Kenilworth To Buy or Not to Buy

-Welcome to To Buy Or Not To Buy.

-Behind us lies Kenilworth.

-Ahead? 45 minutes of property mayhem.

So let's lower our drawbridges, Jonny, and let battle commence.

Yes, we are at Kenilworth Castle, scene of a very famous seduction.

-That's right. On this very spot, the Earl of Leicester tried to seduce Queen Elizabeth.

-Stop it!

The tabloids will be here. What about Philip?! You can't say that. That is my knighthood gone!

"Arise, Sir Ed." That's not going to happen. Thanks(!) Think about feelings.

It's fine. It was Queen Elizabeth I in 1575, not the current Queen.

That's a relief. The Hall legacy is still intact.

'Coming up on today's programme: will a rude interruption wreck the chances of Jonny's property?'

The concern looking from here is those industrial units.

-You can hear them.

-The gentle sound of men at work.

-'Will our house hunters get too carried away?'

-Would you want to knock through?

-You could.

Take those out and we have no walls.

There is a limit to how many walls you can knock down.

'And will we ever find a wildcard?'

This is normally where I show you the wildcard. But it's been sold!

Today we're on a property search for the Dugall family.

-I'm Leanne.

-And I'm Raj. And these are our two children, Leo, 4, and Grace, who is 2.

We sold our house two years ago and are renting in Kenilworth.

We love it - the parks, the castle, all the shops on our doorstep.

We really want to put down roots and find a house of our own, but it's not easy with toddlers in tow,

looking through High Street windows and keeping an eye on the children, making sure they're safe.

Will we go and see the next shop?

We want our forever house, for the children to grow up in. We just need some help finding it.

Leanne, Raj, this is very exciting. We're sat in your garden, but it isn't your garden.

That makes it so exciting. You're in rented accommodation.

-If we do our job properly, you could buy one of these.

-We hope so.

But you have been looking for a property for two years nearly.

-We have. On and off over two years.

-Have you been thinking... Is it because the market's not right?

You're waiting for it to go down further? Or is it you're so picky?

-I think we've just been unlucky.

-We have, yeah.

-We did find a house and lost it part-way through.

It came up with quite bad damp and other issues.

Since then we've been searching, finding, being pipped at the post.

Has that acted as the benchmark for every other house you look at?

-I still mourn that house.

-We do.

-Four bed, by a park - perfect. And very cheap.

The dream house - let's try not to mention it, but it had four bedrooms. Would you accept three?

-I think we would if you could go into the loft.

-Room to expand into the roof or over a garage...

-So you're good to that whole idea?

-Yeah, most houses have three bedrooms and one is a box room,

so long-term the children could have a double each and the box room could be a study.

If you're considering extending into a loft, you mean an older property?

-Yes.

-Modern properties don't have the depth in roof space.

So something older? They do lend themselves to those conversions.

-What about from the social point of view? Living areas, reception rooms.

-Nice living space.

-We'd like more open space in the kitchen.

-A kitchen/diner.

Everyone wants a kitchen/diner these days, especially with children. So that's a must-have.

-Will you throw it away without that?

-No.

-Would you like to create a kitchen/diner?

-We could.

-Would you do DIY?

-We would get somebody else to do DIY.

-I like it.

-What definitely don't you want? Location-wise...

-Not centre.

-Not the town centre.

-No.

-Just the hustle and bustle of it.

-A very busy road isn't ideal.

-A main artery...

-Family-friendly.

-As you can hear, no noise. We like it relatively quiet.

-We're not too picky.

-No. You've been looking for two years. Fine.

-No-one's reading that into it.

-No.

Areas. There's lots of areas here, but Kenilworth is where we are.

-Is that your favourite place?

-It's our kind of ideal place.

-Why is Kenilworth so nice?

We lived here before we got married. We looked over the castle.

-It was the honeymoon period and it's a bit romantic for us. We like the town.

-It's lovely.

It's got everything we need. There's a lovely park.

We're on the outskirts, but you can walk into town.

Are there any other things we need to know about before we head off?

-We want it to be our forever house. We've moved four times in...six years?

-Six years.

-That's a lot!

-So you want to get a forever house. And you'll know it when you see it?

-I think so.

-We will.

Let's talk about your budget. How realistic are your expectations?

Right. Our budget is a maximum of 250.

We both work part-time, so it's important to keep our lifestyle.

-Wish us luck. We clearly need it.

-I hope we're not too fussy.

-No, not at all(!) Two years.

Right. See you in a bit.

OK, we've got a momentous task. We've got to find a "forever" house.

-And finding that with their budget is... Yeah.

-A bit like that, isn't it, really?

-And because the budget's a bit... We might have to make Raj work full-time.

-He's prepared to do it,

so we shouldn't feel too bad. This is a sought-after area. Properties here do sell very well.

I'm going to the estate agent to see if this £250,000 is plausible.

Good luck. I am off to Kenilworth to do something.

With Coventry six miles to the north and Leamington Spa six miles south,

-Kenilworth is small and perfectly positioned.

-The castle has stood since the 1120s

and is considered England's most important lake fortress - and the scene for Robert Dudley's wooing.

Kenilworth's other claim to fame is that the first potato grown in England was planted in its pastures.

Its mixture of accessibility and great facilities mean it's a Mecca for young families

and, despite the dip in the economy, the house market here is still rampant.

With prices in the area having risen by nearly 4% in the past year,

we're not sure if the Dugalls' time out of the property market will be a boon or make them go bust.

Here's what their budget would buy in other historic towns throughout the country.

This attractive Grade II-listed family home near Carlisle boasts three bedrooms

and borders the open countryside.

If you feel the call of Cumbria, it'll cost...

This bungalow in Leighton Buzzard has a modern feel inside and a sun deck out the back

to put your feet up and wait for summer. Three bedrooms, one floor.

Or you could invest in this luxury holiday lodge on the Cornish Roseland peninsula,

-a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

-It's set in 26 acres of communal ground,

with a swimming pool and private quay.

In 1575, Robert Dudley famously attempted to woo Queen Elizabeth I. He failed.

I have come to modern-day Kenilworth to find out what Robert Dudley could do if he was alive now

and Queen Elizabeth was alive now and he wanted another go.

-Here's the situation. Potential nightmare clients.

-Right.

-They've been looking for two years.

What is the fashion the men of Kenilworth need to rock to make you attracted to them, Joy?

-I don't know. A nice pair of shoes, nice jeans.

-What colour shoes?

-Pumps.

-What kind of jeans?

-Skinny jeans.

-Nice funky little hairdo.

-Is mine looking pretty good or not?

-It's all right.

-Joy!

Ideally, a kitchen/diner, nice garden for the kiddies,

-and reasonable catchment areas and commuting to Coventry for 250 grand.

-OK.

-How realistic?

-They'll get the basics.

-Would they drive a car with a stereo and their windows down?

-Possibly.

-No! Joy!

-I'm 19!

-I know, but you're describing the third circle of hell!

We're finding most properties go in excess of the asking price.

-Just because there's competition?

-Yeah.

Give me a girth of bicep. Stop me when I get there. That big?

-About there.

-That's ridiculous! That's a leg size!

There we go. If Robert Dudley was wearing skinny jeans, and had biceps the size of his thighs, he'd be in.

-Did you have fun with people?

-I did. I found out about the men of Kenilworth

via the ladies of Kenilworth in a hairdressers, linking it with Robert Dudley's failed wooing

-of Elizabeth I. We've learnt a lot, but not that much.

-OK!

But the houses, I think, are the important thing. That's a cracker.

This potentially could be Raj and Leanne's very own castle. It looks absolutely fantastic.

It's only been on the market a week and there's so much interest in it.

Property really is shifting in this area.

It looks gorgeous. I see why there is interest. It's a high standard.

-It's got every box ticked.

-OK, very confident.

For £250,000, you'll struggle here.

I am in Leamington Spa with the mysterious property team.

It's so nice, it has two offers on it. That is what happens here.

Have a quick flash of it there. Modern, very nice back garden.

Needs a couple of tweaks.

The big gamble is whether Raj needs to go back to work. He will to do the things he needs to do here.

-It's a cruel world.

-That's fantastic.

This is when I'd show you the wildcard, but, unfortunately, it's been sold this morning.

So the wildcard will be as much of a surprise for us as for you.

-I'm sure it'll be fantastic.

-It'll win. Everyone loves it.

The property hunting team are out there looking, so if they succeed, the programme will be 45 minutes.

-If they don't, 20 minutes-ish?

-At best, really.

-A good 20 minutes, though. A cracking show.

-But it will be short. Where will we start?

-May as well be with number one.

Leanne and Raj wanted an older house and my choice is a period gem.

Unfortunately for you, Jonny, that period is the 1930s, made famous by the Great Depression.

-Let's hope that's not how they feel about your third bedroom.

-On the contrary, I think you'll find

it's very much to their liking.

OK, here's property number one. This could be your new home.

-I really like it.

-It's nice.

-I like that it has a new roof.

-It's posh looking.

-Clean.

-It's got kerb appeal.

-Yeah, it has.

-Now I'm going to throw a couple of negatives in. It is on a busier road.

But because of the lovely frontage, we are set nicely back and it dampens the sound.

But there's loads of good things. There's a little bridle path that runs down the side.

You've got plenty of walking and outdoor pursuits to enjoy.

Now, Leanne, you said earlier on that a forever house would give you a certain sensation or feeling.

-Looking at it from the outside, forever house or not?

-I think so.

-I'm not sure until I get inside.

-OK. Raj?

-Got to get inside first.

-But if it was only the outside, forever house?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Raj, you've been quite quiet. You're concerned you may have to go back to work.

-Possibly, yes.

-Possibly? Only one way to find out. Go inside and have a look.

-Enjoy!

-Just out of interest, does he have to go to work?

-Wait and find out.

Reasonable-sized hall. Could you put a porch on and maybe extend that?

A bit more space for coats and shoes.

The house is very big downstairs. The porch is not where they need to worry. They need to worry about...

Right.

-Oh, gosh. Wow. It's really big and open-plan.

-Yeah.

-Gosh.

-I like it.

It's bright.

Yeah, it's really good. You've got the doors here, so you could have this closed in the evening.

OK, so the lounge...

-A feature radiator.

-A very nice touch.

-There isn't a fireplace,

-but you need a feature.

-We could put one in.

-And a nice big bay window.

-It is.

Is it double-glazed? Yeah, I think it is.

I'm no expert, but the usual way to check if it is double-glazed is

if you can hear no noise and if you count the layers of glazing.

-One is just normal glazing.

-Yeah.

-Two is double glazing.

-I do like it. And having the dining area as well in the open plan, you've got another lounge.

-Yeah.

Three distinct areas. It's nice and modern.

Lovely. You can look out to the garden when you're washing up.

It's a nice view as well.

-Not a very big garden, though.

-Not brilliant.

-But you've got the front.

-This is really big.

-It is. It's a really good space.

This could be exactly how they've got it.

-That as your grown-up room.

-Yeah.

-Lounge and...

-Family dining area.

-And then you'd have your play room...

-Play area.

-I quite like washing up and seeing the children.

You can monitor them on a rainy day.

And it's huge. It's the biggest downstairs room.

You've got light to the side. Good. Ah! A good loft hatch.

-That'll have a ladder.

-I like that.

OK, shall we look in the bathroom?

-Oh, this is really big.

-It is.

-Good size, family.

-Shower. A modern top. Oh, I love that sink.

-It is very nice. I like the bath.

-Yeah, it's lovely, isn't it?

-A great feature.

For a two-year-old, that is like a swimming pool. £4 to go swimming, so they've saved...

two grand, four grand, six grand a year. Something like that.

Oh, OK. So that's why the bathroom is bigger. They've taken a big chunk of this bedroom,

-but it's still a really good size.

-It is a good size.

-What's at the back?

-What's out that window?

-OK, so that looks...

-Industrial.

-Industrial. And there's...

-There's some access there as well.

-I'll need to ask about that.

-Yeah.

-It is only open five days a week.

-So peace and quiet after work and at weekends.

-But if you have the day off school for being sick...grrr!

Oh, right, so this is the master. It's slightly smaller.

It is slightly smaller.

But then what else do you need in a bedroom than a bed, I suppose?

She's disappointed about the size of that bedroom. Imagine her disappointment with the third one!

-It will be awful.

-I think they'd expect it to be smaller.

-I'd leave.

-Again, you've got the lovely light.

-Nice front view with the sunshine coming in.

It'll be light in winter as well.

Right. Nice little study.

-This is the box room.

-This would have to be Grace's room.

-It's a small third bedroom, yeah.

-Is it a bedroom?

-Grace is little.

-They can overcome their own objections.

-What they could do, because they claimed they'd do DIY,

is be thinking now. "We might have to go into the loft."

It's got a good space.

And obviously with the pitch end on it, does that mean there's enough standing space?

-It has. And I think there's a window at the back of it. There's some natural light coming in.

-Brilliant.

-It's partially boarded.

-OK.

-And partitioned off. You'd get a bed in.

There were some really positive sounds, but also some concerns. Let's clear those up straight away.

The concern from here is those industrial units.

-You can hear them.

-The gentle sound of men at work.

-Indeed.

-It's mainly printworks...

-Some kind of sawmill!

-And possibly a car mechanic.

-And a sawmill next to that. Just a couple of sawmills...

-It's not too intrusive.

-In the grand scale, it isn't bad.

-And on the weekend, you're not overlooked by anyone.

-No.

-And after half past five at night, your neighbours disappear.

-True.

-So the sound of sawing no more.

-What about the positives? There were a lot.

-Definitely.

Loved the downstairs space. Liked the fact that you've got a lounge, a playroom, conservatory

-and the kitchen/diner. It's pretty much everything.

-A social space. Nice and inclusive.

-You mentioned the loft and had a good look. It has conversion potential.

-It has.

-If you look,

there are other skylights, which suggests others have done it, but nobody else has dormered yet.

Whether you can or you can't we're not entirely sure.

Do we wish to play Guess the Price?

-OK.

-Right, then. You can't say no because it's part of the programme.

-OK, you have a maximum budget of...

-250.

-And you don't want to spend more.

-No.

-Or you go back to work.

-So who wants to go first?

-Leanne.

-Oh!

-Leanne, you've been forced into it.

-What's it on the market for?

-239?

-Straight in. No messing around.

-249.

-249!

-249.

Raj, very good. You are just £1,000 off. This is bang on the nose at £250,000.

At the moment, there is no Stamp Duty, which is great.

We mentioned forever house. I am going to bring out my forever house thumbometer.

That is good, and that is bad. Stop me where you feel this is on the thumbometer.

-There's a sound effect as well.

-HE WHISTLES

-I'll stop there.

-You're stopping there. Raj?

-Stop.

So we're about there. That's the average. That's not bad on the thumbometer scale,

-but we're aiming for vertical.

-My main concern is the industrial units.

-Has the sawing

-allayed your fears?

-Not particularly!

-It's just timing.

-On any other day, they'd be embroidering.

-Think about the sound of sawing as we go to my one.

-Hopefully, you won't hear it there. Do you want to come?

-We do.

I'm taking Leanne and Raj out of their comfort zone to the suburbs of Leamington Spa.

Quite a looker from the front, Ed. Clearly the words "period charm" passed you by.

It may be a Plain Jane from outside, but it boasts a spacious interior

and when they see the length of my back lawn, they'll be in heaven.

Leanne and Raj, walk toward property 2. Now this is the beauty that we are plumping for today.

-Have you been to Leamington Spa before to look at houses?

-Never.

-No.

-And why is that?

-Possibly because, especially this part, we didn't think we could afford.

Well, you've got not a little house. You've got a very big house here.

Do you like the look of it, Leanne?

I do. I like that it has the bay. I like the size.

-And I like the drive.

-No main road, no light industrial unit here.

-Exactly.

So the idea of living here, do we think this could be a contender for the forever house?

-Could be.

-Yeah. I think it could be.

-OK.

-Are you ready?

-We are.

-Three, two, one, enjoy.

-Mm.

-Nice, big hallway.

-This is nice, yeah.

-Parquet flooring. Really lovely.

-Very nice feature.

Good-sized front room.

-There is a fire. Not exactly my taste.

-Not exactly.

-But again it's a fire you could always replace.

-Replace it.

But it is an open, working fireplace.

What do you think to the size? Could we get our green sofa there?

-I think it would be a squeeze.

-We'd have to buy one.

-Cue new sofa.

-And recycling these other sofas. No, it's nice. It's good.

Round here we go...

-Dining room.

-Dining room. Nice size.

-Or playroom.

-Shame they haven't got French doors.

-It is. It would be a nice feature.

-We could put those in.

-Double glazing.

-Let's look at the garden.

-Wow.

-Oh, my goodness!

-That is really big.

-Yeah.

-And there's a playhouse for the children.

-They'd love that.

I can see him climbing that tree. I won't let him!

You could build a treehouse in that. A lovely project for father and son.

-The furniture at the back. Any idea what the current owner bought that for?

-No, how much?

-£200.

-No way!

-And he's giving it away for free.

-Included in the price?

-That's £200 they've made.

Right, this is the kitchen.

What do you think there? Do you think you'd want to knock through?

I think you could. It would make it a more liveable space between the kitchen and the dining room.

OK. It's a bit small. A lot small.

-Smaller than the other one.

-OK.

-But then if you knocked through that would make a better space.

-If you take this wall out and that wall, we have no walls.

-You've got to be careful about that, viewers.

There is a limit to how many walls you can knock down. After a while, you will lose a level.

-But you might not take the whole wall out.

-Right. So you'd have this as a kitchen/diner?

-Yeah.

-Right.

-And a partition to the front room.

-And then you'd work and have French doors...

-In the dining room.

-It depends on the budget, though.

-It depends what the price is.

-It's nice and bright at the top.

-It is, but property one was a lot brighter.

-It was, yeah.

-But maybe it's later in the day. Bathroom in here?

-Yep. Good size.

-First impression's positive.

-This is lovely.

-It is.

-I didn't expect this after downstairs.

-It's a real surprise. We've again been spoiled by the first house.

-Yes, we have.

-But this is gorgeous.

-A gorgeous bathroom. Very practical.

-They're always big bathrooms.

-Does this mean smaller bedrooms?

-Possibly.

OK.

Someone's been doing DIY. So this is...

-Bedroom.

-The smallest room?

-Possibly.

-It's really quite big.

-Yeah, it's a good size.

-A room that a child can grow into.

-They're loving bedroom three.

-Mine was a proper box room.

-But that is in my top ten favourite bedrooms of all time.

-OK. Gosh, this is really big again.

-It's deceptive.

-Definitely.

-And again, nice space around the bed. Doesn't feel too claustrophobic.

-No.

-Really good.

-Good-sized windows and a nice view.

-Yeah, that's really lovely, isn't it?

-It is.

-I like this location.

-Yeah.

She loves it! There is no light industrial unit out the back.

-There is nothing, no major road.

-It's the worse for it.

No, it's not. It's a lovely area to live in. She can afford it. She didn't think she could.

That's the magic of what I do daily, along with Jonny and the mysterious property team. Less to do with them.

-Gosh.

-That's a good size.

-This house seems bigger upstairs.

-It does.

-Why is that?

-It's deceptive.

-This room and next door are almost identical.

-Yeah.

-I'm not sure about the pitch of the roof, but if you did go up you'd have masses of space.

-Lots.

Leanne and Raj, probably a tale of two halves.

-You liked the upstairs.

-Yes.

-Impressed with the upstairs space.

-Is this what we're after? That's the kind of size you want?

-Yes.

-Oh, go on.

Property one had the perfect downstairs space. This is perfect upstairs.

-So if we could merge those two floors, we've found your dream home.

-Absolutely.

-Great.

So it's more the ground floor that you're thinking.

Very much. Knocking through into the dining room and kitchen to make a much more social space.

It's just adding to that downstairs floorspace. That's all that's needed to make this pretty much bang-on.

-Absolutely. But it does depend on how much it costs.

-Always does.

One thing you must remember, this garden is huge and that's something a builder can't add on.

-It's guess the price time. 1-0 to you, Raj?

-It is.

Maximum budget of 250K. We're in Leamington Spa. Very affluent area.

-Raj?

-275.

-275! Sailed over the top.

I think that's probably too high. I'll probably say...262.

262. Leanne, you are closest, which means it's neck and neck.

The actual price is £250,000. Now £250,000 is your maximum budget.

But there are two offers on this house at the moment that have been made.

Our man let us in, but the offers are of the maximum budget.

Should we get the thumbometer out now you know the price and those factors?

Where are your thoughts on the forever house-ness?

-Stop.

-Oh. Raj?

-I agree with that.

-Really?

-OK, so I would say maybe then...

-Can I say why?

-Go on.

More because if it is at the top of our bracket, we couldn't do those things...

-The work to the house.

-I was possibly sending you out to work, Raj.

That's how the conversation's been.

Do you know what's coming next? The wildcard. Everyone's favourite.

-Are you nervous? Excited?

-Apprehensive, but excited.

-Your favourite first floor and favourite ground floor. Put them together.

-You found it?

-Who knows?

Surprise, surprise. The wildcard.

That's right. With our original wildcard having flown off the estate agent's shelf,

-this is just as much of a mystery to Jonny and me as it is to you.

-OK. Looks like it has period features.

But does it have family forever home potential, Jonny?

Let's furnish ourselves with the facts and rendezvous.

Raj, Leanne, here is the final property. It's today's wildcard. It's an unusual prospect.

It's interesting, quirky, characterful and a wildcard because it was a school for wild girls.

This beauty has only just come onto the market.

You are the first to sniff around it and the way the market is going

that's quite useful. If you like it, you can buy it before anyone else sees it.

-First impressions?

-Very quirky. Individual.

-I like it.

-It's not the whole building.

-It's not. That would be ludicrous.

We've seen it's very hard to get something for £250,000.

It was a reformation school for wild girls. They came in wild and left tamed.

So hopefully this will have a similar power on you!

-Not that I am saying you're wild.

-That's how it works.

So the property is split up into town houses, essentially.

It's not like living in a flat. It's like a proper house.

Down at the end there was where the matron used to reside.

This was the drive to the school. The back was hockey pitches. They've built there.

So what do you think of the idea of living within such a strange, but period property?

-You said you like character.

-I do like the character.

-Definitely. I love the sash windows.

-Is there a garden?

-You'll probably be disappointed,

but you did say if there were other options around that wouldn't be too much of a concern.

-Beyond that, it's a really lovely development.

-It is.

-Child-friendly.

-Are you excited?

-Very.

-OK, good luck. It's the wildcard!

-Oh, this is nice.

-It is nice.

-Look at the quality.

-Gorgeous.

-That's beautiful.

-Period features.

-They've got this fantastic entrance hallway.

-Vestibule-esque.

-It is!

They've kept the charm in here.

-Brilliant.

-Downstairs toilet. Brilliant.

-OK, so it's a lounge/diner.

-That's good.

-Nice space.

-And it's double aspect, so you've got windows at front and back.

-Bright and airy.

-Gorgeous.

-Gorgeous high ceilings.

-Oh, wow. I really like this one, by the way.

-Yeah.

-Worry now.

In my house, they were just talking about things. And in yours.

Here, "Wow! Gorgeous! Beautiful!" Mwah! Mwah!

-In my mind, they've got down and kissed parts of it.

-Which parts?

-I don't know.

-The fire isn't really in fitting, but you could replace it.

-Change it.

-Not a big issue.

-I just love the windows. Absolutely gorgeous.

-Beautiful.

-OK.

-There's a lovely feel to it.

-It is. It's really nice.

OK. Good hallway.

Good-sized kitchen.

Yeah, it's not huge, but big enough. The units look like they need updating.

-That could possibly just be putting on new doors.

-Superficial. New fronts, new doors.

Could you get dining in here? I'm not sure that'd work for us.

-This is the first challenging room.

-It is challenging.

-Let's face it, they can't make it any bigger.

-Despite the joy they take from knocking down walls.

-In this place, no options.

-No.

That must be the garden, then.

-A little courtyard.

-But...

-It's sufficient with being so close to the countryside.

-Lovely and airy.

-I really like the stairs. They're a real feature.

-They are, yeah.

Sets off the whole upstairs.

-They're good stairs.

-Yeah.

-A cracking set of stairs! Love 'em. Top ten of any stairs I've seen.

Certainly the best today.

-Great little bedroom.

-Right. It's not that little.

-It's got plenty of space. It's deceptive.

-It's long and thin, but you could possibly get...

-Well, they've got one there.

-A sofa bed.

-And this could be...

-A play area?

It depends if all the rooms are small. We need to look.

-What a beautiful view.

-Great countryside.

-Yeah, that's really beautiful.

Here we go. Wow.

-Great bedroom.

-Oh, wow. This is beautiful.

-It's so lovely. They've even got a window seat.

-Very quaint.

I might even try it.

-Give it a go.

-It's so beautiful.

With an older property, you don't get conventional square rooms.

-You get shape, character.

-And height.

-Indeed.

-Wow. Really big again.

-Another brilliantly sized room.

-With an en-suite.

-Excellent.

-This is lovely. I don't think we can afford this house!

-It's getting bigger and bigger.

-And then a bathroom. It's not modern decorated,

-but it's the space.

-It just needs updating.

-There's another door there.

Is it Juliet when you have two? No, that's windows.

-It's a Jack and Jill bathroom. You're thinking of a Juliet balcony.

-That's the concern, isn't it?

OK, you are exiting the reform school, former reform school.

Are you now reformed on the kitchen/diner? All the things we thought you would say no,

didn't seem to bother you. And the bits we didn't think you'd like, you liked. Explain yourselves.

It's a really beautiful house. It has gorgeous traditional features downstairs.

Really what we've liked in previous properties.

And it makes up for not having features that ideally we'd like.

OK, there was one major theme when you got upstairs and that was fear of the price.

-Very much so.

-Shall we get that out of the...?

-Full-time work, I'm in a cold sweat!

-You're embracing that?

-Yeah, the challenge.

Let's find out how much work you'd have to do. We'll play guess the price. It's neck and neck.

£250,000 is what you wanted to spend. How much do you think this is on the market for?

I'd say...275, maybe a little bit more. I don't know.

-Sticking at 275?

-I'd say 275 as my final...

-275.

-I'm thinking 285.

-OK.

-Wily, he's very wily indeed.

Raj, congratulations.

-But the actual asking price is £310,000.

-Gosh.

Significantly over what you want to spend, but it's new on the market,

and the agent has indicated that a substantial offer may be considered against that as well.

-OK. That's food for thought.

-And the offer was in the regions of where you were with your guess.

But...I mean, it's something to think about.

-What do you think? Having looked, is that a fair price?

-Let's define it by the thumbometer, shall we?

We're talking about a forever house and at the moment we've kind of got to about there on the thumbometer

out of the two houses. Let's start again.

-Stop.

-Oh! I thought it might have got... Raj?

-Stop.

-Oh, hello!

-Ladies and gentlemen, we have a clear winner for Raj.

OK. I never thought the thumbometer would be so vital, but it does say a lot.

You've got to away and make a big decision about which one to pick. Any ideas at the moment?

-I don't know.

-Save it.

-All right, we'll see you later on. Good luck.

-See you in a bit.

It's that, that or...that.

Three very different houses for them to consider. While they do, here's a recap for you at home.

Will it be my property in Kenilworth? Inside and out it was a feast for their eyes.

-But the sound of the sawmill was a noise to behold!

-I'd call that a minor inconvenience, Ed.

This could be a winner and it was bang on budget.

Hold onto your horses! You're forgetting the ample assets of my property - three double bedrooms,

a massive garden and it was in leafy Leamington Spa, which they thought was beyond them,

but came in on the money.

-Let's not forget the late arrival - the wildcard.

-This former reform school for wild girls won them over.

They fell in love with its period charm and forgave its kitchen.

Even if an offer is considered,

will its price tag prove too much?

Well, this is excellent. A rare victory for me today.

What is it about property one that swung you? Because the wildcard had got you.

-It did. A lovely property.

-And property two, Leamington Spa,

-the area really appealed to you.

-The area I liked,

but it was the budget again.

-But this property is really lovely.

-It is.

-It's a family home.

-It needs a jiggle, but you can do that over time. At the moment, you have very small people.

-Yes.

They will expand, but they're going to give you a few years.

Now you've got the luxury of having a non-legally-binding survey performed upon your property.

If you wish to buy, get your own surveyor. This is just a heads-up as to what you're getting into.

Jonny, deliver the hammer blow.

What he's said is this property is in fantastic condition and you can see it's been totally refurbished.

That includes outside rendering, new roof, new windows.

Just ensure all the guarantees are in place. There are one or two suspect wires lingering outside,

but all those guarantees should be in place, from the builder himself or under builders' guarantees.

-What do you think?

-It sounds very good.

-Are you ready?

-Yes.

-We are.

-The house is waiting to be test driven. Let it wait no longer. Erupt. Go on.

-Thank you.

-Jonny, we've shrunk the house hunters!

-No, that's Leo and Grace, come to give a tiny tots test drive.

Thank goodness for that! They snuck in from nowhere.

-Here's another one. He's a big boy.

-He's not one of theirs, Ed.

-Hi, I'm Dave Smith.

-Hi, Dave! He's a builder, come to cast an eye over a full loft conversion.

It can be easily converted into a bedroom, perhaps a bedroom and an en-suite.

It depends on what you want to spend as to how you approach it.

You could have a flat-roof dormer.

-It's be about £20,000.

-They don't have to worry about that immediately

because Leo and Grace are loving it just as it is.

Leanne's making full use of that family-friendly layout to keep an eye on them.

Cheeky Raj is having a snooze! But not for long.

And they wouldn't let a test drive go by without road testing that bridle way next door.

In the absence of a horse, Grace is taking Raj for a ride.

-Let's go and pop the big question.

-I never knew you cared, Jonny.

So Leo and Grace are not with us. I'm presuming they are going to be looked after by the property team.

-They're not building the extension.

-Not yet!

How has the test drive gone? What do you think of the property now?

-Is it viable, do you think? What?

-It's been really useful to have some time and walk up the greenway.

-And relax with the family, see what the children think.

-They've taken to it.

-That was all positive.

-It was.

-We looked over the industrial estate and it's bigger than we thought.

That's a positive(!) Oh.

-And how was the greenway for you? That's something you'd make the most of?

-We will do, definitely.

Yeah, it's a lovely walk. Beautiful countryside. Clearly well used with dog walkers.

You've been looking for a house for two years. You couldn't be at a better point to buy a house.

-You've test driven it. Jonny, do it.

-To buy or not to buy?

-Not to buy at the moment, but it's possible.

-Explain yourselves!

Explain this possible, maybe business!

We're going to do some research.

We're going to move quickly, but there's a high-speed rail link from London coming nearby here.

-We want to make sure it's not too nearby.

-Let's pull the thumbometer out for the forever house thing.

If you find out that's all right, and that's all all right, and if you can get that up there...

Here we go. Are you ready? Stop when it's good.

-Stop.

-Stop.

-There you go! That's the to buy I was looking for.

-Fantastic. So really it is somewhere you could see yourselves living?

-It is.

-Definitely.

-Do your research and buy it.

-We will do.

-We will.

Right, you should get back in there and rescue your children

-before they do do those renovations. We'll see you soon. Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

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