Shropshire Villages To Buy or Not to Buy

On today's To Buy Or Not To Buy, we're finding the perfect home for our house hunters, all three of them.

-All three of them?

-Indeed.

-There's Sid, he's the man, there's Gaynor, she's the lady.

-Fair enough.

-And then there's Simpson.

-Who's Simpson, the dog or something?

This is Simpson, all 23 foot of him.

A caravan! We are going to need a bigger house.

Caravans, the bane of motorists or a colossus of British culture.

They do have a bit of an image problem, don't they?

What we need to do is glam them up a bit.

Have you got something in mind?

Hmm!

'Today on To Buy Or Not To Buy...

'..me...'

Honestly, I am really confident that this caravan

is going to steal the show.

'..Nikki...'

Three houses and one caravan, it really doesn't get any bigger than this.

'..Simpson, the 23-foot caravan...

'..Sid and Gaynor.'

-This needs redoing.

-This needs gutting.

I've not come here to walk away empty handed.

I'm still very, very concerned about the width down that end.

It has to fit on that drive.

I don't feel comfortable in here.

No-one said this was going to be easy, did they?

-That view is fabulous.

-Spectacular.

We will find the perfect property.

Let battle commence.

To Buy Or Not To Buy...

Sidney, Gaynor and Simpson?

Sid and Gaynor have been married seven years and live in Leicestershire.

But Sid works in Warrington and Gaynor works in Birmingham.

Between them, they drive 1,200 miles a week for work, and quite frankly they crave a quieter life.

They want to settle in one of England's more sedate counties, Shropshire.

But, will these quiet country lanes and blue remembered hills have seen the like of Simpson before?

So, Sid and Gaynor, we're in the heart of Shropshire.

We're going to find you, hopefully, your ideal house today but you have got one, rather like a tortoise has

a house on its back, you've got yours with you here, haven't you?

We've got our summer house we go away in, and we call it Simpson.

Can you explain that? Because I'm sure it makes sense in your world.

It was Sid's idea, not mine.

-So, Sid names a lot of things, does he?

-He does, yes.

Explain why this is called Simpson.

Because it's a Homer from home!

I thought there'd be something like that in it.

What else has names in your world?

-My car has.

-What's your car called?

Its called Gertrude because it plods along like off Magic Roundabout.

Hang on, where was the Gertrude in Magic Roundabout?

-The cow.

-Ermintrude.

-I thought it was Gertrude.

Anything else got a name?

-Not at the moment, no.

-Have you got names for each other?

-No...

-No, we won't go there!

So, what are we looking for today? What's your dream house, Gaynor.

-What would you really like?

-Well, for me, it's got to be something in the countryside with nice views.

We've both got very good, but demanding, jobs so we want

something when we come home from work that we can relax and we can chill in the garden, basically.

My sister lives in Shropshire so that's going to be a good thing

for us to be near my sister, and my dad lives in Staffordshire which is not too far away.

Now, am I right, you work in Birmingham and you work in Warrington?

Head office is in Warrington.

But you do a ludicrous amount of miles a week.

I do a 220-mile round trip to go to the office, when I do, it's maybe

two or three times a week. I've been doing that for three years.

So, you do that with a car and yet your idea of going on a holiday is driving with a car.

It's fantastic. It's the best thing you'll ever do.

Do we need to store it at the property?

Ideally to park it and store it, if possible.

OK, so we want a garden, we want countryside,

somewhere where you can switch off.

Any particular period that you want, do you want an old cottage?

I definitely don't want a very old house.

You just go through the door and you can sort of sense an atmosphere,

whether it's a good atmosphere or a bad atmosphere.

I don't mind something 1930s onwards, but I'd hate to think one of those

ancient houses with the dark black beams or anything like that, no.

So many people who come into the countryside want exactly that, so maybe...

-You might get more for your money.

-Exactly, yeah.

So, where would we compromise? Because Simpson is a great big lump,

he's a lovely lump, but you could store these things. Is that something you've looked into?

Yes, we have.

So, it could be a compromise.

The non compromise is a view.

We need to be able to sit in the back garden, after a hard day's

work, stresses of driving down the motorway, we'd like to sit...

Nice glass of wine in the summer.

-Ohh. Yes.

-You love that.

We are at the point we need to find out the fundamental, which is... Nikki, do you want to do it?

Yes, what is the budget?

I think the maximum would be £200,000, absolute maximum.

-Absolute max.

-Ideally, if we could get it for...

-180, 190.

-170, 180 maybe.

So, we've got a spread...

We could go anywhere from £160,000 to £200,000, depending on the state of repair or disrepair.

-What you might have to do.

-Exactly.

-I would say that's kind of achievable.

-See you later on.

-See you later.

-Bye.

-Bye.

What a show, ladies and gentlemen.

We have got a caravan called Simpson.

-We have a car called Gertrude, although technically she should be called Ermintrude.

-Marvellous.

And, you know what, Ed? When I think of Homer,

-I don't think Homer Simpson, I think of the Iliad and the Odyssey.

-That's because you're posh and clever.

No, it's because I'm edumacated. And we are on an odyssey today, of sorts.

An "oddity" more like, Nikki!

As you can imagine, being one of England's most rural counties,

there's very little urban jungle in Shropshire.

Telford is the major town, and that's fairly new at just over 40 years of age.

The county does have a motorway, however, the M54.

This allows access to the West Midlands conurbation, Birmingham

and beyond, so it's a great place for commuters to base themselves.

House prices for the accessible parts are quite keen and are on or above the national average.

But, there are some bargains to be had in the more remote parts of the county.

Simpson might struggle with those narrow lanes though, so where else in

the UK would £200,000 buy you a caravan-friendly house.

A modern home doesn't mean you have to compromise on space.

This three-bedroomed house is in Chester and features a conservatory,

open-plan living and a very generous driveway for caravans.

Bang on the money at 200 grand.

The beautiful Gower peninsula is but a short caravan ride from this

three-bedroom extended house in Llanelli, South Wales.

Terrific accommodation and very generous parking which includes a double garage.

Offers in the region of £199,950.

Simpson wouldn't have any problems parking on this driveway.

Situated in the county of Wiltshire it has spacious bedrooms, a nice maturing garden and no upstairs.

Bungalow living at offers in excess of £200,000.

Nikki is off doing the sensible thing and speaking to the agents.

You may be wondering what I'm doing, but apparently this practice of dowsing is good for spotting

negative atmospheres in buildings, something which Gaynor seems particularly prone to.

Have you ever walked into a building and felt an atmosphere you didn't

like but you couldn't actually put your finger on what it was?

Well, the World Health Organisation actually acknowledges something called sick building syndrome.

But what are the causes?

Their budget is £200,000 and that's their absolute maximum.

For that, what they want is, lovely garden

with spectacular views, the views are the most important thing for them.

But, one very special request is they need a place

for a 23-foot single-axle caravan. They want to store that on the property.

It's going to be very, very difficult.

-In that budget?

-In that budget, yeah.

You might get something without the land, or without the views.

I've got a feeling they are going to have to compromise somewhere.

The earth's natural radiation can be affected by electromagnetic fields.

These can be caused by fault lines, underground streams, mobile phone masts and pylons.

There are those that believe if your house is near to one of these things it may become affected.

If I took away the fact that they needed somewhere for the caravan and I found somewhere for them to put the

caravan, what would I be looking at then, could I bring that down a spectacular amount of money?

You could bring it down. You can have a lot more choice of properties, then. Looking in

the area, there's very few properties in these sort of villages anyway.

Because they're so prestigious?

And also because people that buy in the villages tend to stay there for some time.

The process of house healing, whereby a man or a woman turns up at your property with

dowsing rods and attempts to dispel any bad energies contained within, is actually on the rise.

Estate agents reported that properties that were reluctant to

sell actually achieved a quick sale once the house was healed.

Because they don't want an olde worlde beautiful cottage with beams and character features...

But maybe that will be easier and maybe slightly cheaper?

It's not going to be easy.

I've just been doing something quite ludicrous, but is actually true, with the dowsing business.

Have you done anything a bit more sensible?

Yes, I've met the estate agent.

-Has he helped us?

-Well, of course he's helped but the problem is, for the budget that they've got, in

-the areas that they want, we'll have to compromise, which brings me to property number one.

-A compromise?

-It is slightly.

-Go on then.

Three bedrooms, the most spectacular views.

An annex which has obviously been a granny flat so far, but there's nowhere to park Simpson.

Nowhere for Simpson the caravan?

They did say they might make a compromise with Simpson.

Well, they're going to have to because you're not going to get that kind of land for that money.

-You're not getting rid of Simpson entirely, are you?

-No.

OK, property two, my one, is in a beautifully named village called

Norton-in-Hales in Shropshire. This village is phenomenal.

It wins Best Kept Village, it wins Village In Bloom, it is lovely, gorgeous, beautiful.

The property is actually an ex-council house but it looks absolutely adorable.

It has got planning permission and that will be vital to expand, but Simpson the caravan can stay there.

-Thank you very much.

-Ah, well, property number three, the wild card, and it really is.

It really is, it's wild as in overgrown, wild as

in kind of pushing the envelope. And Simpson can be there, can't he, Simpson can stay there?

-Oh, Simpson can stay there but I'm not sure they can.

-At the moment.

But, the potential.

Oh, it stinks of potential. So, those are the houses, where should we start the journey?

-Mine, number one.

-It should be the one that's a compromise.

Compromise is a word often used when looking for a perfect home.

Property one, which is in the pretty village of Preston upon the Weald,

fits all the criteria that Sid and Gaynor set for us, except in one very important area.

So, Gaynor, Sid, property number one. This is my property.

So, Sid, how good are you at manoeuvring Simpson?

Very well, but looking at this driveway, the width is a little bit tight.

You'd get a car in here but up at the top there's a bush.

I don't know whether I can get the caravan round.

-Could you get out and push Simpson?

-Gaynor, could you push Simpson?

-I'd give it a go.

-"I'll give anything a go once."

I just love the fact that you didn't walk up here and go, "What has she done? There's no way..."

You're actually being really kind.

Being kind, it is tight.

I'm going to be even kinder. You might not have to worry about this tightness.

You're going to get out and push as well?

No. I'm going to give you a solution to this but I want you to see the house first.

In the house, I have given you everything that you've asked for and maybe more.

First impressions, Gaynor, of the house outside, because it's the period we were concerned about.

From an atmosphere perspective?

-Yeah.

-Seems OK to me.

-From an architectural perspective.

It seems a nice location. The only

thing I don't particularly like is dark wood but we've got a paintbrush, we could change that.

-Find a fault, make a feature.

-Absolutely.

-Upstairs, one vital thing is missing.

Your task is to work out what that is.

-Right.

-Are you ready?

-We're ready.

-Are you excited?

-Very much so.

Go in that house and let's hope the aura gives you a high five. Go.

Bit of a slope, isn't it?

Yes, close to the door.

Small hallway.

Mind you, what do you use a hallway for?

Just coming in. To the left, the lounge.

It's a good size.

I love that wood burner, absolutely.

Yes, you've thought about a wood burner, haven't you?

Yeah, I really like that, perfect.

Wood burning fireplace, Gaynor in her element.

If you're coming out of Leicestershire, which is

rural and smoggy, when you wipe your washing line, you get that... Yeah? This won't have that, will it?

It's lovely, be lovely in the wintertime, Christmas, we'll put our Christmas tree there.

Yeah, three-piece suite fit in?

Yes, it will fit in, won't it?

Yeah, chair there, settee there.

-Do you get any feelings in here?

-No.

-Oh, Ed, they're moving the furniture in.

-They are, they are.

What's in this room?

Dining room and the kitchen.

-Dining-kitchen.

-Yes, it's an OK kitchen, isn't it? Nice units.

It's got a country feel, hasn't it?

We could change the kitchen to a country kitchen with a hearth, or something like that.

What I was thinking, is that you could make that a breakfast room but when you come into this annex part,

-which they don't know exists yet, you could make that first room a nice big dining room, couldn't you?

-OK.

This is an extension on the back.

It's a good-sized room, isn't it?

It's got an en suite there.

-This must be an annex.

-It's OK.

Actually, it's huge, it's a stand-in shower.

I don't like this.

-You don't?

-Absolutely not.

I did have the feeling that Gaynor, when she came into the

annex, wouldn't like it, but she doesn't have the purpose for it.

It's a granny flat conversion which they've done.

Just take it out, it's of no use to Sid and Gaynor.

Absolutely, and then you wouldn't need this window, which is frosted.

-You'd have a lovely view over the garden.

-Exactly.

I think we'd have to redo this, it's not to my taste.

-We could have a bath in here, a proper bath.

-Absolutely, it's a really good-sized room.

It is, isn't it?

We'd just have to redo it.

The other thing I was thinking, the back annex part, where we've

got this big bathroom, you could almost make that the kitchen

and have that room as a dining room, and then keep the rest of it all as living space.

French-door me off, you'd put them there.

-What's in there?

-What's in here?

Have a look.

A downstairs toilet.

Fabulous. At last, a downstairs toilet.

-You've always wanted a downstairs toilet.

-Yes. Always.

-Well, you've got one.

-Fabulous.

I have never heard anybody get so excited about a downstairs toilet.

I did once when I'd come from a very long car journey...

-OK, yeah, right, TMI, TMI.

-..I totally mistimed,

I was very excited, I wouldn't have been able to have got upstairs.

Which wing? We'll start with this one.

Front one, this is definitely the box room.

-It's big enough, isn't it?

-You'd get bunk beds in here.

Definitely.

Quite a good-sized room.

I wonder if this is the master or the second one?

Oh, yes, now we're talking.

That is really nice.

-That is spectacular.

-There's the Shropshire cows.

Oh, listen to them waxing eloquent about the views. Not just that, but the Shropshire cows.

It's nature's supermarket. When they're hungry in the morning,

they just grab a cow from the field, there's a farm down there if they want to get eggs.

-They have got everything.

-Who eats a cow for breakfast?

People love cows, I love cows, I love beefburgers.

-Bathroom.

-Quite a reasonable size but no toilet in here.

There isn't, is there? There's no toilet in the upstairs bathroom.

-This needs redoing.

-This needs gutting.

It's OK as it is but it's just not how...

No toilet upstairs.

Bed pan, want a bed pan?!

Good old Sid. Bed pan, I like it.

It's quite a good size, isn't it?

It is very big. The master bedroom.

Ah, just love that view.

Imagine waking up on a weekend after a hard stressful week at work.

So far it's

ticking some of the boxes.

I think it's ticking quite a few boxes. I think it's very nice.

There we go, there's a dilemma.

Sid - some of the boxes. Gaynor - a lot of the boxes.

-And yet, I thought it was the other way round.

-Well, there we go.

The only thing that keeps nagging me is about Simpson.

So, Sid, I've heard everything you've said on the tour and we'll speak more about that when

we guess the price with Gaynor, but your big concern is Simpson and I need to address that with you.

This space we're standing in - big enough for Simpson, surely?

Yes, it is, but I'm still very, very concerned about the width down that end.

-What if I told you I found another solution?

-Interesting.

Store Simpson eight miles down the road in a beautiful place where he'll be kept company with lots of other

caravans and, not only that, but this place will only cost you £200 a year.

-That's...

-That's not very much.

That isn't compared to some places we've been looking at.

-Precisely. Does that make you happier?

-That makes me better.

-Good.

So, Sid and I have had a little chat about the caravan situation and I

-have provided a wonderful solution.

-Yes, she's very good.

An exciting solution. But let's not talk about the caravan right now, let's talk about the house.

-I think it's not bad, needs a bit of decoration.

-Not bad?

But for me, the views are spectacular and I think that's really nice

and it's quite a quiet location, so that's ideal.

For the bathroom upstairs, I think we could possibly

knock out the airing cupboard and make that a toilet.

That's the only solution we could see.

You've got to cross your legs a lot!

Or you've got to stagger down in the middle of the night.

We've not played guess the price today on the programme.

Who would like to go first in the guess-the-price arena?

We've got a maximum budget up to £200,000 to play with,

but we wanted to spend anywhere between £160,000 and £200,000.

So, who'd like to go first?

-Go on, Gaynor.

-I will, I think about 195.

195? Sid?

-187,500.

-187,500?

OK, you are the winner of the first round of guess the price, Gaynor, but

it is in fact more than that -

it's 199,995, a fiver under

your absolute limit, but in my opinion, and this is only my opinion, there's a lot of haggle room here.

I don't think you should settle for this one.

I think we should be going somewhere else, and maybe to another property after that.

-Really, which property would that be, Ed(?)

-My one, shall we go?

Let's shimmy over that fence.

Now, with Simpson being a key member of the family, so to speak,

it's rather important that he feels involved.

Hence bringing Sid and Gaynor to the award-winning loveliness that is the village of Norton-in-Hales.

The house may be on the small side but it's perfect accommodation for everyone.

Sid and Gaynor, walk toward the property.

Now, this beauty is my choice.

I want to know what you think about it,

-then I'll give you some facts. What do you think?

-It's OK.

-I like the village.

-"It's OK"?

I always reserve judgment.

You're allowed to. Sid, what do you think?

I actually very much like it. First impressions, it's good.

The village is excellent, the house is nice.

There's a few modifications I'd do to the outside, like paint the door white, and the

surrounding paintwork white, and I would change the windows to UPVC.

OK, but not so much, and that would make you feel from the outside it was lovely?

-Yeah.

-All right, that's not so bad.

And the village is absolutely stunning.

Super, really nice.

OK, Sid, do you believe

that lovely driveway is fit enough for Simpson, the caravan?

It is, he'd love his home there.

And would Gertrude, the inaccurately named vehicle that drives it?

Yes, yes.

-It's a confusing world in your world, isn't it?

-It is yes.

Are you excited and thrilled to be going into

-a property which has Shropshire's bestest village title.

-Can't wait.

-Best of the best.

-Go and enjoy it.

-Step there.

-This is the hallway bit.

Should we go round to the right?

Here's the lounge.

It's a nice size, I like the fireplace.

I wonder if that's real, it looks like it is.

Look at the views over the back, lovely.

Nice feel to it, like a sort of cosy cottagey feel to it.

I'm not too keen on the wood flooring, we'd have to put a carpet down

because we do like our soft carpets, don't we, darling?

-Yeah, definitely.

-They're not keen on your wood flooring, Ed.

-Lovely wood floor.

That's the first I remarked on, I absolutely adore your floors.

Some people had wood floors growing up and think it's rubbish. I like it.

Wow, look at the garden, fantastic.

What a view, there's a gate into the field, I wonder if the field comes with it.

Now, you've heard your wows, Ed.

-The views.

-Well, the views over the gardens and greenery of Norton in Hales, are exemplary.

Here's the hallway again. What sort of atmosphere is on this house, love?

It seems OK, I don't feel anything bad,

Good, because it's quite an older house, isn't it?

So, the whole thing about Gaynor sensing atmospheres

-and just sensing anything in the ether...

-It's positive.

-Well, she likes this.

Right...

OK, smaller than I expected.

It's an OK size, but for me it's got to be completely redone.

It's an old kitchen but looks like it's got a utility room.

-Now, you're happier.

-Perfect and a downstairs toilet.

-Absolutely perfect.

-I didn't know you'd get excited about a downstairs toilet all these years.

Just makes it so much easier when you've got guests.

Yeah, I like this concept.

Let's go in the small bedroom first.

It's a box room.

It's an OK size.

It's a nice size.

This must be the master bedroom, I think.

-Looks like it's got a built in wardrobe over there.

-That's handy.

Handy for me.

-As usual.

-Let's have a look at the views.

Oh wow, look at this,

really, really nice.

I like this room, this room's nice.

I've got a good feeling for this one. But listen...

..quiet, isn't it?

It's very quiet, it's peaceful, it's just what we're after.

Yeah, OK.

-OK.

-Ooh, bijou, very small.

-It is small, but how long do you spend in the bathroom?

-Not long, but...

I would have liked it to have a sort of bigger shower area.

But this one has got an upstairs toilet.

That's better than the other one.

Nikki, would my character say, "In your face" or not?

Your character says, "In your face" one more time and I will do something.

He's thinking about saying in your face because it does have a toilet upstairs and yours didn't.

He's also thinking about saying in your face because they like the village

and are prepared to compromise and because of the extension that would make the bathroom bigger.

Now, this must be hopefully the second bedroom.

It's a little bit small for the second bedroom.

Yeah, it's a bit smaller than we're used to, however,

you could still get a three quarter double bed in there.

Yeah, but I'd want our double bed in here plus the two bedside cabinets

and it's just a little bit too small for that.

Then again, there's the views.

Stunning views.

As Ed says, it's a bit smaller than the other house because of the location.

We've both met the criteria of not giving them a housing estate because,

they currently live in one in Leicestershire area.

-So, they want the countryside. We've ticked those boxes equally.

-Indeed.

You've given them slightly more space but I've given the cuteness of Norton in Hales.

SHE INHALES DEEPLY

There is work to be done in this house, as well as the fact it doesn't have a dining room.

-If it's for the right price we can always do something.

-Potentially. I don't mind redecorating.

And maybe a conservatory on the back.

But it all adds up, so you're going to have to see what it's up for, definitely.

-So, Gaynor and Sid, I would say you liked it.

-Yes, I liked it.

Liked it quite a lot, but one reservation was the size of certain rooms and maybe the size overall.

Yes, definitely.

So, this is an intriguing piece of information I'm about to deliver to you.

-See that part of the house where the garage is?

-Yes.

Planning permission has been granted for a two storey extension to go on the side of the house.

-Right.

-They have granted and they have priced it between £30,000 to £40,000.

So, that would take the size issue out of the equation probably.

Depends on the asking price.

That's the biggest question, isn't it? Depending if it goes above our budget.

-Do you want to do the thing you want to know?

-Absolutely.

-Guess the price.

-We're desperate to know.

Well, you won last time, Gaynor, so I think she should go again.

-Controversial!

-Ladies first.

-Yes, absolutely.

-I think 185.

-185? I reckon 190.

190...

The price it's on the market for,

-and placing Gaynor into an unassailable lead,

-No.

Is £179,950.

Oooh!

What do you think, knowing all that?

-The extension would be essential, frankly.

-It would be essential.

£30,000 to £40,000 built are estimates.

-Let's look at some spreadsheets en route to the wild card.

-Let's do that.

I'll get a pen out...

After you.

Sitting in a quiet backwater close to Market Drayton

the wild card certainly earns its credentials today.

Sid and Gaynor will need to use their imagination, as there's a large project here for the right buyer.

But for sheer character, this place, which used to be the local pub, is hard to beat.

So, Gaynor, Sid the wild card.

We often say the wild card, everyone loves the wild card.

Now, looking at the exterior I would forgive you for being slightly concerned.

That's an understatement.

-What's your first impression though?

-OK, we have an understatement.

Gaynor, go on.

-It looks challenging, let's put it that way.

-I like that, it's a good phrase.

You know what, to me from the outside, this looks like a country little house.

It's in a beautiful village.

-That it is.

-That's a plus point, it's quiet.

-Have you got your contacts in Nikki?

Even I can spot that it looks challenging from the outside.

Now, before I ask you your opinion, Sid, we have got a third of an acre of land here.

-A third of an acre?

-That's a lot of land.

-I do the mowing!

This is what I'm thinking. See this area here,

there's some kind of ramshackle buildings there in a state of disrepair.

Turn that into Homer's home away from home and maybe a home for other Homers around the world or Simpson,

which is your caravan.

You could have a caravan site here.

It's got a huge amount of potential and we are, like property number two,

about the same distance from here to Warrington and Birmingham.

So, thoughts on it, thoughts on house, thoughts on garden.

I'm always an optimist. I believe you can always see things in things which are good.

I like, actually like a chocolate box cottage feel from outside.

-Nice symmetry.

-Yes, nice area.

-So, you're positive Sid.

-I'm very positive about it.

-Gaynor?

I think it could be made into a fantastic house but I think you're looking at least £60,000.

And you've not even seen inside yet.

Well, listen, I tell you what, your early comment Gaynor, challenging, it is challenging.

Are you prepared to face the challenge of the wild card?

-Yes.

-Definitely wild, isn't it?

Breathe in deeply.

THEY INHALE DEEPLY

Good luck.

Interesting's the word. Let's turn left.

It's very dark.

It is dark, isn't it?

It's quite a good size room and quite nice flooring.

I'm banking on Sid on this property, I'll be honest, because quite frankly, Gaynor...

It will be a challenging thing too far.

Yes, he is the optimist, ever the optimist.

It would be interesting to know what age the property is, because I'm just not sure.

How's the atmosphere feeling?

How is the atmosphere feeling? Crucial question that we want addressed.

I could tell you that from the word go. Not very good.

A little bit hesitant, I feel...

-I don't feel particularly fine here.

-OK.

-The second reception room on the right hand side,

-Slightly brighter.

-Exactly.

Oh, this is a good sized room. I think possibly we could have this as the lounge.

Actually this is much lighter and feels a lot better in here than in there.

It's a little bit too dark for me.

I prefer lighter houses.

Lots of light coming into a house

but it's got a nice cottagey feel.

It's the cottage feel which we've always talked about living in the country.

One of the benefits of living in the country was to get a cottage.

This is definitely a wild card, that's for sure.

Sid's a fan of the show, he knows it's a wild card.'

We do like to tease, probe and prod in all manners.

And, what they need to do right, to stop some of the darkness is to chop some of the hedges down.

-Yes, exactly.

-That would help.

Everything needs to be pulled back here.

Well, it is a small kitchen.

It's a very compact kitchen and I think it would need redoing.

I think it needs redecoration and a new carpet.

That's only material things.

Absolutely. You're very good with decorating.

-We are in potentially something magnificent.

-But there is an awful lot of work to do.

-Needs some...

-It's bigger than I expected it to be as a cottage.

Definitely a good size.

Yes, yes.

-A really small bath mind.

-Yes, it's been built some time, I think it's been built in the 70s maybe.

-We'd have to put a corner bath in there.

-Yes.

But again it's just a new bathroom.

It's got a shower, that's a good thing and it's quite light as well, which I like about it.

Good views, really nice views and the village location is fantastic.

-Really, really like that.

-That is a good view.

-Spectacular.

A spectacular from this house and guess what it's for?

It's not from the house.

No, it's the view.

Is this a master bedroom?

No, I think it's another small bedroom.

-Definitely atmospheres in here.

-I don't feel comfortable in here.

Gaynor is not happy.

It's quite a small room and I'm just trying to think if this is the second bedroom,

how we're going to get the double bed in, I don't think we are.

This must be the master bedroom if that was the smaller one.

-Right, now this is definitely a cottage bedroom, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Nice room.

-We could make the downstairs lighter by extending out.

At the end of the day it is the wild card.

This is the garden.

The secret garden.

-Look at those views.

-Look at those views.

Spectacular.

Come on.

Come on!

Interesting.

It's gone from challenging to interesting.

Not everyone loves the wild card although most people do

and I think you fall into the camp of not loving it.

I've got a lot of positives to say about it.

You've got a beautiful village here, spectacular views and if we bought this property

what I would like to do is to knock those buildings down at the front

and to actually build a property on there and then sell this as separate house.

-Crafty.

-If that was possible.

You've got an awful land, with a third of an acre you could actually divy up gardens and you could do.

We should do probably the most vital thing, which is playing guess the price.

-I've lost.

-You've lost, Sid, you could go for a hollow two-one loss or you

could go for the pride which may be there in losing all three.

It's up to you. Now, Gaynor's guessed first every time hasn't she?

Yeah, let's not break with tradition.

OK, Gaynor, you go again. £200,000 is the maximum budget.

I going to say 165.

165.

See, I would say because of the land and the location it's going to be a little bit higher, 172.

Right, brace yourselves.

It's a hollow two-one to you

because in fact, the price is

£195,000 or offers in the region.

Offers in the region, £195,000.

So five grand below your maximum budget.

But it is a fantastic house in a fantastic location

and would make an absolutely wonderful home for somebody.

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

about which one you wish to test drive. Are you confident, able and excited about that?

-Very.

-Very, very you've got Lulu.

-Oh, you've named them.

-Yes!

-Are there reasons for these names?

-There are.

-So, tell me why my property is Lulu.

Because it's got two loos downstairs but nothing upstairs.

Very good!

-Property number two.

-Is Bob.

-Bob because?

-He needs a builder.

-Right, yes.

-What's this one if it's not called Bob?

This one's called Maverick because it definitely is a wild card.

Wander off, make the decision.

I have no idea which you'll go for. I've got a suspicion maybe not this one.

-Anyway we will see you later on. Good luck.

-Choose wisely.

Well, for all of you at home, here's a recap of Lulu, Bob and Maverick.

Lulu, realistically lacked the space for Simpson

but I gave Sid and Gaynor a workable solution.

The house was in a perfect location and offered them stunning views.

There wasn't an upstairs toilet but with a little work there could be.

On the market at:

Bob may need the extension to make it a totally practical solution

but I use the word may quite freely

because property two was not exactly small and there was

room for Simpson on the drive and it had those stunning views,

and it's in the best kept village in Shropshire.

Need I go on? Well, under budget.

I'm not sure Sid and Gaynor have bought into the idea of Maverick.

The wild card is meant to throw a proverbial spanner in the works

but rather than get them excited

it brought things to a standstill.

On for offers in the region of:

Gaynor and Sid the wild card didn't win today and it normally does.

I have won.

-No, your property, it's not about you.

-I have won today.

OK, so that's cleared up, I have won.

You have chosen this beauty in Norton in Hales, which is gorgeous.

-It is.

-Why did you go for this one?

-Go on, Gaynor.

We really liked the village.

It's got a lovely aspect, lovely views at the back and seems quite cottagey.

And of course, Simpson will be able to fit quite nicely without paying any extra.

Now, here we go, we have had our mysterious surveyor, the man you never really see in full vision.

He's had a look round the house.

It's a good heads up if you wish to purchase the property as to what you're getting into.

-If you do buy, get your own survey, that's what I'm saying.

-OK.

-Anyway, Nikki.

-Well, the amazing thing is the surveyor could find nothing wrong with this place.

-Nothing.

But he's made a lot of suggestions.

So if you look at the roof there's a lot of space in there.

He says that that is potential for a loft conversion. That is something that you might consider doing

as well as the extension that has been granted permission.

The fact that permission is granted, because this is bordering green belt if not actually in green belt.

-That you've got that planning permission is worth lot of money. A great thing to have.

-Yes, definitely.

-What else have we got?

-The only other thing he mentioned was because this is solid fuel heating,

so you've got an oil tank at the back, that could be, compared to gas, expensive.

So, there we go the house is lovely.

We are minus something or someone, aren't we?

We are definitely missing somebody.

-And yes, who is it, the 23 foot person?

-It's Simpson.

-Simpson the caravan, go get Simpson and test drive this house.

-Brilliant.

Well, it was always going to be about the big guy, wasn't it?

Yes, will Simpson fit? Might be a bit of a struggle.

-That's perfect.

-That's it, job done.

It's got a really nice feel to it, this room.

Second viewing, the atmosphere is getting better and better.

Let's face it, my property was always going to win.

-I'm not listening.

-Brilliant.

-Nice.

-I really like this.

-I do. Sit down for a minute.

Time to relax. Oh, no, we're off again.

-I really, really like this house, I mean genuinely.

-I do.

-Absolutely love it.

-It is perfect, isn't it?

I never realised relaxing could be such hard work.

-Oh, I'm glad I got Simpson on the driveway. It took a bit of manoeuvring didn't it?

-Yes, it did.

At least we'll be able to bring it home, have it here for the week,

get it prepped, get Simpson ready so he can enjoy our company as well as the caravans he lives with.

You got any atmospheres?

No, no atmospheres at all.

-Brilliant, brilliant.

-Perfect.

-Glad to hear it.

So, that must be a case of home sweet Homer then, Nikki.

Oh, yes, thanks, Ed.

Gaynor, Sid, not only do both of you look exceedingly at home here but Simpson's made a place for himself.

-He has.

-And it could be argued in caravan terms,

-Simpson is almost smiling by lifting his windows up in such a manner.

-Could be.

Can you speak caravan, Has he given you any sign of how happy he is?

He's grunted,

-when I moved the wheels.

-That's a positive sign?

That's a positive sign, never done that before.

This is good. But I guess the main focus is not on Simpson's happiness but yours.

Gaynor, there was a concern on the size of the house when we first came here.

Definitely, I thought some of the rooms were a little small and I really wasn't sure about the house

but having come back and done a test drive, I really like it.

It's really grown on me and I think with the extension it will really enhance the property.

-It's just a lovely location.

-It is lovely.

And also, you have got a ready made extra bedroom in the form of Simpson

should you require one throughout any renovations.

This is all sounding very promising.

Well, let's think about it.

Whoa, there.

We've not done the big question yet, Sid. I think we're almost getting to what your conclusion is.

-I think you should ask?

-Well, I'm reluctant to do it now but here it comes.

-To buy or not to buy, Sidney, Gaynor and Simpson?

-That is the question.

That is the question.

What do you think?

To buy.

-Yes.

-I thought you were going for the no to buy. So, you're going to buy?

-We will make an offer.

-That's fantastic, well done, you.

-That is fantastic news. We are going to leave you here in your new house.

-Thank you.

-I love it.

-Enjoy it.

-See you soon.

-Thanks a lot, bye.

That was an exhausting day. Goodnight.

Brilliant. Ladies and gents, if you are out there

and struggling for the property of your dreams

then please don't hesitate and get in touch with the show. Goodnight.

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