North Coventry To Buy or Not to Buy

-Welcome to To Buy Or Not To Buy.

-Do we have a tale to tell you?!

-Are you sitting comfortably?

-Not really, no.

-Not you, I'm talking to them. ..Then we'll begin.

Once upon a time, there was a dynamic house-hunting duo.

Nikki was pretty and smart

and could spot a bargain at 60 paces.

Ed was funny, handsome, and wore fantastic outfits.

And could sniff out the perfect property, no matter where it hid.

Together, they came to the aid of desperate buyers across the land.

And helped turn their gloom into unabashed glee.

But when they met the Sikh storytellers from Leeds,

they encountered their toughest task yet.

Do they succeed? Well, you'll have to stay tuned and find out.

Coming up on today's show:

we encounter trains...

-There is a train line right there.

-Good.

-It's the main train line.

-She's off!

-Between Birmingham and London.

Thank you, Nikki.

-..Massive window panes...

-Big bay window!

We've never been in a room this big on this show!

..And a wild card amongst all wild cards.

-This is what we've been waiting for.

-It's really nice.

Roop Singh and his wife Surinder

have lived together in Leeds for the past 30 years.

Now their children have flown the nest, and with one winging his way to Canada,

the Singhs have decided it's time to make a move nearer to their daughter and grandchild.

Roop travels the country plying his trade as a storyteller,

teaching children about the history of the Sikhs.

And Surinder makes her own cultural contribution by demonstrating traditional food and costume.

Now they're banking on us to provide the next chapter in their story.

Let's keep our fingers crossed for a happy ending!

Roop, Surinder, first of all, I should say, "Sat sri akal."

-Sat sri akal.

-That is a traditional Sikh greeting.

Isn't it because your daughter took the vows and got teased at school

-that you now have the professions you have?

-When I went to school as a turban-wearing Sikh,

they didn't know much about Sikhs. I was teased at school.

Then when my daughter was born and wanted to wear a turban as well,

cos Mum and Dad were wearing turbans, she started wearing a turban.

She went to school and came home crying. I said, "What's wrong?" She said, "They were teasing me,

"taunting me because of my turban."

I went into the school, did an assembly

and after that there was no more bullying or calling names.

They accepted her and things went good from there.

-Then you realised this could be a career.

-I didn't realise then,

but your name gets passed around and I got calls from other schools.

I thought, "Hang on, something's happening here. I could make it into a career."

And that's exactly what I did.

-So you are a professional storyteller now.

-That's right!

-A bit like you, Ed, but...

-I'm only an amateur storyteller!

Oh, well, that's great.

So, explain how we find ourselves here.

-We are in a hotel in Coventry at the moment because you don't live in Coventry.

-No.

You're currently in Leeds. Which part of Coventry are we looking to move to?

Where's your daughter now?

Our daughter lives in Tile Hill.

-Geographically...

-West Coventry.

We don't want to be TOO close to her.

We want to give them space. We like space, as well. We respect each other's space.

-So something like the outskirts. Those areas.

-OK. You want to be near, but not too near.

-Sensible. Everything's got to be done sensible!

-The house we're in at the moment,

-if I could take that into the countryside...

-Explain your house at the moment.

-It's quite old.

-I think it's pre-war.

-Yes, 1940s.

Big ceilings.

-High ceilings.

-You like a sense of space.

-Right.

-Nice wooden floors.

-Oh, yes.

-Open fires.

-Lovely.

-Garages.

-Garages.

-Plural?

-OK.

You want two garages, high ceilings, open fireplaces.

Add something else. What else do you want?

-Your office.

-My office, definitely.

-She needs an office.

-Do you both need a study?

-Definitely.

-We both need a prayer room.

-Prayer room is very important. That needs to be at the top of the house.

-Preferably.

-Yes.

-How many rooms for actual bedrooms do we need?

-Two, I'd say.

-Two.

-Yes.

-So we need a four-bed house. Maybe room for a loft conversion.

-Correct.

-Do you need to be near motorways for travelling?

-Definitely.

-Yes.

-In my job, I travel a lot.

-Right. OK.

-OK.

The big question, then, is, what's the budget?

What's the budget?

Realistically if we want to go budget-wise, it'll be 350.

-Right.

-But we could push it to 400, I'd say.

-Yes.

-Have you looked much? Does that seem like enough?

-We haven't looked at all.

We'll surprise you. If we fail, we'll say it's impossible.

-And if we achieve...

-It's win/win for us, really!

Fantastic.

We'll get out there, do it, and we will learn about all the things we didn't know

-by the medium of your storytelling.

-We will, indeed.

Once upon a time, and all that!

-Right. Get out there.

-See you later!

-See you!

Nikki and house-hunters at home,

this is the most important part of the programme

where we come up with an outlandish theme for the episode.

Today, Roop being a storyteller, it's a given, isn't it?

Any idea of storytelling we could weave in to the show?

I do, actually.

-Once upon a time...

-I like it.

-..there were three houses.

-Good.

-One was Ed's house.

-Nice.

-One was Nikki's house.

The other one was a wild house!

That sounds fantastic.

And those houses were situated in Coventry.

They had a budget of £400,000.

-I need to brush up on my storytelling.

-I'm better.

-You are.

-I'm going to the estate agents.

-I'm going to meet the people of Coventry.

Coventry is the Midlands' second largest city,

with a population of over 300,000.

Its many attractions include the cathedral

which is one of the newest in the world, having been rebuilt after bomb damage in World War II.

Of more interest to Roop and Surinder will be the city's four Sikh temples or Gurdwaras.

And with thousands of fellow Sikhs calling Coventry their home,

they have a ready-made community right on their doorstep.

But what would our storytellers' £400,000 budget stretch to in other parts of the country?

Straight out of a story book, this two-bed apartment

is set in a modern-day fortress in Swansea.

You could be king of the castle strolling in communal grounds.

If you look for heavenly inspiration to unleash your creative talents,

take a peek at this conversion of a medieval church in Lanarkshire.

It has four bedrooms and is offered ghost-free!

Or how about this candy-floss-pink cottage near Exeter?

Three bedrooms, a detached studio and great views over the Devon countryside.

As we have a master storyteller on the programme today,

I've come in search of some Coventry people who are never short of a tale or two!

Taxi!

A property with a double garage, a prayer room...

What's the most unusual situation that's occurred?

-I've had that train bloke in.

-What train bloke?

-From Coventry.

-Richard Branson?

-No, no.

Four bedrooms, two offices, a very big kitchen...

-Pete Waterman!

-Pete Waterman?

-Yeah.

-He's the music guy!

We'd like a kitchen/diner maybe, but would quite like a dining room.

-The bloke who used to... Jeremy...

-Paxman?

-No.

-Jeremy Vine?

-No. He used to do the University Challenge.

And a lounge.

-OK.

-How much money do I need for all of that, do you think?

-A good amount, really!

-Jeremy Paxman.

-Is that Jeremy Paxman, is it?

-Or there was Bamber Gascoigne.

-It's Bamber Gascoigne.

Well, that's not Jeremy, is it?!

In honour of Roop's storytelling,

we are going to try and weave as many story, fairytale, fable kind of references -

call them what you will - into our property details.

Nikki, furnish us with the first.

OK. This little property is on the market...

-Very clever.

-Like what I did there?

-Referring to it as a piggy.

-It is in an area called Stoke Park.

-You made that sound spooky!

-It's not spooky, it's just an area of Coventry.

-A very posh area of Coventry.

It's a lovely area.

Very nice. Imagine if there was a wicked wild wolf

who wanted to huff and puff and blow this house down.

He'd be there all week and he wouldn't budge it.

It was built in 1877. It wouldn't be blown down. It's very nice.

A couple of dilemmas. It's near some noisy things,

and prayer room - I've got an idea, but I'm not sure.

Otherwise, lovely. Surinder would like it.

The wild card, the wild card. Tout le monde aime le wild card.

OK, so if that property is on the market,

then this property cries,

"Oui, oui, oui, oui! I'm your home! I'm your home!"

-It is...

-No, it's good. Very clever.

-It's the wild card.

-It's lovely.

Wild. It is absolutely stunning.

It has the biggest lounge I've ever seen on this programme.

-And the biggest window to the lounge.

-True.

Where shall we start today's story?

-# Let's start at the very beginning! # My property.

-Good.

My property, number one, is a lesson in suburban splendour.

Couched between tree-lined streets, it's got period features,

piles of parking and a symmetrical appearance that should appeal to the engineer in Roop.

Inside, I reckon I've ticked all the boxes as well.

Let's just hope there's not a twist in the tale when they deliver their verdict.

So, Surinder, Roop, this is Property One. It's my property.

We're in the Stoke Park area of Coventry, which is east.

About five minutes from your daughter, I believe.

-Close to the motorways?

-The exact specifics,

we are four miles from the M6

-and I punched it into the sat nav, about 15 minutes.

-That's manageable. OK.

As you can see, this is... Do you know the period of this house?

-I'd say about 1940s.

-Earlier. It's probably '20s to '30s.

-Right.

As much as "probably"(?)

-Oh, we've started, have we, Ed?

-Sorry!

So you've got a lot of space in this house. That's all I'll tell you.

I won't say a number of rooms.

-I expect you can see that window in the roof there.

-That's the loft.

So no need for a loft conversion.

-Also, a Sikh family already live here.

-They've tried it already for you!

So you could then buy it.

-As you can see, there is only one garage.

-I've noticed, yes.

-But look at the forecourt.

-Yes.

When you see that lovely mature garden behind, you've seen the trees. Does it make up for it?

I heard the bells earlier on. Definitely. Something positive there.

-Ready to go in?

-Yes.

-Let's go for it.

-Give it a look round. We'll judge on the headphones.

-Enjoy!

Let's have a look. OK.

Wow. I like the beams.

Hang about! An instant wow! They're faux beams, but they're loved.

-This is nice.

-Here's the kitchen.

-Kitchen. It's a nice size.

-Size-wise?

-Yes, it's a nice kitchen.

-This is interesting.

Let's have a look at this.

Oh.

-That's handy.

-When we have parties and guests coming round.

-Yeah.

-You have a second... That's the same as our...

-The one we've got, yes.

So when you're frying samosa and pakora, which you would call bhajis, all that fried stuff,

-it's away from the house. Your clothes won't smell.

-The smell factor. I like it.

-Oil hangs in the air. All you deep-fat-frying people know that.

-That's our audience!

-Ah.

-That's nice.

This is your formal dining room, I would imagine.

Nice size. I like the size. The window's nice.

Oh, hello!

Oh, wow!

I know what this is. I know what this is going to be!

-This is my office.

-Your office.

-Very nice.

Unless I might have to use it for myself, if I like it!

OK. We'll see!

What in the blue blazes is going on here?

This is the kind of inside thought for a man. You never say that out loud!

-OK. That's nice.

-Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

-I like the doors.

-You can see yourself quite relaxed here.

-You can.

-There is that atmosphere. It's got a good feel to it.

-I also like

-looking at the garden.

-Yeah.

-That is important to me. You can sit and look at the garden and birds.

-Yeah.

Nice high ceilings again. I like the window.

It's nice and bright. We like it bright, don't we?

OK. Ah.

-This is quite different.

-Yeah.

-If it's the smallest room, it can work. But if it's second...

-I hope it's the smallest room!

Then we've got a problem.

-What's this, then?

-Another bedroom.

What about the slanted ceilings?

-I'm not keen on slanted ceilings. It makes it...

-A bit claustrophobic.

His stories, he can incorporate the story of The Man Who Lived In A Slanted Roof.

-Kept banging his head when he got out of bed.

-A brilliant story. Already I want to know the end!

-Quite a few rooms.

-There is quite a few rooms.

-Bathroom.

A little bit tired.

Had you been the little dandy fashionista you were in the '60s and '70s...

-I'd have had a pink suite?

-Yes.

-I doubt it somehow!

-He would!

With a scalloped-edged sink? I doubt it. I might, actually. Nice idea.

-Ah, right. OK. A bit bigger room.

-Yeah.

-A bit more airy and spacey.

-Yeah.

Can you see the difference between the slanted roofs?

-An open space.

-You definitely can see that.

Looking at the garden from here.

-Wow.

-I've noticed there's a big main road. Zip, zip, zip.

Hmm.

If that's an issue, we've spent time in the garden and it's not that bad.

-There's a park beyond the road.

-You like my property?

-Mine's better.

Again, this is another sensible sized room.

Yeah.

What I'd probably do is knock these two into one.

Roop is making your overly proportioned well-endowed-bedroomed house smaller!

He's knocking something out.

Has it still got enough bedrooms? Has it?

Yes. Oh, yes!

OK. Oh, that's interesting.

-It's bright.

-You've got a...

What have we got here?

Oh, a baby bathroom!

OK.

-Then we've got...

-This would be our prayer room.

-Oh, it's too small.

-Don't judge a book by its cover.

Sometimes you know what's good and what's not so good.

So, Roop, Surinder, I take it you just can't get on with sloping ceilings!

How did you feel?

Well, downstairs was good, but when we went upstairs

from there onwards I thought it went downhill.

Look what I gave you. Not four bedrooms, but five bedrooms.

-OK.

-The kitchen with a separate area.

-I liked that.

-A formal dining room, lovely garden area.

-You're in a very good area of Coventry.

-Yes.

So I'm interested to know what you think this is worth.

-Are you ready to guess the price?

-Who first?

-Who'd like to go first?

-Surinder, would you like to force Roop first?

-Yes, as I'm in charge.

She's very good at prices. This woman is an estate agent without being an estate agent!

-No. I used to be.

-She can guess.

-Roop, you've dismissed yourself from the competition.

But let's see whether you're any good. You've seen the house. How much is it on the market for? Roop?

-315.

-£315,000. We were going up to £400,000 today, maximum budget.

-Surinder?

-Did you say 315?

-315.

-There is quite a lot of work that needs doing on it.

It's a good area.

I would say 325.

The actual price

-is 374,950.

-What do you think now you know those things?

What?

I've got my car. Surinder's got her car. That leaves a garage.

Then I've just bought this new bike!

A trike bike! Where will I keep that?

I don't know! This is all new information!

It's impossible we'll ever house these things.

We'll go this way and I'll call the estate agent en route. Come on.

My property, number two, has the charm of a Victorian cottage

combined with space and style that gives Roop and Surinder everything they asked for.

-If it was a book, it would be a best-seller!

-Fiction, more like!

-Where's the expansive driveway Roop wanted?

-This has the Singhs written all over it,

rural, but not too remote.

And with room sizes that I would describe as very sensible indeed.

Roop and Surinder, this is Property Two. This is the one our team is plumping for today.

As you can tell, we're in a rural part of Coventry.

Coventry is eight miles away.

Our nearest village is Brinklow, 1.5 miles away.

So you're a little bit further out. What do you think about being in the countryside?

-Just over there is the Oxford Canal.

-Oh, rather!

-Which is fantastic.

Barges going up and down, lots of walks.

What do you think about the idea of the area?

I thought it was very nice as we were driving up the country lane.

It's a good feel, good feel.

-OK. Atmosphere is good.

-There's a train line there.

-I noticed.

-It's the main train line.

-She's trying to put us off!

Birmingham and London. You will hear trains. Does that bother you?

Where we live now is a train station round the corner.

If you listen carefully, you can hear trains occasionally.

-If we stay here any longer, there'll be six in a row.

-She's putting us off!

-And, on the transport...

-What now?

-Just one more thing.

You did some homework about how far the M6 was from my property.

One mile as the crow flies from here, so you'll hear it,

-but more than that, about five miles down the road.

-Five miles.

-OK.

I would like to point out you have double glazing throughout!

Now, you, I believe, Roop, are considering cycling from John O'Groats to Land's End?

-The cycle.

-With your cycle. So what better place to prepare for this ridiculous cycle,

a huge endeavour, than round these lanes where you can get practice in?

I can see myself riding down these country lanes, zipping past.

We were just admiring all the fields, the openness and the massive expanse of sky.

Which we don't really see a lot in England.

So, from the outside,

what do you think? Obviously there may be some sloping roofs in it!

But what do you think as a look, as a property?

I think it's got character, it's got history.

I like it. It's the sort of house we would go for a country cottage retreat, that sort of thing.

-We come back and we always say, "We should have a house like that."

-Yes.

So this could be quite interesting.

So with curvy, slanty roofs, you might be able to possibly get round that?

-Fingers crossed, you may change your minds when you're in there.

-OK.

I'm literally crossing my fingers for that. Ready to go in?

-Absolutely.

-Three, two, one, enjoy.

-Let's go.

-Thank you.

-Go on.

-Right.

-Nice and light.

What I want now is a cacophony of wows!

Oh, right. Now, then, this is your dining kitchen.

-Very nice.

-That's what you talked about. Dining kitchen.

I like that. It's nice and bright, as well.

-It's a belting kitchen.

-A farmhouse kitchen with everything you need.

-Everything is wipe-clean, perfect. You could not have a dinner party you couldn't clean up after.

-Huge.

OK. Oh, that's handy.

This is the utility and everything.

This is very handy, yeah. You can do everything in here. Ironing and washing. Extra...

-It's got a good feel, yeah?

-Yeah.

In here... Ooh! After you!

-Downstairs toilet.

-And shower, as well.

-Shower as well? Oh, right!

-Yeah!

And in here...

This is where... Oh, yeah, this is good.

-It's nice.

-There's a lot of doors!

-There is!

-What's in here?

-Oh, wow!

-Let's go through this way.

-That's nice!

-Full of surprises!

It's sort of like... Gosh!

This is probably what they call the snug or something. I don't know.

This is a handy little room.

The buzz word of the property so far seems to be the word "handy".

It is a very handy house.

It's handy for the M6. It's handy for the local trains. It's handy for inter-city trains!

And the lounge.

-It's quite spacey, I'd say.

-I like the ceilings.

-I like the coving on the ceilings.

-Nice decor.

I've not had a conservatory.

-No, we've never had a conservatory.

-Very nice.

-This is nice.

-A chance to read all those books Rav's been buying us!

-Sit in here.

-It's nice.

-Yeah.

-You've got a good feel.

-Nice garden. Nice size.

-Nice.

OK. Let's have a look in here.

Bathroom.

-Sensible size.

-It's nice, yeah.

-Excited by the downstairs bathroom, he's whooped at the upstairs bathroom.

-Cos it's not pink!

-Into this one next.

-Bedroom.

Oh, right. OK.

It's a nice size.

I could see this as maybe an office or something, yes.

It's not too bad.

-I like a view from my office.

-I know you do!

-That window's a bit small.

-Not the best view for an office!

But potential.

Let's go in here.

OK.

All right.

-This looks like the master bedroom.

-Yeah.

Um...

It's OK. It's all right. It's just when you see the rooms downstairs,

-how big they are, and then...

-That's just what I was thinking.

The rooms are much smaller upstairs because the house goes like this.

It's big bottomed. Don't know why I'm looking at you when I say that.

-Neither do I!

-Exactly!

OK.

-Again, the rooms are...

-This room feels bigger but it's got no other furniture in it.

Can you imagine, with the furniture in, you're going to be struggling.

Unless you have this as the bedroom and that as a dressing room.

-Yeah.

-I don't know.

-That could work.

Ed's going to kill us for this! Let's have a look.

Wrong. I'm not going to kill them for that, but I am angry!

-Why worry about you? They weren't worried about me!

-Because I'm an expert and you're a charlatan!

-Standing here.

-OK.

These are like the cottage houses. They don't have massive rooms.

-Yeah, it's just when you see downstairs and then you see...

-Can this work?

If this is the office, then we can have another room for your office.

But again, a bit of a low ceiling. If I'm rushing downstairs...

-Yes.

-It could be hazardous.

The way he said that at the end slightly concerned me.

But I have solutions for every one of his dilemmas.

Roop and Surinder, before we broach the topic of... Thank you!

Don't worry. I think what's in here, hopefully... Don't be nervous.

I'm a very calm man. Come here.

-Right.

-OK.

-OK.

-Now, this...

Oh, right.

This used to be the garage.

With this comes another question, but let's deal with it in order.

Now, this, they converted. Could this maybe be the prayer room?

I know your current one is at the top of the house.

But is this viable? Is this something that would work possibly?

-Space-wise, it's good.

-Uh-huh.

I like the windows, good.

Can we connect it from the main house?

If you go through there into the kitchen, you'd lose a bit of unit space.

You'd be going direct onto the walls and so the units would have to be moved.

But you could do that. Or maybe you could make this an office possibly,

and then have the prayer room upstairs. What about that?

I like the idea of this being the office.

But the question is, where's the garages?

Let's go out here and I'll give you my other plan in a second!

Right, Nikki,

I've got two people here that I've nearly convinced about the property.

You mentioned the garage.

You're lucky to hear this, Nikki. This is great garage chat.

Can you guess where I'm putting the garage?

Here.

This I would classify as dead garden space.

This area here. We'd sacrifice a bit of the hedge

and I'm placing a double garage there. I can't build it for you, but it could be there.

Right.

It's do-able!

Oh, come on!

-Unbelievable!

-You'll ruin the whole look of the house!

-But I've created privacy and I know you like that.

-Yes, but not...

But, but, but... Nearly.

I have created privacy in this garden.

-She was bad, you're worse!

-I was bad.

-At least you had one garage!

-One garage is better than zero garage!

-Can I talk to Surinder, please? What do you think?

My only concern is when I'm reading in the conservatory there,

I'm looking onto a brick wall there.

-What you could do is paint an exact image of the view...

-Oh, Ed!

-I'm clutching at straws.

-You really are.

-But I'm trying!

I am trying. But we're at an exciting point now. Guess the price.

Roop, you had the first go last time so I think Surinder should go first this time.

-OK.

-Maximum budget £400,000. I can't stress that it's an expensive place.

-Yes.

-I know we've gone up to 400, but I'd go slightly over that.

I'd go 402.

-402?

-That's an interesting number.

Right. 402.

I made my mind up upstairs and I went for 399,950.

OK. There is a winner.

O-ho, I feel it!

It's not you!

Surinder, you're closest.

The actual price it's on the market for is £425,000.

Now, it's been on the market with the current agents for nine months.

So it's been on for quite a while and we've been steered to the knowledge

-that within your budget they'd accept an offer.

-OK.

-So around 400,000.

-She's done it again, hasn't she?

Potentially for both your prices, that's a fair reflection of what you might get it for.

OK. We've got one last throw of the dice.

-Wild card!

-Wish us luck, cos we might need it today!

This way!

Welcome to the quirky character in our tale - it's the wild card.

Yep, and this is something straight out of a science fiction novel

because although it looks unassuming on the outside,

inside, it's truly TARDIS-esque.

We're very excited about this one.

If Roop wanted bang for his buck, this house has it in spades.

But will it be the fairytale end to the Singhs' property search?

-I know people get excited about the wild card.

-Yes.

-I do.

Today, I am more than excited.

-Yes.

-It is absolutely incredible. First of all,

-we're in a village called Bulkington.

-It's north Coventry.

-It's near to everything you want.

-OK.

The first major point. Roop, what have you seen that you're finally going to be happy with? Look.

I see lots of things I'm happy with. I can see garages,

I can see loft spaces, I can see a big bay window.

-That window...

-That's not a window, that's a floor of windows!

-It's ridiculous. When you go in, it's ridiculous.

-The house

-has parts of it that were built 300 years ago.

-Wow.

The newest parts are 150 years ago.

-So that brings in all your wants of beams and beautiful old things.

-It's got it all.

Surinder, what do you think?

It's really nice. And the village itself is so pretty.

This is one of your things. You wanted a village feel, the shops.

-Shops as well!

-Happy with that? This is great.

Why didn't we come here first? Nevertheless, we've ruled a lot of things out.

-We have our hopes on this.

-Wait till you get inside and then you'll realise why this is wild

and the wild card, honestly.

It sounds good.

-Are you excited?

-We're ready to go.

-Definitely.

In terms of stories, Roop, I'd say this house is the never-ending story.

-Ah!

-Very clever. Three, two, one, enter that never-ending story!

-Enjoy!

-I've never said "enter that never-ending story" before!

-Oh!

-Wow!

-Wow, that's good.

High ceilings. Nice high ceilings.

-You wanted a cacophony of wows earlier. You're getting them.

-Nices, oohs and ahs.

-Wow!

-Wow!

-Look at this!

-Look at this!

-This is what you call... This is a lounge!

-Look at that fireplace!

-That is nice.

-This is what we've been waiting for, isn't it?

That is a ridiculous room.

In a brilliant way. We've never been in a room this big in the show ever.

I like that sort of lounge area/ dining area.

Perfect.

Look out there!

I like it. I like the big window.

-I like the beams.

-Very nice, yes.

-Yeah.

-Oh, wow!

-Oooh!

-Look at this!

-Wow!

-This is really nice.

-This is another room, fantastic!

-Yeah.

-Wood-burner as well.

-Another one.

-Notice the beams.

Solid beams. These have got history in them.

It's what we like, isn't it?

Wow! This is something different!

-Oh, gosh!

-It's beautiful.

Oh, I do like this.

Look at this!

Wow!

That's what you want. And you don't have to polish it down like the last one you did.

They love everything. That is one of the darker of the rooms,

but because there are so many other rooms to choose from, it's quite cosy.

They've gone into the 300-year-old part of the house. The ceiling is lower.

The Dark Ages!

-Here's the...

-Oh, look at the kitchen!

-We've come right round

and here is your dining kitchen.

-Wow, that is nice.

-Look at the garden as well.

-Nice old-fashioned...

-And you won't need a ladder to paint the ceilings!

-Thanks a lot!

Man alive, is Roop a brave man!

Earlier on, he robbed an office from his wife, Surinder.

And now he's on national television

-telling Surinder, "When you clean the ceilings, you'll be laughing."

-You don't need a ladder!

Oh, yes.

Yeah, this is a nice-sized room, isn't it? Fitted wardrobes in already.

-Look at this!

-Oh, my gosh!

-Wow!

-Oh, my goodness!

I could live in these two rooms!

That's amazing.

-This house really is something different.

-Right.

Well, that's good.

Another room?

I'll be honest now, viewers. We've been round the house a lot.

-I will get lost on their tour if they're not specific about where they are.

-Yeah.

Because I'm not sure how many rooms there are.

-Also, is this a 45-minute episode?

-We need an hour and a half!

-We need to speed it up!

-The bathroom.

-Very nice.

-Probably the main bathroom.

-Wow.

-More than we bargained for.

-It's amazing, this house.

-That is nice.

-These are all the rooms we wanted.

-Wow. Look at the size of this room.

-Ooh!

-Nice and bright.

This is amazing!

-Wow.

-This has got a good feel to it. It's got a really good feel to it.

-Now, unbelievable. Unbelievable.

-Amazing!

What a journey we've had today. We've gone from not wanting to see me in my property,

-to not wanting to see me in this one, for different reasons.

-Yes!

It's big, isn't it?

-It's massive, it's mega...

-Have we burdened you with a gift too big, in this one?

I don't know

because we were thinking all kinds of things.

Like bed and breakfast, hotels, extra families!

Lots of grandchildren.

Be careful of what you wish for, because you couldn't wish for much more than this.

It is a wow house, as soon as you open the door, into the next room. It's so deceiving.

-Guess the price time. That's something I sensed you feared on this.

-Yes.

-Your maximum budget is 400,000.

-Yes, we did say 400,000.

That's what's stumping me

because I can't imagine you going well over.

Don't forget it's the wild card. So we might show you something

-that is a little bit beyond reach.

-Yes.

I'm going to go 499,500.

-499?!

-You think we'd go up a whole 100,000?

-499?!

-It's a massive house!

-OK.

£499,000.

-Surinder?

-Do you know, if I see this, I don't know the area,

but I would say this is 520.

520?! We would never be so cruel!

You're saying £520,000! And you're saying £499,000!

-I do, honestly. If I saw this...

-£520,000.

OK, here we go. This is the most tension we've ever had in guess the price.

-You have won this time.

-Yes!

-But listen to this!

-You're so far out it is...

-Really?

-Yeah.

-It's embarrassing.

-Embarrassing, indeed.

-Really?

-Three hundred and ninety-five thousand.

-No way!

-Yes, yes.

-395?!

-395.

-That's got to be a snip.

That's amazing!

-Now we've confused you completely!

-No.

I don't think we've ever had anyone do that, overvalue a house by that amount.

-Amazing.

-You've got a massive, mega amount of house for a very reasonable price.

What you need to do at this exciting point is go away, calm down,

and make the big decision about which one to test drive.

Good luck with that. Go on! Off!

They are staggered, flabbergasted, and other words like that.

Indeedy. For you at home, here's a recap of what we've seen so far.

Will they plump for my property, number one?

Set in a prestigious area with a secluded feel, shops nearby and four bedrooms?

If they can learn to love the sloping ceilings,

it comes in under budget.

Or will they be lured by my property, number two,

set in rolling countryside with period charm?

And inter-city trains on the doorstep and no garage!

Mere details. It was magnificent.

But a budget-buster.

Then there's the mind-blowing massive attack that is the wild card.

It gave and it gave, and then it gave some more.

Have we met their expectations or overwhelmed them with its 20-odd rooms?

But for £395,000, it's an awful lot of house for your money.

Roop and Surinder, surprise, surprise, you've chosen to test drive the wild card

which you overvalued by £120,000!

-So the question is extremely obvious. Why did you choose this?

-Well, it oozes with character.

It fits in with our style. It's got space.

And I really think it's a bargain price.

It's so much cheaper than you imagined.

It's different, and I like different.

We have had our surveyor come and have a look.

-This is in no way...

-It's not legally binding.

-No, and it's not a complete survey, obviously.

-If you wish to purchase, get your own survey done.

But this is a good haggling piece of information to use.

Nikki, do you want to give the first piece?

For me, the thing which stood out, imagine how many windows there are in this property.

But they're all from different ages and eventually they'll need replacing.

-That's a big job with 30 windows.

-Wow.

Rewiring. The property, he said, from what he looked at, would require thorough rewiring.

On the roof, some of the tiles have come loose.

That's not a whole roof repair. You can just patch that up. That's fine.

There are things to look at. It's not entirely the finished article,

so if you did buy it, there's money you'd have to spend in the future.

Knowing all of that, do you still want to go in there?

Oh, yes, definitely!

-You shouldn't be put off.

-No, no.

-No.

-Are you ready, then?

-Absolutely.

-Three, two, one. Test drive that house.

Good luck!

They're in and they're off!

Ooh!

No, don't split up! Nikki, this could be a disaster!

You're right, Ed. With the labyrinth-like layout, will they ever find each other again?

Where is my wife?

What shall I do? Ah, I will ring her.

Oh, there you are! I missed you!

OK, Roop. Don't ham it up too much!

As if Roop's not had enough exercise exploring the inside of the house,

he's getting out the recumbent bicycle to tour the byways of the neighbourhood.

-Ed, are you ready for this?

-I think I'm ready for this.

And I've been invited inside for a bit of cultural exploration!

OK. It's a surprise.

What do you think?

I think I'm pulling this off, just about! It works.

So, did you lose each other in this vast TARDIS of a home?

Yes, we did!

Is it too big? Does it feel too big? Would you be rattling around in there?

Although it's big, I think we still like it.

It's got a good feel factor.

-It's got a good atmosphere.

-The more you open those doors,

the more you get that feel.

-We're almost tantalisingly close to the big question, aren't we?

-Let's just do it!

-Shall we do it?

-You do it.

-I'm nervous, OK? It started out, in terms of a storytelling journey,

we were nervous at the first property, more nervous at the second,

and we're at the end with the wild card.

Do we have a happy ending?

Is it a to buy or not to buy, that is the question.

To buy!

Really?

-That is fantastic!

-To buy!

-Also, you need more grandchildren now, as well.

-Yes, we do.

-Encourage them.

-You need more hobbies.

Get another bike, you could have more cars. Everything is possible.

Fantastic. Great news.

-We're going to wander off.

-We are, indeed.

-See you later. Congratulations.

-Well done, guys.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-Enjoy!

-Thank you.

-Bye!

-We're going for it!

-We've done it. Yes.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd