Bristol Central To Buy or Not to Buy

-Today on To Buy Or Not To Buy, we're...

-Jonnie...

ssh! Close your eyes, trust me.

OK? Imagine you're a young couple with their first house together.

They're working to a tight budget.

Open your eyes. What are our chances?

We're flying! We're kings of the property hunting world.

-We are.

-Look at us go!

-Scream it out.

Yeah! We're going to be amazing!

Whoo-hoo!

Whoo-hoo-hoo!

Today we're in the home of such legendary icons as Concorde,

Banksy the artist, Blackbeard the pirate and Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

If you haven't guessed already, we are, of course, in lovely Bristol.

The ship we are standing on is the SS Great Britain

and it was built by Brunel in 1843.

At the time it was the largest ship in the world

and carried people as far afield as Australia and America.

But will our property search be plain sailing or will we hit the proverbial iceberg?

Wait and find out.

Coming up on To Buy Or Not To Buy, subtlety is definitely not Ed's middle name.

That house, I would live in there,

I would move from London to live in that house, it's that nice.

But there's choppy waters ahead.

-Hey, I didn't give them a downstairs toilet.

-I did.

It seems like a bit of a waste of space having a downstairs toilet.

-This is what's just happened.

-What?

And today's properties reveal surprises.

This is absolutely massive, this bedroom, it's way bigger than what we've got at the moment.

Everything is just double in size.

And hidden delights.

Wow!

Adam and Beth have known each other for years, having first met

in their native Taunton when they were just teenagers.

But life is a little more complicated now.

With busy jobs and a growing frustration with the rental market,

Adam and Beth would like to take their first tentative steps onto the property ladder.

But, like a lot of young professional urbanites,

they want to be right in the thick of all the action.

They are currently renting in north-east Bristol,

an area where you'll find lots of trendy bars and boutique shops.

Which is ideal, as Beth loves, and I mean loves, clothes shopping.

She's a bit like you there, Jonnie.

Now, they'd really like to buy around this area, but the question is can they afford it?

Adam and Beth, welcome aboard the SS Great Britain.

Now, you've been described as young professional urbanites.

Look at them, of course they are.

So, are we looking for an urban property today?

I think so, yes. It's got to be within central Bristol.

Beth works in the centre, so bus journey to work has to be short

so she can have a lie-in.

Oh, here we go. Is that fair?

Yeah, I'd say so, yeah.

-You've known each a long time, haven't you, so you're almost allowed to say this.

-Yeah.

-How long have you known each other?

-About six or seven years now.

-How long have you lived with each other?

-Nine months.

About nine months, not too long.

-So, nine months, how's it gone?

-It's been fine, hasn't it?

-Yes.

-But this is the important one, because you're buying a house together now.

-Yes.

-Are you nervous?

-No, excited.

Let's go for the property. What's the dream, do you want to be living in flash zippity do-dah,

pushing buttons and things come out, or what do you want?

It would be nice, but I think we're after something with a bit more character.

-Yeah, character.

-Some features in it.

-What period of property?

-Sort of two-bed Victorian terrace.

-It's a house then, not a flat.

-It's got to be a house. I think the idea is something with outdoor space.

We need a garden.

-Why do you need a garden?

-Because we like gardening.

Growing vegetables and things like that seem to have gone quite well this year.

What is the thing that's growing the best at the moment?

-Chillies.

-Chillies, really?

The tomatoes and French beans are going quite well as well.

-OK.

-And some little carrots.

You mention you like to be close to the centre of things. Do you go out a lot?

Yes, and in the area we're living in, we've got a lot of friends there so it's got to be quite accessible.

-Got to be easily accessible.

-Accessible to what - Bristol city centre?

I know Clifton's posh. Would you like to be near there?

-One day.

-So Clifton is great.

-Yes, but out of reach at the moment.

-OK, where's within grasp?

-Gloucester Road, which is a road going up the west of Bristol.

-Point.

-Over there.

-That way.

-Ten minutes.

-Bishopston area, quite vibrant.

-Lots of bars, shops, boutiquey shops.

Do you need the old cappuccino factor where you can wander out and get a frothy drink?

Frothy drink and a fry-up, I think, yeah.

Have you been looking at the property market, then?

Yeah, we have sort of casually for the last year or so.

We haven't been to visit any properties, but we've looked online quite a lot

and looked at the prices of the different areas in Bristol.

It's completely depending on your postcode, the price.

You've worked out the best way of getting what you want is compromising the post code area.

Yeah, to a certain extent.

-Minimum bedrooms.

-Two.

Must be two bedrooms. One to sleep in, one for a walk-in wardrobe for Beth.

How much of your money, wages, do you spend on clothes?

110%.

I think we can just about do it and I've got a sum in my mind of money that I think you need.

It's better when the budget matches that sum in his mind, isn't it?

Are you prepared to tell us?

-I'm sure we can.

-How much money have we got to spend today for your hopefully terraced house?

£150,000.

-Now, you had a look on the interweb, on the old tippy tappy.

-Yeah.

-How likely is that?

It is kind of likely.

-Likely with compromises.

-I would say achievable with compromises.

You can barter hard because you can get them right down because you've nothing to sell.

-Exactly.

-We'd better get a move on, my old mate.

-Why don't you go and we'll sail there.

-See you later on, thank you very much.

-Port side, port side, oh, starboard, starboard.

There we go, straight ahead, look.

So, nice couple. A tough ask today?

Well, it's interesting you ask me that question in this location.

We are on Vale Street, reputed to be the steepest

residential street in the whole of Europe and I believe

a fitting visual metaphor for what lies ahead of us, today.

-You mean an uphill struggle?

-It certainly is!

Very good. It might not be the last we hear about this.

I'm going to go and find out about the local property market.

-I'm off to the estate agents, of course.

-I'm glad you said that.

They're up there,

-up that big steep hill.

-Excellent.

-Vale Street, I think it's called.

-All right.

The steepest residential street in Europe.

Go on, run those sweets off.

Is that it?

He might be a while.

Bristol is the largest centre for employment, housing and education in the south-west.

It's a small but beautiful city with a vibrant outlook

and a rich history.

Its prosperity has been linked to the sea, but you're more likely to see pleasure cruisers in the harbour

as the commercial docks have moved from the city centre to nearby Avonmouth which,

-for the fact finders amongst you, is the busiest port in Britain.

-Good knowledge, Ed.

Now, Bristol is also ideally located for the commuter.

Key motorways like the M4, M49 and M5 mean that London, Birmingham and Cardiff are all within easy reach.

The total of all those motorways added together, for those interested, is 58.

The city's fortunes prospered in the Georgian era, so it's full of gorgeous 18th-century housing,

although there are plenty of modern developments too.

House prices are relatively high, and in some parts of Bristol,

such as Clifton, they are comparable with London.

But how far will £150,000 take you in other port locations around the UK?

This attractive cottage-style corner plot is in Southampton,

where the Titanic set off on her ill-fated maiden voyage.

The house itself offers accommodation including

three bedrooms and a generous but mature garden.

It's on the market for...

This old warehouse in Birkenhead has been brilliantly converted into apartments

which afford views of the River Mersey and Liverpool beyond,

which is where the Titanic was registered on the famous White Star shipping line.

It's on the market for...

Now, with no discernible links to the Titanic whatsoever,

Glasgow offers high-rise, luxury living

in the form of this flat in the city's Partick area.

The 10th floor would allow you to appreciate the old port and the River Clyde below,

as long as you like heights, that is.

It's low on the budget however at...

While Ed's at the estate agents, I thought I'd take to the streets

and was surprised to find so many properties lying empty.

Amazingly, there are around a million empty homes in the UK

and alarmingly around 1.8 million families looking for somewhere to live.

So, Andy, I've got a young couple.

I'd say they're mid-twenties, looking for an adorable property.

They fancy the Clifton area, they kind of know they might not be able to get it

and they've got £150,000.

-OK.

-Yeah, by your giggly tone, it's not going to happen.

-No.

-They want a house as well.

-Right, OK.

If you wanted a house, two bedrooms in Clifton, with outdoor space for some kind of veg patch

and potentially a cat in the future, what budget are you talking about in that part of Bristol?

-In Clifton?

-In Clifton, what do you reckon?

-How much have they got - £150,000?

-£150,000.

-Probably another couple of hundred on top of that.

-Really? OK.

There's a whole myriad of reasons why a property may be lying empty.

The owners may have died and it's tied up in probate.

The local authority may have run out of maintenance money

or simply the owners may be sitting on the property waiting for the market to improve.

Many people talk about a cappuccino factor.

Once an area has a cappuccino-based coffee shop, others will come.

-That's started to happen a bit round here, you say?

-Yes, there's one opened up round here.

I think it depends on whether the premises are available in that area.

If they are, that's a good opportunity for people to open coffee shops

and I think we've found in other parts of Bristol that has helped to improve an area,

drive people to that area, as you say, the cappuccino factor.

That's what young, first-time buyers want.

It can be tricky getting your hands on one of these properties,

but there are ways you can do your own research.

If they want something Victorian, this is the area for them.

Most two beds, some three beds fall underneath £150,000.

-Really, for three beds?

-Yeah, some three beds.

And also this is an area of regeneration, so it's exempt for stamp duty up to £150,000 as well.

You may not find an empty property in an estate agent's window.

Let's face it, they're not the most appealing.

But, if you go inside and ask to see their "difficult properties",

they may have some tucked away in their filing cabinet, like this one.

Another area you could look is an auction's web site. These are prime candidate for empty properties.

And finally, speak to your local authority.

Under the Freedom of Information Act, you can ask them for

an entire list of empty properties. Most do keep them.

I wanted to meet you over that side, but I couldn't find a way of getting over that river.

No, and in 1831, Isambard Kingdom Brunel still didn't have a way over the river

because they ran of out funding for that bridge.

Why would you pull the funding on it? It's beautiful!

I reckon they didn't know how to build it.

Anyway it was finished in 1864, I think, after Isambard Kingdom Brunel died.

-So we have a tragedy and a triumph in the same thing.

-Great guy, kids.

We have triumphs not tragedies today, ladies and gentleman, in the property department.

My first one, I would say, in the Redfield area, is quite simply the house they will buy.

I always say it doesn't look much from the outside,

-but it's brilliant.

-It actually does.

It really is brilliant. I won't say any more.

They will buy that, I won't say any more.

That's worried me a bit.

-I've gone for the same sort of area.

-That's worried me a lot more.

Thankfully the picture is slightly out of focus - estate agents, take note,

get your photos in focus - but it's got the two bedrooms they require.

It's got the Victorian character, as much as that I don't know,

but it's a slightly different option.

Now, everyone loves the wild card. Isambard Kingdom Brunel,

were he alive today, would probably have that as his favourite property, he would do.

It is going against the olde worlde style of building and we have gone modern.

Victorian it is not, garden it has, different area it is in.

Access to the motorways, the garden, we believe, affords more space

-for potatoes and, I was trying to think of a clever word.

-Courgettes.

Courgettes, that was it. So where shall we start the journey?

I think your one, and then go from there.

Go downhill from there.

Redfield is that atypical type of area that is often called bohemian

by some, and unattractive by the less complimentary.

What it does mean is that houses are still very affordable

and this Victorian two bed is an absolute delight.

I can't wait to see their reaction.

Adam and Beth and Adam, the weather is rubbish,

but that is the only thing that will be rubbish today, I promise you.

Now, Redfield is where we are.

Redfield, I believe, might be the only sticking point.

Do you mind Redfield, do you know Redfield, what do you think?

We have friends that live nearby.

-It would be a compromise, I think, the area.

-It's not too bad.

-A compromise is fine.

-OK, Redfield is, as they say, up and coming.

It's an area that isn't on your dream list, but that house, I would live in there,

-I would move from London to live in that house, it's that nice.

-OK.

-It's genuinely lovely.

-That's a start.

-From the outside, do you like the look of it?

-Exactly what we had in mind.

-I think it's really cute.

Do you know what the good news is? You get to go inside, get in there in the dry.

This looks nice, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

-I like the wooden floors,

-good feature.

-Looks good.

-Good feature.

Clearly it was raining far too much out there.

We don't want our televisual pretty faces being damaged, so we are in a secret part of the house.

-Any guesses where we are?

-It's the cherry on the top of the cake, let's call it that.

Oh, look at that fireplace.

I love the fireplace, original feature.

The fireplace, ladies and gentlemen, I believe could grace

a baronial-style hall, it is a phenomenal fireplace,

it is the reason to spend time in that room, and every room has a feature.

They've got all the coving on the ceilings as well.

-That's got really nice Victorian features.

-Yeah, quite cosy.

-That was a good start.

-Yeah.

I like the hallway as well.

Wooden flooring all the way through.

-Wow!

-And a dining room.

-An actual dining room,

a separate dining room, that's nice.

In your front room, you have the fireplace.

In the dining room, you have acres of little... Oh, it's all there, isn't it?

And I love this table as well. I love the whole wooden feature thing.

We'll have to get our own.

It's not the biggest of dining tables but I would offer them money for that

because I think it works lovely in there.

This is quite funky, I like this.

I like the black.

This place is full of so many kind of quirky little features.

-The step as well.

-And it works really nicely.

The orange would be an acquired taste, but actually I like it.

-It's funky, isn't it?

-The black and orange really works.

-Yep.

-Now, the thing is, this kitchen has a definite style to it.

-Orange.

-But it is a style that can be easily changed.

-Man, I love that kitchen.

Let's have a look at the garden.

-That's a nice garden, nice little kind of corner.

-Really enclosed, yeah.

-It's really good.

OK, still going really well, that's downstairs done, let's go upstairs.

Let's go upstairs and have a look.

-Favourite room?

-I love all the rooms but the bathroom is brilliant.

-Amazing.

-Cast-iron bath. They have spent money on that, it's reclaimed,

but they've saved money on the tap which is a modern-style tap, but it works with the bath.

There's our roll-top bath.

-Wow!

-I love it.

-Is that a shower?

-Is that a separate shower?

-Shower cubicle.

-Let's look.

There's nothing in here they don't like.

Why would I show them a property with something they wouldn't like?

And a bedroom, a child's bedroom at the moment,

-but that can easily change.

-This is my walk-in wardrobe.

You can easily get a bed in there as well, good guest room.

That must mean the master bedroom's even bigger.

Nice area hallway and I like the bookcase.

-Let's pretend it's haunted.

-You want to pretend to be a ghost?

Can you hear noises?

-Maybe.

-There's something upstairs.

Don't know what that could be.

Have to find out later.

-And it is a bigger bedroom.

-The master bedroom is huge.

-Look at the dark floors, I actually quite like it.

-Yeah.

-And the green's quite funky.

-The green's all right, yeah.

-I could live with that.

-I can see us in here.

This is absolutely massive, this bedroom.

It's way bigger than what we've got at the moment.

Everything's just double in size.

When you buy the first property of your dreams, you don't expect to get double the space.

This is the sort of thing that makes someone think, I never thought I'd live in this area,

but now I will, I love it here, because we get this - Redfield.

OK, yeah, I can see us in here.

-Yeah, I like it.

-Let's explore some more

-and...let's see what's up there.

-This looks interesting.

We're going to carry on whispering like David Attenborough.

That's not whispering, that's talking loudly.

That's what David Attenborough does - it sounds like a whisper.

Anyway they are going to come up now, play guess the price

and there's a panda bear over there, nature's silverback.

A silverbacked panda bear!

I'm not sure how you open the thing, but...

Wow!

So, we asked for two bedrooms.

I have delivered you what technically you can't advertise as a bedroom, but it's a third room.

-It's amazing, isn't it?

-We're very impressed.

-It's fantastic.

-Is there anything you don't like about it?

-No, I can't actually...

-Potentially location, which we covered at the beginning.

I would say this is typically a first-time buyer's location.

People who live round here tend to be first-time buyers. It smacks of that, really.

Clifton, where you're aiming towards in the future, if this was in Clifton what price would this be?

-Pushing half a million, easily pushing half a million.

-Half a million.

You're getting a great quality of everything here, every room has a feature, there are no faults.

-It's lovely.

-So, how much do you think it's on the market for?

I think it's over budget because of the finishings and everything

and this kind of house is quite sought after, I think.

So, maybe £165,000, I think.

-You think I've gone that far into a haggle zone.

-It's happened before.

-It has happened before

-and I won't say it won't happen again because it might do.

-I was going to say £159,950.

OK, someone is closest but everyone is going to be happy, which means you've won, Adam.

-The actual price it's on the market for is £151,950.

-That's surprising.

It's an intriguing price as well, £151,950.

But that is the price. What do you think of that price?

-Pretty much on budget, I'm impressed.

-Yeah.

That went well, didn't it? You both look very happy.

It's my shout next, which I'm a bit worried about.

So, property number two, let's go.

Redfield is very boho and I love it.

So, for property two we're going to stay in the area.

Now, admittedly Ed's house was a strong one, but this place,

set on a small, quiet street, should have them all of a quiver.

So, property number two.

Still in Redfield, about a mile down the road from Ed's place.

The house itself, similar period, it's got a rendered facade

so it doesn't look as beautiful as Ed's house. What do you think of it?

-Plain.

-Plain.

OK, listen, go into this house, be open minded, you've already found a house you love,

so it's important you keep in mind alternatives.

-This is a good exercise for you because you've never bought a house before.

-No.

-You've never had any viewings before.

-No.

-Even though you've seen a fantastic house first off,

-you shouldn't fall in love with the first thing you see.

-It is nice, that's why Jonnie's picked it.

-Let me know why I picked it when you go inside.

-Go, enjoy, enjoy.

Nice light area, isn't it?

Nice modern feel, good entrance.

Nicer than it looked from the outside.

Let's have a look in the front room.

I like this.

Nice open area.

Good size, good shape. Strange wall paper but we can...

do something about that.

-I like the coving.

-Coving's good.

-And the finishing as well,

-it's finished off really nicely in here.

-Nice wooden floors again.

Not too bad to start.

-Light and airy.

-OK.

So, first room, I think it went quite well.

I love that wallpaper. I wish they had mentioned more about that, I dig that wallpaper, a lot. I do.

-Oh.

-This is nice and open plan.

-Nice and light, clean.

And you've got your kitchen and your dining room together.

-Yeah.

-So, if you're entertaining.

-Not as much work surface space or storage space with the kitchen as the last one.

-No.

-It's not orange.

-No, it's not orange.

It's got more of a traditional feel where the last one was a bit funky,

so there's a different feeling.

The last one you had your separate dining room as well which was probably an advantage, I think.

-I think so.

-Although that area is nice maybe if you were entertaining.

I still like the idea of that separate room.

Bigger kitchen than the last one as well. What's through here?

Let's have a look through here.

Oh, just a downstairs toilet, which is good enough.

-Hey, I didn't give them a downstairs toilet.

-I did.

It seems like a bit of a waste of space having a downstairs toilet.

-This is what's just happened.

-What?

Well, listen, the customer is always right.

At the moment you give them a downstairs toilet and it's a waste of space.

Into the bathroom, I think, yeah. OK.

What do you think?

-Clean, nice, nicely done.

-Nice tiles on the walls.

-Smaller than last time.

-Got the shower over the bath though.

So you've got that all in one.

That's fine, yeah. OK.

Bedroom, or walk-in wardrobe, whichever way you want to think about it.

-Nice size actually.

-Good size, probably similar size to the last one.

That's a very generous size second bedroom.

-It is very generous.

-Room for a double bed or, room for lots of clothes.

-Got a small courtyard garden.

-Small.

You're overlooking other people as well, but that's terrace houses, isn't it?

That's what comes with the property.

-It's a good-sized spare room.

-Yeah, good-size room.

And through into the master bedroom.

Another big-size room. That's good,

-really good.

-Good size, yeah.

Still got that sort of neutral feel running through the whole house.

There's got to be something going for this one, maybe it's the price.

Shall we go and find out what the price is?

Let's go and find the guys and see what they say.

-So, Beth, Adam, I heard quite a few positive things.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

How's it holding up against Ed's?

-It's not the first one, is it?

-No, it's not the first one.

If we'd seen it first, there would have been more positives come out.

The fact that we've seen the first one and we're comparing it to that.

Do you have a favourite room? Let's focus on some positives.

-I like this room.

-OK.

-I like...

Beth doesn't.

-I like the bedrooms cos they're quite...

-There we go then.

So between us we nearly like the whole house.

It's all right if you don't actually dig this one,

but we're trying to get to the bottom of what it is you don't dig.

So, what would you like to see next? Just humour us.

-I would say location is the key thing that can be improved on with both properties.

-OK.

-Which means you might have to compromise on all that...

-On other things. Yeah.

If this was in the location that we really want to move to,

then we would probably be level pegging between the two.

We've got a maximum budget of £150,000.

We factored some haggle room in there.

We're definitely under budget this time and I'm going to say £137,450.

-Intriguing price.

-450?

OK, Beth.

I'm probably going to go for about £145,000.

-You think it's a lot better than that?

-Yeah.

It's been done to a nice standard.

It has, hasn't it? It's an entertaining house.

Well, Adam, he's very good, he's very good.

Oh, no, don't tell me that.

£137,950.

£137,950, why did I say four?

It was strange, to be honest, but a very good guess. Well done.

-Shall we go to the wild card?

-I think so.

-Let's do it.

-After you, go on.

-Lovely, thank you.

So, they wanted a Victorian stone-fronted building.

Well, this is a modern house set on a development.

For the wild card we've come to Brentry.

It's not one of the better known areas of Bristol

but it's popular for those seeking an easy commute - take note, Adam.

His job means he needs access to the motorway and this place is a mere five minutes from said highway.

Adam and Beth, the sun has come out

because even the weather has a favourite part of the show, and it's now, the wild card.

Now, welcome to Brentry.

-Ever been here before?

-No.

-Driven through it.

-Funny you should drive through it because it has fantastic access to the motorway.

It's less up and coming than the area we've been in before.

But by no means been and gone.

-It's here and now.

-Yes, we're in it right now. Deal with it.

And why do think we've shown you a modern one? Because... we're crafty like that.

So, modern, it's here, it's happening, it's the one on the end.

What do you think about it?

-It's OK.

-It's a quiet area, looks fine.

Adam, you're a driving man, are you not?

-I am, yes.

-You've got off-street car parking here, tandem style.

-Feel safe putting my car there, yeah.

-Feel safe here.

-Nice and safe.

So, commuting to work, bus routes, it's going to take a little bit more time than the other properties.

-Is that a problem?

-Not too bad.

Not too bad, OK.

It's great for me.

It's fine for you, as long as they're on time.

And the idea of modern doesn't put you off too much.

-Not too much.

-As long as there's some sort of character.

-Okey-cokey.

There's not a lot else you can say about the outside in terms of judging the book by its cover.

This is what some might describe as a practical option.

Any character I would say is on your toes.

You might want to put the character in this property. There is space to do that in a contemporary style.

-OK, are you ready and revved?

-We are, I think, yeah.

-Three, two, one, enter the modern world.

-Yay!

Right, here we go, character on your toes, it's a new phrase, I like it.

-It's a property term, very specific, come on, follow me.

-OK, on my toes.

Oh, straight into a big space. Oh, quite a nice little lounge.

Oh, this is interesting walking straight into the living room.

Quite a fresh feel, I like it.

It's OK, a little bit kind of small,

but you can get all your bits and bobs in here, I think.

Well, the living room, it is being greeted with joy and concern.

Everything's with joy and concern.

They are descriptive as a couple, I would say. They say what they see.

It's nice, you get all the light coming in from the garden.

-Yeah, and I like the idea of the doors going out into the garden.

-Have it opened up.

-Quite a nice little space, I like it.

-Yeah.

The only problem is, if that's the dining kind of area.

-You're not going to have a dinner party there, are you?

-No.

-Dinner parties, I would say, would be cosy.

-Would be cosy.

But you could repair to the sofa quite easily from the dinner party.

You could use the sofa as part of your dinner party.

-OK, limited space.

-Quite little,

but maybe could knock that wall through,

-make it a bit more open.

-Maybe, yeah.

If they knock down all the walls they're going to do, the top would become the bottom,

because it needs some of them, it really does.

-It's called support, isn't it?

-It would become a bungalow.

-That's the thing with these modern properties.

-You don't get as much space in the kitchen, yeah,

but it's all kind of tidy and clean.

-Everything's modern looking.

-No need to do anything to it.

-OK, that looks like downstairs is done, shall we go and have a look upstairs?

-Yeah.

Now, who is the person that's shown them technically three bedrooms today?

Put your hands up if you've done that.

Doesn't get any bigger upstairs.

Oh, it's quite a nice shaped, size room.

Yeah, quite small, though, wouldn't really get...

-My clothes, let alone yours. There's built-in wardrobes here.

-This is quite good.

-I'm guessing they're wardrobes.

-Built-in wardrobes.

And it's quite an airy feel as well.

Looking out onto the garden, which isn't too bad. A bit small.

-A bit small.

-Small, mm.

-And through into what is another...

-Second bedroom.

-Similar size.

-A little bit smaller.

Again lacking character and space.

Yeah, still get my clothes in here.

-Without a bed.

-Without a bed.

You could get a single bed in here.

It's not too small, but...

It's all right as a spare room.

As a spare room it's still a bit too small, isn't it, for us?

-Small and neutral and plain, which isn't us, I don't think.

-No. OK.

Oh, my goodness, this is awash with mmms, oohs, not too bads and small.

Let's have look through into...

What I'm guessing is a bathroom.

OK.

Couldn't quite swing a cat in here.

And we will have a cat, not that we'll want to swing it.

Needs to be redone, I think.

Not sure green's our colour, colour in a bathroom. But yeah...

Same sort of feel throughout the house.

Quite small.

OK, quite nice sort of airy feeling throughout the house.

Light and airy bedrooms, everything's clean and tidy.

-Ideal first-time buyer's house, but a little bit too small for us.

-Whether it's us or not.

Well, it is ideal for first-time buyers. And what are you, Adam and Beth?

First-time buyers, and that is the worst kind of praise.

It would be ideal for first-time buyers that aren't us.

-Shall we go convince them otherwise?

-I'll have a go.

-We'll try.

So, Beth and Adam, my favourite comment of the lot was,

"It would be an ideal house for a first-time buyer." You ARE first-time buyers, but somehow...

You like it, but it doesn't set your world on fire.

-No.

-It doesn't make me go wow.

On the ground floor you were quite positive.

It's a big small living room you said at one point which confused us a little bit.

But, by the time you got upstairs you were a bit more, not dismissive, but deflated.

I think we were hoping there was a little bit more to it and there wasn't.

It's dinkier because we are in a nicer area.

Even though you've not been in this area, this is a bit posher here.

-More established. A bit like the garden, what about this garden?

-Nice.

-I love the garden.

-It's guess the price time, which is a very exciting part of the show.

-Normally it's exciting.

It's normally exciting when it hasn't already been lost.

You've almost ruined it, Adam, but you're playing for pride here.

So it's 2-0 at the moment in Adam's favour. Who wants to go first, Beth?

-You can.

-OK, I think we're under budget again.

-I'm going to go £144,950.

-Right, interesting.

-He's so confident, isn't he?

-Yes.

-Beth.

I'm going to go for £147,000.

£147,000. £144,950 and £147,000.

The winner of this, but the overall loser, is you Beth, you are closest.

So, the actual price £159,950.

-Oh, my gosh.

-Access to the motorway, off-street parking, nothing to do, big garden, people like it.

So, there we go, knowing the price, I don't think it's helped you in any way.

-No.

-It's going the opposite way.

-It may have helped us!

It's helped you form a decision but you have to make the biggest decision of your adult lives

as to which one you wish to test drive. Are you excited about that?

-I think so, yeah.

-OK, maybe wander off over there and think about it and we will see you later on.

-I know where you're putting your money for this.

-I know where the viewers will as well.

Having said that, let's remind ourselves of all three properties, why don't we do just that?

We should do that and then see why mine's the best.

I have never been so confident about a property before.

Property one may not be in their desired postcode

but it has everything that Adam and Beth want

less the extra couple of hundred grand they'd need for Clifton.

It's a great price, that price being £151,950.

OK, so I'm up against it, but on any other day, property two would be a perfect first-time buyer's house.

Beautifully looked after and offering generous room sizes and a quiet street location.

It was also way under their budget. Still surely in the running at...

I'm not sure we'll change their minds about wanting a Victorian house with the wild card

but Adam and Beth did like the look of Brentry as an area.

The house itself was perfectly presented and had arguably the best garden.

Room for negotiation, the price...

Well, look at this, surprise, surprise, here we are

in the back garden of property number one, Ed's choice.

Thank you very much.

For those that didn't know, why was this the best?

-I'd say...

-It had everything going for it that we wanted.

Space and character were the key things, and price within the budget.

It was phenomenal, wasn't it? Now, this is the bit that could put the hammer to it.

-Why are we here in the back garden, Ed?

-This is very intriguing.

We have had our To Buy Or Not To Buy surveyor come and give the house a thorough looking over.

It's not legally binding so if you did wish to purchase it, you should get your own survey.

-Do you want to know the bad news?

-Fire away.

-Here it comes.

Well, maybe not bad news, maybe negotiation ammunition.

Now, big feature of this house, we hid up there. The loft.

Even the estate agent particulars don't describe it as a bedroom, or even a further bedroom.

Now, the fall of those stairs is very, very steep

which suggests it may or may not comply with building regs.

There's also no fire alarms in the house to alert anybody staying on that top floor

whether there might be something cooking down below.

So, what you need to do is get hold of the local authority

and check that it's got a certificate of regularisation, or a certificate of completion.

Don't fear it. As he says, negotiation point.

The other thing, which is why we are out the back here.

Look at the back of the property. It's pebbledash rendered.

You can see it cracking mainly at the back portion of the property there.

That could be to do with the render,

-it could be to do with the brick, it could be to do with many factors.

-Why might that have happened?

Well, weather is one of the things.

If it needs replacing, it might be a few thousand pounds.

-You knock a few thousand pounds off the completion price.

-Pay that way.

Are you still prepared to go in there and give that the drive of its life?

-Yeah.

-Oh, yeah.

-We're looking forward to it.

-All right, go get your shopping bags and do it.

It's a nice garden. Having said that, another feature of this house and the area,

-I spied a fish and chip shop.

-Have you?

-Battered sausage?

-It does.

When Beth shops, she really shops, look how many bags she's got.

-Oh, she looks a bit sheepish.

-What have I told you about shopping?

Did I mention I love that kitchen?

Yeah, something about the black and orange.

Matches my favourite outfit you know, it's very funky.

-Fancy a cuppa?

-Yeah, go for it.

Wherever the kettle is.

Just over there.

Right, whilst you make the tea, I think I'm going to try some of my new clothes on.

You can tell me what you think.

-I will give you my... honest opinion.

-Yes, please do.

Well, Adam will just wait,

and wait and wait.

Ooh, here we go.

Stone me, it's like a catwalk in Milan.

Yeah, in Redfield.

Oh, hello.

He's not sure about that one, is he?

Or that one.

Oh, yes, I think we've found a winner there.

Look at his lovely face.

They were all right, yeah, a couple of them but if we're

going to be buying a house, you can't go out buying four or five dresses.

Can I at least keep three then?

Three. Maybe two, we'll see.

OK, well, I think we can compromise with two.

-Which ones did you like the best?

-The first one and the last one.

OK, that's fine. I have to agree with you on that one.

And then we can save some money for the house.

We're sat here. I think we all look at home here.

I earlier stated I would like to buy this house, if I was indeed going to move to Bristol.

This looks great. Do you feel at home here?

Yeah, very homely.

And the beauty of this, which I cleverly spotted,

this stays if you buy it, this stays if you buy it and that up there stays as well.

You've only got to buy a table yourselves.

-It suits you.

-You wear it well.

Now, the test drive.

How was it? Ed would look adorable in those clothes.

I know I would look adorable, I sneaked into them earlier on but that is between me and myself.

Could it take a fashion show do you think on a regular basis, this house?

-I think it would have to.

-I think so, yeah.

Could it take the amount of clothes that you've got because that is one of the major things?

-I think it could.

-Definitely.

Big question coming your way, Beth and Adam, To Buy Or Not To Buy?

-What do you think?

-BOTH: To buy.

Hurray! Yes!

You should buy it.

Obviously do all the bits and bobs, get your survey done everything else.

See those points earlier on as negotiation. This is a cracker.

It's put it into perspective what we can and can't get and this is pretty much perfect.

I'll take that as a thank you for showing you property number two.

It's OK, not a problem, here to help.

You put the perspective across.

-Yes.

-So, if anyone was looking for a house,

do you think that we have surpassed your expectations?

-I would think about recommending you.

-I think you have.

You'd think about recommending us, praise indeed.

We're out there, if you do buy this and we want you to, can we come back?

-Of course you can.

-Yes.

-See you soon.

-Thank you. Bye!

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