Forest of Dean To Buy or Not to Buy

Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to another property-ridden episode of To Buy Or Not To Buy.

Today we're going to be showing you more properties than you can shake a stick at.

Which, as we're in a forest, is literally thousands of sticks.

Thousands of sticks means thousands of properties,

but this is To Buy Or Not To Buy so what we actually mean is...

We're going to be shaking a stick at three of the finest properties this particular forest has to offer.

We'd better go find them, then, hadn't we?

-Well, we'll not be stuck for properties around here by the looks of things, it is beautiful.

-I agree.

-What about that one over there?

-Oh, I like that.

-That one?

-It's lovely too, Simon, but I'm starting to think we should

-find out a bit about our buyers before we get too excited.

-For once I'm in agreement, Jonny. Duty calls.

I like that one too.

Yes, and duty also calls for today's intrepid house hunters, Tory James and her husband, Stewart.

Tory's a student into the third year of her

criminology degree who's also got a part-time job as a tax collector, and her husband, Stewart, is...

Sorry to disappoint folks, but Stewart has unfortunately had to go to work.

But don't worry, Tory's found a very capable replacement.

-Who's that?

-That's her best friend, Rhiannon Lloyd.

They met aged 11 and they've stayed in contact ever since.

So she's ideally placed to understand the wants and needs of her best friend's housing pre-requisites.

Yeah, I'm hoping so because she's got a decade on us.

We'd best go play some catch up then.

-So, Rhiannon, you've replaced Tory's husband Stewart.

-I have.

-I'm assuming just for the purposes of this, it's not going to be a fulltime thing?

-Hopefully not.

We're friends but not, you know.

What makes you so well-placed to help Tory and guide her on her hunt?

I've known her a long time - we speak every day, don't we?

So yeah, by email or on the phone so I think I know what she wants.

The poor girl's had to listen to me moaning for months - where will we live? What house will we buy?

-So what sort of property? What sort of things does she want?

-She wants a huge garden, don't you?

-Yeah.

Nice bit of garden, something quite rural, don't you?

Minimum of three bedrooms...

-Yeah.

-So it's just the two of you, minimum of three bedrooms, were you planning for the future?

-This is the long-term kind of home, so something we can grow into.

-Right. As Rhiannon already is.

Yes!

-Yeah, four bedrooms, hopefully so we can come and stay.

-Yeah.

-Just out of interest, how far are we?

-Seven months, so yeah...

-Wow.

-It'll be fine today.

Yeah, OK, good, touch wood.

OK, so we've got minimum of three bedrooms, huge garden, what else in on your tick list as such?

A workshop for Stu because he's into woodwork and that kind of thing so

he needs somewhere to play and somewhere I can shut him away.

-So am I guessing that if I found somewhere that needed a bit of work, he's handy?

-Reasonably.

I'm not going to sign up to complete kind of reconstructive surgery on a house but, you know, little bits.

Little bit of cosmetic touching up.

Yeah, yeah. Nothing major, please.

What about style of property?

Anything, as long as it's not a new build.

-So a period properties and a bit of character.

-Period would be nice but that's

-not essential.

-Is that similar to the property you're in now?

No, we're in a '60s three-bed semi, so it's going to be quite a change.

-Oh, brilliant, so it's a great adventure this then, isn't it?

-Yeah, definitely.

-Rhiannon, anything else that Tory's missed off? You know her well enough.

-You've been chatting on the phone.

-You want a big family kitchen, don't you?

-I'd quite like a big kitchen.

-Ideally you'd have a big kitchen.

It doesn't have to be, I think you're quite flexible with the rooms themselves, it's just got

-to be the right location, the right size, definitely.

-Yeah.

-So Tory, where are you at the moment?

-In Bristol.

-And where are we looking to move?

We want to be within an hour of Bristol so we can still get to work,

but within half an hour of Mum to be close to family and friends.

Somewhere in the Forest of Dean area, anywhere really just so long as it's within an hour.

I am liking, your thinking on the Forest of Dean.

-Beautiful, beautiful place.

-We've got a wishlist as far as location's concerned, but of course,

the reality check is, what's the budget going to be for the search?

-Perhaps around 270, somewhere in that region.

-OK. Is that the kind of maximum that you want to push it to?

We could possibly go a bit over but we'd like to sort of keep it around there.

-OK.

-Right, shall we?

-Yes.

-We'll see you later, girls.

-See you later.

-Well, I hope the rain holds off because it's beautiful around here.

-Yeah, the Forest of Dean is lovely.

-Know who the most famous resident of this area is?

-I bet you're going to tell me.

-Dick Whittington.

-Oh, him of the Lord Mayor of London fame?

-Yeah. Him and his cat.

Hang on, but didn't he leave here to go seek his fortune in the capital?

Yeah. I don't know why, it's beautiful here, I'd rather stay.

-Yeah, so would I. Shall we explain why?

-Let's.

Now, the streets of the Forest of Dean are, like London,

not exactly paved with gold, but for anyone looking for a semi-rural period property

in a spellbindingly beautiful setting, they might as well be.

Price-wise, bear in mind that as an ex-mining region, most of the properties tend to reflect

the lower income levels, so expect to pay on average for a detached cottage property, around £275,000.

Unsurprisingly, Reader's Digest magazine have also voted it the third best place in the UK

and the best place in England to raise a family.

Yes, the enclosed nature of the forest, largely untouched by

chainstores and traffic, has fostered some great community spirit.

It was one of five areas in the top ten in the survey that had the lowest burglary rate.

On top of all that, it's got 27 conservation areas,

cycle routes, walking routes and you can go canoeing, ride horses...

It makes you wonder why Dick Whittington ever left, doesn't it?

Probably due to the excellent transport links.

Now, without the presence of the Severn Bridge Tory's husband

would be presented with a one hour 15 minute commute to Bristol.

Slightly closer to the bridge and Bristol is this three-bed terrace

in Chepstow, £264,950.

This is the 1,006 metre long Forth Bridge, which carries

12 million vehicles a year between Edinburgh and Fife.

Should you want to be one of them this two bed flat in the Scottish

capital will set you back almost Tory's entire budget at 269 grand.

And the Humber Bridge's 1,410 metres once made it the longest suspension bridge in the world.

If you'd like to have a closer look, you might want to consider this lovely four bed character property

in Barton-on-Humber, on the market for exactly 270 grand.

-Time we did a bit of bridge building ourselves. To the agent.

-Hi, Sharon.

-Hi.

-Thanks for agreeing to see me.

-OK.

-Hopefully you're going to be my property saviour today.

Whilst Jonny's busy putting together the nuts and bolts of this show,

working, I thought I'd take time to explore the Forest of Dean's 110 square kilometres of woodland.

We've got a couple, ideally wanting to live around the Forest of Dean.

Minimum of three bedrooms and ideally period.

Old mine workings and caves litter the Forest of Dean.

This cave at Clearwell has been mined for over 4,000 years and was recently used for the set of Dr Who.

We have this one here,

that's a four bed semi-detached cottage on at 279,500.

Three thousand miles of paths and tracks, weave your way through the

wooded hills and valleys of Britain's biggest broadleaf forest, more than enough to get lost on your bike.

How are you finding these vendors at the moment? Are they quite flexible and negotiable?

Some vendors are, even if their properties are on around that

sort of price at 275, 280, we have had some vendors

that have actually taken 250,000 for their property.

It is estimated that the Forest of Dean district makes around £12.5m

a year from horse riding and carriage driving.

-Walk on.

-So what are we talking?

10%, 15%, maybe even 20% they're taking off houses?

I would say it's definitely 10% to 20%, in some cases perhaps a little bit higher than that.

So not only is the Forest of Dean a great place to live, there's also an awful lot to do here.

Here's hoping Jonny's been on target with those properties.

-Had fun, have we?

-I am worn out from searching the Forest of Dean high and low.

-How did you get on?

-Well, I've been doing some proper work and actually speaking to the estate agents and

I've found a property that matches my stick perfectly, carved out of Forest of Dean stone nonetheless.

A gorgeous detached cottage, three bedrooms, views that are absolutely

-sublime and a workshop that is perfect for Stewart.

-Ah, I see.

Well, I shall see your stick and raise it as whilst I was having fun,

in between times the team and I have found this gorgeous place here.

I think it will be very popular indeed. It's an old cottage which has recently been re-modernised.

It is perfect and that's all I'm saying about it.

-How about the wild card?

-Yes, our joint choice today, to say we've gone out on a limb, or a branch,

is to say the very least with this one. We're taking a risk, I think.

We are. This will decide whether the girls can see the woods for the trees, that's all I'm going to say.

Right, we've got a gorgeous day, let's not waste it, get cracking at my house, property one.

Simon, there's certainly a different feel to the Forest of Dean, almost mystical perhaps.

Probably the same mystical aura that's inspired writers of the calibre of JRR Tolkein,

-Dennis Potter and JK Rowling.

-Well, I can't say my writing has been particularly inspiring...

-At least it's joined up these days.

-There is that.

But I was inspired to find Tory an absolutely splendid property.

There are plenty of those around, so I hope you've done a good job.

Tory, here we are for property number one, my choice. Beautiful village of Blakeney is the setting

for this lovely stone cottage, circa 19th century, we believe.

I think we're ticking all the boxes with this place.

I mean the views to the front are absolutely stunning, and the cottage itself looks great.

-What do you think. first impressions?

-It is lovely, but I've seen it before.

What do you mean you've seen it before?

-I viewed it a couple of weeks ago.

-You've been round this property?

-Yeah.

-What didn't you like about it though, Tory, because I think this property is perfect for you.

It is lovely but the garden wasn't quite right.

OK. Rhiannon, have you seen this place before?

No, no. No, I haven't been here before.

-I'm going to give you a guided tour of this place, OK.

-Right, yeah.

I'm going to show you round, give you the hard sell, estate agent-style.

Tory, you stay with Simon, listen to my words of wisdom, I reckon we can change your mind.

Yeah, shall we do that?

-Yeah, go for it.

-Come on, let's go listen in at Jonny out where. Come on, let's go.

-Yeah, let's do it.

Right then, Tory, listen in, let's see if Jonny and Rhiannon can sell

-this place to you second time round.

-Yeah, we shall see.

-OK, Rhiannon, we're going to mix it up by using the back door as the front door.

-OK, yeah.

So here we go. Nice lobby...

Yeah. This is great, isn't it? Downstairs loo, take your shoes off.

It is the essential, isn't it? Every family needs one.

Yeah, definitely. They'll go out for walks, take their shoes off, get it all dirty.

-And when you turn up with your little baby.

-Yeah.

-It's going to be very handy.

-I can't fit through the door.

Well, Tory, Rhiannon seems to like it initially.

-Yeah, she can buy it.

-I think she will love this kitchen.

-After you.

-Yeah, brilliant.

-Lead the way in there.

-Full of character, isn't it? Oh, wow.

-What did you think of the kitchen dining area?

I liked it, it is nice.

It's definitely a nice kitchen and it's a good size.

-This is the quintessential country kitchen, isn't it?

-It's perfect.

I would think Stu would really like this as well, I think he'd love it. Is that an Aga?

-And the focal point is that gorgeous, multi-fuel burner there, isn't it?

-Yeah, it is gorgeous.

-Look, it's quarry tiled floor, raised wooden dining area...

-Yeah.

Exposed stone wall, exposed beams.

-Yeah. It's gorgeous.

-You know what I'm thinking.

-Yeah.

-It means lush.

He's trying to be down with the kids.

Oh, I see. It's not working, it's not working.

-It's not working. He's too old for all that!

-He is, yeah.

Oh, wow, so going on through, this is the living area.

-OK.

-So this is spot on size, isn't it?

-Yeah, perfect.

-Now originally, I don't know if you could tell

when we were looking at the front, that actually used to be two windows there.

-Now they've replaced it and got one large window.

-Right, OK.

Aesthetically it's not perhaps the best, if I'm honest, but it does bring in masses of natural light.

-Yeah.

-It gives you a cracking view.

-It does.

-It is really lovely.

-The one thing it doesn't have, sadly, that I know she's interested in, is a proper old...

-..Fireplace.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-I assume that is the original chimney there and the flue should still be in place

-and they could probably take that out and replace it.

-Yeah. Which is something they might like to do.

They've done some work to the fireplace in their house already

so they're not averse to doing work and stuff like that.

-She's dropping me in it now!

-Ain't she just!

So this is the front door here, so obviously they don't use that,

-I imagine, because you'd step straight into the lounge.

-Yeah.

-You'd definitely want to come in that way.

-Well, because...

-Muddy feet or anything like that.

-Exactly.

-You'd probably greet your family and friends there as such.

-Yeah.

But generally you're going to come round the back because it's fairly muddy.

-Yeah.

-It's very village-esque.

-OK.

-So when you first viewed the place, you've gone through,

-you've seen that lovely kitchen dining room area...

-Yeah.

-And then the living room.

Was that enough space for you?

Ideally I'd like a bit more, but I think it works quite well and it is nice.

-It does have a nice feel to it, this place.

-Yes, it does. It flows quite nicely, doesn't it?

You should be doing HIS job.

-So what do you think? Nice wooden staircase?

-Yeah, like the wood, really like that.

-Really cottagey, isn't it?

-I'm not sure about the wooden stairs.

I don't think the dog would be able to get up them very easily.

-You didn't mention the dog?

-What do you mean I didn't mention the dog?

-We're not buying a house for the dog.

-Oh, Billy's a big part of the house and the move.

-A kennel.

-No, no, no!

-Kennel.

-No.

-No?

-Billy sleeps on the bed.

-OK, so this is the...

-This is one of three.

We've got, what I would call as an estate agent, three double bedrooms.

-Right.

-It may be a stretch but...

-OK.

-It's quite subjective really.

-Yeah.

-Although it you can get a double bed in it, it pretty much counts.

-Yeah.

-But I love it.

-I think for Tory and Stu it's slightly small.

Is she right? Did you find these bedrooms a little bit on a small side?

-No, we were happy with those.

-Rhiannon, you're supposed to know your friend.

How prepared are they for the concept of what a cottage is?

You get the smaller rooms with a cottage and I think location is just

so important to them and the garden and things like that...

-Yes.

-So I think they will definitely compromise on the size of the bedroom.

And it's just the two of them. Certainly when you're a couple it's all about the living accommodation.

-Yeah, yeah.

-A superb kitchen there.

-Exactly, yeah.

-Big lounge and they'll only sleep up here.

And little do you know, Jonny, not only are they sleeping up there, so is Billy.

OK, let's have a look at this second bedroom.

-Obviously being used as a study.

-Yeah.

-I love the feeling in here.

-It's a good size, isn't it?

-You've got the period fireplace...

-Oh, wow.

-Behind, just there.

-Yeah, gorgeous.

-Comfortably would be a double bedroom.

-You could easily fit a double bed in here, couldn't you?

Yeah. So not too bad at all. I might say, these exposed beams really do

-draw that sort of cottagey character feel to it again.

-Yeah.

-I quite like the beams.

-Mmm.

-They're not essential but I do quite like them.

-Yeah, nice feature, aren't they?

-Yeah.

OK, so here we are, third and final double bedroom.

-Great double bedroom as well, this.

-Yeah. Again a double, so that's fab.

Exposed beams and an apex ceiling.

-Although you've got this here you don't lose any height.

-You don't lose any headroom whatsoever there.

A lovely windowseat there that looks out onto the garden.

-And actually some of the nicest fitted wardrobes I've seen.

-That's gorgeous, isn't it?

These are the singular only fitted wardrobes I have ever seen in my life that I like.

They actually had a guy in and he came in, measured up and put them in for them a couple of years ago.

-Lovely oak fitted wardrobes.

-Yeah, really good quality.

-And they fit with the property.

-Yeah.

-It's really warm as well, isn't it?

-Yeah. Well, the stone wall is about three metres thick.

-That'll be why.

-Maybe a slight exaggeration. OK then, bathroom, final room.

-OK. Brilliant.

-You can go first this time.

-Thank you. Oh, wow, I like this.

-The final room.

It's really big, isn't it? Look at that bath in the corner.

That's what we like about it, obviously corner bath, separate shower cubicle.

-The essential vanity sink.

-Oh, wow. Airing cupboard.

-The essential airing cupboard.

-Yeah, definitely.

You see, Simon O'Brien doesn't like airing cupboards.

He rips every one out and replaces it with a shower cubicle, but not this time.

-It's already got one.

-There's no need, just leave it where it is, it's perfectly fine.

-You've got a shower, in fact it would be smaller in there.

-Shame on you.

-Speaking of that fiend, let's go and see them in the garden...

-Excellent.

-Let's go and have a chat.

-Well, it's been a pleasure out here, Benaar, without you, hasn't it?

-It's been brilliant.

-Yeah. Shall we go and find them then?

-Yeah.

-Come on.

-I know you've got issues with this garden, but what a view here.

-It is beautiful.

-It is gorgeous, isn't it?

-Hello, gnomes.

-Hey, watch it, watch it.

-Our four-foot friends, out here.

-So look, we both agree we love this place, don't we?

-Love it.

-So really it leaves us kind of baffled. It's perfect, what is the issue?

-You wouldn't believe this.

-It's the garden. Billy wouldn't like it.

-Billy being?

-Billy, my friend, is the dog.

-Stu would love this place.

-Yeah.

-Husband loved it, yeah?

-Yeah.

-You loved it?

-Yeah.

But when they thought about it, the dog mightn't like it.

-Honestly.

-Hold me back, Rhiannon. So I give you a beautiful cottage,

in the countryside, spectacular views, lovely kitchen diner

-as requested, excellent shed and study area down there for Stu's tinkering and things...

-Yeah.

-Billy the dog doesn't like it.

-No.

-Possibly not.

I'm confident that wasn't in the conversation we had this morning.

Never mind that. Let it go. Let's get to guess the price time.

Now then, I think you might get quite close to this price, Tory, so think.

Rhiannon, it's only right that you go first.

-OK. I reckon 275.

-All right.

267,500.

That is impressive.

Incredible. What's it on the market for, mate?

It's surprisingly on the market for 267,500. You are really good at this game.

-Yes.

-So your friend's cheated, she's one-nil up.

I will now give you a chance to equalise because hopefully you won't

have seen my choice, property number two, which is that way. Let's go.

Drybrook village might be dry by name but it's certainly not dry by nature.

The weather has certainly taken a turn for the worse.

Now, despite only having a population of around 3,000, it boasts a range of amenities.

-Oh, do go on.

-Well, they include a butcher, chemist, garage, hairdresser, fish and chip shop...

OK, OK, and property two is located within its confines.

All right, I was only trying to help. Shall we go and have a look?

Rhiannon and Tory, for my choice, property two, I've brought you to the lovely sprawling village of Drybrook.

-Have you been here before?

-No.

-That's a good start. Have you seen this property before?

-Never.

-You see how it works, Jonny?

-Yes, well done.

-First impressions?

-Yes, very nice.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Rhiannon?

-Love it. Really like it, yeah.

It's actually 17th century.

-Right.

-It doesn't look it though does it?

-No, not at all.

-It's been extensively modernised.

Now, when we did the headphone sequence together

-you did point out that you didn't think you could afford too much space for your budget, yeah?

-Yeah.

Well, I think you might be proved wrong.

-All right, get in there, shelter from the rain...

-Thank you.

-Enjoy.

-I've just realised something.

-You're back with me.

-I'm stuck with you on the headphones again.

-Yeah.

-Never mind.

Oh, wow.

-This is magnificent.

-Ah, it's good to be back together again, eh?

Oh, Tory, I do miss you.

-Wooden stairs again.

-Yeah.

-Billy.

-Oh, wow. So what would you use this for?

-I've no idea.

-There's two different kinds of "oh, wow".

There's "oh, wow, this is impressive", and "oh, wow, what's going on here, then?!"

-What would you use it for?

-I don't know. A playroom, office, something like that, couldn't you?

-It's a big office.

-Yeah.

-It's unusual, whatever it is.

-How would the estate agent describe it?

A mezzanine study area.

-I like it.

-Mmm.

-Good stuff.

-Go and see the rest of it then?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Just over there. Be a nightmare to clean on a wet day, wouldn't it?

Billy's paws.

-Well, wipe your feet before you go in then.

-Simple enough.

-It's quite big open space, isn't it? It just feels...

-I don't know, this feels a little bit unusual.

-The utility and cloakroom in one.

-Yeah. It's very big, isn't it?

It's not very homely this, is it?

It's slightly less modern in its feel.

What's over here?

Oh, wow, it's got a wood store.

-Gosh, it's creepy.

-I'm not sure about the stars.

-I don't know if I like that.

-You don't want to stay in there?

-No.

-It's the guest room.

-I'm a bit scared of that.

-It's just very empty, isn't it?

-Oh, this is nice.

-Yeah, this is lovely.

-That's quite nice.

-It's quite difficult because there's no-one living here.

-It's nice and new though, isn't it?

-Yeah.

What do you think of the floor?

I wouldn't have picked it but it's OK.

I wouldn't have picked that floor either to be honest.

-That tiling.

-That is not what this place is about.

This place is about space, not detail.

-So presumably that's the dining area.

-Yeah.

-That's lovely, I love that fireplace.

-It's a nice fireplace.

-Yeah. And this floor. What is this?

I have no idea. I'm not quite sure what that would be.

It's a lovely rosewood floor.

Fireplace is nice, like that. I think Stu would like that.

-Do you think?

-Yeah.

-He likes his fireplaces.

-Yeah. That is quite grand.

-Is it big enough though?

I'm not sure. I think for a kitchen diner it just feels a little bit hollow, doesn't it?

You know, it feels like a really low dining room.

-I don't know, there's not a huge amount of light.

-Mmm.

-That's a lovely bright room.

-This is a big space.

-Wow.

Another nice fire, that is really nice.

-Yeah.

-Every room needs its focal point and that absolutely beautiful

stove in the living room is the glorious focal point of that space.

-So presumably this is your living room-type space.

-Yeah.

That's nice with the conservatory off it as well.

-Again, it's quite dark, isn't it?

-It is a dark day though, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-I suppose that makes a difference.

You've got loads of windows, where would you put, I mean I suppose you

could have a sofa along here, it's quite restrictive with the windows.

But I love the floor, I really like the floor.

-Yeah.

-Yeah. And the fireplaces are just gorgeous.

-Yeah, the fireplaces are good.

Let's have a look at the conservatory.

-Oh, it's lovely light in here.

-Yeah it's much lighter, isn't it?

Really lightens the whole place up. You can hear the rain now, you can

just imagine being sat here and it would be so relaxing, wouldn't it?

-Yeah, even on a grotty day it would still be nice.

-I love conservatories. An interesting sofa.

-Would they leave that for us, do you think?

-I hope not. It's very pink, isn't it?

-You've got quite good views out around as well.

-Yeah. That's gorgeous.

-Garden looks lovely as well.

-Yep. Shall we go back through.

-Yeah.

What do you think of the stairs? Do you like the wooden stairs? It's wooden stairs again.

Well, if you don't like a wooden staircase do you know what you can do, Tory?

Put carpet on it.

This isn't a bad size.

-I wonder which one this is going to be.

-It's a decent size double bedroom, that, as well, isn't it?

-It is, it is.

-Storage space.

-And what's behind the curtain?

-That's quite deep.

-You'd almost probably fit your own wardrobes in there, wouldn't you? I don't know.

-Yeah, I think you could do better than that. Not a bad view.

-Yeah.

-Thank you. Not a bad view. It's a very, very lovely view.

-Quite like the window seat as well.

-I know.

I could just sit there on the phone, couldn't I? Looking out the window.

-Yeah.

-Ah, that's where they'd sit and talk to each other, isn't it?

-Let's go and have a look then, see the rest of it.

-Yeah.

So far are you satisfied with your tour?

-It's a mixed bag, but this property is a mixed bag.

-It's an eclectic property, isn't it?

-It is, but you need to kind of use your imagination in this place a little bit.

-Oh, it's a big bathroom.

-Yeah, it is quite big, isn't it.

-Separate shower, that's always nice.

It's quite bare again though, isn't it? There's loads of space but everything's really bare.

I'm not sure these tiles are to my taste either.

-What do you think Stu would think of it so far then?

-Um, yeah, it's not bad.

-Yeah.

-It's pretty big.

-Yeah.

-Which is a good start. I'm not sure about the flooring in here.

OK. What else have we got?

-So we've got a change in the floor again. I'm not sure...

-Quite different everywhere, isn't it?

It doesn't really blend.

That is a fair point.

There is no flow with all the different floorings throughout this property.

-Ah, mirrored wardrobes.

-Wow. I like this room though, I really do.

-It looks like they had a fireplace there at one stage.

-Oh, yeah.

I wonder if it could be put back or...

-Stu would probably like a fireplace there, wouldn't he?

-I think it would be nice to have but...

It seems a shame to lose it because that's one thing it hasn't got. Not a huge amount of character.

-Mmm, upstairs definitely hasn't.

-It's a good size though. I like the size of it.

-Yeah.

-They've both been good sizes so far, haven't they?

-Yeah, definitely.

What's next?

-This is the last bedroom then.

-This is a really good size considering all the others.

-They're all really good sizes.

-They're beautiful.

-Laminate this time.

-Yeah. Just for a change. Another one.

What's the one thing I hate in properties?

-Don't know.

-Laminate flooring upstairs.

-Oh, that's true. I should have known that by now.

Yes, Jonny does not like laminate flooring upstairs.

It's all different. All the floors are different.

-Yeah.

-And this is like modern, this is really modern.

-Yeah.

-Whereas... OK. Another good view. A window seat again.

-Yeah.

-It's lovely.

-More talking on the phone.

-That's what I love about this house though, loads of room.

-Yeah.

-It's huge.

-It is.

-There's loads and loads of room.

-It is a good size.

-OK. Let's go and find the lads, shall we?

-Yeah.

I think they understood that what I'm trying to give them here is space.

They're just kind of a bit confused about the mixture of different styles here.

-Come on, let's go and sort it out.

-OK.

Right ladies, we've reconvened in the conservatory because, well, the weather's a bit inclement to

go outside, but just a few pointers for you.

We've got this lovely garden out here, very Billy-friendly...

-Yeah.

-Yeah? All on one level.

-Yeah.

-All right?

-Yeah.

-What did you think about the property itself?

It's interesting. It's not quite what you would expect.

-I'm not sure if I like it or not at the moment.

-I wasn't fond. No, not at all.

I didn't think it felt at all homely, whereas the last one was very cottagey and it was lovely.

-Quite empty, I mean I know it's unfurnished but...

-When you made the comment upstairs,

I think we both agreed with, is this fact that the property just doesn't flow quite correctly.

There's a little inconsistency from room to room and that is a bit of a negative against it.

-Yeah.

-But more space was the point.

Yeah, definitely got more space.

And I hope what you could do with this place is focus on the bits

you liked, keep those and then change any other bits that you didn't fancy.

-Yeah. Like the fireplaces were lovely.

-Exactly.

One of the oldest fireplaces in the whole of Forest of Dean.

Of course. But any changes you're going to want to make

are going to cost money, so it's guess the price time now.

-You had a rather distinct advantage first time round.

-It could be said.

But we are back on a level playing field, OK, so with that in mind, Tory, you may go first.

-What do you think?

-I would say around 275.

-Rhiannon?

-I'd say about 269.

-Even with a level playing field you've lost again, Rhiannon.

-Oh.

Yes, because this place is on the market above your budget at 279,950.

-OK.

-I mean I guess it's the position you're paying for, the views, and the extra space.

-Yeah.

-What do you think?

I'm not sure. It's something to be considered.

Yeah. The thing is to bear in mind, of course, we know the market's pretty difficult at the moment

so it's always a good opportunity for you to put an offer in and negotiate something lower down.

And as you can see as you wander round, the property is unoccupied, it's vacant, so it's standing here

empty which means most vendors who are in that situation are going to be keen to achieve a sale because

-obviously they're paying a mortgage on a property that they're no longer using as their primary home.

-Yeah.

So I'd hope we could probably getting in, if you were interested,

closer to that 250, 270 bracket that you were looking to try and purchase within.

-Yeah, it sounds good.

-All right? OK, that's this property done.

We still have one left, and it sounds like it's brightening up.

Let's go to the wild card, come on.

Now we both liked Drybrook so much we decided that we'd locate the wild card here too.

Yes, literally yards away from property two,

-this house has come onto the market as part of a deceased estate.

-And as such it's seen better days.

So ideally we'd like to show it to you when it's not raining and freezing cold.

But, ladies and gentlemen, it is raining and it is freezing cold and frankly...

-We can't wait to get in there. Right, Jonny?

-Right.

OK, Rhiannon and Tory, here we are at the property we've all been waiting for, the wild card.

-What we have realised in our property search so far is Billy is very important.

-Yeah, he is.

-I think Billy would approve.

-I think Billy would approve. What a garden that is.

-Yes, pretty good.

-Massive, all on one level.

-Good.

All right. that's the garden.

-Have a look over your shoulder.

-Woah.

-There's the property.

-Looks good.

-First impressions?

-It's interesting.

-Interesting?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Are we being diplomatic there, slightly?

-My non-committal word.

-Rhiannon, what are you thinking?

I like it. I really like the style of it. It's nice, yeah. It looks quite quaint.

Exactly. And the plot the property sits on is absolutely superb.

The garden's fantastic, the views on the horizon, over yonder there, are absolutely delightful, aren't they?

-Yeah, gorgeous.

-And also, Tory, come on, you told us, you didn't want a new build.

Yeah. This definitely isn't a new build.

-I absolutely guarantee there is no new-buildness about this at all whatsoever.

-Good. That's good.

Bear that in mind when you have a look around this place.

Let's say you really need to let your imaginations go wild in here.

-OK.

-All right? That's all we'll say. In you go, enjoy, go on.

OK, thank you.

Should they be wearing hard hats?

Oh, wow.

Come on, hurry up, it's miserable out here.

Dining room presumably.

-This is certainly more homely, isn't it?

-Mmm.

-Wow.

-Hmm, feels very homely.

-Yeah?

-I'm detecting a hint of sarcasm in our contributor's voices.

No, because it is a lovely kind of cosy living room, that.

-Look at that fireplace.

-Yeah, that's gorgeous.

It's pretty good.

-Quite a good size room as well, isn't it?

-Needs a bit of work.

Holes in the wall.

Yeah. So I presume it needs quite a bit of work done to it, then.

-Mmm. I would think.

-Yeah.

-It's a nice view out the window into the garden.

-Yeah.

It worries me they've immediately started looking at the views.

-Yeah. There's not much to see on the inside though, to be fair.

-There is.

This place has got bags of potential.

It's got quite a nice big window as well, let some light in.

Needs a lot of work though by the looks, doesn't it?

-Yeah. Another hole in the wall.

-I think it might have a bit of damp as well.

-Oh, yeah.

OK. You can do that though, you can do a bit of work.

Do you know, that start was much more positive than I thought.

I think these girls have got the imagination required for this place.

-Oh, wow.

-This is a good size.

-Look how light it is.

-It is light actually, isn't it?

Yeah, that kitchen is lovely and naturally light and you've got that superb 1950s Aga in there.

That's really lovely though.

-I haven't seen too much, um...

-Arghh...

-There's a big hole in there as well though.

-Oh, really?

-That's where it's rusted.

-Now that, if you used it, would keep your whole house warm, wouldn't it?

-That's if it works.

-So what do you reckon then? Would you want to...

I'd want to gut this and redo it completely. You could get quite a lot of space in here.

-Definitely needs new units though...

-Yeah, definitely.

-And floor.

-Easy to take out though.

-OK, hats off the girls here.

I thought they'd be quite disparaging about this place

but they're seeing the potential with the character here.

Because they like places with that period feel.

-Definitely needs a lot of work, doesn't it?

-And a new carpet.

-Yeah. It's a bit busy.

-Oh, look at that sofa.

Oh, I like the fireplace though.

Oh, now this I do like. You've got loads of character in here, look.

Look at those beams there. That's gorgeous.

-Yeah.

-I really like that.

-Imagine sitting here when it's winter.

-It is a touch on the small side though.

-Do you think?

-Well, it's not huge, is it?

-No. Not a huge amount of useable space either.

-No, where would you put everything, because of the stairs?

-Yeah.

You see that's the problem with that lounge. You've got that open tread staircase there. Why on earth?

Right in front of the window, cutting diagonally across the main source of light.

Yeah. It's ridiculous.

And also, because it's open at the top there, you lose all your heat up there.

-You know where I'd move them to?

-Where?

-Other end of the building.

-Really.

-Yeah.

-No, no. I would move them to the other side of the wall and have them kind of dog leg up.

What's through here then?

-Storage. That's always handy.

-We've got a door through here. Yeah.

-Out to the garden?

-That's good.

-A downstairs bathroom.

Get this all muddy and then keep that separate.

Yeah. And a downstairs loo.

OK, one of the other concerns, perhaps, about this property is that downstairs bathroom.

-Yeah.

-They're never really popular amongst buyers.

-I would get that bathroom upstairs

and split one of the other bedrooms because the one of them

up there, you've got two sources of light, I would split that room into the bathroom and a smaller bedroom.

I presume this is the main bathroom, isn't it? I would have thought.

-Least this is pretty tidy. Wouldn't need to do anything straight away, would you?

-No.

-Not really.

The window's pretty good in here, which is good.

-Nice and light, isn't it?

-Most of these places aren't brilliant.

-Yeah, new shower I think.

-Yep.

-Shall we venture up?

-Yeah, brilliant.

-So it needs a lot of work then doesn't it, I think?

-A little bit.

Do you reckon that Stu would stretch to that much DIY?

I wouldn't like to say right now. Let me see the rest of it.

I mean you could almost move those stairs, couldn't you?

-I don't like where they are so I think I would have to.

-Yeah.

Wow, this is really big...

-Oh, wow.

-But again, it lacks a door.

-Again, the stairs are in the way, aren't they?

-Yeah.

-That upstairs

needs completely re-jigging, doesn't it? Re-planning.

The room they're in now is the one to split up,

because you've got a window on one side of the building, a window on the other side, so

you get two other rooms with natural light coming into them.

Again, you've got quite a nice view.

-This is a really interesting room.

-It's quite light as well, isn't it?

Yeah, because you've those you would definitely have to move

-the stairs, wouldn't you?

-Yeah. They're a little bit oddly placed.

-Although there's quite big furniture in here, isn't there...

-Yeah.

-So it's a really big room.

Look at the cracks in the walls over there. So I don't know.

-Oh, yeah.

-I think it's a little bit deeper than cosmetic, isn't it?

I don't know. I suppose if that's just kind of the natural wall

then it is going to be, you're not going to get them perfectly flush in a house of this age.

OK. You could do this, couldn't you?

-Stu could do it.

-Yes. It's a blank canvas, you could start again.

So, will Stewart's workshop be busy?

-This is quite a big room as well.

-Oh, we've got a door on this one.

That's good. Novel. This is quite a good size too really.

Yeah, you could, again, large furniture so you can easily get a double bed in here.

But again, there's bits missing of the wall.

-Yeah. You can see why this is the wild card, can't you?

-Definitely.

-Definitely.

-It could be really homely though, I think.

-This is quite a nice room, it has a real cottage feel, I think.

-Yeah.

-I think if you've got the right vision you could make it happen.

-Yeah. Definitely.

-I like that.

Rhiannon's being very positive about this place, she's helping

her mate here by saying this could be a lovely, lovely, home-feeling place.

Yeah, she's seen through the superficial and seen the potential

-there to convert this into a fantastic family home.

-Absolutely.

-Once those stairs are back down the other end of the building...

-Whoa, whoa, whoa...

-This is really big.

-It's huge, isn't it?

-Yeah. You almost don't expect it.

-Newly painted by the looks, as well.

It's still not quite to my taste but you can see past that.

-You'd need to colour the walls, wouldn't you? Definitely.

-Yeah.

Interesting borders throughout though, still.

Yeah. You can see again, you've got big wardrobes and the big furniture.

Yeah. I love the beams again. That's gorgeous. So you have really

got three double rooms again, haven't you?

Yes. At the moment you've got three double bedrooms.

-If it's down to Simon O'Brien's idea here you'll be down to two singles and one double.

-No, you're not.

-At best.

-No, you're not. You'll end up with two doubles, definitely, and

perhaps a double, perhaps a large single, and a bathroom upstairs.

-What do you reckon? Too much work?

-It looks like it could be a big job.

Yeah. I think we'd need to talk to a few people.

-Yeah.

-And see how much work it needs doing.

-And how much it would cost.

-Yeah.

I think it's when you get down to some of it as well, you realise there's more to be done really.

Yeah, I wonder what some of the wallpaper's hiding.

Yeah, that is a valid concern, but I think Simon and me have got some

ideas of our own about what we can do with this place.

As soon as the stairs are down the other end of the property everything

-will start working out.

-Right, that's it. I'm going to show you what to do with this place!

-How was that? Did you enjoy it? Great. Bear with me.

-Excuse me one second.

Move this staircase, seal all that up.

Have the staircase dog-legged, couple of steps coming against this

wall and coming back up here against this load-bearing wall just here.

-All right.

-Bring all that extra light in, sealing that.

-Yeah.

-Maintaining the three big double bedrooms upstairs.

But if you do that, if you put the staircase

in here that means there's no chance of taking a bathroom upstairs. You're happy with the bathroom downstairs.

-Happy with my bathroom downstairs as long as I keep three double bedrooms upstairs.

-Hah, come with me.

-Fine.

One minute, one minute.

Front door, OK? As soon as you come in the front door it is natural to see the stairs in front of you.

You've got a door going off to the right and a door going off to the left.

Smaller reception room here, up to the corridor, straight along,

and you break up the big bedroom at the far end into a bathroom and a smaller single bedroom.

-There you go, bathroom upstairs, three bedrooms and the whole flow makes sense.

-OK, I totally disagree.

So you restrict the size of your reception room downstairs,

you make potentially two single bedrooms upstairs by

doing that, and you miss out on the opportunity to open up this into a beautiful kitchen diner.

Whoa, potentially single bedrooms. One single bedroom perhaps.

Anyway listen, I tell you what we agree on, to disagree on this case.

-Yeah.

-Yeah. Come on, let's go speak to the girls.

Sorry about that, we are just very passionate about our properties.

Anyway, where were we? Oh, what did you think about the place?

I don't know yet. I'm unsure if I like it or if I want to run away.

I understand where you're coming from with that.

Rhiannon, you seemed quite clear in your mind about the property

-as you went round.

-Yeah, it's a lot of work that needs doing, isn't it?

A lot of work, but yeah, I think you could make something with it.

You could definitely open up this space, and, yeah.

-You could make something of it, couldn't you?

-Yeah, definitely.

-But it's not going to come cheap.

-No.

Which takes us to guess the price time. Now, Rhiannon, frankly you're doing awfully.

-I know.

-Although having said that, technically it's only 1-0.

-Yes, it's only 1-0.

-Somebody knew the price of the first property. OK, so would you like to go first?

Yeah. I'm going to say, purely just because of the property it's on, I'm going to say it's on at 274.

-OK.

-274, that's a bit random.

Um, I'm going to say 265.

-Do you want to deliver this one?

-Go on.

3-0. That is absolutely spot on. 3-0 to you, nice work.

-Thank you.

-This property's on the market for £265,000. You are brilliant at this game.

-Now, what do you think about that, now you know the price of this place?

-I still don't want it.

You don't have to make that decision just yet, because we've now shown you

-three very different properties.

-Definitely.

-Yeah? Rhiannon, you would agree?

-Very different, yeah.

And you've now got to decide which one you would like to test drive,

bearing Stewart and, of course, Billy in mind. OK?

-Off you go and have a good think about it.

-Thank you.

-See you later.

While the girls are off doing that, here's a recap for you at home.

Well, I found Tory a quintessential cottage. It had three bedrooms,

a lovely garden, off-road parking, practically everything she asked for.

-However, she'd seen it already and decided Billy the dog wouldn't like it.

-That's ruff.

I beg to differ, priced at £267,500.

Now, as part of any To Buy Or Not To Buy, one house should offer a little

bit more than our buyer requests and that's exactly what I decided to do with my property, house two.

Its extra space does mean though

that it's a little bit more than Tory budgeted for at £279,950.

Offering up a property that needs a bit of work is always a bit

of a risk on this show, but buying a house is all about taking risks.

So that's what we've done. Mind you, I get the feeling we may have overcooked it a bit in this case.

A rank outsider for the test drive at 265 on the nose.

Well, girls, lo and behold, you've chosen my property, property number one, to test drive,

and as if it was written in the stars, the rain has stopped and the sun has come out to play for us.

And Billy, obviously our prized pooch, has come to give

it the once-over because, of course, he was the issue. You liked it, you liked it...

-But is it going to be suitable for Billy's needs.

-We shall find out.

Now, as far as I know this is a first on To Buy Or Not To Buy.

I don't think we've ever ended up test driving a property which you'd previously viewed

which we didn't know you had viewed and then you'd already viewed again.

-I won't go there.

-It still counts as a victory though, doesn't it?

It does, it does, OK Jonny, it does indeed, yes.

Now, our eagle eyed property surveyor has given this place the once over and he's come up with some pretty

interesting stuff. Now it's not a legally binding survey...

-Yeah.

-We'd always recommend you tick all those boxes with your solicitor, but anyway, Jonny?

There is just a slight lean to the property, or as I refer to it, character.

It's historical movement, it is a period cottage, you know, it is about 150 years old.

Now, there's no signs that any of that movement has been present in the last century so it's

nothing to concern yourself with and, as I say, it just adds to the quirkiness and feel of the property.

Yeah, it does indeed. And he's also come up with

some very, very interesting stuff to do with the heating of this place.

Now you noticed that big, lovely, multi-fuel burning stove in there.

-Yeah.

-The range. Well, in actual fact that's used to cook on, it's used to heat your hot water

and it's also used to heat your central heating as well.

-Wow.

-But very cleverly, what they've done is they put in another system which runs off gas bottles

so that in summer you don't have to have that whole range banging out all that heat, you just turn on to gas.

-Brilliant.

-And if that's not good enough, when you don't want the gas on there's an immersion heater.

So the whole heating system has been very well thought out here.

-Yep.

-But anyway, what we are all dying to know is, will it pass muster with Billy?

Billy, Billy, it's that way. Go, fetch, go, go.

We'll see you later, girls. Enjoy.

-Thank you.

-He's waggling his tail.

-It's a good sign.

-It is. Looking good.

Oh, I'm glad they've brought Billy along.

-Why? It means you could be hounded out of here.

-I know. But he's bound to like the place, isn't he?

Spaniels love playing around in woods. He could have all this space and all these new places to explore.

I think, Jonny, that may be the problem. I get the impression that Tory likes to look after her pets,

or at least certainly keep them well within eyesight.

-Woah, woah, are you saying Billy couldn't look after himself?

-Billy!

I'm saying if there's one thing you don't want is a lovely dog going AWOL in the endless Forest of Dean.

-Billy.

-Oh, come on, Simon, with that cosy kitchen he's never run off...

-Billy.

-Would he?

No, there he is, he's back.

-Hello.

-Hello, hello. Ah ha, well, he's wagging, still.

-He is.

-That must be a good sign.

-So I mean, this is the third time you've been at this property now. First time with Billy...

-Yeah.

Who's obviously the main man.

So how did it go, pup? OK, how did it go?

I think he had a pretty good time but I was a bit concerned when he

jumped over the fence into next door.

-That's a sign he was enjoying himself.

-Course it was, yeah.

-Exploring his environment.

-It's not really practical day to day, though, is it?

-We did worry slightly, didn't we?

Rhiannon, what did you think about this place, you know, you've now really spent some quality time here.

I really like it. I especially like the location, it's so quiet, it's gorgeous.

-I really feel at home here. Yeah, I really do like it...

-Mmm.

But that garden, it is a little bit terraced, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-For an escaping dog.

In comparison though, we've showed you three properties around this kind of price bracket and we've

seen a difference in the sort of presentation, the style, the condition of these houses...

-Yeah.

-Does that kind of compound that maybe this cottage is pretty

good value for money and in what you're looking for this may be one of the better options you've got?

It is good value for money, and it's a really nice house but I just don't think it's for us.

-Well, you've pre-empted my question then.

-Yeah.

Go on, I'll ask it, I'll ask it.

-To buy or not to buy?

-Not to buy.

-Not to buy. Billy, you've let me down, mate.

-That's a great pity but you know we hope that you've enjoyed the journey anyway.

-Definitely.

-Had a really good time.

-Yeah?

And we've opened your eyes to what is available around the Forest of Dean.

-Definitely.

-So all we can do then really is wish you and Stu, and of course Billy, all the very best.

-Yeah.

-As far as you're concerned, Rhiannon, hope the baby pops out OK.

-Yes, thank you.

-I guess that's one way of putting it. Oh, take him away, he's got no decorum.

-Come on. See you later, girls.

-Bye.

-See ya.

-Bye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd