Northants Villages To Buy or Not to Buy

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

Today we're leaving the bright lights of the city behind us.

We've turned our back on the hustle and bustle of the capital.

But only temporarily. I live there and I've got a shed to paint later.

-Really? What colour?

-Blue, actually. A nice blue.

-Smell that country air.

-We are not only going to let Nikki smell the country air,

we'll also let our house-hunters smell it

and give them a unique chance. A chance to...

..try before they buy!

So I'm assuming, Ed, that today's house-hunters want to move out of London.

Yes. Even though you and I love it and call it home, they are seeking the ruralness of the countryside.

Who can blame them with views like this?

It's absolutely lovely.

According to a recent survey done by a London estate agent,

50% of the people on their books wanted to move out of London.

That's a lot of people wanting a quieter life.

Even the wildlife have to speak up for themselves.

-What?

-In an urban environment,

birds squawk louder to make themselves heard over the urban din.

Urban din or Ed Hall din?

Ooh! That's an urban "ow" to you and me.

Coming up on To Buy Or Not To Buy: Ed feels the strain.

I'm feeling the burn now!

-You're not aligned properly.

-To become a wrestler, I have to train.

My search for a pool draws a blank.

-I haven't got a swimming pool. But...

-Look at her face!

Or does it?

Oh! There's a swimming pool!

-Oh, they found one, did they?

-Yeah.

Oh, my God!

-They've got it!

-They've got it!

-They've got it!

Today's buyers are Louise and Adrian Dickman.

They currently live in Greenwich, south-east London with baby Cody

who Louise looks after at home.

Adrian has a high-flying career in the city as a risk manager for a hedge fund.

-What does that mean?

-I've no idea, but it involves large, complicated numbers.

I see. Recently, Adrian has had to take things a little easier

as he's been diagnosed with MS.

But he doesn't let it hold him back.

He keeps the grey matter ticking by studying for a Masters in Mathematics.

So he'll have a firm grasp on the budget when finding a family home in the countryside.

So, Louise, Adrian, my first question is, why on earth do you want to move from Greenwich?

We've just had a baby and London's very crowded

and we want to get to an area where it's less crowded and you get more for your money

-and it's a nicer environment.

-Your only stipulation,

obviously outside London, but two hours away from where your parents are

-because they look after their grandson.

-Yes.

-And that's Romford.

-Yes.

We have cunningly decided to choose south Northamptonshire

because this is where you'll get the most for your money.

-Have you ever had a look round here before?

-No.

So what are we looking for, then?

We're looking for a house that's fairly enclosed

somewhere where there's room for Cody to play with.

-Somewhere detached.

-And room for people to stay round.

My family meet up every Boxing Day, so we need quite a big place to get together on Boxing Day.

Quite an area of entertaining space. You're moving away from the area that you know

-so you need space for visitors.

-I'm moving away from my family, so it would be nice for them to stay.

-What are the maximum amount of bedrooms we're going for?

-Maximum five, minimum four.

OK. Four to five bedrooms.

Modern, oldie, what do you want?

Nothing that we really don't want. It has to be a good standard of decoration.

-So you don't want to do any work?

-No.

-So what would you be prepared to do?

The main thing that we'd be willing to do is decorating, maybe change something like a bathroom.

-Cosmetic.

-Yes.

-You want to get the big house, detached.

Do you want to go for areas that are villagey? Do you fancy that if you're coming out of London?

Yes, we're looking to not be somewhere crowded, anyway.

When we talk about villagey, how villagey would you go?

Would you go somewhere that only had a post office and a pub?

What do you need to be in striking distance of?

-A school is important.

-OK. Schools.

-And what about...

-For me, to have a bit more than a school and post office.

Because obviously if Adrian's working,

I need access to other things like the gym and have activities and hobbies.

You've done exceedingly well with fitness levels and losing weight.

That's an integral part of your life and you want to stick to that.

Since we had the baby in December, I've reached my pre-baby weight

and lost more as well.

So I need to carry on and make sure I don't put it all back on again.

-Having a gym in my house would probably be helpful.

-OK.

We were considering maybe a swimming pool on site.

-At your house?

-Yeah. That's something we'd consider

but I don't know whether you could find that within our budget.

Adrian, you, I have heard, had a penchant for wrestling, way back when.

Yes, about ten years ago after university, I signed up for a wrestling school in the States.

-Did you have a wrestling name?

-I was there for about a year,

-so my wrestling name was Silencer, but...

-Silencer?

-Silencer?

-Did you ever get to silence anyone in the ring?

-Afraid not.

I lost every match I was put in because I was very small compared to everyone else.

-Did you choose the name Silencer, or did they?

-No, I chose it!

-We should all have wrestling names for today's show!

-We could choose Cody a wrestling name.

-Let's!

So, we've got a few things on the list. We want quite a lot

and one of the main criteria - or one of the dreams - is a swimming pool.

Give us the budget.

-I think we can probably spend between 400 and £450,000.

-OK.

If it was the perfect place for us, we could probably stretch to 500.

Look at this! You've leapt even further. This is great news.

-Is she treading on dangerous ground here?

-Um, yeah...

It's towards the raw end of where we want to go.

Tell you what, you run the numbers of what's successful.

We'll work within those figures and we'll see what happens vis-a-vis vis-a-vis.

-Wish us luck!

-Good luck!

-Good luck!

See you later on.

Right, Nikki, house-wise, the most important thing to focus on

is the swimming pool. Can it be done?

I think it's unlikely for this budget. 450 grand, an outside swimming pool.

Come on, this is To Buy Or Not To Buy. We always deliver.

Let's focus on the other important factor.

Our wrestling names. We've got The Silencer in there.

-What should I be called?

-Rotten Ed!

Thank you. I can imagine that being written across a tight pair of trunks.

You, Nikki, can be known as La Renard.

-What is La Renard?

-The fox.

-Ooh, I like that.

-I'm off.

So, what can Adrian and Louise expect if they move to Northamptonshire?

Northamptonshire's population has expanded significantly in the last decade and it looks set to continue.

Much of this growth is attributed to young professionals and families

taking advantage of great links to London, Milton Keynes, the Midlands and other employment hubs.

-People with similar requirements to Adrian and Louise.

-Exactly.

With all this glorious countryside to take in, who can blame them?

What will today's budget buy as you venture out of the capital?

Starting in Wanstead, London, you can buy this stylish two-bed apartment

set in a highly-desirable Grade II listed development.

With a galleried area overlooking the lounge,

this unique abode is full of mod cons and is close to tube links.

Luxurious living for 500 grand.

Venture an hour out of London and you'll find this converted coach house, now a two-bed terrace.

With vaulted ceilings, original windows and 20 acres of communal grounds,

this is another unique property for £500,000.

Head two hours out of London and you reach Southam, Warwickshire,

and this three-bed detached house.

Immaculately refurbished throughout with fantastic private gardens,

your very own country cottage for - guess what? £500,000.

So, whilst Nikki's off fact finding,

I've met up with local estate agent, Terry.

We've chosen south Northamptonshire

as an area we think is potentially undervalued or under-looked-at

in terms of commuting to London.

Our couple want to get out of the rat race with the family and want a nice area to live.

-Have we come to a good area?

-Absolutely. Good value for money compared to places like Oxfordshire

and Berkshire.

And the real bonus to this area is we've got great road links between the M1 and M40.

Terry, let me test you on your road links and train links.

To get into the centre of London, roughly, by car, how much?

-Car, up to an hour.

-By train?

-45 minutes.

-Have that.

Adrian and Louise aren't alone in their move.

In a recent survey, it was shown that seven out of ten countryside inhabitants

aren't actually rural natives.

Most of them have moved here from towns or have returned after working in big cities.

So in terms of education, schools are very important for our couple.

They've got a little one, Cody, and they're looking for primary schools.

What are primary schools like in Northamptonshire?

A lot of the villages around the Towcester area have their own primary schools in many villages.

We've got supporting comprehensives based in some of the villages but mainly in the market town.

Then you have private schools down at Stow, Thornton and Akeley Wood.

Rural areas make up 86% of the country

and yet these communities are only home to 20% of the population.

Terry, this is a bit of a long shot.

Our lovely couple, Adrian and Louise, are moving out of Greenwich in London

and they fancy getting a swimming pool.

So for half a million pounds, maximum,

what are our chances?

That won't be easy, I have to say.

-Recently, we've just had a swimming pool on a property, a bungalow, that was over £600,000.

-Right.

-So chances are...

-It won't be easy.

-OK. I've kind of promised them, though, Terry!

House prices in rural England have more than doubled in the past decade.

The average house price is £257,000.

The good news is, though, that recent initiatives have set the ball rolling

to further increase new, affordable housing for the rural workforce.

House-hunters, it's that part of the programme

where we tease you with the properties we'll be showing later

to Adrian, or The Silencer, as he would have been known if he was still wrestling,

and his lovely wife Louise.

They're leaving London for a rural sense of loveliness.

They want everything. Have we given them it, and, importantly, have we given them a swimming pool?

-Nikki?

-Property One is a five-bed, three-bathroomed house, it's period is '80s.

-Yes.

-In the village of Hartwell.

-Right.

-No pool.

-No pool. Unbelievable.

I have gone for a barn conversion.

It is lovely. It's glorious.

Everything they would ever leave London for. It hasn't got a swimming pool. Sorry.

-But it's lovely. It makes up for it in more, more ways...

-Whatever.

-No swimming pool. But...

-The wild card! The wild card.

Five bedrooms, a number of bathrooms. In the village of Flore.

-Swimming pool!

-Yes!

Terry the estate agent, earlier on, said we couldn't do it.

Said he sold a property for £600,000-plus with a pool.

We've found one, hopefully within their budget, with a pool!

-Where shall we start?

-Mine.

-Nikki's.

So, my choice, Property One, is in the village of Hartwell.

I've given them everything. Five bedrooms, lots of living space

-for when the family comes to visit.

-But no pool.

-No, but there is a gym, thank you.

-Not a pool, though.

But the garden's big enough to add a pool.

I deal with solutions, Ed, not problems.

So, The Silencer. The Slave driver is your name, Louise.

-That is cruel for a wrestling name.

-She chose it!

-Rotten Ed and Le Renard.

-Right.

This is Property One, my property.

We are in a beautiful village.

Did you like what you saw driving up?

-I specifically liked the fact that the school is just there!

-Well clocked!

So we're rural, but we're close enough to big towns, we're close to the M1.

A school opposite and when Cody and maybe brothers and sisters grow up and need senior school,

the bus goes from just outside the village shop down there.

Speaking of village shop, shop and post office and pub and a Conservative club.

But let's look at the house. First impressions?

It's got two garages, which is something we definitely wanted.

-OK. A double one there. They're lovely.

-Right.

Big open windows so I'm hoping quite a lot of light.

It's a lovely light house.

I'm interested to know what you think. This was built in the '80s.

Is that a kind of architectural style that you respond to?

I would say it's middle of the road.

It doesn't say "wow" but at the same time it's not horrible, either.

I'd say it looks like an executive home. Inside, it's cracking,

but it looks like an executive home from outside. It's not the most beautiful from the outside.

-But it's not so displeasing that it would put you off.

-No.

And it's got a really nice big drive as well.

-Wait till you see what's at the back!

-So, for the tour, let's use the wrestling names,

The Silencer and The Slave driver.

-Yes.

-Yep.

-The Slave driver.

-Slave driver.

-Slave driver and Silencer, enter that house!

Good luck! If you've just tuned in, very hard to explain, but...

-Wrestling names.

-Adrian used to be called The Silencer when he was...

-We're off.

-Yeah.

-Nice floor.

-It's quite spacious.

-Wow.

-This is really good.

I really like corner sofas so there's loads of space for people to sit down.

I'm feeling the burn!

-You're not aligned properly.

-If I'm to be a professional wrestler,

-I have to train. I think I've broken an arm.

-Rotten Ed!

The fireplace is nice. It's quite modern.

I think I'd probably prefer a proper traditional fireplace.

Look, a little dining room as well!

-I really like that.

-The floor's really nice.

Quite a lot of light in here.

Lovely big dining room. I'm sure you could seat 12 round that.

You certainly could. I took the liberty of secretly measuring all her relatives.

They would fit.

It's like another reception room.

Got your TV on the wall. You always wanted one!

It'd be good for a cinema room. You wouldn't know what to do with yourself!

Two rooms. "Which one do I fancy tonight?" Brilliant.

Come on. That is a glorious TV/games room/...

-Whatever you want.

-Louise wants it to be a cinema room.

It could be. And it should be.

-Oh, yeah, it's really nice and big in here.

-Really big.

It's quite modern, actually.

I didn't want anything modern, but I think it's quite nice.

-Yeah, I like this.

-We've seen how spacious it is downstairs. How about upstairs? Let's have a look.

If the house was shaped like a pyramid, it wouldn't be as spacious upstairs.

But it is executive style. It will be the same size upstairs. It's a fact!

Not that many people in the UK live in pyramids.

No. But they should not be asking that question. It will be the same. Trust me.

I really like the light. It's looking like a maze.

-A lot of rooms.

-A lot of halls.

-2,002...

-They love the light upstairs.

-2,003.

-It's like a maze. Through that archway is a whole separate area of the house.

-2,005.

Which you consider to be a separate suite of rooms.

-Brilliant.

-A nice sized bedroom here.

I'm not sure if this is going to be the master bedroom.

It's a bit small for the master bedroom, but it's quite nice.

Ah. This must be the master.

-Wow, that's really, really big.

-Lots of room in here.

-It's massive.

And two lots of windows, so you get the light coming in.

-When they came upstairs, they might have thought the first bedroom was the master.

-Really?

They may have been disappointed. Not that it's a disappointing room.

-But the master bedroom...

-Lovely.

-It's something.

-For the master of the house.

En-suite shower room. Very nice.

Oh, wow! That's handy in the middle of the night!

-Yeah.

-No more running the long corridor to get to the bathroom!

-I quite like the tiling as well.

-It's very nice.

Is this another bedroom? Oh, it's the bathroom. Brilliant.

That's quite close to the master room as well.

With other bedrooms, it'll be easy for people to get to.

-Nice size in here.

-Oh, is that one of those jet baths?

-Like a little spa.

-I think it is, yeah.

I like that. I love Jacuzzis.

-And another living room upstairs.

-Wow!

That would make my mum quite happy, to have her own living room if she comes to stay.

That would be really good.

-We could turn it into another bedroom.

-We've seen two bedrooms so far.

I'm hoping Nikki has found us four.

Another bathroom!

I don't know why you'd need two and an en-suite as well!

This is the third bathroom.

-Another bathroom.

-7,005.

-I'll talk bathrooms while Ed exercises.

There are a lot. They're all cracking.

-Great bathrooms.

-I've done 7,005.

-No, you haven't.

-You haven't even broken a sweat.

-I've done 7,005.

-No sweat.

-That's what's impressive.

Let's do 7,006 and see if that makes me sweat.

7,006...

This is the third large bedroom.

-Plenty of space for anyone staying.

-Fantastic.

-Shall we see if the garden's big enough for a pool?

-OK, yeah.

Now, Ed, you can start again and give me perfect form this time.

-This won't hide the fact they haven't got a swimming pool.

-But they have a gym.

-If they see you working out, it'll inspire them.

-A selling point, is it?

-Exhale.

-So, Silencer and Battleaxe. Slave driver!

-Slave driver.

-These are your wrestling names.

-Adrian and Louise.

-Yes.

-What did you think?

-Very spacious. Lots of light coming through.

-I was happy.

-Nice wooden flooring.

-Wooden flooring.

-A big kitchen, which we asked for.

-Exactly.

-A kitchen/dining area.

-More bathrooms than we'd know what to do with!

That's for all your visitors coming on Boxing Day!

And the rest of the year, we figure.

And upstairs it was nice to have that other lounge area.

-You were disappointed there was no swimming pool.

-No, but there's a lot of space in the garden.

-Big enough for a pool?

-Definitely for a Jacuzzi.

-Forget the pool!

You can go to a swimming pool. Then you don't have to clean it yourself!

-I've given you a gym! Ed's had a good workout.

-I did feel the burn in there.

And I'm now exhausted.

But I'm able to play guess the price with you both.

We have a maximum budget of, we were saying up to £500,000, really.

-What's it on the market for? Who should go first?

-I'm hoping you've been kind to us.

-Why would you think that?

-I was hoping. So I'm going to say 395.

-Just under our budget.

-395. OK. All singing, all dancing, 395.

-Adrian?

-I'll go for 420.

420 v 395.

You are the winner so far,

but you're still a little bit out.

Because this is on the market for 435.

You're in a very lovely area, here.

With the price it is, and the size of the property,

what are your thoughts?

-It's definitely something to consider.

-We're going to show you two more houses.

-Indeed.

-The next one is my choice. Are you excited and pumped?

-Of course!

-Yes.

Let's go. I believe it's this way.

Not a bad start to the show, but let's see how Property Two goes down.

My choice is this gorgeous three-bed barn conversion in Tiffield.

Hang on - three bedrooms and no pool? Were you not listening earlier?

I also deal in solutions. Look at this land for a pool.

Also, I have a solution to the bedroom issue.

-Just wait and see.

-Hmm. Intriguing.

-Just look at it, it's full of charm, like me.

Adrian and Louise, walk towards a barn. Not just any barn. A converted barn.

It's been converted twice since its former barn days.

This is about a 1600s barn. This was fist converted 20 years ago

and the guy who owns it converted it again two years ago.

So it's very modern in there. Do we like it?

-It's very pretty.

-It's very nice outside.

-OK.

We're in a place called Tiffield, a nice little village.

It's got a pub and a few other bits and bobs.

It's a couple of miles from Towcester. And not far from the M1.

I don't want to help you, Ed, because I'm a bit overwhelmed by this!

-Don't worry. I haven't got a swimming pool.

-OK.

-But...

-Look at her face!

-..inside is a bath the size of a swimming pool!

You've got gardens there, a garden there, a garden there.

Is this the kind of thing you're after?

It's different to the last one. The last one was an executive home. This one is a barn.

We wanted a property that's quite good looking and you definitely found a good looking one here.

I like it a lot.

-So this is reason to move out of Greenwich?

-Yeah, possibly.

-OK. Are you ready?

-Yeah.

-Are you excited?

-Yes.

This is the home that if you had made it in the wrestling world, this is where you'd have lived

if you needed a country rest. OK.

Three, two, one. Go to the property.

-I think I sold that phenomenally well.

-I think you did.

-You can take a breath now.

-Thank you very much.

Ooh.

Very nice floor.

-Hello?

-Hello.

-Hello. How are you?

-Hey, on the left, in that stable, Rotten Ed.

-Thank you very much.

I was doing a bit of pottering and tinkering in between.

-Yes. I've been nankling.

-Don't know what that means!

Ooh!

Very traditional. There's wood everywhere. I like the beams. They're nice.

-Very spacious in here.

-I really like this one.

-Nice fireplace.

-Oh, that's a beautiful fireplace.

The brickwork is very nice and it looks kind of rustic.

It's light and airy, and we wouldn't have to do much with the decor.

-It's very nice.

-The decorating is perfect for us, really.

They're loving it. If you move away from Greenwich,

and you want to get to the world of countryside and easy living, you can't get much better than this.

Ah. Looks like an office for you.

A very big office!

You could make that into a dining room as well, if you wanted.

I like all the traditional features on the ceiling.

Again, no decorating required, which is perfect.

Hang about, they're in the office.

What they want to think about the office is, it's great if you work from home.

Or, this is another exciting bedroom possibility.

Because upstairs, I've under-delivered.

Ooh, this is very big. Loads of space for friends and family to come over.

Have some parties and definitely for Christmas.

-It's huge, isn't it?

-Yeah, it's massive.

How many bedrooms you got, Ed?

But making that office into a bedroom...

Making the cupboard into a bedroom...

-Cupboard?!

-Making the kitchen into a bedroom... Making the toilet into a bedroom...

-That many.

-Dear, oh, dear!

-Shall I go on?

-Don't encourage him!

-Good-sized bedroom.

-I really like that. You've got a double bed, but there's still loads of space

and it's not cramped or anything.

It's really nice. I like the fact that everything's pink.

-If we had another child, a girl, we wouldn't have to do anything.

-Nice and light.

Nice view of the garden.

-Ooh!

-Got you a corner bath!

Yes, look at that!

That is a spa in a home!

I really like that. The bathroom is really nice.

-You've certainly had a lot of oohs and ahs!

-Every one from Louise and every time she walks in a room.

-That corner bath is a corner bath/swimming pool!

-No, it's not!

Ooh. So this would be Cody's room, then.

-Yeah.

-Quite small.

I'd be hoping to get Cody a bigger room than this.

Maybe the same size as that one with the pink decor.

Why are they giving Cody the smaller room? They could give him the bigger room and paint it blue!

I think they think they're not doing anything in this place, it's perfect!

-Moving in based on colours!

-Yes!

Nice-sized bedroom.

Yes, good master bedroom.

-And an en-suite bathroom.

-Brilliant. That's what we asked for, an en-suite.

Nice en-suite.

-A shower.

-Nice sized en-suite, I think.

I really like the view from this bedroom, as well.

Out onto the garden. It's quite nice.

This would have to be our room, I think.

That was three bedrooms. We wanted four. So I don't know if there are any more.

-It doesn't look like it.

-Doesn't look like it.

Right, end of tour. I'll spice it up. Take the lift and see what they think. See you there.

I'll take the normal route.

And so will you, Ed. Come on.

Come on.

-They thought there was a lift in here.

-They didn't. Get out.

Louise and Adrian, you like it, I think?

-Yes.

-It looks really nice outside. Nice gardens. The downstairs is really nice.

It's spacious with a huge kitchen, which is very good.

I like the fact that it's fully decorated.

Which is good. You were so kind of hamstrung by the decoration

that you were prepared to give Cody the small bedroom because it wasn't pink,

and then you were planning a future child that had to be a girl because one of the rooms was pink!

-I admire that.

-Cody could get away with being in the other master room

and downstairs, where you have the office, that could be a downstairs bedroom.

-Ah.

-There we go.

-The children could be upstairs and have their own...

-That's one thought.

It's an immediate easy thought. As it stands,

space-wise, there's more than enough in there.

I thought that you two would be more blown away by the fact

-that Ed had found you this converted barn and yet it was modern.

-It didn't have a swimming pool!

-Although the bath was big.

-Good bath.

-We should do it, then.

-You go first and I'll follow your lead!

OK. I'll guess 450.

OK.

You're playing between the stools. The maximum budget was up to 500. 450 is safe.

Because of the three bedrooms,

so I'll say four... 465.

The actual price is 499,995.

You're closest. It's neck and neck in the guess-the-price arena.

What is always amazing is that people focus on that rather than the price of the property!

It's half a million quid!

-That's the price.

-It's the top end of your budget.

So, we quite like this house.

It has potential, but it's not the forever house as it stands.

-We like Nikki's. Excited about the wild card?

-Very.

-Yes.

Does it have a swimming pool, Nikki?

Let's go!

I'm really excited about today's wild card.

We've only gone and done it, viewers! We've found them a pool!

I knew we'd do it if we pulled together!

My concern here is that it may need more decorating and renovating than they planned.

But looking beyond that, this is a great five-bed family detached home

with all the space they need.

This will put the cat amongst the pigeons!

So, Adrian and Louise, Property Three, the wild card.

We are in the village of Flore. How beautiful is this?

-Very nice.

-And very secluded as well

because it's behind other houses.

It's in its own little private hideaway.

-It is tres bonne, as the French would say.

-C'est tres bonne.

-They might do.

-It's lovely, though. We've got a bit of modern. And this property has one extra special feature.

-OK.

-What do you think it might be?

-A gym?

-Gym?

-Let's leave it at that.

-Leave it at that.

What's your first impression?

It's got the nice look about it, so it has the wow factor.

-It does? That's the first time you've said it's got the wow factor.

-I think so as well.

I will pre-empt, maybe, a first comment when you go in there.

-It hasn't been decorated in a while.

-OK.

It's not in a state of disrepair,

but the decorations may be a bit dated.

So we might need to do it in our own style?

Anything needs your own stamp on it anyway.

-Get beyond there and this is a cracking house. Are you ready?

-Yes.

-Three, two, one. Enter that building.

-Enjoy!

There we go. How would the French say goodbye?

Au revoir!

Or "orrivoir", as the English might say!

-Ooh. Quite a big hallway.

-Yep.

Not sure about the wallpaper!

They've seen the wallpaper. I've warned them about it.

They can change the wallpaper!

A lot of light coming in this room.

-Yep.

-It's not as big as I would have liked for a living room.

-What do you think of the size?

-It is a bit small. About the same size as our current living room.

It might be the same size, but have they got a separate dining room,

an eat-in kitchen, five bedrooms, two bathrooms and a pool?

No, they haven't!

Another nice-sized room. About the same size as our current dining room.

It's a bit small, but we could knock it through.

They're two rooms in. And there's one massive thing they've missed out on.

Especially as the two rooms look over where we are.

The swimming pool. Hercule Poirot they are not!

-Oh, there's a swimming pool!

-Oh, they found one, did they?

Yeah. Oh, my God!

Ahhh!

-They've got it.

-They've got it!

-They've got it!

Fantastic! I can see myself doing a few lengths in that!

That's turned their frowns upside down, but only slightly.

The house is ahead of them, with floral wallpaper.

But come on! Really!

-Kitchen.

-The kitchen.

-Ooh. There's more dining area there, though.

-OK.

So theoretically we could use the other room as an office or do something else with it.

-Yeah.

-A games room or something.

-Or we don't lose a dining room if we knock it through.

-Yeah.

It's a good-sized kitchen as well. Much bigger than our current one.

-Adrian's radar is up. He likes it.

-He likes the size of the kitchen.

-Louise doesn't seem quite so excited.

-No matter. I don't feel Louise wears the trousers here.

-Do you not?

-I'm very good at reading people. In no way is Louise wearing the trousers.

-It might be your downfall if you don't think she's wearing the trousers.

-No way.

It's a lot bigger up here than I thought. That's a surprise.

I quite like the layout of the hallway.

Bedrooms wise, this plays the tune of cinq.

Oh, wow! C'est bonne!

It's a decent-sized guest bedroom in here.

It's got enough room for a double bed and storage.

Again, it's the decor. We'd have to do a lot of decorating if we chose this one.

-Hopefully the master bedroom is a bit bigger!

-Let's find out.

-OK.

What do we have here? A nice single bedroom.

Potentially where Cody could sleep.

Viewing straight out into the swimming pool.

That would be quite nice, as well.

Actually, the views are really good. I like that.

You can see loads of trees and not so many neighbours.

We're not going to be overlooked.

View over the pool and over the neighbours' gardens

which Louise seemed to like

but the neighbours not having a view of this garden, even better.

If they forget their swimming trunks one day, Nikki, no-one would know!

Bathroom, by the looks of it. There's a bidet.

OK. I like the tiling.

-We wouldn't worry about decorating this room too much.

-A nice bath.

Oh, that's quite a nice bedroom as well.

-Yeah. Nice storage.

-Hopefully there's a master bedroom. Let's have a look.

-Ooh!

-Oh, my God!

This is huge.

I think we've found our master bedroom!

-The master bedroom.

-I thought it'd never happen!

-It's a master suite.

-Phenomenal!

Very pink, but we can change that.

-But I like pink, so you'd have to...

-Grin and bear it. Yeah!

-An en-suite.

-Oh, en-suite bathroom. Brilliant.

-Nice little shower.

-It is very nice in here.

-Shall we go and look at the pool and try and guess the price?

-Yeah.

Louise and Adrian, hello! We found you one. No-one believed it would happen,

but we're in it now! A house with a swimming pool.

You wanted a house with a pool. We found you one.

-What do you think?

-The best thing is it's heated!

-Isn't it just?

-And this is only 24 degrees.

The owner, the lady, likes to swim at 31 degrees. And this pool can take that.

So in the winter you could go swimming and then run into the house!

Have all your towels ready outside, wrap up and run in.

You've got a fully functioning heated swimming pool.

That at running costs they say £500 a year, which isn't as much as you'd imagine for a heated pool.

But it's not all about the pool. What about the house?

We like the house. We just think it needs a lot of decorating.

-Yes, very nice. The master bedroom is enormous.

-It is, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Did you feel at home in there?

Yeah. When you get up in the morning you can sort it all out in that room

-and then go straight out.

-Yeah, ready to roll.

I think you liked it potentially more, Adrian,

-would you say?

-Yes.

-Louise, is it just the decor that's holding you back?

-Yes, because I'll have to do it.

-No, you won't!

You don't have to do it yourself.

If your budget allows it, get people in before you move in

-and get the whole place right.

-We'll have to talk money to decide whether or not it's going to be...

We could link in to guess the price now.

-How are we in guess the price? Neck and neck?

-Yeah.

-One-all.

Neck and neck. So this is important.

We are playing with a maximum budget of... The maximum budget was £500,000.

But for that the property had to be perfect with everything you want.

OK. So.

This beauty in Flore or Florry, however you want to pronounce it,

-how much is it on the market for? Who wants to go first?

-I'll go first.

-I'm going to say 490.

-490. OK.

-Louise?

-I'm thinking because the area is quite nice,

495.

You actually win, then, Adrian.

-It is on the market for offers over 400,000.

-Really?

-Over 400.

-And you put 90 on top of that.

-You could get some decorating done with that!

-This is it.

-There we go.

Think about the proportions of the rooms. Are they fine? Then get someone in to do the decorating.

Anyway, you're at the most important part of the programme where you have to make a big decision.

Would you like to do that whilst dipping your toes in the pool?

-Whilst they do that, dipping their toes in the pool...

-Yes.

Here's a look for you at home at all three properties.

So which house has made the biggest splash today?

Will it be Property One, my choice?

Plenty of room here for the entire family to stay

and their very own gym, all for the great price of 435 grand.

Or will my stylish converted barn fulfil their country life dream?

No pool, but the corner bath of Louise's dreams.

Just five pounds short of the top of their budget.

Could this be their forever home?

But when Adrian's done the numbers, will the wild card make more financial sense?

Everything they asked for and a pool.

Will they be prepared to get the decorating overalls on?

So...

You chose the wild card. Was it the pool that swayed you?

For me it was the price. The second I heard that, it was a lot less than I thought it would be.

-I was sold at that point.

-The price and the pool. We can use that money to decorate the house.

-Exactly what we thought.

-Ta-da!

So, of all the three, were you drawn to any of the others as well?

We were drawn to all three.

-So we did well?

-You did very well.

One had a nice outside than the other and the other was better inside.

This is a mixture of the both.

Great news.

We've had our mysterious surveyor come and look at the property.

It's not legally binding, but it's a good heads up if you wish to buy.

-Do you want to know what he's said?

-Yes, please.

-He's been tinkering and looking. Nikki?

-Firstly, the house is probably only 15 to 20 years old.

Our surveyor found nothing really bad wrong with it.

The one thing that I think you need to take a look at, as he's advised,

is the swimming pool. The lining is coming away slightly at the corners.

That may be something you need to look at. Get somebody in to check the pool maintenance levels.

That's just a good piece of sensible advice.

Also, the chimney there. They've currently got a gas fire.

But the chimney, he wagers, could take solid fuel potentially.

But you'd want to know if there's a certificate with it.

So if you did want to put a little cast iron stove in there,

and go for the whole country cosy feel,

you'd want to know if you can do that, or you might burn the house down!

-We don't want that! That certificate should be there.

-No major faults.

-Nothing.

-Do you want to strip off and get in the pool?

-Or maybe you're going to wrestle?

-No...

-There are so many things.

-Work it out amongst yourselves.

-Go and enjoy. It's a cracking house.

-Thank you.

-See you in a bit.

What shall we do? Strip off in the pool? Yes!

It hasn't taken Louise long to make them both feel at home

with some family snapshots.

And it looks like Adrian's being a good boy

and getting on with his maths homework.

What? More pictures? He's working out complicated formulae here.

Stop distracting him!

And there was me thinking Louise would be itching to get in that pool,

but it looks as though she has different ideas.

So whilst Adrian is flexing his brain power,

Louise is feeling the burn under the watchful eye of Judith, her instructor.

She's not even using being on our programme as an excuse to break from her fitness regime.

Regime schmegime, Nikki.

I want to know if they're going to buy it.

Louise and Adrian, you've thoroughly test-driven the house.

Let's start on what seemed like you actually moving in.

-What was with all the photos?

-You brought photos!

-Who do you have photos of?

-One of them's my nan, so my boy's great nan.

My sister and her partner.

And my sister's little girl.

-She just gave birth a few months ago.

-You know we'll have to kick you out unless you buy it soon.

You'll have to take them down at some point!

So, you've been doing that. Adrian, I'm not the cleverest man in the world.

What were you up to?

Just doing some homework for my Open University work.

Just a couple of questions.

-Is that relaxing for you, doing that?

-I find it relaxing, yes.

Compared to what you were doing with your personal trainer, the opposite of relaxation.

-Yes. Kettle bells.

-Which I love.

-I could really feel it, actually.

How did you feel in the house? Adrian, did you feel like you could be at home?

Yes, it was very comfy and homey. I could see us living there.

-Aw!

-So you've got a good feeling for this?

-Yes.

Now, you were always sold on this from the word go, for many reasons.

Louise, there were sticking points with you.

What do you think? Aside from all the things you've been doing, decor and what-not,

do you think the proportions of the room are enough for you?

I think because of the price, we might be able to convert the garage into a games room.

Or do a bit of extension somewhere.

The size of the master bedroom is unbelievable. It's massive.

We'd be quite happy in a room that size!

And the en-suite. So that would be great.

-I think we're at the point.

-We are.

-It's been a heck of a journey.

We've learned that you were called The Silencer. The question is,

have we learned that this will be your house for ever?

-Nikki, do it!

-To buy or not to buy?

I think the short answer is yes. We want to check out a few things about the area,

but we do want to make an offer on this place.

-Wow!

-You're having a "to buy"?

I love it. You didn't know much about Northamptonshire before.

-No.

-Nothing.

-It's good, isn't it, round here?

This is fantastic news. We should strip out of these clothes,

get down to our underpants or whatever,

-and have a pool party as celebration.

-If you'll have us!

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