A pair of house-hunters on BBC’s Escape to the Country were momentarily lost for words when introduced to the mystery house, and they left presenter Nicki Chapman astonished with their unexpected change of heart.
On Thursday’s (January 2nd) instalment of the BBC programme, Nicki was there to assist Andy, a golf sponsorship professional, and Jo, a tech entrepreneur, as they sought to trade their London pad for a more sizeable abode in the East Midlands.
Jo’s lifelong ambition to settle in the countryside was something Andy disclosed early on: “It certainly was very early into our relationship when Jo revealed she wanted to move. In fact it was probably about eight minutes into our first date, it was a topic of conversation that she is a country girl at heart and that is where her future lay.”
Andy and Jo on BBC’s Escape to the Country
(Image: BBC)
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The lovebirds, who connected through a dating app, had an impressive £750,000 budget to land a 3/4 bedroom detached property brimming with charm. Their checklist included a roomy kitchen-diner or a couple of sizable separate rooms along with dual workspaces, reports Wales Online.
They also hoped for a substantial garden or some land, and ideally, the location would have handy road and rail connections to London.
Nicki pulled out all the stops, arranging several house viewings, but it seemed she might have miscalculated with the mystery house and issued a plea to the couple ahead of the viewing.
She told them: “What I’m going to say with this is, never judge a book by its cover because it has quite a strong look from the outside but when you go in I think it’s a completely different home.”
Nicki Chapman issued a plea to them before the mystery house viewing
(Image: BBC)
As they stepped into the property, Jo couldn’t hide her amazement, exclaiming: “Oh wow, this is unexpected. Oh my word.” Equally smitten, Andy chimed in with his own admiration: “This looks like a holiday villa. It’s incredible and it’s a lot to take in.”
The desirable riverside residence in Long Bennington, Lincolnshire, came with a price tag of £750,000. Not just offering stunning views, the home boasted an expansive kitchen-diner sure to impress visitors, two offices perfect for working from home, five snug bedrooms and a generous garden abutting the river. Plus, it was conveniently located just a 15-minute trip away from the nearest train station.
Despite their initial excitement, the pair took everyone by surprise when they ultimately backpedalled on their interest in the home.
Andy acknowledged: “Looking at the property, we obviously noticed it had a real modern aesthetic. I think for us personally we’re looking for a few more kinds of character features in a property, maybe a bit more of a countryside feel so that’s potentially why it doesn’t quite work for us.”
Escape To The Country is on BBC One weekdays at 3pm and on BBC iPlayer