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00:00With its mountainous beauty and lush landscape,
00:03the Canadian countryside is as beautiful as it is breathtaking.
00:09Many Canadians are discovering rural life and they're making the move.
00:14We are helping them find their perfect country house.
00:19I love how lush it is, like there's definitely a lot of greenery, kind of magical.
00:24It's amazing, I feel like I'm in Barbie's dream house.
00:37I'm here in Nestleton with Laura and Doug looking for a slice of country heaven.
00:42Let's see if we can find it.
00:53Hello, how are you?
00:55It's nice to meet you.
00:56Hi, nice to see you.
00:57Nice to see you, Doug.
00:58How's it going?
00:59Look at the beautiful day we have for house hunting today.
01:02There's a beautiful breeze in the air and all we have is blue skies.
01:05So I think we're in for a really good time today.
01:07Really excited.
01:08Now you guys have an interesting story because you think it's a good idea to get Doug here
01:13but Doug, you're not necessarily sold on this.
01:16I've not lived outside of the suburban area.
01:19What worries you the most?
01:20Access to different things that I'm used to getting access to, different stores and restaurants
01:24and so forth.
01:25Okay, that makes sense.
01:26And for you, what's the draw to come to the country?
01:29I just would like some peace and quiet.
01:31I love that you're able to lure him out here too.
01:34Yes.
01:35The thought of country life.
01:36There's a possibility.
01:37There's a possibility of country life and I think we're going to actually really inspire
01:41you today as well.
01:42I was a police officer in York Region and I did that for 32 years and then recently retired
01:47about eight months ago.
01:49I'm an emergency management practitioner.
01:51We ensure that communities are safe by writing the emergency plans, training and exercises for
01:56municipal staff.
01:58That's actually how Doug and I met.
01:59He was working with me and giving a presentation.
02:02We're actually both speaking that day, so that was a long time ago.
02:07We actually haven't lived together before, so we're coming from two separate houses.
02:13I'm coming from North Durham.
02:16And I'm coming from the Aurora era.
02:18I really like it here.
02:21It has the perfect mix of country feeling and city.
02:24It's going to be a change, but I'm kind of looking forward to it.
02:28I mean, I think we need space for my teenage daughter and her friends to come over.
02:32I want to be the house where the friends are hanging out.
02:34I would like something larger.
02:36So something, you know, two acres would be nice.
02:39I am the chef.
02:40But I am a baker, so I do get to bake in the kitchen.
02:44Making sure that area is big enough or we can expand in that area.
02:48That's kind of an important portion for us and that it's available for entertaining.
02:53We've kind of planned how we're going to finance that.
02:55And how we're going to retire.
02:56So we need it to stay within budget.
03:00Anywhere $1.8 million to $1.9 million.
03:05Nestleton, located just an hour northeast of Toronto and resting close to the shores of Lake
03:10Scugog, is known for its spacious properties and peaceful rural setting.
03:14And with Port Perry only a short drive away, it's the perfect blend of serene country living
03:19and the convenience of urban life nearby that I know Laura and Doug will appreciate.
03:26Well we have three amazing properties to look at today.
03:29We're starting with house number one, which as you can see, I think is super unique.
03:33It's beautiful.
03:34I feel like it is a chalet and you don't see anything.
03:37So I see no houses.
03:38I see no other properties.
03:40And I see a fire pit, which I instantly love.
03:43And it's a really good size house.
03:45So a five bedroom house.
03:46So there's going to be lots of rooms for the kids to come over, even for the kids friends
03:49to stay.
03:50This house overall has a lot to offer and I'm really excited to take you inside.
03:54Excellent.
03:54So are we.
03:55Let's go.
04:07This is a really nice bright room.
04:10It is.
04:10It's gorgeous.
04:11And that window, it just draws you straight out, doesn't it?
04:14It's beautiful.
04:15Coming upstairs and going into the living room, I really loved it.
04:19It was very bright.
04:20The expanse outside, seeing all the greenery, it was gorgeous.
04:24The house is concerned.
04:25It might be a little bit smaller than we would need for everybody coming over.
04:28It kind of works, but it's a little bit tight.
04:30And what about this great fireplace behind me?
04:32I like it, right?
04:33Yeah, I'm a fan of a fire every night in the winter, so.
04:36You've got that huge deck outside.
04:38Imagine enjoying your morning coffee out there.
04:40You've got a great adjoining dining room over here as well.
04:43But I think we have to definitely check out the kitchen.
04:46Yes, for sure.
04:47Let's head that way.
04:54This kitchen actually has a lot of light in here.
04:57I love that they've got these two big windows, right?
04:59I love that.
05:00Straight trees out that window and out this window, too.
05:02So beautiful.
05:03Now, this is a very unique finish on the cabinets.
05:06I haven't often seen anything like this.
05:08Let me get your take on it.
05:09What do you think?
05:10I actually like it.
05:11It's very rustic.
05:12So to me, it feels country.
05:14Now, you are the cook.
05:15Is this enough storage for you?
05:18I think so.
05:18I think there's enough cabinetry to store the stuff that we have.
05:21The counter space might be a little bit tighter.
05:24A little island would have been kind of nice maybe in the center here.
05:26But it's well laid out.
05:29All right.
05:30Well, there's so much more to explore in this house.
05:32The principal suite is one of the most important places.
05:35So why don't you guys go to check that out?
05:38And then I'm going to meet you outside.
05:39Great.
05:39Okay.
05:40All right.
05:41Straight this way.
05:46Wow.
05:47Yeah, it's nice.
05:48There's a nice deck out there.
05:50It's very green.
05:51It is very green.
05:52Okay.
05:53But we can change the color.
05:54That's easy.
05:55I love the deck off the master bedroom.
05:57That is so nice.
05:58But inside the bedroom area, the color wasn't really the greatest.
06:01I think a little bit of updating maybe on the closet doors and stuff would be nice.
06:05Go to the bathroom.
06:05I'm going to check it out.
06:08Wow.
06:09Look at that tub.
06:10That's amazing.
06:12The bathroom's beautiful.
06:13It's like a spa.
06:13Spa bathroom in there, top notch.
06:15And I love the shower.
06:17Nicely updated.
06:18I don't know.
06:19I think the house has got some potential.
06:20What don't you like about it?
06:22I mean, some of the updating is fantastic, but some of the doors, the door frames,
06:25the hallway's a little bit tight.
06:27And this bedroom, it's nice.
06:28Might be nicer if we had a little bit more elbow room in here.
06:35Hi.
06:36Well, look at this rolling hill that you could call your own.
06:40Beautiful.
06:40I see field party, barbecue.
06:43I think the size of the property, there's going to be a fair amount of work to be able
06:46to maintain the property, certainly the way that's being maintained now,
06:49which is what we'd like to be able to do.
06:50So that might be something for us to consider.
06:52Got the fire pit down there.
06:53So I feel like that's a good lure for the teenagers as well, right?
06:57For sure.
06:57Everyone's going to want to have some s'mores around the fire.
06:59Very sort of picture-perfect postcard kind of house, right?
07:02I love it.
07:03So with all of the amazing amenities here, including the 10 acres,
07:07what do you think the price of this house is?
07:09I'm thinking maybe 1.5?
07:121.5?
07:13That's a good guess.
07:14I feel like it should be a little higher, like 1.7?
07:19Okay.
07:19This house is...
07:29I'm thinking maybe 1.5?
07:321.5?
07:33That's a good guess.
07:34I feel like it should be a little higher, like 1.7?
07:39Okay.
07:39This house is 1.5.
07:43Oh!
07:43Wow!
07:44But yeah, you actually guessed it bang on.
07:46So I feel like overall, with that good price too, there's a little bit left in the pot for you
07:51guys to put the money into it and really put your own personal stamp on it.
07:54Okay.
07:55So we're off to a very strong start this morning.
07:57Why don't we jump in the car and head to house number two?
07:59Awesome.
08:00Let's go.
08:01Laura and Doug loved house number one's rustic feel and country solitude.
08:05But for our next property, I lined up something a little more contemporary.
08:10One that I think could really suit their style.
08:12So here we are at very charming house number two.
08:16It's a completely different style than house number one.
08:19What are your first thoughts?
08:20So I saw the three-car garage and I knew that would make Douglas happy.
08:24It does.
08:25The house overall is in really great shape because it was a custom build.
08:28So I feel like whenever it's a custom build, people just put that extra love into it.
08:32It's very different than the last house.
08:34It's much more modern and suburban feeling, but I liked it.
08:37It's on a corner lot, but there still looks like plenty of privacy and well maintained.
08:42You are close to all amenities, which might be beneficial to you.
08:46So you don't feel like you're so much in the country.
08:48And this is a good size house as well.
08:49It's about five bedrooms again.
08:51I think at this point, the only thing we should do is head on inside.
08:54Awesome.
08:54Let's go.
08:55Okay.
09:03Well, now this is very open concept.
09:06What are your thoughts here?
09:08Walking in, I was actually really surprised to see it wide open living space.
09:11I think that meets our entertainment needs.
09:14I like that they've actually got these kind of like light tubes.
09:17It's almost like a contemporary version of a skylight, but it's letting a lot of light into the room.
09:23So it's very modern feeling to me, but you know, we know we're in the country.
09:27So I actually really like it.
09:28I love that there's two kind of sitting areas here.
09:30So when you come in, you can even do like maybe cocktails in the front living room
09:34and then everybody can move over here for like appetizers or something.
09:38I think that's kind of fun.
09:39And I like that you could continue your entertaining out into the backyard right from here.
09:48I have a feeling the chef is going to like this kitchen because it's got this huge island or peninsula
09:54in it.
09:55I really like it.
09:56It's lots of landscape here to work with and really nicely laid out.
09:59Basically, I think for you, you'd feel like you're maybe on a cooking show here moving around.
10:03Absolutely.
10:03Yeah, it's beautiful.
10:04Love that.
10:05You can get the pageantry that you deserve really at this point.
10:08That really was a showcase kitchen.
10:10It's got a beautiful countertop, like so much room on that.
10:12I mean, I like cooking as we've pointed out.
10:15But Laura's such a great baker and she'd utilize that.
10:17That'd be a good spot for you to do some of those cinnamon rolls that you like to make.
10:20I loved it.
10:21And I liked that Doug wouldn't be separated from all of us.
10:24He would still be part of the fun in this house.
10:26The principal suite here is on the main floor.
10:29So for sort of an age in place, you plan to live in a house for a long time.
10:33It's great to have everything on the main floor.
10:35Why don't you guys head to that principal suite, have a look at it,
10:38and then I'll meet you in the backyard.
10:39Awesome.
10:40Okay.
10:40All right, right this way.
10:47Wow, this is nice.
10:48Yeah, I like it.
10:50Though it feels tiny.
10:52It's a little bit smaller than I would kind of expect.
10:55I like the fan a lot.
10:57The fan's very nice.
10:57The windows though, having the windows on the two sides is very nice.
11:00And I like the shutters on the windows.
11:02Compared to the last house, this bedroom felt smaller.
11:06I think we could manage, but I think we want a little more space for the two of us to
11:10hang out.
11:11Okay, I'm going to check out the bathroom.
11:13Nice.
11:14That's nice.
11:14Yeah.
11:15Nice shower.
11:16There's no tub though.
11:17No tub.
11:18No bathtub makes me a little sad.
11:21I mean, I can manage around it, but there was also no counter space in the bathroom.
11:25Yeah, double sinks, but there was limited counter space for us.
11:33Hey guys, what do you think of this nice backyard?
11:38It is beautiful.
11:39I think it's pretty cool, right?
11:40The fact that you still have this cul-de-sac lot, but you have all that privacy with the mature
11:45trees.
11:45Yeah, it's gorgeous.
11:46And a little less grass cutting than the first house.
11:48A little less.
11:49And this is like pristine grass.
11:51This almost looks like golf course level grass, doesn't it?
11:53It does.
11:54Coming outside and looking at the patio deck area, it's spectacular.
11:58It's private, but certainly open.
12:00There's actually a bar hidden behind me too.
12:02Oh, wow.
12:03It's hidden inside that shed.
12:04Isn't that cool?
12:05Very cool.
12:06Yeah.
12:07Because Doug's a little bit of a mixologist as well.
12:09Wow.
12:10Yeah, at least he didn't call me a drinker.
12:13I've never had an outdoor bar before, so that's kind of a nice feature to have here.
12:17It certainly could be open for the neighborhood.
12:18Five o'clock somewhere is certainly an opportunity for people to come over.
12:22And what's nice is how you meet the neighbors and socialize.
12:25Yeah.
12:25So with having said that, what do you think the price is on this house?
12:311.3.
12:32Okay.
12:33You want to guess?
12:33I think it might be a little bit more.
12:35I don't know.
12:35I guess maybe the property is 1.6.
12:391.3 and 1.6.
12:42This house is 1.4 million.
12:45Wow.
12:45So you guys guessed very well, actually.
12:47It's sort of right in the middle.
12:48Yeah, it's certainly under our budget, but there's not a lot we would do here.
12:52I don't think it's kind of turnkey for the most part.
12:54It is.
12:54And maybe a couple of little touches that we would do, but certainly no major renovations
12:58would be required.
12:59Can't wait to see the last house and see how they all compare.
13:13Laura and Doug were pretty impressed with the beautiful modern design and open plan layout
13:18of house number two, but this last property offers something truly unique, and it might
13:23just be the one to seal the deal.
13:25Well, here we are at house number three.
13:28I actually really like the curb appeal on this property.
13:31What do you guys think of it?
13:32I love it.
13:33Yeah.
13:33The drive-in for Doug was a little treacherous.
13:36He said, I'm not going to live somewhere with a gravel road.
13:39Uh-oh.
13:40Yeah, that might be maybe overlooked.
13:42That house is gorgeous for the day project.
13:44At first glance, do you like the color of it?
13:47Is this something that you could work with, or would you make some changes?
13:49I might pave the driveway.
13:51Then you could have your own little, like, oasis with no gravel.
13:54That's right.
13:54No gravel.
13:55Well, I'm anxious to take you inside this house, so why don't we go in and take a look?
13:58Excellent.
13:58Okay.
14:08Woo!
14:10This kitchen is pretty swanky, I would say.
14:13It is.
14:14The color combo is basically like house number one, house number two.
14:17You've got cream cabinets.
14:19And then the wood on the island.
14:20Yes.
14:20I think it's nicely laid out.
14:22It's got lots of counter space as well.
14:23I quite like it.
14:24I just feel like there's not a lot of storage, so I would add storage, I think.
14:29Yeah, it doesn't have any kind of walk-in pantry space right now.
14:32And I think if you have a house this size, you're going to appreciate having that.
14:36And now this flows through completely to that living room space where you've got a fireplace.
14:41Yeah.
14:41You know, again, it's a fireplace.
14:43Yep.
14:44And these windows.
14:45Well, these windows are pretty incredible, right?
14:47They are.
14:47I like that they did them so large, almost all the way to the ceiling.
14:52So you're completely like taking advantage of all of the green space back there.
14:56And we'll explore more of that for sure.
14:59But as always, I want you to see the principal bedroom because that is something that's particularly
15:04really special in this house and it's on the second floor.
15:07And I think the view is really going to blow your mind.
15:09Okay.
15:09So why don't you head upstairs and then I'm going to meet you outside.
15:12Okay, right this way.
15:19Whoa.
15:21This is nice.
15:21This is humongous compared to the other two.
15:25It has a seating area.
15:26It has, you know, the traditional bed space and there's a huge window and you can see right into
15:33the trees.
15:34Yeah, gorgeous view.
15:35Beautiful.
15:36And then holy potatoes.
15:39You've got your tub.
15:41And you've got your counter.
15:42There you go.
15:43And a separate shower.
15:44Yeah, a separate shower.
15:46Very different than the other two suites.
15:49Might be a little bit outside of our budget because it's very, very nice here.
15:52And it's big, like there's a lot of, there's a lot of room here.
15:55Do we need that much space?
15:56Not necessarily, but we need this much space in our primary suite.
16:00Oh, there you go.
16:09Wow, I was saving this surprise for you.
16:12So amazing.
16:13Isn't that something?
16:15That's spectacular.
16:16I know this is like totally unexpected really because it's very different than house number
16:21one and number two, but I really had to show it to you.
16:23Lakefront property.
16:24I don't think you can get any more lakefront than this because your grass literally would
16:28go right down to the edge of that dock.
16:31It's pretty spectacular, pretty bougie.
16:33It's a very nice property.
16:34I love that the fire pit too is right here in front of the water so that you can just
16:39enjoy those evenings.
16:41When we came out here, I didn't think we were going to see a lake.
16:43We were really strictly looking at homes that are going to be out in the country for the most part.
16:47But it certainly is something I've always wanted.
16:49What do you think the price is on this house?
16:52I don't know.
16:53I think it's going to be outside the budget there.
16:55I'm putting around 2.2.
16:56That's a good guess.
16:57What are you thinking?
16:582.4.
16:592.4 because of this, right?
17:01Because of that.
17:02They're not making any more waterfront property.
17:04That's correct.
17:04This is it.
17:05Yeah.
17:06Well, this house is $1,900,000.
17:10Wow.
17:11Wow.
17:13Well, we like the house and it's within our budget, but right within our budget.
17:18So, you know, we really got to think about that because in the other houses,
17:21there's some opportunity to really customize those houses.
17:24We easily put $200,000 and make it into something pretty spectacular.
17:28I agree.
17:28So, I think at this point, after reviewing three houses, three very different houses.
17:33Very different.
17:34But take some time to think about it and then we're going to reconvene in a little bit
17:38and I'm going to find out which house you love.
17:41Awesome.
17:42Thanks.
17:53With the house visits complete, Laura and Doug are weighing up all three options.
17:58In the meantime, I'm taking a little drive over to Port Perry to check out a local favorite
18:03in the heart of town, the Piano Inn and Café.
18:06Christy, thank you so much for meeting me here today.
18:09You are one very busy woman running the Piano Inn and Café.
18:13And this goes back in your family many, many years, right?
18:16In 1972, my grandfather and my grandmother bought four properties in downtown Port Perry.
18:21And now you're carrying the torch right here on this very prominent,
18:25hustling, bustling corner of beautiful, like very historic feeling downtown Port Perry.
18:32The thing that I like best about Port Perry and growing up is that we have a really strong
18:40sense of community here.
18:42Recently, our community fundraised for a new CT scanner.
18:46Those type of things we care about.
18:48If something happens to somebody in the community,
18:51all of a sudden, nameless people that you haven't really seen before are trying to help you just
18:56because they can or they want to.
18:57It's really an up and coming place.
18:59And we have the lake at the end of the street, which totally puts us on the map.
19:03So amazing.
19:04There's like a great farmer's market going on there today, too.
19:07I picked up a big, huge carload of farm to fork, my peppers, my cucumbers.
19:11I'm really lucky that we can do that.
19:14If we run out of something literally, instead of going that way to the grocery store in the summer,
19:18we can go that way to the farmer's market.
19:20Nice.
19:20I love that.
19:21I'm really proud to say that I come from Port Perry.
19:25It's really just a little bit behind in the times, the way that everybody's trying to get back to.
19:31I actually live in the compound of buildings behind us.
19:35Okay.
19:35We have a hotel above and my husband runs it.
19:38It's like living in New York, really.
19:40I can get anything that I need within a few steps and I don't need a car.
19:44That's cool.
19:45Simply because of my location.
19:47Yeah.
19:47We're only an hour away from the city.
19:49We have a nice cidery.
19:51There's things to do if you want to, but there's also many different reasons to relax.
19:55Okay, perfect, perfect.
19:56The only thing I want to do now is go in and enjoy some lunch.
19:59Hey, let me get the door.
20:00Okay.
20:00Absolutely.
20:02Christy's passion for Port Perry really shines through at the Piano Inn Cafe,
20:07but it's time to turn the spotlight on Laura and Doug's decision.
20:11Which of these three homes will they choose to make their own?
20:16Well, guys, we have had some exciting times together.
20:20We've seen three very different houses.
20:23Three very different houses.
20:24So thinking back to house number one, you described that one so well by calling it a chalet.
20:30Chalet.
20:31I loved it.
20:32I mean, the 10 acres, that is so much property.
20:36I think there's a lot of room for expansion there and the budget to do that.
20:39The deck that sort of wrapped around the entire house, I really liked that.
20:45You know, you know you're in the country.
20:47Layout-wise, had a little bit of a disconnected living room situation, but I think with the budget,
20:52you could open that up a little bit more.
20:55You could do something with the cabinetry if you want to.
20:57Like, there's a lot of room for play there and I feel like you have such great style.
21:02But that could be something that you're into.
21:05Okay, so house number two.
21:06I mean, in terms of entertaining, it fit the bill.
21:09It was really cool.
21:10That kitchen was nice.
21:11And I loved the flow of that straight through to a bar in the backyard.
21:16Yeah, that's right.
21:16That big deck.
21:17That's pretty cool.
21:18And one for expansion there.
21:19Like, we can end up putting the, as we talked about, putting a hot tub.
21:22Yeah.
21:22It'd be a nice thing to put out there.
21:23You would have to give up a tub, though, on the inside of the house.
21:26I would.
21:27I didn't love the bedroom.
21:29It was kind of small.
21:30Small.
21:30And it really felt like a suburban neighbourhood to me.
21:34So it didn't feel like country living when you drive up to it the same way that the first house
21:39did.
21:40So it feels like, to me, maybe this house, house number two, is not necessarily meeting all the needs.
21:45And we have to take away some homes, right?
21:47Yes.
21:47I think it's okay for us to kind of carve out house number two then and just kind of set
21:52that aside.
21:53Yeah.
21:53We all agree with that.
21:54Okay.
21:54So here we are now at house number three to talk about.
21:58Everyone's face lit up because of the water factor.
22:01I've never had lakefront property.
22:02I'm not sure what's entirely involved in that.
22:04I mean, there's going to be things about taking the dock in and out for sure.
22:07I don't know as far as what the water issues may or may not be.
22:10And then that kitchen, that was a big seller for you.
22:12It certainly does work.
22:13It's got the island that we had talked about before, which is a nice thing to have.
22:16Yeah.
22:17And the open concept.
22:18And so you walk upstairs and you just have this wide open, bright space.
22:23So many windows and then a deck that you can sit on and have your morning coffee and look at
22:27the lake.
22:28It's certainly livable as is.
22:30And then, yeah, then think about what changes we can make to make it ours on the inside.
22:36Okay.
22:36Well, now you guys have come to a conclusion and you're making this big change.
22:41Big change for you, especially moving from the city to the country.
22:45Now, I have to ask you, which house did you choose?
22:52House number three.
22:53You did it!
22:54House number three.
22:55We're going for it.
22:56We're going for it.
22:56The lake house.
22:57You're taking on country and lake life all at once.
23:00Wow.
23:00That's a big step.
23:02This is going to completely change your life.
23:04Absolutely.
23:04It's life-changing.
23:05Oh, I can just see you guys in that house.
23:07I did feel like it was like a lot of house to take on.
23:10It is.
23:10But I know in time, it's just going to get better and better.
23:13I think so.
23:13Well, I guess the only thing we have to do now is just like get the paperwork written up
23:17and so we can pick a move-in date.
23:19How about that?
23:20That sounds great.
23:20Thanks, Amanda.
23:21Let's go off to the real estate agent's office.
23:23Okay.
23:23Thanks so much.
23:24Amazing.
23:24Thanks so much for watching.
23:25Thanks, Amanda.
23:25Thanks, Amanda.
23:25Bye-bye.
23:27Thanks, Amanda.
23:27See you next time.
23:29Bye-bye.
23:29Bye-bye.
23:29Bye-bye.
23:30You
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