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00:00Today I'm in South East Spain house hunting around the beautiful towns and villages of
00:07Finland, Elmeria. I'm Ben Hillman, an interior designer and property expert. For the past few
00:12years I've been helping house hunters find their dream properties whilst giving them a
00:16little design inspiration too. Today I'm going to be using all my skills to find the perfect
00:21place for Helen and John who deliver sweet music to my ears. As I find out who's really calling the
00:33shots. Well I've got to go by what she says. I come over all Hollywood at this luxury villa. Like it's
00:44straight from a movie set almost it's so stylish but at the end of the day do I find my house hunters
00:50their perfect place in the sun. Look at that. That is well it's indescribable isn't it? Yeah. I never thought we'd get anything like this.
01:02Helen and John only met a year ago but they hit it off straight away and they have become inseparable
01:09ever since. Now that they're both retired they are looking to buy a property in Spain that they will use
01:16as their holiday home but in a few years time will become their permanent home. A place where
01:22they can spend all their free time basking in the glorious Elmeria sun. John and Helen who live in
01:27South Yorkshire have already figured out the best way of getting things done in their still young
01:32relationship. I would say I'm really good at being organised and I would say John is really bad at being
01:40organised so that's that's why it works. Oh yeah I don't I don't know not I don't sort out do I?
01:47You do everything she does everything for me. It works for me being in charge it's much easier.
01:53They have a budget of £180,000 to buy a holiday home which will become a permanent one once they've got
01:59the right paperwork. A place for their combined three children and four grandchildren to visit.
02:09To get to Elmeria in the south of Spain you fly to Elmeria airport which takes about three hours from
02:15the UK and everywhere in this small but perfectly formed province is an hour and a half's drive or
02:21less from there. Elmeria is best known for its more than 130 miles of stunning coastline and lovely
02:28seaside towns but inland where Helen and John want to buy is equally attractive with beautiful and
02:34historic hillside towns and villages nestled amongst fantastic scenery. In recent years this
02:40part of the province has become increasingly popular with second homeowners and Spanish city
02:45dwellers looking for a more relaxed way of life. The property market in this part of Elmeria has
02:51remained stable over the past year and there are some great houses on the market. In fact this part of
02:57Spain represents fantastic value for money. We're ready to go three bedroom villas with their own
03:03private pool starting at around £185,000 which means I should have some great options to show Helen and
03:10John. Even though I'm expecting to spend most of my time away from the coast on this search I thought
03:17we could start off getting a bit of sea air on the very lovely Playa de Lance Nuevo in the popular holiday
03:22town of Mahaka. Helen and John welcome to Elmeria. Is there a better place to be in the world right
03:28now? Not at all. So look tell me how long have you been planning to be out here in Spain? It's been a dream
03:34since I was 16 years old so about 40 years. It's like 40 years in the making yeah not 40 years for you
03:41though John right here. Tell me about that. Well first time I come out here well July last year wasn't it?
03:46Yeah. First time I come here and just loved it. My goodness so it's full throttle. Yeah. Yeah. For you
03:53both. Yeah it's right time for us we're young enough to be able to enjoy life still um and and you know
03:59hopefully get a lot of years out here. Look we're stood on the beach here right here right now but
04:04actually our search is going to be in land. In land. Isn't it? How so? I think we prefer to be in
04:12land away from the coast away from the the busy areas so that we've got the choice then of coming
04:18to the coast as and when we want to. Your budget is £180,000. If I was to push the budget a bit would
04:24I be able to push it by much? Another £20,000 yeah. All right fair enough that's pretty good. What are you
04:29hoping we're going to find you? Well minimum three bedrooms two bathrooms aren't we? Yeah. Don't mind
04:35open plan do we? No. No. We want to swim in pool. Got to have a pool. Yeah. Got to have a pool. Which
04:42invariably is going to come with a garden. Yeah. Yeah. So would you like a bit of gardening? Yeah we want
04:46the outdoor space is important to us as the inside space. Okay. Yeah. What are the most important
04:53factors in terms of you know conveniences around you? 10-15 minute drive to a town
04:5930 minute drive to the coast. Exciting future ahead. Yeah. But we've got to find you the right
05:04place. Yeah. Are you happy to head off and start looking at some potential properties? Yeah. Shall we
05:09do it? Yeah. Come on. Well I'm feeling good about this one. Helen and John's maximum budget of £200,000
05:16should be able to get them everything thereafter or at least pretty close to it. My first property is just
05:22over 45 minutes drive inland and on the way to it I thought we'd stop off at Juegel Oveira, the nearest and
05:28liveliest big town to it. Well here we are in Juegel Oveira. It's kind of sort of the hub of our search
05:37really I suppose you might say. Question is have you been here or did you just drive past it? We just
05:42drove past it. You never did. We did. We did. We did. Why did you not stop? We didn't have the time and it
05:48was a very quick short trip. What kind of a holiday is this where you don't have the time to stop? We have
05:53got plenty of time now. Now what do you think of this town looking around you? Beautiful. I love it.
05:57It's lovely. It's gorgeous isn't it? Yeah very nice. A wonderfully historic Spanish working town.
06:03Yes. And as you can tell looking around you it's busy, it's buzzing, it's got everything you're going
06:09to need. Bars, restaurants. Is this the kind of thing you do when you're out with friends and family?
06:14Come to sort of towns like this, explore? Yeah yeah we like to fetch them to see different places.
06:17The kids would love to walk around that one. I'll be cracking yeah. It's a great place to start off
06:22our search. Our property, our first property we're going to go and see is 30 minutes drive from here
06:27so I think we should set off. Perfect. Perfect. This way. That 30 minute drive takes us to an area
06:33called Los Torres, a very popular part of the world with buyers from Spain, Belgium and the UK. Prices
06:39around here have risen by between five and ten percent in the past couple of years. So even though I've
06:44found what I think is a real cracker for Helen and John, it is prized towards the top end of their
06:50wiggle room. So guys welcome to the small town of Los Torres. Is it charming from the outside?
06:56Yeah, I like the look from the outside. Do you? We've got the bougainvillea, we've got the
07:01classic Spanish style outside. We're bathed in sunlight. I don't know, shall I keep going?
07:06Keep going. We've got the mountain backdrop for goodness sake. That is beautiful. I'm going to
07:13call that your garden. Yeah. Yeah. Now given that it's a modernized house, three bed, two bath,
07:18fantastic outlook plus swimming pool. Yeah. It's priced into your wiggle room just
07:23over 195 and a half thousand pounds. Right. Oh god. Yeah? Yeah. Just what we asked for.
07:28How much do you want to go through that gate and have a look around?
07:30We're ready. Yeah? Are you sure? Very sure. I can prolong it a little bit. No, no. Okay, come on.
07:37This villa has an al fresco dining area at one side, a mediterranean garden on the other side
07:43and a pool at the back. Inside, all on one level is a large light and airy living room,
07:51an open plan dining and kitchen area which has all been recently renovated and a spacious utility
07:57room off the kitchen. The main bedroom comes with a stylish en suite shower room and there are two
08:03more bedrooms for when the kids and grandkids come to stay. Plus, there's another shower room.
08:09And we come into a very generous sized living room, I think. Yeah, it is nice. That's perfect,
08:15that. Three French windows. Yeah. Yeah. Lovely big sofa there. Sat down and that's what you enjoy,
08:24mountain view. Yeah. Yeah, you can't get a better mountain view than that, I wouldn't imagine.
08:28Have you got very similar tastes? Because this is, it's early days, guys. It's early days of the
08:33relationship. Yeah, I think we are really, aren't we? Oh, furniture. Yeah. We are. Yeah, I think so.
08:37Yeah. Yeah. Why do you feel like things are moving quite so quickly? I think just because we get
08:42on so well and we want the same things, so... And we're at that age where we don't really need to
08:48weight and, you know, we're in a good financial position, so we can do what we want now. Yeah.
08:54We don't have to think about it, do we? That's it. And both of your mums approve? Yeah. Yeah.
08:58OK, then let's move on. Yeah. Well, that's only right. I'll show you the main bedroom first with
09:03that lovely en suite shower room just there. Good sized space in here, I think. Yeah. Yeah,
09:09just nice. It's modern enough for me as well, so I like the modern feel to it. Yeah,
09:14definitely. I like it all so far. Hands up who'd like to see the swimming pool. Let's do that then.
09:19Let's go this way. Let's enjoy this. Gotta say, a lovely large patio area, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah,
09:27definitely. Because I'm guessing you're going to be eating outside, aren't you? Yeah. Yeah.
09:31More outside than in. Yeah. Yeah. I think a good sized pool. It looks a little small. That is the only
09:36thing. Is it? Yeah. Because we wanted to have sort of a bar area and we wanted to have an outdoor kitchen.
09:41Not an outdoor kitchen. And I'm not sure we'd get all that in this space. Right. Give it some food
09:45for thought. Yeah. Yeah. Have a look around inside. Yeah. And let me know when you're ready.
09:49OK. Hold on. I'll see you later. Yeah. OK. Well, other than a bit more garden space,
09:56that has all gone very well. Could it be another whirlwind romance?
10:04I like this. That's a nice space. Yeah. Big enough room, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Perfect.
10:11I think so. Well, I was definitely feeling the love from Helen and John for the inside of this villa,
10:29which is on the market for just over £195,500, but not quite as much once we got outside. So,
10:36let's see what they think of it now that they've had a look at it all. Well, hello. How did you find
10:40our very first property? The inside? Perfect. Loved it. Yeah. The outside? Just the space around the pool.
10:49Just could have done we a bit more space around the pool, couldn't we? Yeah. So, more double the size
10:54around the pool than what it's currently got. That's your dream, isn't it? Yeah. The outdoor living.
10:58Yeah. The indoor is exactly what we want. So, is it a contender or going on the maybe list,
11:05or where is it? Or is it just a flat that needs to have that extra space?
11:09It's a maybe. It's a maybe for me. Yeah, a maybe. Is it? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. If we didn't see anything
11:17with more of the space... We would come back to have another view at this. We'd revisit this one. Yeah.
11:24Yeah. And see if we could make it work. But my challenge is to find you that extra outdoor space.
11:29Outdoor space. But still with the inside as this means. Of course. Yes. I won't forget that. Well,
11:35let's head off and see if we can find it, shall we? Let's go. Well, I'm kicking off with a maybe
11:39rather than a big fat yes, but that's okay. And finding the perfect outside space for Helen and
11:45John is now my top priority. And I think my next place might just have it. Before we go there,
11:50though, we're heading into the town of Arbaleas to meet someone who's only recently done what my
11:55house hunters are hoping to do very soon. Right then, John and Helen, I want to introduce you to Karen.
12:02Hello. Nice to meet you. Hello. Who has only lived here for two weeks, which is amazing.
12:07Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you. I guess for us, we want to know what your experience
12:13was like. How easy was it to integrate into the community once you decided on Arbaleas?
12:17When we arrived, to integrate into the community was really, really easy. And we were quite worried
12:22about that to begin with. But all the neighbours where we live now have been so kind, knocking on,
12:30sort of offering help. So I actually had bought a bike down in Mahaka and some great stores down
12:35there secondhand. So that wonderful bike that we put in our friends lock up in Mahaka. And we were
12:42wondering how on earth we're going to get it up to Arbaleas. But our neighbour kindly has got a bigger
12:47car than us. And he said, not a problem. I'll come down, collect it. And now I've got the bike. And that
12:51was within a week of meetings. Thank you so much for such great advice, Karen. And, you know,
12:56welcome yourself to the area. We're going to hit the road. Go and see our next one.
13:00Yep. See you later.
13:04Coming up, if it's more usable outside space that Helen and John are looking for,
13:09then my next property may just do the trick. A three bedroom, two bathroom villa
13:13with a pool and 360 degree mountain views.
13:16Today I'm in South East Spain, house hunting in inland Almeria, helping Helen and John to find the
13:29perfect holiday home, which they hope to soon make their forever home. And which could have been my
13:34first property if only it had a little bit more space around the pool. But it's still a maybe.
13:40And I want to deliver a lot more than a maybe for my house hunters who have a budget of £180,000
13:47with an additional £20,000 wiggle room. The inside of my first place was a definite yes. But outside,
13:53they just want more room for sun loungers, a bar and an outdoor kitchen. My second property is back in
13:59Los Torres, where we saw our first one literally a couple of streets away. And it's even priced the same.
14:05But the one big and very important difference is that this one has oodles more outside space
14:11for John and Helen. Now, interestingly, we are staying in Los Torres, but we have come
14:16down the road, five minutes down the road from our first property and up the hill,
14:20just a little bit where you've got even better views. How do you feel to be up here?
14:23Stunning. Looking at it from here, nice. I like it. I like the look of it. Up to now, looks good,
14:29doesn't it, from here? Yeah. Yeah. Shall I tell you a little bit about this villa? Yes, please.
14:33It's a three-bed, two-bathroom villa. Maybe not quite as modern as the last one, but still in
14:38really good order. It's got more usable outside space this time. You've got your pool. Yeah. And
14:46the other thing, it's exactly the same price, pretty much, as the last property. So just over £195,500.
14:52Yeah. It's been on the market for three months. No offers yet, to my knowledge. Right.
14:57It's sounding good. Yeah, it's sounding good up to now. I've missed anything. I have missed something,
15:02which the other place didn't have. Do you think what it is? Yeah.
15:08Roofs are up. Bang on, John. Let's go and have a look. Let's have a look.
15:13This villa has a pool area with a lot more space to stick your sun loungers than the last one,
15:18plus the al fresco cooking and dining area Helen and John are looking for. A much bigger
15:23Mediterranean garden, and it's all topped off with this roof terrace with stunning views.
15:29Inside, there's a living and dining room, which opens onto the pool area,
15:34a separate kitchen diner, the main bedroom, which comes with an ensuite shower room,
15:39two more bedrooms for family and friends to get their heads down, and a big bathroom.
15:44Nice double doors this time lead you into the living room. Compared to first property,
15:54this is better, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. More usable space in here. Yeah. Yeah. I like it better.
16:00Excellent. That's what we want to hear. Yeah. Yeah. So, what are you going to do with your time now?
16:04You're retired because, you know, this doesn't need much doing with it. No. Well, spend more time outside.
16:10You're just going to be bronzing yourself, aren't you, John? In between walking, yeah.
16:14Cycling. Yeah. More sunbathing, yeah. You'll be keeping yourself plenty busy, won't you? Yeah.
16:18What were you doing work-wise before you retired? Coal miner. Were you? For how many years?
16:2432. Blowing heck. Wow. Straight from schools. Started at 16.
16:30Finished in 2015. Oh, good stuff. Look, we should probably go and see some more, shouldn't we?
16:35Yeah, please. Let's do a U-turn. Head off down this way. Yeah.
16:37All right, let's dig a little deeper, John. You liked that one, didn't you?
16:42All right. Come right in and then you'll be able to see the en suite just there as well.
16:48This looks slightly smaller than that last, in the last property, this bedroom. Yeah.
16:52Yeah, a little bit. At the end of the day, we'd rather have the outdoor space
16:55and smaller bedrooms if, you know, if it came to that, don't we? Yeah.
16:59High tide then, we went outside. Okay. Yeah. Come on then.
17:02Oh, it's lovely to step out into the sunshine again, isn't it? It is. It's so tranquil and calm,
17:10isn't it? Yeah. And that's what we want. Yeah. Are you happy with the amount of outdoor space
17:15with this one? Yeah. Compared to property or new? Yeah. Yeah, this is what we're looking for. Outdoor spaces.
17:21Yeah, definitely. This is the size that we would want, isn't it? Yeah. Perfect size for us, yeah.
17:26Now, I would have liked you to have seen the pool, but it has been covered for the winter months.
17:30It's going to be big enough. Yeah. That is big enough, yeah. Yeah.
17:34Would you like to go and explore a bit more while we're here? Yeah, please. Yeah.
17:37You can go and do that. Yeah. I'm just going to get a bit of this good stuff. Thank you.
17:41See you in a moment. Yeah. Well, there you go. Another great property. This one
17:49feels just slightly more like a gold mine to me. Oh. It's a good size kitchen. Not quite as modern as the
17:58one we saw. No. Not the previous one. I don't think it's a problem putting a new kitchen in,
18:03does it? No. Wow. Oh, yeah. Look at that. That is, well, it's undescribable, isn't it? I never thought
18:13we'd get anything like this. Well, Helen and John wanted more room outside, and you can't say I
18:19haven't given them that with this villa, which is on the market for just over £195,500. The kitchen didn't
18:26impress them as much as the previous property, but as they said, this move is all about the outside
18:31space. I am dying to hear how you got on with the rest of this. The outside, the roof solarium,
18:39we loved it. Gorgeous, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They love the views. We love the pool area. We love
18:45all this outside area. The inside of this property, the size of every room is perfect. Just need to look at
18:52how much it would be to put in your kitchen, your bathrooms in. That's what it is. Yeah. The
18:57kitchens and the bathrooms. Yeah. That you'd want to upgrade here. Yeah. Yeah. I guess with this is,
19:01you can spend the money and make it exactly as you want. With the last place, as good as it was,
19:06you couldn't buy more land. Last place was a maybe when we left it. Yeah. Is it still in...? This is
19:10a contender. Okay. I think we've knocked them one off, haven't we? Knocked them one off, yeah. Yeah. So this is our only
19:16contender at the moment. Correctly. Yeah. Yeah. More of this with the next property, but more modern. More
19:20modern inside. If I can possibly do it. Yeah. If you could do it. We're going to move on. Sounds
19:24like the only thing to work on is just, like, the finished, the modernity of the inside. Yeah. Of
19:30the properties. Yeah. If we can get that a little bit more to your taste, then we'll really be
19:34kicking the gas. Before we go, John, I just found this on the drive. Shiny little stone there. Do you
19:38think that's worth anything? No. Throw it. Rubbish. Come on.
19:40Well, I'll stick to house hunting rather than rock hunting, and I'm delighted to have such a strong
19:48contender, though the interior of that place wasn't quite up to scratch for Helen and John.
19:52We're heading back to the seaside before we visit property three, to the tourist and fishing
19:57town of Garucha, which is one of my favourite parts of the Costa Almeria.
20:05Right then, we're at the beach. Yay! Have you visited Garucha before? Have you
20:10stopped here? Did you enjoy it? Yeah, we did. What were you getting up to?
20:15We've just had a nice walk on the beach. Yeah, we've walked all the way on here.
20:19So you do come to the beach? Yeah. Yeah. What else do you know about the town?
20:23Not a lot. Well, this is the exciting thing for you both. You've still got so much to explore.
20:27Yeah. Haven't you? Yeah. So much to get to know. Do you feel at home here, John?
20:31Well, I'm getting there. Oh, you're getting there? Yeah. More inland than here, but...
20:35More inland than this, yeah. But we still see this as part of us as life when we come to live here.
20:40Yeah. And we are going to head back inland, so it's a 55-minute drive to our next property.
20:44Right. OK? Yeah. Yeah.
20:46Let's jump in the car. OK. Let's go.
20:51Coming up, will my next property, a secluded three-bed, two-bath villa with far less modernisation
20:57to be done, be the pick of the bunch? Pick. Get it? Pick.
21:01Today, I'm in south-east Spain helping John and Helen to find their dream forever home around
21:14the beautiful landscape of inland Almeria. And now that we have our first rock-solid contender,
21:20let's see if we can pick up a few little gems along the way. My house hunters, who have a maximum budget of
21:25£200,000, really loved all the outside space at this villa, though they'd have preferred the interior
21:31to be a bit more modern. And I'm aiming to give them the best of both of those moving forward.
21:38My third place is the best part of an hour's drive from the coast in the countryside not too
21:43far from the town of Albox. Despite the inland location, it's quite a pricey part of Almeria,
21:49so we're a touch over budget here, though I do know there's some flexibility on the vendor's side.
21:55That's an enjoyable little drive from the beach, which brings us to our next property, which is
22:02more secluded than any of the others. Yeah. What are your thoughts?
22:06The front front, it's not as nice as that previous property, is it? No. And the drive to it,
22:12and how far out it is, seems a little far at the moment. We're a 10-minute drive from Albox. Right.
22:18OK, we're a five-minute drive from the closest restaurant. All right. And in that little area,
22:23there's probably about three or four. Oh. So they are close by, but granted, if you were to want to
22:29walk to those, it would take you nearly an hour. Right. Given the route. Yeah. OK. I brought you here
22:34because it is more secluded. It's arguably in a more modern state than the previous property,
22:39so less work to do. It is the most expensive property as well that we're seeing so far. It's
22:43just over £201,500, but I can sense the apprehension. Yeah. At the moment. Yeah. The look of the villa
22:51outside is nice, but let's see what the inside brings. There's only one way we're going to tell,
22:57so let's get through that door. OK. This detached bungalow has a very spacious pool area,
23:04a terrace to one side, some more space for sunbathing, and a covered patio. Inside,
23:11there's a living and dining room, a separate kitchen diner, the main bedroom, which has an
23:17ensuite shower room, two more bedrooms, both of which I think are modern enough for Helen and John,
23:23plus there's another shower room. Good-sized hallway into your living space. Seems smaller. Seems dark,
23:33doesn't it? Yeah, darker and smaller. I don't like that door there. Yeah. One thing that does need to
23:39change is that needs to come out. You need some lovely patio doors there. Yeah. Light will flood in,
23:45because this is practically south-facing. Right. This should be filled with light. Yeah. So they have missed a
23:50little bit of a trick. Yeah. There. Are you both not feeling it so much in here? No, not, not as
23:57nice as property too, is it? No. What do you think to its size? I mean, it feels tight smaller. If we got,
24:04well, it's not our furniture again, is it? But if we put that size settee in here that we're wanting,
24:09it'd more or less fill out room, wouldn't it? Yeah. I'm not winning with this one yet, am I? No. No.
24:14Let's head outside. Let's let this light flood in. Watch this. That's nice, isn't it? Yeah.
24:23And step out to this cupboard patio area, which I think is quite nice. Yeah. It's nothing special.
24:29The space is all right, but it's just that view, isn't it? Yeah. It's not anything spectacular or as
24:35we saw at Property Tool. The heart rates aren't... Definitely not. Are they dropping? Yeah.
24:40It's not a contender and we're not feeling it at all. Really? And it's the view? What else is it?
24:45The view and the outdoor. The view, the outdoor space and the small living room,
24:50it just feels smaller. The property's just the way... Maybe the way it's set out just feels more compact.
24:56The most important thing with property is to feel the love. Yeah. And if you're not feeling it...
25:01No. And we're not. That's that, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah.
25:03Yeah. Did you want to continue or do you want to hit the road and go and see the next one?
25:07What's going to work best for you guys? We'll see you in the next one, yeah.
25:10OK. Shall we move on then? Yeah. OK. I'll follow you out. OK.
25:15Oh, well, if you don't feel it, you don't feel it. My only worry is that if they want somewhere
25:20quiet, somewhere private, but also be part of the action, I might be stuck between a rock and a hard
25:26place here. So we didn't get off to a great start at this bungalow, which is on the market for a
25:32negotiable just over £201,500. And in all honesty, things didn't improve much from then,
25:39despite it offering John and Helen all the outside space and a pretty up-to-date interior.
25:44I'm also now, with the benefit of hindsight, thinking it was probably a bit too far away from
25:49things. So while we're staying in the same area for property number four, I've gone for somewhere a
25:54lot closer to the many delights the town of Albox has to offer. And I thought we'd have a quick
25:58shifty at the place before we visit the property. Well, look, all of this talk of Albox,
26:06um, it's time we stopped off here. Yep. Here we are in the Plaza Mahor. Have you been here before?
26:12No, we've not, no. Yay. You've got great architecture here. Obviously, it's very historic,
26:18this place. Is that your kind of thing? Yeah, yeah. Well, I like looking at different buildings and
26:24what it means and where it came from and because I've got older and more interested in things like that.
26:28So, and these squares, they're always full of history and different things and they're fantastic.
26:35Yeah. Square, that's where it all happens, isn't it? Yeah. Things go off and...
26:38You're absolutely right. It is the hub of the whole community here, even, you know,
26:42because you've got these lovely restaurants here, people sitting there, just basking in the sun,
26:45just maybe enjoying a drink or two, you know. We should probably move on,
26:49go and see our next property, slightly closer to Albox. Yep.
26:52Yeah. Let's go this way. Yeah.
26:54We're around five minutes' drive from the centre of Albox with my next place. And while it's
26:59definitely on the rural tip, it's a lot less remote than our last one. Price-wise though,
27:05this is an expensive area. So once again, we're over budget, but thankfully for Helen and John,
27:10there's also a bit of room for negotiation here. So just under two and a half miles from Albox town,
27:16you could walk it. Yeah. If you're keen, you could jump on your bikes because it's quite a nice road
27:21actually. Yeah. Along there. We are at our next property, our fourth property, surrounded again
27:27by distant mountain views. How are you feeling to be this far out of town? Because we're half the
27:33distance we were with the previous property. This feels better. Yeah. The land itself is just over
27:37half an acre. Right. I like all this, mate. Look, yet again, it's a three bed, two bathroom villa. Yeah.
27:44With a walled garden just there with the pool on the other side. Yeah. But that pool makes the most
27:50of the views. Yeah. Beyond. It went on the market four months ago for just over £213,500.
27:57It has now been reduced to just over £205,000, which I know, over budget. Yeah. But we've spoken to
28:05the agent and the owner and they would be interested in accepting an offer at the top of your budget.
28:11Right. Right. Yeah. You look more enthusiastic with this one. Yeah. I've got to be honest. I feel more
28:16enthusiastic for this one. Yeah. Excellent. Definitely. Okay. Well, would you like to go off
28:21and have a look around? A little bit. A little bit, yeah. I'll be, well, I don't know where I'll be,
28:24somewhere out here, I guess. Okay. See you in a while. Okay. See you in a while.
28:29Hey, that's a bit more like it, isn't it? And I can promise you I'm leaving no stone
28:34left unturned in this search because I tell you what, it's not my first rodeo.
28:38The half an acre of land that comes with this villa has a pool with plenty of space around it,
28:43including a covered terrace, a lovely walled garden and loads of places to look at those views,
28:49which you can also enjoy from this covered terrace at the back of the villa. Inside,
28:53there's a large light and airy living and dining room, another smaller living room with views,
28:58a separate, pretty spacious kitchen, the main bedroom, which has an ensuite bath and shower room,
29:06two more slightly smaller bedrooms, and a shower room.
29:11So nice. Nice size, isn't it? Yeah, nice and bright. Yeah. Like them doors out. Floor's nice. Yeah.
29:20Wood burner. Yeah, lovely. Yeah, I like it. I think it's modern enough. Yeah, I think there's
29:30certain things I'd like to change it. Well, electrical, cocoon's changing, fridge. Yeah.
29:35Everything else. Probably on your sink in, yeah. Oh, on your sink? Yeah.
29:40This is a nice size. Well, it's the biggest we've seen so far. Yeah. I'm not overly keen on the
29:46ensuite. I'd want to put a new one in there. Would you? Yeah, it's not modern enough for me.
29:54Wow. This is nice, isn't it? Nice space. Yeah. It's got that enclosed area there.
29:59We could make good use of that. We could put an outdoor kitchen in at the bottom of there, couldn't we?
30:04Yeah, easy. Yeah, I like it. I think it's big enough around this pool.
30:08Plenty big enough. Yeah. Well, this villa, which is on the market for a negotiable just over £205,000,
30:15definitely has most room both inside and outside of everywhere I've shown John and Helen so far.
30:21But I've been doing this job long enough to know that bigger doesn't always mean better.
30:25So let's see what my house hunters think about that.
30:28Well, of all the houses in all of the world, what did you think of this one?
30:34I'm still... Oh, I liked it, me.
30:36Oh! Is that a camp divided? Yeah, definitely, yeah.
30:40Tell me where you're at. I'm at... It needs an uplift and modernisation,
30:45and more than just two bathrooms. Two bathrooms will do.
30:50Get out of the space we've got here. I know, but we can't put a lot more in it.
30:54I'd want to just uplift everything, the outdoor garden thing. Could you not do it? You know,
31:01right house, right location, over time, get it right. You don't have to do it straight away.
31:06No, no. Do you want to see everything doing yesterday?
31:08All right. I couldn't live with it.
31:10OK. You couldn't live with it? No. Not as it is, no, unless it were all done as far ready for me to move in to...
31:18John, what do you think? Well, I've got to go what she says.
31:21It is only days in the relationship, to be fair. No, I think you're right there, John.
31:28So, for this house, contender or not? Maybe. Don't go at the modern looking side.
31:33You are hankering after that still, aren't you? Yeah.
31:35We need to go find it again. We do. All right. Yeah.
31:42Coming up, I hope my fifth and final property, this villa with great outside space,
31:46gives Helen and John everything they're after. Perfect, isn't it?
31:51I'm nearly at a loss for words. Are you? Yeah, I am, Ben. Oh, wonderful.
32:01Today I'm in Spain helping Helen and John to find the perfect home where they can spend their
32:06retirement, enjoying the inland towns and villages of wonderful Almeria. And with my last
32:12property dividing opinion, can I get them back on side with my final one?
32:16My house hunters, who have a maximum budget of £200,000, weren't in agreement about this
32:21villa with lots of land. John liked it, but Helen wanted a more modern, ready to go feel.
32:27Though they were both big fans of our second place, this villa with a roof terrace. And I'm
32:31hoping for more of the same with property number five, which I think offers them everything they're
32:36looking for. But before we go there, I've come to the coast and the town of Mahaka to check out this
32:42four-bed, three-bath villa with a lovely pool, just a short stroll from the beach, all for a touch over
32:48£700,000. I'm meeting Agent Elaine, who is going to be showing me around. Elaine, lovely to see you.
32:56Hello there, good to see you too. I am so excited to see this house because I've never been through
33:01these sort of back streets of Mahaka before, but it seems like it's going to be full of wonderful
33:05surprises. Let's go through and have a look. Please. Wow, this is a piece of me. I've got to tell you,
33:12Elaine, it really is. It's a very contemporary property. I know it's not a new property. It has a
33:18very contemporary feel, but with, I don't know, just the materials that they've used, beautiful,
33:24really sort of harmonious, aren't they? I love all the furnishings, you know, from the mid-century
33:28to the rustic pieces, all, you know, living harmoniously together. Yes, you'd want to buy
33:33the house with everything in it. But you would. Yes. Are they selling it with everything in it?
33:37I think that's negotiable. Is it really? Okay. I'd love to climb these stairs and have a look up there,
33:42be really nosy. Yeah, let's go. Okay. All right, perfect. Let's do it.
33:45Have a look at this. This is rather nice, Elaine. This is a 360-degree view. It certainly is. It's
33:54super filmic as well. Yes, it is. It really is. You know, it's like it's straight from a movie set
34:00almost. It's so stylish. Like, very stylistic, isn't it? Yeah. The landscape here. Keen to explore
34:06more of the outdoors here. Okay. Because I know you've got a fabulous pool tucked away somewhere. There
34:10is a swimming pool indeed. There is, yep. You want to have a look? Absolutely, I do. Okay. I can't
34:14remember where I've put my trunks now. Anyway, I'll find them on the way down, shall I?
34:19And have a look at this. Oh, it's a lovely pool area. It really is. This is almost like your
34:27archetypal courtyard. Yes, it is. Gardening in a way, isn't it? Yeah, yeah. And it's very private as
34:31well. Very private. Everything you want from a dream property in Mahaka. There is. Yeah,
34:35absolutely. It's certainly a dream property for me,
34:37so thank you very much for sharing us around. Oh, thank you. It's been a pleasure. Yeah.
34:40Thank you very much indeed. Better hit the road, I guess. Let me show you the way out. Thank you.
34:44Well, I really enjoyed looking around that place, but now I need to head back inland and focus on John
34:49and Helen's house hunt. My final property is in the town of Los Carrascos, around 40 minutes drive from
34:54the coast. And as I'm feeling a bit peckish, I thought we'd stop off for a bit of tasty tapas
34:59before we pay to visit. Well, just over 20 minutes away from our last property and we're in Los Carrascos,
35:07which is just outside Arbaleas. And we've finally found the tapas. So we are four minutes from your
35:14front door, potentially. Sounds good. Does it sound good? It does, yeah. Do you like the look of this bar?
35:20I do, yeah, yeah. It definitely looks nice. It's worth sitting off something to eat and a glass of wine.
35:24Shall we sample the goods while we're here? We're going to have one of these lovely
35:28jamon croquetas. Why are you looking at me like that? Get involved, people.
35:33Beautiful. Is it? You're a kind of tapas? You like tapas, don't you?
35:39I love it. Take these with us. Yeah, let's see if we can finish it by the time we get there. Come on.
35:44Los Carrascos is a very sought after area with buyers from other parts of Spain in particular.
35:49Demand at the moment massively outstrips supply, so properties here do come at a bit of a premium,
35:55including my fifth and final place, which is priced a smidge over Helen and John's budget,
35:59though I have been told there's a deal to be had if they like it.
36:04From your cafe to your house in four minutes flat. How about that?
36:09That sounds ideal. This is what we're after, isn't it? Definitely.
36:13My big hope is that this addresses everything that was on your brief. Maybe more. I hope so.
36:20It's a corner property. Yeah, I like that. It's elevated above the road, so you've got views out
36:24and over. Yeah. Right. Huge living space. Very, very modern. Yeah. Inside. Yeah.
36:30Open plan, kitchen. Off. And I might add above the garage, solarium.
36:36Oh. Okay. Have I missed anything? Not that I can think of at the moment. No.
36:42No. Me either. No. Price, just under £201,000. That's good.
36:47It's been on the market for six months. Right. Hasn't had an offer yet. Right.
36:51I'm thinking negotiation. Yeah. Yeah. That sounds even better.
36:54Getting this right into your budget. Yeah. And potentially no work to do. Yeah.
36:57That sounds even better. Come on then. This villa has a pool with plenty of room around it.
37:05Another garden area, which joins onto a spacious sunroom. A covered al fresco living area.
37:12Another terrace. And that all important solarium up top. Inside, there's a large light and bright living
37:20and dining area. A super modern kitchen with its own living and dining space. The main bedroom,
37:27which has an ensuite shower room. A slightly smaller second bedroom. A third bedroom,
37:33currently used for storage. And a family bathroom.
37:38Lovely courtyard entrance leads you into your open plan kitchen.
37:43I like it. I like it. Yes! They said it in unison as well!
37:48I like this. Tells you we agree on things. Yeah, yeah, you do. You really do.
37:52This is nice, isn't it? Yeah. I like this. This is me. I think this... Would you also?
37:57Yeah. This is what I like. Yeah.
37:59If I were going to start something from scratch, I'd have built it something like this.
38:03Would you? Yeah.
38:04Yeah. Come on. Unless of this eye, it's we now, remember. Come on.
38:13Now, my only worry is what are you going to do with all this space?
38:16How fast do you think? This is a nice space, isn't it? Yeah. Wow. This is... Yeah.
38:22Oh, it's nice, isn't it? Best living room we've seen. Yeah, I like it.
38:25How's this faring against our favourite, our second property? Oh.
38:30What second property? Hey! Hey! Hey! You can't just be getting rid of properties like that.
38:36Or have you? Yeah. Have you? Yeah.
38:38This is took over. Have in? Yeah. Well, we haven't seen outside space. New heaven!
38:42Yet. But based on inside space, this is, yeah, took over. Yeah. Wow.
38:49Yeah. This is, I think, this is as modern as we were looking for. Perfect for us, isn't it?
38:54Mm. We've got to go out of there, haven't we? Definitely. Come on, right?
39:01Um, pool time. What do we think of this one? Perfect, innit?
39:08I'm nearly at a loss for words. Are you? Yeah, I am, Ben.
39:11Oh, wonderful. Um, it's quite stylish. It is, yeah, very, very modern.
39:16Even the outdoor is modern, stylish. It's us, isn't it? Yeah.
39:20Is it really? Yeah, in and out. Look, we've got, we've got the mountains.
39:23Yeah. In the background. Yeah.
39:25It's got it all going on. It has, yeah. Yeah?
39:28The sun's shining down on it, it's, yeah. Yeah?
39:31We like it, don't we? I love it. Well, let's keep this up.
39:35You go and have a look inside, go and enjoy it, and I'll see you in a bit.
39:38Thank you. Yeah. All right.
39:41My goodness, they are loving this house. They are in awe of this house.
39:45It turns out there is gold in the nails.
39:53Oh, this is nice. That's a surprise, isn't it? Yeah.
39:56It's nice and big. Bright, innit? Yeah.
39:58I like to shape it as well, do you? Three windows.
40:01Yeah. Nice and bright. Yeah.
40:07That's nice, isn't it? Yeah, lovely. Perfect.
40:09Yeah, I like it. There's nearly a 360-degree view. Yeah.
40:15Well, I'm a pretty happy bunny right now because this villa, which is on the market for a negotiable
40:19just under £201,000, seems to finally be the property that delivers Helen and John everything
40:26they're looking for. All right, well, look, it would seem this house has got all the bells
40:31and all the whistles. Has it? Yeah.
40:34It does for me. It does for me.
40:35Does it really? Yeah.
40:36Nothing missing?
40:37No.
40:38Anything you don't like?
40:39No. No.
40:40Nothing at all.
40:41So, how are you feeling? What do you want to do?
40:44Is this going to be another whirlwind romance, this place?
40:48I think we're looking to put an offer in, aren't we?
40:50I think we will, though, yeah.
40:52Bloomin' heck, you do not hold back. You're just like, you just...
40:56No, don't you? Yeah, yeah.
40:58OK, do you want to take a little bit of time? We can meet later when you're ready
41:02and you're composed. Yeah, yeah.
41:04And we'll take it from there, shall we? Yeah, definitely, yeah.
41:06Yeah! Come on! Love this.
41:10If you'd like more information on any of the properties featured on today's show,
41:16you know what to do. Go to aplaceinthesun.com forward slash programs.
41:20We've now shown John and Helen all five properties here in Almora for their budget of £180,000
41:26with an additional £20,000 wiggle room. And we've ended up with just one contender,
41:30this three-bedroom villa in Los Carrascos, which they both absolutely love and want to make an offer on.
41:37I've given them a couple of hours to think things through and crunch some numbers
41:40no doubt. And now it's time for me to get back to work and hopefully bag them their dream property.
41:46Well, one thing's for sure, you don't hang around, do you?
41:48No.
41:49Feeling good about that last property? Yeah.
41:52Yeah. Is it perfection?
41:54Not total perfection. The personal thing for me is I want to tile around the pool rather than have
41:58the grassed area. Extends me that patio area, put an outdoor kitchen.
42:01Outdoor kitchen. The outdoor kitchen?
42:03Yeah. Of course. It's on the market at just under £201,000. So what are your thoughts on an offer on it?
42:10So we want to put an initial offer in of £180,000.
42:14£180? Yeah. Which is quite a bit under. It is.
42:18We can put the offer forward. OK.
42:20And see what comes back. Yeah.
42:22You ready, John? I'm ready. Shall I make the call?
42:24Yes, please. OK.
42:26Hello, Vicky. It's Ben from A Place In The Sun. How are you?
42:30Good. Very well, thanks.
42:31You can probably imagine why I might be calling, given the fact that we've just left that lovely
42:37house and Helen and John are very keen on it, I might add. So they don't want to waste any time.
42:45They would like to make an offer as cash buyers. They are basing their offer on the fact that they
42:49would like to make some landscaping changes to the garden, but let me put forward their offer of £180,000
42:55to you. OK. OK. Let me just impart that information right now and we'll be back shortly. OK. Thank you, Vicky.
43:07All right. Speak soon. Bye. There is a bottom line figure that the vendor's willing to take,
43:14which is £198,000. Right. OK. Yeah. For what we'd want to do to it,
43:20we sort of need the room money to do the garden area that we want to. Yeah. Yeah.
43:27Yeah. Look to increase to £185,000. We'd increase to that and then just leave that on the table.
43:33Yeah? Yeah. Yeah. £185,000 and then just leave it. I'll call Vicky back. Yeah. Like I said,
43:38we'll leave it on the table and who knows, maybe time will work in your favour. Maybe. OK. Yeah.
43:43So, yes, they will up their offer, but the maximum that they will offer is £185,000, which I know
43:56is short of where you want to be with your vendor at the moment. However, they will be willing to leave
44:02that on the table. Brilliant. Thank you ever so much, Vicky. All right. Thank you. Bye.
44:09Bye. Oh, guys. I'm sorry it's not happened this time. No worries. I would have loved you
44:16to have had that prophecy. Well, look, it's been a real treat. Yeah. Showing you around our Maria.
44:20Lots of fun. Thank you. And best of luck for the future, guys. Yeah. Thank you. Cheers. Cheers.
44:27Well, patience can sometimes be a virtue. And in fact, the agent called Helen and John the next day
44:33to tell them the owner of property number five had decided that he'd accept an offer of £190,000,
44:40which they agreed to. This fantastic house hunt got the ending it deserved. And I'm so pleased for Helen
44:46and John. I wish them all the best for their future in our Maria. If you'd like to be on a place in the sun
44:52to find your own dream home, go to channel4.com forward slash take part.
45:22Thanks.
45:36Thanks.
45:38Thanks.
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