with the property.

-Not really.

This is an incredibly impressive property - with not too much land, unfortunately.

But as far as the house is concerned, what do you think?

It is very impressive.

Totally different from the last two we've seen, which is really good.

Well, this is your turn of the 19th century property, this one.

And you know you said you wanted tall ceilings, wide rooms and everything else?

You're laughing. I defy you to bang your head on anything in there.

Stuart, what do you think about it?

Yeah, obviously, the land isn't with it, so, you know...

But as you said, if the room sizes and the standard inside is up to what we're after,

a situation where we'll look at it then.

This is one of the nicest houses I've seen on this programme.

Don't waste any more time. Get in. Look around this gorgeous property.

-We'll see you in a bit.

-Great.

-Enjoy.

-Thanks.

-Thank you.

Jonny, at the moment, how many houses have you got in the race?

-This one.

-Yeah, just this one.

OK. Nice little entrance hall. It's big, actually.

-I know what you're thinking. As tempting as this pool looks, it's freezing.

-I wanna go in there.

Yeah. Oh, I like these.

Look at the flagstone floors.

Ah, the kitchen.

Ah!

Now we're talking.

That's more like it.

Oh, I like the window seat. What's in there?

-Ah.

-Ah.

Oh, walk-in pantry.

-Right, I'm in heaven.

-SHE LAUGHS

-Storage.

-All the best, then. Bye.

-Ha-ha(!)

-OK, we found out how to place Helena in heaven.

-Yeah.

-Shove her in a walk-in larder.

-Yeah.

-That's what it takes some people. Helena loves that.

Oh, wow.

Oh, that is nice.

-Oh, it's awesome.

-That is incredible.

So they've come into the main hallway that's got that gorgeous sweeping staircase,

galleried landings, going all the way up to the third floor.

And you're spoilt of which of the rooms you go into thereafter,

-because all those reception rooms are absolutely beautiful.

-Mm-hm.

-Wow!

-I can see why you wanted to come in here now.

-Yes.

What a grand dining room.

Oh, my gosh.

-What do you think of the wallpaper?

-Oh, it's dramatic, isn't it? It's very dramatic. It's...

-What's the word? Opulent, I suppose.

-Suits it.

-It does.

-Normally, I'm not that much of a fan of wallpaper.

-Ah, but here...

-Not all four walls.

-Here you can see why wallpaper was invented.

Oh.

-Can't see.

-Oh, yeah.

-Ah, we've got... It's a games room as well.

-Ah! Not only is that an impressive dining table, there's more than meets the eye.

-Go on.

It's a snooker table with a table tennis top, so it doubles up.

-Hello - games room.

-Games room, dining room.

-Tick.

Oh, wow.

-SHE SIGHS

-There's the wood stove.

Beautiful sitting room, this.

-Or lounge, yeah?

-Lounge room.

-Yeah.

And the view. And that's the garden. It's beautiful.

-I reckon this house is so big...

-Yeah?

..if ever the weather is far too inclement for rugby training...

-Do it in there?

-Do it in the house.

It's that big, it could take it. It could definitely take it.

Oh, this is nice. I don't know what this would be.

Just another reception room, I suppose, if you've got the main lounge there.

-"Just another reception room"?

-She's got used to it now.

-Been spoilt now.

-Yeah, see?

-Whoa.

-That's another "whoa" we've got here, without a doubt.

-Yeah, the kids can have that room.

-BOTH LAUGH

Oh, look at the size of those windows.

There is loads and loads of natural light pouring into this property.

One of the great benefits. All the properties have original windows.

But this one in particular has got these huge sash windows.

And we've got... We've got another beautiful wallpaper. Another one of Ed's shirts.

-What's he saying?

-Something like the wallpaper looking something similar to this.

-I tell you, I did quite like that.

-Excellent wallpaper, then.

I'm going to take the liberty of cutting my silhouette out of that wallpaper

and just walking round everywhere like that.

-I could actually make that into a shirt.

-Perfect.

-Lovely, sweeping stairs.

-Yes. And wide.

Through the arch.

And we've got to go...in here.

It's a bathroom. Oh, wow.

-Now, this is a bigger bathroom.

-Oh, this is great.

-Very big shower area.

-Great design. Double shower. Walk-in shower.

-Now, for Stuart to say "double shower", it's a big shower.

-Yeah.

-It IS a big shower.

-He's thinking you could get two of him in there. That's...

-That's impressive.

-Ah!

-Oh, dressing area. Dressing-room.

-There's...

-Wow. This is fantastic.

Very excited about the dressing-room because Helena knows how much Stuart likes dressing-rooms.

-She's excited on his behalf.

-Oh, rugby.

-Yeah.

-Rugby, yes.

-Walking into a double bedroom.

-Yeah.

-And what a master suite it is - lovely double bedroom.

-A belter.

-Big dressing area. Fantastic en suite.

-It is a belter.

-Four piece.

-That's a belter as well.

-It's belting.

-Another set of stairs.

-Yeah, and look at that window.

That is what you call a window, isn't it?

-It's quite large.

-It's about...

-Look, they're out there. Hello!

-..15 foot.

Can the camera just have a look at that? Can you pan up and see that lovely arched window up there?

Gosh.

It's another twin. Another big double. I've lost count.

-Eight bedrooms.

-You think that's enough?

-SHE LAUGHS

-They've done well, the boys, finding this property.

-Yeah.

As I said, I think we can do without some of them tennis courts and paddocks. What do you think?

Sell the horse?

Oh, I don't know about that. We'll see.

Stuart and Helena. Eh?

-What about that?

-It's some house.

-Now, now...

-It's very impressive.

-It is.

Really, there's so much to talk about.

There's everything in there, isn't there?

-Just about.

-Just about.

-Just about everything.

But there was one area I think you focused on, which was the up-up-up-upstairs. No bathroom.

-No. No. But...there are ways.

-Well, exactly.

-You've got more than enough bedrooms up there.

-Yeah.

-The simple is - make one into a bathroom.

-Yeah.

What rooms really grabbed you? There are so many impressive parts to it.

-What were the bits that really stand out for you?

-Where do we start?

The kitchen was just amazing.

-The kitchen-diner was...

-It was big enough. That's what we wanted.

-And a window seat.

-A window seat. It's got my Aga, which I love.

-And I think my favourite room has to be the dining room.

-Yeah.

Now, one thing that we know we've sold you short on a little bit is land - something you were keen on.

-Yes.

-Just very quickly, something to bear in mind.

Something the vendors had considered was actually knocking this wall down

and basically incorporating that big bit of driveway there into your garden,

increasing the outdoor space you've got here.

There are ways round everything.

The thing there aren't many ways round is...

JONNY GASPS

-Money.

-The price.

-Yeah.

-Well, as you say...

-It's one-all, isn't it?

-It's one-all, yeah.

It's got everything that we want. There is a trade-off with the land.

As I say, ticked all our boxes. Boys, you've done a grand job there.

I still think it's above our budget, so I will go for...

..985.

985.

I'd say 9...925.

The actual price of this property...

is...

bang on budget - £900,000 - which means you've won Guess the Price, Helena.

Well, there we go. It's £900,000 worth of house for this one.

Jonny's one was more expensive. And my one had a tennis court and everything else.

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

about which one you wish to test drive.

Are you able to do that?

-Oh...

-I think we'll have to go away, have a sit-down...

-You need to. Go off that way.

We will see you outside your chosen vehicle later on. Good luck.

We've seen three absolutely gorgeous properties today.

It could go either way, I think.

Not my way. But while they're making their decision, here's a recap of all three properties.

'My property surely will be the winner.

'Not only could Stuart and Helena bring along Angel Delight the horse,

'but they could also play a few sets of tennis, go for a dip in the pool,

'not to mention the children could have their own floor to play with.

'Literally everything they could want or need,

'under budget at £895,000.'

'My Jacobean classic didn't really get the response I'd hoped for,

'but with all those remarkable period features,

'its own moat and an unbelievable 22 acres thrown into the mix,

'this superb residence might still get snapped up for only 950 grand.'

'"Stunning Georgian symmetry", "wow" and "amazing"

'are just a few ways to describe one of the nicest properties ever to set sail on the good ship To Buy.'

'And with eight bedrooms, three reception rooms and a dining room fit for a king,

'Stuart and Helena just fell in love with everything,

'right down to the furniture and wallpaper.

'On the market for their target price of £900,000.'

Helena and Stuart, you've had a chance to see the wild card,

and you're only going to go and test drive it. Now...why?

I'm going to say, "Why?" but it's clearly obvious that this is lovely.

It was a big choice to make.

I think for living space and for the type of family home that we want, this is the clear winner.

Now, we have our surveyor with us - the mysterious surveyor.

He has checked everything out.

He struggled to find anything wrong with it.

-Do you know why ceiling roses existed?

-Hmm...

-No.

Neither did I, right? And maybe the viewers at home didn't know this.

Ceiling roses are for heat ventilation.

The heat would go up through that and ventilate,

and would come out of another little vent on the next floor, and so on.

Now, I've got to stress, none of this is all legally binding,

but it is a good heads-up if you wish to purchase the property.

-Just good bits of advice.

-And if you guys love it as much as we do, then brilliant.

-Yeah.

-Are you ready to have a go?

-Yes, please.

-Looking forward to it.

-You can become Lord and Lady Evans of the Manor.

-OK.

-Three, two, one.

Enter the property, and we'll see you later on.

'Trust me, you two. That pool is a tad chilly.'

'But the garden is a sun trap, and a ripe location for a well-earned rest.'

'So many rooms to explore.

'And Stuart's found the cellar, but has it got man room potential?'

'As for Helena, well, she can just kick back in the kitchen of her dreams.'

'One word for that dining room, folks - grand.

'But has our wild card been grand enough?'

OK, Helena, Stuart, obviously you've spent a bit more time in the wild card.

Before you did that, you said that you could envisage yourselves living here and it felt like a home.

-Is that still the case now?

-Oh, very much so, I think.

-Definitely agreeing with you, yes.

Now, what about, kind of, man space and areas...?

-Have you got...?

-Oh, cos that was important, of course.

-You see?

Well, you've been given THAT?

-Or the cellar.

-I'm in the garage.

-The cellar and that?

-I'm in the garage, by the looks of things.

-It's a huge...

-We've got a whole third floor in there.

-OK.

It's got pretty much everything we need inside, space-wise -

the amount of bedrooms, place for friends, family to come and stay.

-Are we ready?

-Yeah.

-You know what's about to come.

-Yeah.

It's £900,000 on this as well. Jonny, do you wanna ask them?

To buy or not to buy?

-To buy.

-To buy.

-It's got to be, hasn't it? I'm not even surprised.

-No.

-I would have been surprised if you said, "Not to buy."

-Yeah.

-It's amazing, isn't it?

-We could move straight in.

-Exactly.

Well, please let us know, because we are desperate to come back to this house

and have a swim in that when it's not minus...whatever it is at the moment in there.

-It's pretty cold.

-OK. Thank you. Enjoyed yourselves?

-Fantastic. It's been great. Thank you.

-Thank you for the opportunity. Brilliant.

-Pleasure.

-Well, we'll see you soon.

-Yeah.

-OK, guys.

-Bye.

-Bye.

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