South-west Birmingham To Buy or Not to Buy

-Hello and welcome.

-On our mission today, we have a couple

whose wish-list is longer than your arm!

A quest, a challenge, a test of nerves,

the picking up of the gauntlet of all gauntlets.

Hold on tight, strap yourself in, scream if you want to go faster.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's To Buy Or Not To Buy.

-Ed?

-Yes?

-What would you do

if you wanted a lot of property for your money

but also the tranquillity of the surrounding countryside?

Probably, I'd head to the south-west tip of Birmingham,

where the suburbs meet the beauty of the Worcestershire countryside.

Right, OK, but considering the vast variety of housing in said area,

how would you then decide about what property you'd like to look at?

I'd enlist the help of two

of this country's crack leading property experts.

-What, Kirstie and Phil?

-No, us.

-Oh, yeah.

-Us. And also the mystery property-finding team. That's what I would do.

OK, so say that you found the right area, the right property, you were quite happy with that.

How would you decide that you could live there?

Spend some time in it. Take it on a test drive. Do what the heck you want in it.

Give it a bit of a handbrake turn, a spin round the block.

Or, as we like to say on this belter of a property show...

BOTH: Try before you buy!

Kitesurfing, camper-vanning, reiki healing and grandparenting.

Not usually all applicable to most couples. However, today we're

helping one of the coolest grandads going, along with his partner, Lee.

Lee is a customer-service manager for a music systems company,

and is partial to practising holistic therapies.

Mark is a warehouse manager for an extreme sports company.

Needing a spare room for Mark's grandchild

and a garage for his camper van, they need to head out of town

to get more space, more peace and quiet, and more for their money.

Sorry, would you just move out of the way?

We're just expecting, at this very moment, an extreme sports grandad to appear any second now.

No autographs yet. We're doing a housing programme with a guy called Mark.

I think he's got an ear trumpet, mid 80s...

-On a skateboard with a parachute at the back.

-And he's got a lady called Lee with him, so...

-Can't be you. Can it?

-Well, my name's Mark.

-What's your name?

-Lee.

-You're not a grandad, though, are you?

-It's true.

So, we could have a world record here. How old are you?

-I'm coming up 38 in August.

-Has the world gone mad?

-That's fantastic.

How old's your granddaughter or grandson?

-It's a grandson. He's seven months.

-Oh, lovely.

-Absolutely gorgeous little thing.

-So, explain the deal.

We are looking for a house where? What's the plan?

Um...

Somewhere between Birmingham, Oldbury and Kidderminster, in that triangle.

OK, why the Birmingham, Oldbury, Kidderminster triangle?

-I work in Birmingham, Mark in Oldbury, Mark's daughter lives in Kidderminster.

-Birmingham is there.

-So that's where you are.

-OK. Doesn't it look beautiful from a distance?

-It does.

-Where do you go to work?

-I go to work in Oldbury, so it's kind of a little bit that way.

-Right.

-And where are you, Lee?

-I'm Birmingham.

-You're there.

And where's the grandchildren? The grandchild?

-The grandchild is, I guess, over there.

-Kidderminster.

Right. And therefore, that puts our house search where?

Pretty much in the line of sight, I guess.

-Down in this area.

-What do we need? What's the style of property?

We live currently in a one-bedroom flat, so not great deal of space.

Somewhere two, three bedrooms... a garage,

possibly, that I can squeeze my van into,

or even a workshop or a garden big enough to fit a shed into.

-Somewhere where I can go and do my thing and...

-Tinker away?

-Yeah, absolutely.

-And what about you, Lee?

-I'm thinking of getting into holistic therapies.

-Yeah.

-How much space you need for this... whatever.

-Holistic therapy.

-How much space do you need for that?

-Just a reception room.

-You'd like to work from home in that respect?

-Yes.

-Do we do things up?

Or do we like to have everything immaculate and pristine and not lift a finger?

I think it's nice to do things up. Put your personal touch on a place.

So we need to know what the budget is, if we're going to help you out.

Because this is quite some dream, the holistic room, the garage, the...

Storage for a kite surf.

-Three bedrooms...

-Camper van.

-It's a lot. It is a lot.

-A lot, yes.

-Have you got a lot?

-No.

-No?

-What have we got?

140 would be nice. 150 at a push.

-OK.

-Let's go for the push.

Let's go for the push. OK. Anything else before we head off into the distance?

-Actually, you're paragliding.

-Really?

-I thought you...

This hasn't been squared with my insurance company or anything.

You've forgotten your kit. I thought you were going to impress him.

-I'm going to go and find it.

-Do it without. You could always try. You'd be OK.

I've decided I'm not really an extreme sports person. I might try the old healing reiki hands.

-Can you feel my aura coming through your cheeks?

-No.

-No.

I might try and work on that a bit.

-Yeah.

-You're never going to guess what I'm going to do now.

-Never in a million years.

-You're going to talk to a ranger.

-How do you know that?

It's your healing hands. They sent me messages.

-OK. What are you going to do?

-Can you guess?

-Talk to an estate agent?

-Yes.

-I'm brilliant.

Our never-ending property quest has indeed today brought us to the south-west tip of Birmingham.

Where city suburbs turn to rolling countryside skirting the edge of the Black Country.

This area hosts a massive variety of desirable locations,

from the villages of rural Worcestershire

to a plethora of small towns,

ensuring fresh air, cracking views and a real taste of the countryside,

with housing aplenty to suit every budget.

But what could £150,000 get you if you wanted to enjoy the Worcestershire countryside

but the need to house a camper van just wasn't an issue?

This first option could be out of a fairytale.

You could snap up this two-bed apartment

in this Grade II-listed building complete with turrets,

battlements and splendid views

of Worcestershire and beyond for 150 grand.

Very nice! But what about this one?

It could be straight off a chocolate box.

It's also Grade II-listed, so there, and it oozes country-cottage charm.

Nestled in the Worcestershire countryside,

it's a steal at £155,000.

If period properties and bundles of space are your thing,

this newly-refurbished, three-storey end of terrace town house could be for you.

In a great village location south of Redditch,

surely it's worth 150 grand of anyone's money?

I promised you a ranger and a ranger I have given you.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome ranger Steve.

Hello, there. Hi, I'm Jenny.

-I'm Pam.

-Nice to meet you, Pam. You look great!

-Thank you.

-Nice dress.

But I'm not here to talk about clothes as much as I'd like to.

I tell you what, Steve, this is lovely.

Now, you're obviously man of this manor.

What lives here? What's the wildlife? How far out of Birmingham city centre are we?

-We're eight miles outside of Birmingham city centre.

-What could we find?

There's probably about 370 species of plants.

We've got 110 species of birds.

-There's over 380 species of different fungi that are found on the hills. So quite a lot, really.

-Yeah.

I'm shopping for a house for a couple,

-a lovely cottage in the countryside.

-Right.

In a lovely village.

-Right.

-Two to three bedrooms.

-What's their budget?

It's 150,000. I know what you're going to say.

Right, OK. Obviously, a lot of villages that I'm thinking of,

Belbroughton, Romsley, which would be ideal locations.

They mentioned those two places.

They are very, very expensive areas to live in.

If we're up here, ranger Steve, can I use your ranging knowledge

and maybe knowledge of Birmingham to point me in good directions?

You've got the city of Birmingham straight over there.

Over that way we've got down towards Halesowen and out towards Stourbridge.

This is close to Stourbridge town centre, so you're right

by Stourbridge train station, so it's ideal for commuting.

Five, ten minutes away from Belbroughton or Romsley,

so it's the area...and it's close to Kidderminster.

What areas could you afford for the 150,000? The three beds,

the garage... Where should we be looking?

OK, any part of this south area of Birmingham across through

into the Black Country, you've got easy access into the countryside.

The motorway is close so you can get to Worcester and Hereford.

We've got this one in Dudley, which is a bit further out

-but it's excellent value for money.

-Right. Ooh, yeah.

Steve, you've been so much help, was there anything you want?

Maybe you'd like to appeal to the nation?

-Don't drop litter?

-That'll always be a good one.

Don't drop litter! When you come to Steve's park, do not drop litter.

-Next time we'll go shopping.

-OK.

-Coffee, at least.

-OK, yeah.

-See you, Pam.

-Thanks a lot, Jenny.

-Bye!

-Bye.

Now, I bet Ed is going to turn up any minute now and say, "This'll make a great wild card, Jenny."

-You all right, Jen?

-Yeah, I'm fine.

Good. Bet this'd make a great wild card, eh, Jen?

-Castle!

-Yeah. What have you got, Ed?

Sorry, didn't you find it funny? OK, I've got a great one here.

This is an absolute cracker. A real treat of a house, they say, that must not be missed.

Here's a little tease.

Just have a look at that.

-Very attractive property.

-What have you got?

Bang on with two reception rooms, three bedrooms,

-enough for the grandson.

-I like it.

-And, of course, for the RV...

-Garage.

-You've got it as well?

-Oh, yeah.

-The wild card.

I'm very excited about the wild card and I really want to show the viewers at home this wild card.

-I've got an idea.

-What?

-No, let's not.

-Why?

-Let's not!

-Let's leave it for a surprise.

-Where should we start the property hunt?

-Property number one?

-What, your one?

-Yes, please.

Well, we're off to a great start today with my choice,

only a stone's throw from the countryside

yet near the centre of Dudley town.

This newly-modernised property could be right up their street.

Could be, but it looks like quite a main street to me.

It's all about compromise, Ed.

All about compromise.

So, welcome to property number one.

OK, now, I know we're on a main road here but I couldn't resist this little treasure,

because I believe you're getting a lot for your money on this one.

I'm giving you a nice-size reception room, actually I'm giving you two,

so I was thinking about your holistic idea.

-And three bedrooms.

-Really?

Yes. And I thought, one extra bedroom.

All I can say is, you always get a little bit more from me.

Look at that house. What do we think? Grandad?

Um, initially, honest truth,

maybe not enough room on the drive to fit a couple of vehicles.

-But looking beyond that, it's got a garage.

-I tell you what else.

-Yes, for the workshop.

-Massive garden.

-Oh!

-Has it?

-I don't want to say too much because it's a pleasant surprise, but it is a big garden.

-What you think?

-It looks a fair size inside.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, can't wait to get in and have a look.

-She's saving herself.

OK, chomp at the bit no longer.

In three, two, one, erupt into your Dudley home.

-Ta-da!

-Thank you.

-Let's go.

-I'm still feeling holistic things coming through.

-Really?

-Yeah, there's a great mantra.

-What am I telling you?

You're telling me, "Jenny, stop doing that.

"You're getting on my nerves." OK. "Headphones"!

Headphones, I was saying.

Ed's going to say any minute now, "I don't want to embarrass you,

"but you forgot to tell them it's a vacant property." Ha ha!

Hey, Jen. All right? I don't want to embarrass you, but you forgot to tell them it was a vacant property.

Can you believe it?

Nice and light and airy.

Yeah, and big.

Won't have to carry my shopping up the stairs.

Very true.

-Now, the thing about this house is, even though it's vacant, as you say...

-Yes.

it's light and airy and it still feels homely, as if people have just left.

-Oh, wow. This is nice.

-This would be a reception room, very possibly.

-This is nice.

-Yeah. Nice feature fireplace.

I'm not sure about what they've done to those fireplaces.

I don't want to be picky but, yeah, it's intriguing.

-But I think it's easily rectified.

-Mm. Knock them down.

I'm just thinking, I could get my massage couch in.

Definitely. Easily.

Perfect size, this is, for you.

-First impressions, it looks good, doesn't it?

-Very nice.

-Yes.

-Very impressed.

Oh, is this the second reception room?

Oh, wow.

Oh, this is nice as well.

Fantastic. Yeah, fantastic.

-Yeah.

-And obviously quite a large garden there.

-Oh, wow.

-That is huge.

I don't know. I think I prefer this as my therapy room.

-Really?

-Yeah, because you get the light coming in.

From the garden, yeah. A nice view for your clients there.

Now, you see, that should be the therapy room, because

-what better therapy than to look out onto this huge garden?

-You're right.

Have some lovely plants.

I'm having healing hands on me. Ah, that's what I want.

Wow, you'd have a field day in that garden.

-That is fantastic.

-And you did promise me a vegetable patch.

They could extend that. From the holistic therapy,

they could then have a little stove in the camper van and then go to

the herb and vegetable garden and make organic food for lunch.

It's all planned. It's all planned.

Not a bad size.

Yes, it's not a bad size. It's not too small.

I've certainly seen a lot smaller than this.

-I would have to change the tiles.

-Change the tiles? Yes.

Yeah, I think they'd have to go. Definitely.

But, yeah, the room's lovely.

It's been a good size so far.

-Oh!

-Looks good.

Yeah, dare we go and look in the garage space quite yet?

-Oh, this is...

-This is nice.

-Yeah, this is fantastic.

-Can you see you doing your workshop in here?

Yes, squeezing the van and possibly your car in here as well.

Absolutely.

-You could build some units for your kite surf stuff.

-Good amount of light coming in.

In a lot of garages, you tend to get a roof on the top so you don't get light through like this,

and this is definitely a plus point.

I was expecting a small tussle to happen in here,

because I thought this felt like a holistic room, because the garage isn't really a garage.

It's a garage/conservatory, which I've never seen before.

It's all very clean, isn't it?

Very clean and tidy.

Ooh, nice-size bathroom.

-Ah, this is great.

-This is lovely.

-Wow.

-I do like this.

I do like it.

There's probably enough room in here to add a shower as well.

-Yeah.

-Or is that too much work?

-Too much work!

-Too much work.

Too much work? Too much work?

For people who said they wanted to knock walls down?

I gave them the opportunity. "Just a lick of paint, are you happy to do that?" "No, knocking down walls."

He said he wanted to rip down walls with a hard hat on!

And Lee went, "Yeah. I wouldn't mind knocking a few walls down."

That's a bright bedroom.

A lot of light.

-There is a lot of light through the whole house.

-Yeah. I think this'd be the master bedroom.

It's a big master bedroom. You know why she likes that?

-Why?

-She can have big candles in there, can't she?

-Oh, yes.

-Incense.

-Oh, my goodness.

-A few chimes going...

-It's nice as well because the carpet's the same throughout.

-Yes.

-The carpet's the same throughout, which means...

-It's a positive.

-They've had a job lot done.

-It's probably cheaper.

-Give me some property wisdom about that, Jen.

It makes the place look bigger.

Ooh.

Not quite my cup of tea, but...

No. No, I say that the initial reaction is that the cupboards aren't really...

-Aren't my thing, anyway.

-To be fair, I don't like those wardrobes either.

-A bit brown, really.

-I don't want to be a pedant, right,

but if they knock them out, the carpet's been laid to the edge of those old wardrobes.

So put new wardrobes back that you like, up to the carpet.

-Solved.

-Thank you.

-Not a problem any more.

-Again, a nice-size room.

-Yeah, another good-size room.

-I mean, even though we are fairly close to a main road, it's not too noisy, is it?

-No.

-I tell you what they could do.

-Yeah?

-If the price is right,

double-glaze it. Because it's not double-glazed, is it?

-No.

-Yes! Solution.

Oh, this'd be a great room for Steven.

Absolutely ideal.

-Maybe change the colour.

-Yeah.

-That's all we'd need to do.

A lick of paint and I think we'd be done, to be honest.

-I'm very impressed.

-I'm impressed, too.

-You wouldn't have to put the work in.

No. Not as much effort as has gone into the flat. It's great.

-I'm looking forward to the garden.

-Yep.

-Shall we have a look?

-Yeah.

-Cool.

-Oh.

-What?

-They're coming out. I think that's our cue.

-OK. Well, this is it.

-This is where most house deals are blown, Jenny.

-Yeah.

-Focus, OK?

-All right.

-Take some time out.

-I'll go talk to Mark.

-Right. I'm just going to...

While the sun's still out, I'm just going to see if it's south-facing enough.

Ooh, yes. It's south-facing, all right.

Look at that! Do you like it?

-I love it.

-Now, this, obviously, is the mystery garage that we have briefly seen on the tour.

Look at this. It's amazing.

It's a garage cum showroom cum... You've got a sink there as well.

In terms of garage space, when you walked up here, you were a bit...

-Problems with the drive. Was it big enough? Now you've seen this...

-It could be extended.

Yeah, on the subject of the drive, I guess that could be extended.

-We could get two vehicles on there.

-I like that. Not a problem.

Is there maybe a surfacing of choice, Mark, for the surfacing of the extension of the driveway?

Surfacing? Possibly a block-paving surface, there.

I like it. I like it a lot.

Now, this bit, you can't get much better than this, for a camper van, to be working on?

Ideal. Yeah, we've got the height as well.

-Hopefully it'll fit in. I should imagine it will.

-It's been pre-recced. We've measured it.

-There'll be no embarrassments when you roll up with the van.

-Without scraping the roof!

-Not at all.

OK, so I want it on record. Garage, is it a problem? Parking, is it a problem any more?

-Not a problem.

-Not a problem, Grandad. Shall we go and guess the price?

-Guessing the price, um...

-Think about it now.

-Ooh, one...

Whoa! Whoa! See, look, he's ready. He's keen. Let's go and guess in the back garden.

So, Lee. You were excited. You said, "I can't wait to have a look round." First, the house.

-Very nice.

-Yes.

-Very nice, indeed. Nice big rooms. Light, bright.

Yeah. Most unexpected, but not as unexpected as this.

-I know, it's a proper little gem.

-I wouldn't say they're a garden, I'd say they're more your grounds...

-Yes.

-..to the estate.

-I'd have to get a sit-on lawnmower.

-Yeah. Well, will you? Or will Mark?

-Mark.

-Yeah, Mark will.

-Yeah.

What I really like are these vegetable patches and these herb patches, here.

Imagine Steven, when he comes over. Kids love growing their own vegetables.

-They don't like eating them, but they like growing them.

-All right?

-Hello.

-Talking about veg patches?

-Fantastic, isn't it?

-Amazing.

-We almost had a first. We tried to play guess the price without you.

-It's Mark, is it? He's always racing ahead.

-I know.

It was like an extreme-sports version of guess the price.

Um, okey-cokey. We have two contenders here, Lee and Mark.

They're both professional guess the pricers, I believe.

You know the area. Budget is £150,000. You don't want to spend that amount, really.

You'd like to pay a little bit less. Who wants to go first?

-Ladies first, as always.

-Lee? OK.

I think it's going to be in the middle. So I say about 145.

-145.

-OK, all right.

That's probably not far away from what I was going to say. I reckon about 143, 144?

-Make your mind up. Which one are you going to do?

-144.

-144.

-Yeah, 144.

OK. Well, this is quite interesting.

Because you're both very close.

-144 and a half?

-Yeah, it's 144 and a half!

-It's a tie?

-It's a tie!

-It's a tie.

-Yes, well done.

You were 500 quid short. You were 500 quid more.

We now have property two, and I believe, with the direction from the hill earlier on,

I think it's this way. Shall we go?

-There's a breeze. Do you want to kitesurf?

-I'd love to have a go.

-Would you? OK, see you there.

-See you there, yeah. OK.

Country cottage charm, Jenny. That's what I've plumped for today.

-A beautiful property offering a taste of village life.

-Village life?

When you say "village", you mean the town of Stourbridge on the edge of the Black Country!

If you were allowed to compromise, Jen, surely I am, too.

OK, Mark and Lee.

Walk towards another house that is on a slightly busy-ish road,

but it's kind of less busy, this one, because I've gone for a belter.

This is an end-terrace,

and you have the garage to beat the garage you didn't think you could beat.

-Last garage was excellent. Look at that sign. What does it say?

-Detached garage.

-Detached garage.

-Yeah.

-It is exemplary, not only for the camper van but for all your... whatever it is...paraphernalia.

Should you wish, you could have an argument and get a reiki shed in there.

So go on, have a look. You can't really get the full glory of it from here.

-We're in Stourbridge. What do you think?

-Very nice.

-Very nice?

-Initial impression, it's very cottagey.

-Oh, I like it.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

-Really? Great minds and all that!

-He's done well. I'm not sure about the main...

-There's a main road here, too.

-All right, yeah. You had one.

-All right. So we're evens about that.

-It's a battle of two main roads.

Don't go in the front door - you'll have to push the sofa out the way. Go round the back.

-OK? Three, two, one, enjoy!

-Let's go for it.

All right, there is a main road, but you don't have to emphasise it!

-What's happened to our good karma? The reiki, good feelings? What's happened?

-You got them back now?

-Ooh, hello.

-We're fine now. Shall we go and put the old...?

Shall we? He's lovely.

It's a bit smaller and a lot more manageable than the last place, that's for sure.

The garage looks a good size.

I bet Ed's going to come in and say,

"Well, I got away without telling them about the downstairs bathroom."

-Hey, Jen, how are you? You all right?

-Yeah, I'm fine.

-Oh! Ah!

I forgot to tell them about the downstairs bathroom. That'd be brilliant for the old reiki.

Downstairs reiki. Downstairs bathroom. It'd be a plus point. I should've mentioned that.

-Yeah.

-What's the problem?

-Nothing.

-Ooh. This looks light, again.

-Very light.

Ooh, like the mirrors.

A little bit narrow, maybe.

Obviously, back at the flat, we've got a little bit more space to move around, but certainly enough...

-Work surface.

-..work surface area.

A nice big window to look out of when I'm doing the washing up.

If you've got a good view and things to be nosy at,

you spend more time there and do more washing up.

Ooh, downstairs bathroom.

If you are running a reiki business in there, downstairs bathroom, not a problem.

-Not a problem at all.

-I like what you've done there.

I've turned maybe a negative into a massive positive.

-Ooh, this is nice. Nice size.

-Yes.

-Very nicely done out, as well.

The shower over the bath.

-Nice-size bath.

-It looks quite deep, as well.

Jenny, in the bath world, are you a deep-bath girl, a bubble-bath person, a Jacuzzi-bath person?

Can you maybe, probably...

-I quite like the twin bath.

-Really?

Combo. You have a headrest and one going that way and a headrest and that going the other way.

-That's too much of an image for the viewers!

-With a big gold swan.

You're saying you bath with others?

Bit small, though. Do you think?

It's not tiny, tiny.

-No, you don't spend an awful lot of time in the bathroom, do you, really?

-No.

-No. Move on?

-Nicely done.

Ooh, dining room.

-Ah, something we've not had before.

-Mm.

Yeah, nice view out on the garden when we're eating our dinner.

-So far, so good, eh?

-Yes!

-It's a bit of a higgledy-piggledy layout, isn't it?

-You think so?

-Mm.

Yeah. As I was saying, that cottage-type feel.

-Now, higgledy-piggledy...

-Yes.

-He's turned it round and said, "Yes, I like the cottagey feel."

-Well...

That's what cottages are all about. Their layout's different.

-Ah, now I can see why Ed sent us round the back to come through the back door.

-It's a shame.

-I wouldn't necessarily hide the front door.

-No.

-No, not a problem

-but I guess making the most of the space.

-Mm.

It's not too much effort, to go through the back door.

-No, but I think I would want to use the front door.

-Yeah.

Why is this a weird-shaped house?

-It's got a narrow kitchen that then leads into a bathroom...

-OK.

-Then it goes into two rooms...

-Stop it!

-There's no big hallway and then...

-Cut!

-Look round to the left first of all, maybe?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Ooh, this looks a nice, bright room.

This reminds me of a house that I grew up in as a kid.

-Ah.

-Very, very similar.

Ah, that's nice, isn't it?

-Fond family memories.

-Amazing a grandad can think back that far.

-Yes, it's a long way, 37 years.

-It really is.

Ooh. Again, this would be a nice room for Steven.

-You took the words out of my mouth.

-Steven, if you're watching, they're housing you now!

It's quite a wide landing.

-I do like a landing.

-Oh, he's gone all grandad on us!

Ooh, I do like a landing!

Ooh, I love a landing!

-Oh.

-I don't know. What do you think?

-I think this might be a better room.

I think this would be better for Steven.

-Oh...

-Do you know what they've done? What they've done is cruel.

They're giving him the smallest room.

This house has got more of a homely feel to it, but it does feel a lot smaller.

-Definitely a lot smaller. Still like it, though?

-Yeah.

-Shall we go and tell them what we think?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-That went pretty good, as far as I'm concerned. What?

-It did for me, didn't it?

-Why?

-I think they liked mine better.

-No!

-Let's find out.

-No.

-Come on!

OK, Mark. This is pretty much the whole reason this programme is great for me,

because it's all about looking at garages, and this is a belter.

-Thought the other one was nice, didn't you?

-I did.

Have a look at this.

Now, admittedly, we don't have the whole glass-roof deal here

-but what we have got is, I think, enough space for the camper van.

-Ample.

-Ample space.

Should you require a long session in here, a guy gets hot, he might need to tumble-dry his clothes...

You've got up tumble-drier there. You need a cold drink, you've got a freezer, a fridge and a Flymo.

You've pretty much got everything you could need to kit out a camper van.

-OK, so here, off-road parking.

-Off-road parking, yes.

You'd get a car in front, should you need to. And then,

as it's not very much of a main road, does it bother you?

-It's all right. We're in a safe place.

-Not a problem. A fairly quiet location,

somewhere to wash the car, there, as well, also.

-Do you think you and the other grandads would get together...?

-Oh, yeah. Got to be done.

-I like it.

-Absolutely.

-Chamois leather seal?

-Yes. Dominoes in the afternoon.

-I love it!

-How much does this place cost? Don't say now - we made that mistake last time.

-We did.

-Keep it up there.

-It's in there.

-Brilliant. Let's go and find them.

-OK. Let's go.

-What are you thinking?

-Very nice. Nice suntrap again, but nowhere to grow my veggies, really.

-No, That lovely vegetable patch - we were inspired by that, weren't we?

-We were.

-Very inspired.

-But still, a lovely little garden and very manageable.

-Yes. I can see Steven on a little trike when he's old enough.

-Hello, you two.

-Oh, hello!

Oh, sorry. We do tend to forget where we are! We get on.

-Just hanging out in the garden?

-Yeah. Enjoying the view.

Well, it's not all fun, because there's quite a competition at the moment.

-I forgot.

-We had our first-ever, first-time draw.

I've never had a draw before.

Neck and neck, aren't they?

-Great minds, you see.

-Mm-hm.

-So, here we go again. The budget you gave us was £150,000.

-Indeed.

-Pressure is on, because there are no winners at the moment.

So the chance is there for someone to grab.

Who's going to go first at the guestimation?

-Shall I go first on this one?

-OK.

-Go for it.

OK, I'm going to say...

135 on this one.

OK, Marky-pooh. 135 it is.

I'm going to say 132-and-a-half.

Said almost seductively, then, I think, Lee.

And who would have thought it? We haven't got a tie.

-We don't have a tie. It is, however, a victory to you, Mark.

-Ooh!

-Well, done, Grandad. That wisdom is really coming through here. The actual price is 139,950.

-Ooh.

-Ooh.

-So, you know, you've got a bit of money to spend, you've got all of this.

It's not a bad thing.

-Yeah?

-Not a bad thing at all.

We're getting a, "Hmm, yes, OK, but we'd like to look at the next little gem you've got up your sleeve."

Everyone wants to look at this, cos Jenny and I are the only people who know what the wild card looks like.

-Oh, yes. It's a proper surprise. Let's go for it.

-This way.

Well, here we go again, Ed. Your favourite, my favourite, everyone's favourite. It's time to get wild.

When you say "wild", do you mean we stray from our target area,

show them a semi-detached house on an estate and hope that the surprise this one holds will wow them?

Er, yes, I do.

So, lovely Lee and quite-lovely Mark...

-Oh, yeah, and hello, Ed, yeah. Welcome to Halesowen.

-Oh.

This is the time everybody has been waiting for, because we've not even let them in on this secret.

A secret, a surprise, and maybe a winner. Who knows?

-So, what are your first impressions, Lee?

-Looks very nice.

-Mm.

-Looks quite big.

-Mm.

-The garden looks nice, from what I can see from peering over the hedge.

Now, Mark, obviously, the wild card is a potent force for folk at home.

-A lot of grandparents like it. You're a grandparent.

-Yes.

Any areas of this wild card that are lighting your fire?

Well, being a grandparent, and grandparents wanting to get in the garden and do a bit of tinkering,

looking after the old plants and all that, yes, that's right up my street.

-I can see you turning the soil.

-I want you to go in there and give the wild card a thorough once-over.

-Are you ready?

-We're ready.

-Good luck. Three, two, one, give it that.

-Let's go.

Ooh.

I bet Ed's going to come in any minute now, and in a perfect world, he's going to say...

You all right there, Jenny? How are you? What? What? What is it?

-Nothing.

-What?

-It's all right. No, let's get on with it.

-All right.

-Nothing.

-OK. See what they're going to say, eh?

What do you think?

-Quite nice, yeah.

-First impressions?

Yeah. Just probably... put a few personal touches in.

Possibly change...

Possibly change the darker furniture.

Not really my taste.

-And also the carpet.

-Yeah. I think I'd change the carpet, yes.

So they've made the right point, there. Change the carpet, possibly.

-Mm-hm.

-The dark carpet.

-Soaking too much light up.

-Yes, exactly.

Ooh.

Now, this is nice.

-Yes, it is.

-It's very nice.

Now, this has got the wow factor.

I've got to agree.

Coming from that room, we were sort of umming and aahing,

but this is just...

I could spend a lot of time in here and I don't do a lot of cooking. Not as much as I should!

Oh, it's all coming out now! So, he might start cooking if the kitchen's nice enough.

And I think he's starting cooking.

-Lee, get this one. If it means he's going to cook every night, brilliant.

-Oh, yes.

Wow.

Oh, this is amazing.

-This is... This is just amazing.

-It's beautiful, isn't it?

Absolutely perfect.

-Imagine sitting out here of an evening, watching the TV?

-A little barbie.

-Yeah, put a little barbie on the patio area outside, there.

-Very nice.

-A few cocktails.

-Very nice.

-It's absolutely incredible.

-Sold.

Mark's fallen in love with the conservatory. He can't see further than that. For him, happy days.

-You're banking on the wild card?

-I am.

-Speechless. Absolutely amazing.

-I can't wait to see upstairs.

-Speechless.

-Speechless.

-You could take a leaf out of his book!

Ooh.

-Oh, I like this.

-Mm.

Not a bad size.

I much prefer a bathroom upstairs.

-In comparison to the last property being downstairs.

-Yeah.

I think I've always preferred it that way, to be honest.

To be fair, they were very polite at your property, number two.

They didn't mention, "We're not sure about the bathroom downstairs"

-but they get here, they both agree, "Yes".

-"We love it."

-"We want the bathroom upstairs, really."

Ooh, this looks nice.

-Yeah, lovely.

-I like the...

These are the best fitted wardrobes so far.

Very nicely decorated.

-Yeah.

-They've done a wonderful job with this place. Absolutely spot-on.

-Very quiet. Have you noticed how quiet it is, as well?

-Mm.

-Wonderfully quiet.

Well, they are certainly enthusing about this property.

Ooh, this is nice.

A very nicely-sized room.

The views look good.

Looking towards the window, there, that's a pretty cool view.

I'm sure that's, er... Would that be Clent?

-I'm not sure. I think so.

-Yeah? That could be Clent Hills, over that way.

Oh, he's good on his geography.

Another door to open.

Yeah, you carry on. Open away.

Hang on a minute. Hang on a minute, viewers.

-Ooh!

-What do we have in there?

-Oh, a shower.

-Handy if we've got guests staying.

-A nice feature.

-How they've got it in there...

-I don't know.

-I want to find out whether it's got a garage.

-OK.

-Shall we go?

-Yes.

-After you.

-I've got a weird sense of deja-vu, Jenny.

-Oh, yeah.

Like a compulsion to go to the garage again and again...

-I can't have deja-vu!

-Why not?

-The sun's gone in.

-Oh, right. Lazy.

OK, youngest-grandad Mark.

Here is at the nub of it.

We have had episode one, garage one, which was lovely. Episode two, garage two, which was even lovelier.

-It was, yes.

-You're not sure there's a garage here?

I'm not quite sure, but that belong to this property?

Mark, it does. And also, you get all of this.

This fantastic car-parking space as well. I would imagine...

-I can't even do the sums. About six cars you could park on it?

-At least.

You've got a car already parked there, and in here... Come nearer, come nearer.

I don't want to hit you in the face with the garage door, but have a look, Grandad.

Tell me if this is not the camper van,

-home/workshop/whatever it is, of your dreams.

-Absolutely perfect.

-Really?

-Yeah. Looks like this is owned by somebody that likes working on their own vehicle, possibly.

-There's nice tool-chest there, yes.

-Mark, be honest.

You love the conservatory. You love this. Is this a contender today?

-I think so. A very strong contender.

-All right. What I want to know is the price but don't say.

-OK.

-We'll find Jenny and Lee. Ready?

-Yes.

-Good luck with it.

-Thank you.

-So Mark loves the conservatory.

-He does.

-He doesn't just like it, he loves the conservatory.

Which means you can both sit and enjoy loving this courtyard. So it all panned out very well

-apart from the fact there is no vegetable patch.

-Supermarket?

You're so fickle. I love it! Who wants to grow their own vegetables?

-I mean, vegetables? They're everywhere!

-I can have a few herb pots.

-Yeah, just a couple of pots.

-Tomato plants.

-Hello.

-Hi.

-Sorry.

-We always turn up and you're talking about vegetables.

-They've gone out the window now.

-Yeah, we're not interested any more.

-I can have herb pots and a tomato plant.

-That's fine by me.

-Done deal.

We have the final guess the price to play.

Mark, you are currently in the lead.

-Lee, all you can do is draw.

-I'll let you go first.

-Ooh, really? Ooh.

I'm going to go...

Ooh, 149,950.

OK. All right. All right!

Well, I do actually think it's probably higher than 150,

but I know you wouldn't be so mean as to show us a property over our budget.

Sometimes that's justification for the wild card. I know!

I'm going to go for 147,500.

-Oh, all right.

-We officially have a draw.

-Oh, we do?

-You are closest, Lee.

-Yay!

-It's not really much to celebrate, a draw.

-Bring on the vegetables, yeah!

-It's a draw on guess the price!

So, the price, and you'll like this - it's even better than the victory of a draw -

145 on the nose. £145,000 on the nose.

-How do you like that, then?

-For all of this?

-For all of this.

-Five grand spare to do whatever you want with.

-Wow.

You've seen the properties. You have to make the most important decision of your adult lives,

about which one you wish to test drive. Good luck. We'd like to help you but we can't.

-We're contractually not allowed to.

-You are now out of our hands.

It's your responsibility to choose that property. We'll meet you at the property you decide to test drive.

-Something tells me we won't have to travel far, but I could be wrong.

-You could be wrong.

-Head off, and good luck. We'll see you soon.

-Thank you.

-Congratulations on the draw.

-Thank you.

And while that lovely couple make that very important decision,

here's a reminder of all three properties.

So, we started our adrenalin-fuelled journey with my choice.

Newly renovated with a huge garden, could this semi offer healing potential

for Lee and Mark's property problems? It might, you know, at £144, 500.

Next was my choice, which oozed charm from front to rear.

What it lacked inside, it made up for in the garage department.

I would certainly be parking my van up here for 139,950 quid.

And finally, the wild card,

a delightful property with a beautiful conservatory,

the mother of all garages and enough off-road parking for a fleet of vans.

This one is surely in with a shout at 145 grand.

Lee, Mark, I can't believe it.

I thought I knew which property you were going to go for for the test-drive,

and I was right because, yes, you've gone for the one with the conservatory

that you have fallen in love with. And I just hope Lee isn't too jealous.

We've had the mystery To Buy Or Not To Buy surveyor here. His survey is not legally binding

but it gives you a good heads-up.

The back of the chimneystack, the pointing on the bricks hasn't been done there.

The pointing everywhere else has been done. Just that part hasn't been done.

It doesn't cost that much. Not really a problem.

-I could do it myself, possibly.

-Good.

And just another minor - round the side of the property, there's a gas vent that's fully exposed,

so it needs to have a guard around it, especially with Steven growing up.

OK. I want you to enjoy your test drive. This is a golden opportunity.

So in three, two, one, test-drive the living daylights out of this house!

So, here comes the van. Let's hope it's going to fit in that garage,

or we could both be in big trouble.

Ooh, it's going to be tight!

There she blows. Have faith, Jenny. I never had any doubt.

Steady on, Mark. You'll have the paint off it at that rate.

Now, that's enough graft.

The test-drive's meant to be fun.

I think they'd better see just how relaxing that whopper of a conservatory really is.

-No rest for the wicked. Here's the family.

-Come on in.

Whilst Mark gives Sharelle and Steven the official tour for approval...

..Lee takes it down a gear or two and has a practice reiki session on the mother-in-law.

So, Mark, having done the test drive in this beautiful house, how is she?

-Absolutely wonderful.

-Yeah.

-I checked out the garage. I could probably live in it, if I had to.

-Really?

So when I refer to "she", I meant the conservatory, but also "he", as in the garage, is good too?

It's a bit of a hard decision to make between the two, yeah.

-And the house is pretty good, also.

-And, of course, Lee. You're perfect.

-Oh, thank you.

-Is the house?

-It's beautiful.

-How it its reiki potential?

-Have you felt any auras coming from the house?

-Very good, actually.

I can imagine, with the sun on there, reiki music, nice, relaxing atmosphere.

And here's the big question. We've had the grandson round. Has he enjoyed the property?

He's only seven months old, isn't he?

So it's quite hard to say. Has he made any good gurgling sounds?

I think he's fallen in love with it, just like we have, to be honest.

It's been a long journey and I'm hoping there's going to be

a very positive light at the end.

There's only one way to find that out, by asking the greatest question that we know.

Jenny, would you like to deliver that question?

To buy or not to buy?

That is the question.

Well, if everything goes well with our property, then I think it would be a "to buy".

This is fantastic news. So, by the end of the journey,

did you really think, when you first met us, that we could do it?

-That we could find something you wanted to buy?

-Be honest!

-We had our doubts.

Yeah, we did, yeah. But I think you've both come good in the end.

So a positive result, there. Also, I have to say, a very sort of chilled-out, calming day we've had.

I feel slightly woozy in a good way.

Yeah. All the reiki, the holistic feelings, it's all paying off. It's all rubbing off, actually. Ooh!

Hopefully, you helped us to help the nation heal their housing problems. So we're off. Thank you.

-We'll see you some time in the future, hopefully.

-Thank you.

-Take care, guys.

-See you later.

-Bye-bye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd