Warwickshire To Buy or Not to Buy

Hello, and welcome to To Buy Or Not To Buy - today we are in Warwickshire.

Hello and welcome to To Buy Or Not To Buy, today we are in Worcestershire.

-You're in the wrong county, mate.

-No, you are.

We will show our lovely house-hunters three gorgeous properties, one of which they...

-Try before they buy?

-Yes.

-We are in the Warwickshire...

-Worcestershire...

..countryside to help a couple who've downsized.

So why do you think they need our help?

They seem to think they got the move wrong.

But they reckon the property team, you and I, can get it right this time.

No pressure there, then.

First thing, find out the problems and make sure they don't make the same mistakes again.

Let's go.

It's time to take a break from the shires and head to the West Midlands

where today's house-hunters John and Catherine Kelly are apparently in desperate need of our help.

John's a builder, so hopefully a bit of DIY won't be too daunting,

and just to make sure things are kept on financial track, Catherine is a business studies teacher.

Very handy. It took our house-hunters five years to find their current home,

a very stylish new duplex apartment.

To most, this would be idyllic, but the space isn't quite right for them,

and after downsizing here less than a year ago, they've realised the dream

they fell in love with really hasn't been the fairytale they hoped for.

It's time to find out what their real dream home would look like.

Catherine and John, where are we looking to move to?

Well, I don't really know, actually.

This is a good start, got off to a flier here. What do you mean?

It's got to be something different.

We have already moved around Sutton a few times and we want to leave this area and explore new territory.

Any idea which new territory, John, it's a big country?

I think we'd go down the M40, M42, that direction.

One of our sons lives out there and we've got another son who lives in London.

What kind of property are we looking for?

At least three bedrooms with office space,

lovely garden, views, you know.

Not overlooked too much.

Peace and quiet. Great kitchen.

Loads and loads of storage space, because I like retail therapy!

-John is sat quietly.

-John panics in the corner.

Catherine thinks we are going to win the lottery.

-What would you add to that, John?

-I would go along with that.

I mean, obviously there is a budget to anything you are going to buy,

so you have got to try and get the best possible space you can

for the money you can afford to spend on it.

But we certainly need an extra bedroom.

Did you downsize into this property?

Yes, we downsized a little bit too much.

It was a bit like getting a pint into a half-pint jug, you know.

We came from five bedrooms to two and it just was that little bit too much.

What type of property would you like? Is there an era that you love?

I think because of our lifestyle, a country cottage.

Because we downsized, we threw off our old life

and obviously bought much more modern furniture to suit this apartment.

What is our kind of budget?

-We are talking somewhere in the region of £350,000.

-All right.

So in the region of...?

Have you got a swing either way of that, as such?

Not too much over the £350,000.

-Do you want to show us the reason why this space isn't working for you, give us a tour?

-OK.

-After you.

Show me downstairs, John.

Catherine, you get to give me the guided tour upstairs, you lucky thing.

This is an upside-down house, a duplex, downstairs is a bedroom and up here is one bedroom

and all the living accommodation is open plan.

-This, I'm guessing, is now your master bedroom?

-Yes, that's right.

This is the second bedroom to us, this is what we call the guest bedroom really.

It's just not practical?

It isn't, I've got three grown-up children and one spare bedroom, it doesn't work.

This is an apartment with a difference, we have good outside space.

-Not enough inside space?

-It's slightly overlooked, which is a downside.

It's not bad in the summer, you have got the trees out.

-OK, shall we have a look downstairs?

-Sure, follow me.

Is it because you have got a lovely duplex here, but your master bedroom is downstairs,

which is upside down in many people's heads. Is that odd?

It does appear to be upside down,

but the plus side to it is you have got the garden,

you can just walk straight out and look at the garden.

-Shall we do that?

-By all means.

I see what you mean, that works, that, straight out in the morning,

wake up and you have this lovely space out here.

-Especially if you have got a nice, sunny morning.

-Gorgeous, isn't it? Here they are.

-Hi, guys.

-Catherine and John, the one thing you are sure about is you want that extra room back?

-Absolutely.

-That's a fact.

You are not so sure on where you want to go though, M40, M42 corridor, south of Birmingham -

that's nearly half of England. Jonny, we'd better get going.

-I have a map with me, a map to the estate agents.

-See you later, guys.

-Bye.

What a lovely couple. We have got our work cut out today.

Where am I going to find an estate agent with a knowledge that covers that massive area?

We've got to try and find somewhere where people will talk to me

about finding houses on To Buy or Not To Buy, that is the question,

-the light bulb is on, I know where I'm going. See you in a bit.

-Alas, poor Jonny.

Right, so today's search needs to cover the counties of Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

Warwickshire is picturesque with many pretty towns and villages.

Wherever you go within the county, there is a sense that you can access everything you need

without the hassles that go with the big city.

And what about Worcestershire?

Well, it's a fairly rural county and has its own mixture of towns and villages.

A large area of the county was devoted to fruit farming

and even though this has decreased considerably, the rural charm still remains.

This county is home to the world's oldest continually published newspaper, the Berrow's Journal.

And whilst we are talking olden times, there are 86 historic counties in Great Britain

and 60 are shires.

Let's take a look at properties in three of them.

Pembrokeshire, Wales, a five-bed detached that has it all -

a conservatory, a stunning RHS-designed garden

and views across the estuary to Cardigan Island.

In Morayshire, Scotland, this exclusive individually designed three-bed place,

with open views across the countryside and it's finished to the highest possible standard.

This seems nothing short of a bargain.

In Hertfordshire, this end-terraced three-bed property

dates back to 1470 and is arranged over three floors.

Not only does it have a wealth of original features, but also has a 45-foot garden.

But, as a starting point to today's wide-open property search,

-we have descended upon the gorgeous town of Stratford-upon-Avon...

-in Warwickshire.

Morning. You haven't got a spare few minutes to have a chat with us, have you?

-Thank you very much for giving us this time.

-No problem.

-Straight to it.

Lovely couple, they downsized and now they want to upsize.

What is the greatest thing about living and working in Stratford?

Beautiful countryside. It's got a good standard of living, low crime,

fairly low unemployment by comparison to other areas.

That area between the M40 and M42, is that a desirable area?

Definitely, yes. You have got good access to the main cities of Birmingham

and down to London if needs be and the various commuters villages.

If you go out in Stratford, what would you do?

I would go and see Shakespeare, the touristy side.

I seem to have noticed that the little villages seem to have retained their character.

There is a lot of small villages with plenty of character, lots of literary heritage.

It's a good girlfriend place in terms of taking them out, see old William.

It makes us guys feel cultured, you see.

Definitely, a bit of Shakespeare, few quotes.

We have got a couple of villages further slightly north, one in Aston Cantlow.

The edge of the village, fairly modern house,

it has potential like we said, further scope there, but fantastic views at the rear.

Funny you should say. They have told us if their dream came true,

they would look out in the morning across fields.

-What is lush about Stratford-upon-Avon?

-It's a beautiful town.

We have three million visitors a year and they all come to see Shakespeare's birthplace

and the town he lived in.

But also, the Royal Shakespeare Company,

The Bancroft Gardens which are being done up and will be beautiful soon.

It's just a beautiful, lovely town to be in.

You have been an absolute joy. Thank you very much for your help, sir.

I shall have a walk around Stratford-upon-Avon. Thanks.

Romeo, how have you got on today, my friend?

Before I start, Juliet, my old lover, what view from yonder estate agents have you?

John and Catherine weren't sure what they wanted which made my job difficult so I played safe,

-given them three bedrooms, gone for semi-rural and for a detached house.

-Anything special about it?

-Yes, stunning rural views to the rear.

-OK, fair enough.

Our joint choice today, we think this kind of epitomises modern living in the countryside.

It's a ubiquitous barn conversion - a bit of a project is all I'll say about that.

For my choice, we saved the best till last today.

This is a picture perfect postcard of a property with a first-class stamp on it.

That's all I'll tell you.

If they don't like Warwickshire or Worcestershire,

this might just fit the bill because it's in Gloucestershire.

Let's start the hunt at my house, property number one.

Right then, stop one is in Warwickshire and it takes us back to the '70s, man.

It's a spacious three-bedroomed detached property and if you think the inside is picturesque,

the views to the rear are picture perfect.

If three bedrooms aren't enough to accommodate Catherine's retail therapy, I have a solution.

John and Catherine, I've brought you to my choice first.

We weren't entirely sure where we wanted to be,

but the things we certainly knew is that we wanted three bedrooms

and semi-rural was something we agreed on,

so I've brought us to the lovely Aston Cantlow on the edge of Henley-in-Arden.

It's peaceful. I can hear the birds singing.

I can tell you something else about this village.

If it wasn't for this place, our literary heritage would be all the poorer

-because Shakespeare's parents got married in the church here.

-Oh, really?

-Yes.

-First impressions, what do you think about the house?

-Very nice, yes, lovely, well-kept.

Well-presented, looks really nice.

-Get yourselves inside, have look around, we'll see you in a bit.

-Thank you.

Is this a property I see before me, door handle towards my hand?

-Shakespeare.

-Oh, I get it now.

Quite a good-sized hallway.

-Amazing.

-Beautiful.

-Spectacular.

-Fantastic.

-Let's hope they like the house as much.

-Yeah, lovely view, though.

Not too sure what this is all about, that's different.

I like the wooden beams.

-Do you think it's a bit out of era to the house?

-Yeah.

I don't quite follow that feature there.

-What feature is that? It must be that big glass wall.

-Yeah.

That's something you could always change, that's easily changed, actually.

-Yes.

-very easy to change.

This is where John's going to come into his own here,

-anything can be changed in his world.

-It can indeed.

That's the piece de resistance, the garden, it's really nice.

-Can you see it?

-Yeah.

-Lovely garden.

-This is just the one lounge, here?

-Is this a through-lounge?

It's a nice big lounge.

What is it, Jonny?

Dual-aspect reception room.

I'm not sure whether this is my kind of kitchen, really.

It's compact - I think that's the word.

-I think the kitchen and the dining room could be joined together, open it all up.

-Yes.

The kitchen lets it down. Catherine said she wanted a big kitchen for entertaining, didn't she?

-Don't look at me, it's your property.

-I know, sorry, Cath.

This is really nice.

You would want to marry this up, take that wall away and open it up, nice new kitchen.

No problem to do that.

-A really good space to use.

-Opens the whole thing up.

John, you hero, wait until you see the plans I have in store for you afterwards, my friend.

-Have you? Very clever of you.

-Always thinking.

Fantastic views.

That's what makes this place, isn't it, the views?

The views are absolutely lovely.

A key thing about this property, you have to make the most of the fantastic open field views.

You have indeed. What a view it is.

Step that way a bit.

That's probably better, isn't it?

The bathroom here.

White suite, good, yeah.

-Nice, fresh, modern bathroom.

-It works.

Although it is a nice, bright bathroom, it's slightly cramped and I like separate showers as well.

-Small and perfectly formed.

-Yes, I think John's getting the sledgehammer out again, mate.

Oh... This mustn't be the master bedroom.

I think it's a bit small.

Nice, light bedroom.

It's nice, a beautiful view.

The views are absolutely gorgeous.

Lovely to wake up to that lovely view.

Once more, in your defence, this place is about location, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Lovely little village, gorgeous views, it's just too small.

This must be the master bedroom.

-Yes.

-It is lovely, beautiful, bright and airy, really nice.

Jonny, they found a big room. Well done, mate.

I think the downside is the storage, the wardrobe space.

Catherine, serial shopper, always thinking about wardrobe space.

It's a bit small for a third bedroom.

-But it IS a third bedroom.

-Is it? What size of bed would you get in here?

I give you three bedrooms and it's not big enough now.

I give you wardrobes but not enough.

-It's a good office space, really, isn't it?

-Better than what we have.

We don't have office space so it's good for that but it would be a small bed in here again.

I think the downside to me is you can't really put a generous size bed into it.

If nothing more, what I've done with my property, generously, is give you things they don't want in the house.

You've given me a clue there, haven't you?

Catherine and John,

it wasn't negative, exactly, but you weren't oozing with confidence there.

Before Jonny starts here, I want to point out two things - the view.

-Can't deny it.

-You cannot buy that kind of thing.

Also it's about living in this gorgeous village, it's a beautiful place -

-that's why he chose this property. Sorry, Jonny.

-No, thanks for backing me up.

It didn't float your boat.

But firstly, John, as far as your commute is concerned, only 15 minutes from the M40 and the M42,

so accessibility-wise, it's pretty much spot-on.

I aim to please and I have some approved plans, John.

This is your forte, my friend.

So, upstairs, bedroom three, which was a bit small.

We have got the opportunity to add a bedroom upstairs, huge master suite with an en suite.

All extending sideways above the property.

-Oh, I see, yes, fantastic.

-While downstairs, that kitchen is a bit small,

you want the big entertaining space, you have all kinds of scope - partitioning the reception room,

opening up for a big kitchen with utility room.

That extension would not only make it much more practical for you guys

but add real value to this place.

-I think that would make it much more my kind of thing.

-Wouldn't it just?

-Look at the storage space - wardrobe, wardrobe, wardrobe.

-That's much more me.

Absolutely, I can see me there.

Suits you but there is a lot of work there

and I don't want to neglect my golf.

Your handicap will suffer.

With an extension, it will cost money which leads very nicely into guess the price.

We know the budget is the £350,000 mark.

Catherine, ladies first?

£335,000.

-OK, interesting. John, what do you think?

-£347,500.

I'm going to thrill you both here.

This property is on the market for £315,000.

-Wow!

-Which would give you all the money you wanted to A, go shopping and B, keep him busy.

-It would indeed.

-Thank you, Simon(!)

What do you think about that now? You know...

That actually makes it much better, it does.

-You have started looking at the plans closely now.

-There is a nice project there.

-Right now, I want you to come with these gentlemen, not to Verona, but to our joint choice. Come on.

-OK...

OK...we have teamed up together for this one and property two

is our joint choice, taking us to the Worcestershire countryside.

This barn was converted into a three-bedroomed property in the 1980s

and the layout is well thought out.

Also, if John is looking for a place to practise his golf,

why not pick a spot in this garden, a whole third of an acre of it?

Just to mix things up today, we are doing the joint choice next.

You will like this, Catherine, we are much closer to Birmingham with this one,

retail therapy is within touching distance.

You have given us the idea that you like modern, contemporary-style living.

John, you are more traditional in the style of property you want.

Barn conversions are always right for blending the two schools of thought -

you get a nice, period property with a funky, trendy inside, which seems to be more your bag.

With that in mind, what are your initial impressions?

It just doesn't jump out and hit me, actually.

I've got to see the inside and back.

-The initial thing, it doesn't jump out and, you know...

-OK.

That's being honest. Catherine, what about yourself,

-barn conversions in general, do they appeal to you?

-A barn conversion does appeal to me.

I think I'm a bit with John, I'm not just getting the wow factor outside.

Nothing that a good builder couldn't put right.

True, yes, we'll keep our options open.

That's the outside. We'll give you a chance to have a look on the inside.

When shall we four meet again? When the hurly-burly's done, when the property's seen and done. Go in.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Macbeth.

-You are getting there, aren't you?

Good lad, you are educated!

Ooh!

The joys of working in the countryside.

Little hallway. ..Oh, wow!

-We got a "wow". That woke me up.

-Weren't expecting that.

Big fireplace, really nice beams.

I like the beams, yes.

-I guess they are original.

-Yes.

You see, they didn't like it from outside.

-They had no confidence in our efforts.

-No.

-Not that I'm making much of an effort. You carry on.

-OK.

Kitchen.

Whoops! Um, it's like a galley kitchen, isn't it?

You could do a lot with this kitchen.

-You can get everything in here that you need.

-Where's the dining area, though?

You could do a lot with this barn. We are looking for a bit of imagination

to transform this place into the stunning barn conversion it could be.

-That's the hatch to get into the roof.

-Can you see what's up there?

-Yes.

See if there's anything is jumping out at you.

What goodies are up here?

-Oh!

-A loft ladder.

-Absolutely massive space.

-Is that a loft ladder?

Absolutely perfect to have that storage space up there, isn't it?

I would take that ceiling down and expose it as a vaulted ceiling in the kitchen.

Massive storage. I could almost put you up there.

Yes, great, we could have a study up there.

The thing about barn conversions, they lack storage because they are very narrow buildings usually,

and there it is in this one provided and what do you want to do? Get rid of it.

That's the difference between us because the thing with barn conversions also is

they are synonymous with having the carcass of the original building exposed and by partitioning it off,

you are losing exposed beams and brickwork and losing out on the great feature in the kitchen.

This is a good room, back again into the lounge.

-It all leads through...

-I really like that beam there. And the chimney.

-to the gardens, two patio doors. Here's the dining room.

-That's lovely.

Right now, it wouldn't take... The kind of furniture we've got wouldn't sit well in this.

Our stuff is too modern and this is pretty traditional.

We'd have to start from scratch, sell all our furniture and start from scratch.

Come on, Catherine, you should be thrilled.

We are giving you the perfect excuse to go shopping.

The other alternative is, you know this place is a bit tired,

you revamp it to take your old furniture.

Um...small, pretty small, no shower. Not too sure about this, John,

definitely not quite our colour scheme.

-No, and it's too small for a bathroom.

-It's a bit too small for a bathroom.

Got some storage in it.

Would you agree with me that you get rid of that cupboard

-and put a shower there?

-It's unnecessary.

-But then, says the man that's desperate for storage space...

-I've still got it.

-I haven't pulled the kitchen ceiling down.

-I've taken it down, I need that cupboard.

This must be the first bedroom, then. It's got...

It's got a single bed in it, takes a single bed.

It depends on how many other bedrooms there is.

I suppose it's difficult to double this up as an office and a bedroom.

Right. I just...

-This is the third room.

-You've got room for furniture.

Some furniture in it, yes. Let's see what else is in store for us here.

Well, this is obviously the storage room, which, same as next door,

you could make this a single bedroom.

It wouldn't take a double bed, would it?

-I don't think so.

-No, this wouldn't take a double bed.

There is a lot of work to be done.

It's a bedroom or an office. You could have a little office there.

Knock it through, make a bigger double bedroom out of those two smaller rooms,

not always something I'm keen on, but I agree with John and Catherine,

those rooms are neither one thing or the other.

And we've got... Oh, this is the master bedroom.

Obviously got a lot more space.

-It's a bit dark and oppressive.

-Just needs brightening up a bit.

It does. I mean, size-wise this is good.

Generally throughout, Si, the property needs modernising, tweaking.

And you've got the garden, lovely! Open the doors into your garden, have your breakfast out there.

John told me the one thing he loved about the place they are in at the moment

-is they throw open the doors onto the garden.

-So what do we give them with the joint choice?

A master bedroom that does exactly that.

They've got an en suite here.

-I see.

-Let's see if this is...

It's got a shower in here.

Um...

There's quite a good en suite.

It's quite a good bedroom.

I think the bedroom's the best part of it, to be honest, yes, and the view is fantastic.

Are we going to tell Simon and Jonny what we think?

Yes, let's go and tell them.

(I'll go and see what they really think.

(Don't say anything.)

OK, John, Catherine, I'm getting the feeling that once again

you are not totally enamoured with our choice. Is that fair?

It is. From this side, it's like a two-sided coin, isn't it?

-This is beautiful, again. This garden's fantastic.

-Yes,

-the back is absolutely beautiful.

-Sorry about that.

-What are we talking about?

-It's very difficult to get the whole package.

-The front lets it down.

-But this back garden is absolutely gorgeous.

What didn't you like about the inside? Let's break it down.

-What didn't we like?

-Yeah.

-What did I like?!

-Oh, right, then.

-I think it's just the whole layout - you are walking up one long corridor,

the two small bedrooms were a bit small.

-OK.

-There is one possibility there, you know?

You said you wanted a project, let's find out how much of a project,

because there is the possibility there, mate...

It needs refreshing, that's obvious, and you talk about the two bedrooms,

you could put them into one big double bedroom.

This stuff all costs money, so with that in mind, it's guess-the-price time.

Quick recap, 350 is the budget. John, you struggled last time round.

-Let's give you a chance to get some pride back.

-I've got to make amends here, haven't I?

I would say...

325.

OK. Catherine?

310.

John, come here, you got that absolutely spot-on, £325,000.

-That makes it 1-1.

-It does.

We have only seen two properties. Come along with me.

-This week, Simon's choice is the wild card and it's this way.

-Come on.

Oh, yes, responsibility for the wild card today rests on my shoulders.

And if I had any sense, I'd charge everyone who'd come to look at this place

as it was once a toll cottage.

It's at the gateway to the Cotswolds just inside of Gloucestershire,

so if the location doesn't sell it, hopefully the three bedrooms, two bathrooms,

two receptions, double garage and guest lodge will.

Catherine and John, I think we have saved the best until last today.

I would, because this is my choice, our third property.

The team and I have brought us to the gorgeous village of Mickleton.

We are not in Warwickshire or Worcestershire, but we are in Gloucestershire.

-Do you know this village at all?

-Yes. I've passed by this village...

-Visiting the Cotswolds.

This is where the Cotswolds start, at this house.

-There's the escarpment.

-Beautiful village.

I also think the property itself is gorgeous. What's your first impressions?

-Beautiful.

-Yes, the property is beautiful

-and I love to see an old chimney.

-THEY LAUGH

Sounding very positive, Jonny.

Yes, you have done pretty well. You can make these guys gorilla happy.

-We shall see.

-It's nice to have character features.

-You pointed out the chimney, and it continues that theme inside.

-Yeah.

One thing to point out, John. We've given you a few properties which might have been a bit of a project.

The only project you will have here, my friend, is tending to the garden, I believe. Get in there and enjoy.

What can I say? I like to see them happy.

-They look happy.

-They do look happy. Well done.

-You don't, though.

-Well done, you.

OK, is the inside of your house going to complement the outside?

We shall find out.

Ooh, this is nice and bright, a utility room,

which we don't have right now, it's always useful.

We have taken them through the back door - the front is not used that much.

A little family room. Oh, this is gorgeous, isn't it?

There's real beams this time.

Simon's really got this one right.

This could be it. Are you listening?

I wonder when this was built. Beautiful, isn't it?

-Look at these doors, as well.

-And the windows.

-So gorgeous, actually, it really is.

-Everything is nice.

As far as cottages go, they tend to come up a bit small

-but this one feels as though it has a nice openness to it.

-It does.

This is the main door, the front door. The main hallway.

This is the lounge. This really does blend traditional with contemporary.

You could bring in modern sofas. Our sofas could suit here.

Look at that fire!

Isn't that beautiful? I love it, absolutely love it.

What was once an inglenook fireplace, it's still got the opening with the cast-iron stove.

-It's pretty.

-Thank you.

This is the dining room.

Well, it's beautiful, utterly beautiful, but would it take our kind of furniture?

I don't know that it would. This could be it, yeah.

I think this is very close to the mark.

Double doors, two doors into the kitchen.

Ohh...

The kitchen's slightly dark, I think.

It's a bit on the dark side, but that is cottages,

-nothing that a bit of revamping or redecorating couldn't sort out.

-Yes.

Staircase splitting two ways, the right wing and the left wing.

The east wing and the west wing - that's what you call it.

That is the most sensational description of a landing that breaks off in separate ways.

-A split staircase.

-They're wings.

-Yes, they are! Why not?

-You can have east and I'll have the west. That's mine over here, OK.

-Lovely. I'll take the west.

We'll suss it out later. I'll have the best wing, anyway.

Looks like the main bathroom here.

-There's no bath. There is a shower.

-Yeah.

Catherine, there is no bath, never mind. Or is there...?

Nice little window.

-That looks... It's not an original window, is it?

-That's lovely.

You know when you see the glass all a bit wavey. It's old glass.

-Do you know why glass goes wavey in old properties?

-Pourquoi?

-Because glass is actually a liquid.

It's still running, and the longer it stays vertical, the glass runs through to the bottom.

It's thin at the top and thick at the bottom.

-That's why you get that warped view.

-Check you out.

Across to... What's this one?

I wonder if this is... Takes a double bed.

This definitely wouldn't be my wing, too small for me.

-You don't hear the traffic.

-No traffic. Nothing.

Even though it's a busy road, I haven't heard the traffic.

Good point from Catherine. We can hear the traffic out here

because it's a busy road but this place has secondary glazing

so you don't spoil the look of the place but you get sound insulation.

-This is the east wing.

-Yeah...

What have we got here? Another bedroom.

It's got a single bed in it.

Good size. That one was a double, this would be a single.

You could have a little office set up, possibly, here.

I haven't heard them say a single bad thing yet.

-They exhausted those comments on my property.

-And the joint choice.

-Yeah.

The bathroom, look at this!

This is the bee's knees.

-Pitched roof.

-Yeah?

-Really is the olde worlde trinket bathroom.

-Absolutely beautiful.

Absolutely loads of room.

Don't forget, Catherine, this is the east wing, this is my wing, so I may invite you in from time to time.

What I love about that bathroom is the quirky shape of it,

angled walls, the exposed beam, the A-frame and the floral wallpaper works in there - it's fab.

Ah, you can be lovely sometimes!

-This is the main bedroom. This is lovely.

-That really does suit the whole thing.

Catherine, you have got all the space you need - wardrobes. All the whingeing about wardrobes.

Plenty for me.

-It's really beautiful, isn't it? What can you say about it?

-It is.

Shall we tell them what we think of this place?

-I think we should keep them waiting.

-Have they been eavesdropping, do you think?

They haven't really got this, have they? They are going to try and surprise us but we can hear them.

Bless them. Right, last up, the guest lodge above the double garage.

Catherine and John, I thought that tour went rather well.

It did, absolutely.

Hello, Jonny.

This is why I bothered to find you a lovely property, because this is what he does most of the day.

We are in this out-house.

You said you are going to have so many guests coming to visit you in the Cotswolds. Look at this.

-Stick them up here.

-Yes. Extra living space.

-Fantastic, isn't it?

-You could have a little office here.

-You could relax in your hammock and swing around there all day long.

That's a good idea, Jonny. Can I have this?

Everything's available for negotiation.

-Any chance of getting out of your hammock and joining in?

-Yes, sorry.

Enjoyed that too much!

This place - you seemed pretty impressed?

-Yes, it was gorgeous, absolutely.

-Very impressed.

Everything's in character with the era of the building, you just couldn't fault it.

Obviously, is that reflected in the price?

I feel it might be, especially when this factor appeared as well.

Right, it's 1-1. I think ladies first again. Come on, Catherine.

I think it's above the budget, I think it's 5,000 above the budget.

-355.

-355. John?

-354,950.

Come in just underneath.

Undercut Catherine by 50 quid.

-He was wise to do so.

-Was he?

-He was.

I'm afraid John has won.

-2-1 to John because it's actually on the market bang on the top end of your budget - 350.

-350.

-It shows that to get what you are looking for, you'll have to go to the top of the budget.

-That's right.

As difficult as I am sure this decision is going to be,

-think about which property you'd like to test-drive. Or, as we say...

-..try before you buy.

So, spend a bit of time doing that, off you go,

put your heads together and have a good think. I wonder which one it will be, Jonny. Let me think.

Whilst Catherine and John make that incredibly difficult decision,

here's a quick reminder for you at home.

Yes, although I suspect it won't be all that difficult.

House one was my choice in Warwickshire, ready to move into.

It had a large lounge, separate kitchen and dining room and glorious views.

Don't forget, scope to build an extra master bedroom if required,

on the market for 315 grand.

Stop two today was our joint choice located in Worcestershire,

a lovely barn conversion.

Asking price - £325,000.

But finally, what about today's wild card choice, AKA my choice.

In case Warwickshire and Worcestershire didn't do it,

this one is in Gloucestershire. They fell in love with the character, charm

and a whole wing of the house each, but did it leave them wanting more?

It could be theirs for £350,000.

Of course it left them wanting more.

But in a good way, a test-drive way no less.

Catherine and John, we are surprised!

-You chose to test-drive this gorgeous cottage in Mickleton in the Cotswolds.

-We did.

Before you spend more time here, our hawk-eyed home-buy helper has given this place the once-over

and he's come up with a couple of issues worth discussing.

First of all, we see this gully, this dry stream bed.

Well, if we had one of those freak moments, like in the summer of 2007

when most of the country flooded,

this could become an issue, because unless it's kept very clear,

there is a chance that the drain might not be able to cope with it.

That is the main point he came up with.

Two other minor points. It might be worth pulling some gravel away from the side of the wall

to give the damp course some room to breathe.

It won't cause any structural damage. From a cosmetic point of view, it needs to be remedied.

Also, there's a superficial crack underneath the windowsill

but that seems historical and doesn't seem worth investigating further.

This is not a legally binding survey and we'd advise anyone going to purchase a property

to get the proper surveys done, get yourself fully covered on that one.

But with all that covered...

You are not worried, Catherine, that you are further from retail therapy?

It did cross my mind, don't think I've forgotten about that.

Yes, I think it's worth it, isn't it?

The village is absolutely lovely.

-Gorgeous.

-Listen, we'll leave you to spend some time here and settle in, see what you think about the place.

-Enjoy.

-Lovely. Cheers.

After a hard day on a property mission, it's time for Catherine and John to relax

and John is straight away working on improving his handicap.

I wonder how he compares to Tiger Woods.

I have no idea, but Catherine seems to be enjoying watching him in action, anyway.

For that matter, I wonder how this garden compares to the Belfry.

Right. Definitely have to do better than the last time.

The lawn is not ideal for putting.

-There we are.

-I think I could do better than that!

OK, I'm going to practise.

There we are.

Any better, Catherine? Look at that.

A bit in the rough again, I think.

You were lucky there, that was a lucky shot.

-Hello, hello, hello.

-Hi.

-Hello.

An interesting face. Did you not have fun in the test-drive?

We did, I really loved it, yes. Very relaxing out there in the garden.

Absolutely lovely. The garden's lovely, practising a bit of golf as well.

I need some work on my golf, but it's a beautiful garden and the property is very nice.

The point about this place, John, if you did go for this place,

you would have plenty of time to practise your golf because nothing needs doing.

-Absolutely right.

-So, it's obviously leading us now to the all-important question,

the whole reason we are here, to buy or not to buy?

We have really struggled with this because the property's absolutely beautiful.

Everything about it. The space, garage, garden, everything is really nice.

But I think we'd struggle to get our lifestyle into this one.

Catherine's got a lot of furniture she wants to bring with her.

We'd struggle.

He blamed you 100% for that.

-You would have been fine.

-No baggage whatsoever. I can manage on my own.

-Just a sack of clubs.

-So sorry.

-Come on, Catherine, is it really bringing the stuff with you

-or is it cos you are too far from the shopping areas?

-I'm really not saying.

It just doesn't fit my current lifestyle.

It's been a wonderful lesson because if we were to start looking again,

it would be much better, you would have proved the situation, you could eliminate a lot of properties.

Exactly right. This kind of service doesn't come for free - the invoice will be in the post.

-But in the meantime, we are out of here.

-We'll have moved!

-Do you charge? ..Thanks very much! We've got something to discuss.

-Do you not charge? All the time!

Excuse me, young Mr Benarr, I certainly hope you don't charge.

I get a payment from every punter, my friend.

-Joking, of course.

-I should hope so.

Even though we didn't find Catherine and John their perfect pad, we put them on the right track.

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