Original subtitles

Today, I'm house-hunting along the stunning coastline

of Guardamar del Segura in Spain's Costa Blanca.

I'm Lee Juggurnauth and, using my passion for interior design,

I've bought, renovated and sold several properties both

in the UK and overseas.

Today I'm going to be using all my skills to find the perfect place

for house-hunters Jackie and Steve, and I aim to deliver.

Lee is on the case.

The juggernaut never lets anyone down. Oh, we've heard this.

Though I don't always come up with the goods.

It's not for us. No.

I know. Oh! I'm sorry.

I visit a luxury villa whose owner has great taste.

This is actually designed by the owner himself,

who is a fan of the show, by the way.

At the end of the day, do I find my house-hunters

their perfect place in the sun?

It's beautiful. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

Yep, absolutely, absolutely.

Jackie and Steve have been married for over 20 years and have now

recently both retired.

They discovered Guardamar del Segura when visiting a friend's villa

and fell instantly in love with the area.

Now they can't wait to find their own holiday home,

so they can invite their friends and family to enjoy the beautiful

weather and gorgeous beaches.

Steve and Jackie, who live in Oxfordshire, first met due

to a very persistent mutual friend.

Friend at university, Louise, tried to get us together for two years.

This person that was a good friend of ours, and was lovely.

And I kept saying, "No, no, no."

Then she set me up, and I didn't know.

When we qualified, to go out to celebrate,

and then informed me that Steve was going to be there.

And we met that night.

To this day, I could tell you exactly what she wore,

where she stood, and how the light caught her hair and the dress,

and everything, and I knew that I fell in love

with her on that day.

They have a budget of £80,000 to buy a holiday home for themselves

and their family.

To get to Guardamar del Segura in southeastern Spain,

you fly into Alicante.

The flight time is around 2.5 hours from the UK,

and then it's just over half an hour's drive.

Guardamar, meaning garden of the sea, gets the rest of its name

from the Segura River, which meets the Mediterranean just north

of the town, right by its Marina.

It's a very popular holiday destination due to its seven miles

of golden, sandy beaches and plenty to do away from the sea.

But it does have more of a laid back atmosphere than some of the busier

resorts in this part of the Costa Blanca.

And it's also steeped in history.

The town dates back to the eighth century BC.

It really is a seller's market in this part of Spain.

With a shortage of new properties coming onto the market,

houses are selling pretty quickly - and at the asking price as well.

So for Jackie and Steve,

the days of getting a cheeky offer seem to be no longer.

Before we get going, I'm meeting up with my house-hunters

on the lovely Playa el Campo to find out a bit more about them,

and what they're looking for in terms of property.

Jackie and Steve. Good morning. Hello. Good morning.

How are you feeling?

Really excited. Very excited. Very excited.

If I had to ask you one word to describe this, what would it be?

Heaven. Heaven. Heaven.

We love the beach life. We like...

We love the culture, the restaurants,

meeting people, new people.

There is a big element for Steve's health as well, because he's got

arthritis and other things, and it will be good for him.

It's not the only driving force but, you know, that added in,

and I think we'll have a healthier way of life.

Tell me a little bit about life back home.

I've got three grown-up children.

Six grandsons. Wow. He's grandad.

Expensive Christmas. Basically big, big family. Yeah.

And will they be looking to spend some time out here with you as well?

We hope to get them out here. Yes. Yes, definitely.

When you do eventually spend some time out here, both of you, what do

you picture yourselves doing? I love all sorts of arts and crafts.

I love swimming - sea, pool.

Try and stay a bit more active, walking.

This is a perfect place for you to really engulf yourself in that.

You both have a budget of £80,000.

Right? Yep. Yep. Yes.

Wiggle room? So we said up to about seven. So around £87,000.

Yeah. Yeah. Talk to me about this ideal property, this dream property,

this property that you have pictured in your mind.

What does it look like? Two bedrooms, two bathrooms,

in an ideal world. One of them needs to be a walk-in shower. OK.

Decent sized kitchen and, in the lounge, enough area to put...

Also put down a sofa bed.

Rooftop solarium would be lovely, but plenty of outside space

and possibly a communal pool.

And preferably walking distance to bars and amenities.

Mainly bars, Lee.

So with the budget that we're working with, my favourite

word is compromise. Yeah.

How good are you with compromise? We can work with compromise. Yeah.

Yeah, we know we've set our sights high, but then that's

what you need to do. Sure.

And then we see what we've got to work with. Yeah.

I have got a lot, a lot, a lot of work to do.

Yep. So let's not waste any more time. Let's get going.

Sounds good. Yeah. Come on. Let's go.

Well, I think I'm going to have a lot of fun with Steve

and Jackie, but I'm slightly concerned about how much they want

in their dream property, because they're going to have to make

quite a few compromises along the way.

Still, I love a challenge, and I'm feeling good going into this.

Before we visit our first property here in Guardamar, we're heading

off the beach, and right into the heart of town.

Gang, on our first visit here in Guardamar, I thought

I'd bring us to Guardamar town centre.

We find ourselves in the beautiful Plaza de la Constitucion.

You like that? Very good. Very good. Very good. Does this impress you?

What do you think of this? Yes, it does. It does, yes.

I've not been to this bit before.

You haven't? No. Lots of culture, history and, as well as beautiful

architecture surrounding Guardamar,

there is the good combination, obviously -

we were at the beach earlier on... Yes. ..not far from here at all,

and you've got all this on your doorstep.

What do you think? Beautiful. Amazing.

That's what it's all about. That's why we've picked here.

Well, it's a great place for you to come down,

enjoy with the family. Can you see yourselves being here?

Yes, yes. Oh, yes. Oh, yeah. Yeah?

Well, this beautiful town is a five-minute drive away

from property numero uno.

Oh, wow. Excellent. Just five minutes. Excellent.

Shall we go have a look? Yes, please. Come with me.

Property number one is in an urbanisation just south

of the centre of Guardamar, where property prices have gone

up by almost 20% in the past year.

So to get somewhere close to the beach, as Jackie and Steve

asked for, I've had to go just over the top

of their maximum budget.

Jackie and Steve, I present to you property numero uno.

Behind us we've got a lovely communal pool, as you can see.

Beautiful.

The property we are looking at is a two bedroom, one bathroom

ground floor apartment.

Outside space in the front and in the back.

Hit me with your first impressions.

It looks... Lovely. It looks really nice from the outside.

Nice outside space.

Concerns, is someone above.

And I want to see inside. But that is the concern. Yeah.

That there's someone above us.

I don't sleep that well. OK. So...

Yeah. That's why that was so important. That's the problem.

Someone moving around upstairs all the time. OK.

Everything else looks fab. Yes. Absolutely.

The pool, the complex, everything.

So, earlier on at the beach, I did throw out that word.

I know, compromise.

Now, being so close to the beach, which I know

is very important to you.

I've had to go to the top end of your wiggle room.

The property is on the market for £87,500. Yeah. Yeah.

If this property was the one at the top...

Yeah, I think... I think the nail would be hit on the head. OK.

Really. Well, don't rule it out just yet. No, no.

The inside may change your mind.

Should we go take a look? Yes, please.

This house has a covered terrace, and a courtyard garden at the front,

which leads onto the communal pool, as well as a courtyard at the back.

Inside, which is all on one level,

there's an open-plan living, dining and kitchen area.

The main bedroom, a second bedroom and a bathroom.

First impressions, it's... It's small. Yeah.

It's for... You know, we've got family

that are going to want to come out.

It seems very... A bit claustrophobic, a bit small.

Not workable as a space because, I mean, still a good flow in here.

It's got a good flow. Yeah.

But I'm just looking at the kitchen area.

There's not much kitchen area.

Food preparation area. I like to cook. OK.

So it would need to be a little bit bigger than that, I think.

It's got a nice outside area. It's got a nice outside space.

It's got a nice communal pool. Yeah.

And it certainly ticks the box about being close to the beach.

Oh, yeah. That lovely area. That beautiful beach.

It doesn't... There's something about in here... Yeah.

...that, at the moment, doesn't feel... Right for us, yeah. ..right.

OK. I feel quite sad because we've got that beautiful beach

just down there. Yeah. And this lovely complex.

Is there anything that could possibly

change your mind with this property at all?

Not mine. No. Ruled it out? Yeah. Yeah, I think ruled it out.

It's not for you. No. It's fine.

That's totally fine that this doesn't work for you.

But, being realistic, on the budget that we're working with, if you do

want that space, the need for the living space, the kitchen

space as well as outdoors.

We would be looking at venturing possibly a bit more inland.

Yeah, we realise that.

So a bit away from the beach, a bit more inland,

you would get the space that you need.

Are you willing to explore that? Yes, of course. Yes.

Not giving up just yet.

No. Property number two. Yeah. Let's see what I come up with.

OK. Yeah? After you. Excited.

OK. That's not a great start, to say the least.

And I'm a bit disappointed as I think this house,

which is on the market for 87,500 pounds, offers Jackie and Steve

loads of what they wanted, particularly its great location,

just a short stroll from the beach.

But if it doesn't do the job for them,

I completely understand, and we move on.

Realistically, a little bit further away from the sea.

One thing I do know Jackie is keen on is arts and crafts.

So before we visit our second property, I'm taking her and Steve

to a really picturesque spot where she can she can do exactly that.

Now, Jackie and Steve, but mainly for Jackie... OK.

I feel like I need to get into your good books again,

after my first property. Yeah. Go on, then.

Well, I brought you to beautiful surroundings. It is gorgeous.

It's a real gem in Guardamar.

This particular area is known as Cuevas del Rodeo.

What it is - it's a network of about 15 caves.

And originally they were dug out by the farmers

a very, very long time ago,

so that they would shelter and create homes out of these, whilst

they were farming in the beautiful land that surrounds this area.

Now, things have slightly changed.

It's an arts and crafts area.

Amazing. Yeah. There you go! There's that smile that I wanted.

Big fan of arts and crafts, right? Yeah. Love it.

If you ever get bored, Steve, whilst Jackie is inside painting,

you can sit out here and have a nice cup of tea or coffee.

That's me. I'd be happy with that.

That's the tea room just behind you over there. Yeah.

Well, listen, property number two,

which I'm hoping is going to be up your street,

is literally less than a ten-minute drive away from here.

Yeah. Oh, lovely. That made you happy? Yes, yes. Great.

Coming up: if Jackie and Steve are happy to go a bit more inland

to find a bigger property, then they're going to love my next

house, which is much bigger in size,

and comes with a fantastic rooftop solarium.

Today I'm in Guardamar del Segura

in sunny Spain, helping newly-retired

Jackie and Steve find their perfect holiday home.

And my, oh, my, have I got my work cut out for myself?

That's because my house hunters want an awful lot for their budget

of £80,000, with an additional 7,000 wiggle room.

Even though I delivered

them their perfect location close to the beach with my first place,

they thought it was far too small, and ruled it out almost immediately.

So to get Jackie and Steve a bigger property, I've had to bring them

inland to the urbanisation of Montebello, which has a roughly

equal mix of permanent and holiday homes, and is home to a big

international community consisting of Scandinavians, Belgians

and a fair smattering of Brits.

Price-wise, it's more affordable than our last area, but even so,

I've had to go into my house-hunters' wiggle room

to find somewhere I really hope they'll like.

Hmm.

Now, property number two.

Wow. Yeah, I really like that... Looks good. ..from outside.

Yeah. Yeah. We are in a different area.

Now, you both did agree that we would move a little bit more inland

to get something bigger. Yeah.

We are near an urbanisation known as Montebello.

The local town is Quesada.

The beach is a ten-minute drive away from here.

That's good, yeah. It looks... It looks nice. Yeah.

We've had a look around, you know, as we walked in and

yeah, it looks... It looks nice.

There is no communal pool, as this is a property on its own. Right.

But there is an option to use a pool not far from here at all,

subject to a small fee. Yeah.

OK, yeah, yeah. OK.

This particular property, it's two bedrooms, one bathroom.

OK. Comes with a fantastic rooftop solarium,

and two terraces, front and back.

Price-wise, it's on the market for just under £83,000.

OK. So much cheaper than the first property. Yeah.

You're getting a lot more for your pound. Yeah.

Shall we see if the inside matches the outside?

Yeah. Yes. Come with me.

This house has a garden at the front, another at the back,

and a spacious and stylish roof terrace with views

into the countryside.

Inside, there's an open-plan living, dining and kitchen space,

two bedrooms and a shower room.

Come on in.

It's very nice. Very well done. Yeah. Love the modern kitchen.

Big enough? Not really. It's the work space. There's nowhere to...

But, um, I still... I still love it.

I just think it's really nice, the way they've done it.

It's really nice. And it gives it a feeling of more space as well.

Yeah. I'm not 100%, but I can see that there is much more in the way

of possibilities for us here. Yeah, sure.

And I know being outside and in the sun is key.

There is one space which is a godsend of a sun trap.

The sun roof. Solarium. Would you like to have a look?

Yes, please. After you. Yeah.

I'm a man of surprises. Yes. Yeah.

Take your eyes and have a look at

all this space that I'm giving you.

Plus views. It's beautiful. Beautiful.

Absolutely beautiful. Yep, absolutely. Absolutely.

Whatever else happens, Steve is intent -

he's going to have a bar on the roof.

Steve, a man after my own heart. I would have the same thing.

There's plenty of space for you to do that.

Yeah, I just... This is the nicest one I've seen.

Nicest is a horrible word. This is the best one I've seen.

Yeah, I really like it.

Could even put it there. That's... That's the place, Lee.

And there's a... There'll be a stool there for you.

And we can call it Steve's Bar. Steve's Bar.

And I'll be your number one customer. Exactly.

Well, listen, you're both smiling. You both look happy.

Why don't you go and take a look at

the rest of the property on your own? OK.

And then come and find me in the front, after, and let me know

what you think. OK. Brilliant. OK. See you in a bit.

Mm. It's very, very small.

It's minute. There's no wardrobes in here. Np.

Where am I going to put my clothes? Yeah.

Mm-hm. Yeah. Very well done.

But it's a little bit small. It's very small, that's too small.

I think I'd struggle in there.

I think you would. You wouldn't...

You'd be knocking yourself out in there. Yeah.

Steve and Jackie like lots of things about this house,

which is on the market for just under £83,000, particularly

the spacious roof terrace which Steve's earmarked for a bar.

Let's hope they like the rest of it so I can bag myself

my first contender.

Hello, hello, hello! Hello.

Go on, tell me everything.

It's not really a contender for us.

The bedrooms are tiny.

Um, there's not any storage in one of them at all.

As far as wardrobes go, there's only one in the other one.

Um, the shower, to be honest, is very slim.

I would struggle in that shower.

I think I would worry if Steve gets to the point where he needs to use

a shower stall.

You're not going to get that in there.

Also... The kitchen.

I love that it's a nice, modern kitchen, but it's too small.

It's done really well. Got nowhere to prepare food, it's...

And it's not giving me that homely feel.

OK, well, this one didn't work for you. No.

Let's see what I can come up with for my next property.

OK. Come with me. Brilliant. Thank you.

OK. It's fair to say I've had easier house hunts.

I really thought I'd done well with that place,

but Steve and Jackie ruled it out anyway.

Still, at least I know they really want a lot of space,

which I can provide.

I also know they love a nice beach.

So on the way to our next property, we're heading back to the coast

and the town of Guardamar to stop off at another simply stunning

stretch of sand.

Now, I'm two properties down.

OK. OK. And I thought, "What better way to bring things round

"than to come back to the beloved beach?" Yes. In Guardamar.

Beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous. Have you been to this beach before?

Further down. Not this bit. Further down. OK.

Well, this place has it all. Along this promenade

down here is a plethora of bars, restaurants and beautiful cafes.

Amazing. Ideal. Love it. Ideal.

It's our sort of life. Yeah.

Coffee shops. Be able to stroll along. Have a seat.

Have a chat with everybody.

It's... It's the sort of life we want. Painting the dream.

Oh, yeah. There's one thing that you didn't say. What's that?

Which we can do on the way to property number three,

which is less than a ten-minute drive away from this. OK. Wow.

The one thing you missed out is ice cream. Oh, yeah.

Definitely ice cream. Yeah.

Well, how about we just lap up that view, grab an ice cream

over there, and head to property number three? Yep.

Brilliant. Sounds good. Sounds good to me. Loving the dream?

Living the dream. Yeah. Yes, definitely. All right, let's go. OK.

Coming up: if Jackie and Steve want a more spacious property

with a bigger kitchen, then they're going to love my next house,

which comes with that all-important homey feel,

and this incredible solarium.

Today I'm house-hunting in and around Guardamar del Segura,

on Spain's beautiful Costa Blanca.

And with two houses down and still no contender, I've certainly

got my work cut out for myself.

My house-hunters, who have a budget of £80,000 with an additional 7,000

wiggle room, have ruled out both places

I've shown them so far, because they thought they were too small.

So I've got my eyes on size, as I try to find them somewhere

which will work for them.

And to get more space in property number three, we've had to go

further inland to the urbanisation of Ciudad Quesada,

which is about ten minutes' drive from the nearest beach.

There's roughly a 50-50 mix of full-time residents and second home

owners here, and I've found somewhere I think Steve and Jackie

will love without going too much into their wiggle room.

What do you see?

A pool? Lovely. Nice, like it.

Yeah, like it? Area, views. Nice views, yeah.

Property we are looking at is the third house just over there.

Two bedroom, one bathroom detached villa.

Ground floor, comes with its very own rooftop solarium.

Front and back terrace. That's what we want. Brilliant. Yeah. Brilliant.

The property is on the market for just under £81,000.

Wow. Curb appeal's good.

The thing that gets me is this slope.

That's the only thing that I look at and, otherwise...

Absolutely cherry on the cake. Mm-hm.

Obviously the slope may be a bit of a concern for you,

but the property is just over there. So not far to walk at all. No.

And once we do get inside, I think you'll see

why I've decided to bring you here. OK. Yeah. Yeah? OK.

Shall we take a look? Yes, please. After you.

This villa has a terrace at the front, a small garden

at the back, and a very spacious solarium with great views up top.

Inside, there's a large, open-plan living and dining room, which leads

into the kitchen along with the utility room,

two bedrooms and a bathroom.

Come on in. Really, really taken with this.

Very nice. It is nice. Really nice.

Great for family occasions.

Think about it. Yeah. Christmas here. Yeah.

Jackie cooking in the kitchen. Christmas tree in the corner.

Steve sitting on the settee. Oh, actually,

Christmas tree could go there. Yeah.

Steve's out here with a nice cerveza. Yeah.

Grandkids here causing havoc. And mess.

I like the way you're talking. Yeah.

Steve ironing out there where the washing machine is,

because he does the ironing. Oh! I don't see that, Lee. Yeah.

He does do the ironing. I haven't ironed for years.

Well, I mean, it's a group, team effort, but it's... I cook.

You cook. There you go. But you can entertain here. Yeah. Yeah.

It's an entertaining space.

And it flows nicely to your domain, Jackie, which is...

The kitchen!

Should we go take a look? Yes, please. Please.

Stuff where dreams are made of. Your very own kitchen.

Meals are made of, yeah. And meals are made of.

What do you think of this?

Yeah. There's no comparison, really. I mean, it's much better laid out.

It's very nice. Well, why don't you go and check out

the rest of the property? Check out the bedrooms.

There is storage space in there for those all-important bags

and shoes that you have.

And then I'll come and find you on the solarium. OK.

Yeah? Yeah, will do. See you in a sec. Thank you.

This is the first property they've really, really warmed to.

It's got that homey feel, so fingers crossed they like it.

Oh, yeah. It's more spacious.

Yeah. It's nice. Built-in wardrobes.

Yeah. Really nice. Good. Yeah. Good size. OK.

Yeah. It's lovely, isn't it? Yeah. I love it up here. Beautiful.

This villa, which is on the market for just under £81,000, really made

a good impression on Steve and Jackie, both inside and out.

Apart from possibly the slope it sits on.

I'm keeping everything crossed that they like the rest

of it, so I can get my first contender.

Hello? Hello. Look at that view! Beautiful. Yeah. Beautiful.

Beautiful. Contender?

I've got to say no.

And it really breaks my heart, because it's lovely.

It is that slope. Right.

And that would just... It's difficult for me now.

It's not going to get any easier.

Otherwise this this would be something

we would be talking to you about. Yeah. It's absolutely spot-on.

So something similar to this property with a pool,

not on a slope. Yeah. And that's it. You've got it. That's it.

I've got it. Well, let me see what I can come up with. Fear not.

I've still got a couple of tricks up tricks up my sleeve.

Lee's on the case. Lee is on the case.

The juggernaut never lets anyone down. Oh, we've heard this.

Come with me.

So I was close there, but the slope ruled that place out, and I think

I might have an uphill battle to find Jackie and Steve

somewhere that delivers everything they're after.

They do like the town of Guardamar, though, so I've found them another

property there. On the way,

we're stopping off in one of the town's parks to hang out

with some feathered friends.

I have brought you to Parque Reina Sofia.

Parque Queen Sofia. Take a look around.

Did you know something like this existed?

No, no. I wouldn't know this was here. It's beautiful.

Yeah. And it's one of the kind of hidden gems of Guardamar that not

a lot of people know about.

But I know coming here to Guardamar, and coming to Spain,

is all about relaxation, and taking a step back. Yeah.

This is the kind of place where it's all one level,

you can walk around, embrace the nature,

and also great for the family and friends.

Yeah. Yeah. Kids, grandkids, family will love this.

Yeah. I also noticed there's always somewhere to sit.

Mm-hm. Which is important. Yeah. When you've walked enough, sit down.

Yeah. And just enjoy it. Yeah. It's lovely.

And it's great just to see the birds walking around.

You could feed the birds.

Take some nice little pictures with them. Yeah. It's great to be around.

And, also, I'm pretty much sure that peacocks are meant

to bring good luck. Should we head off? Yeah. Come on.

I may need that luck because, unlike those peacocks,

I'm not really strutting my stuff at the moment, but I'm hoping

to be walking a bit taller after my next property.

We're back in Jackie and Steve's favourite town of Guardamar,

but a little bit further away from the centre and the beaches,

than we were at property number one, meaning I've got them more space

for just a smidge below budget.

Now we're back in your favourite area - Guardamar.

Property number four. This is the communal pool.

We are less than a five-minute drive away from that lovely park

we were just at. Yeah. It's beautiful. It's lovely. Pool-wise...

Yeah. Good pool. Lovely pool.

Bigger than our last one. Yeah, much bigger.

And you can see yourself doing some lengths in there in the morning.

The property we are looking at... Feast your eyes.

...just over there, is a first-floor maisonette.

Two bedrooms, one bathroom with a fantastic rooftop solarium.

It has a great walk-in shower, which I know is essential for you as well.

Yeah, it looks good. It looks good.

It's on the market for just over £79,000, so well within budget.

Wow. It's good. It's a good price.

Yeah. I'm not going to come inside with you on this one.

OK. But go in there. Open mind.

Have a look around. Yeah.

And come and find me after and let me know what you think.

Yeah. OK. Yeah? Yeah. I'll see you in a sec. OK.

This property has everything, pretty much, they've asked of me,

so I'm hoping that they see all the possibilities.

And also remember the key word - compromise.

This maisonette has a small, enclosed balcony,

plus a big roof terrace with a store room and views into the countryside.

Inside, there's an open-plan living, dining and kitchen area,

two bedrooms and a very nice shower room.

It's quite small.

I like it, it's a nice, open-plan kitchen.

I suppose you've got a little bit more with the breakfast bar,

but it's still very, very small. It's a cupboard space.

There isn't much, looking at it.

It's... It's tiny. There's nowhere to put anything else.

There's no dressing tables. Oh, yeah.

You know what I'm like. I like a dressing table somewhere.

Oh. That's nice. Yeah.

See, that's a nice bathroom. That's ideal.

You'd be able to get you a shower seat in there if you needed it.

Yeah.

Wow. Look at that view. That's amazing.

Yeah. It's beautiful. Nice view. Big space. And a handy-size room there.

Yeah. Shall we go and find Lee? Yep. Have a chat with him. OK. OK.

This maisonette, which is on the market for just over £79,000,

gives Jackie and Steve a great location, a lovely communal pool,

and a superb solarium for within budget.

Though it isn't quite as spacious inside as the last place

I showed them.

So, bearing all that in mind, I can't wait to find out

what they think.

I've been standing here, nervous,

trying to find out your reaction.

Go and on, tell me.

I mean, someone's gone to a lot of trouble decorating the inside.

It's lovely. There's a "but" coming. Oh, it's... But it's small.

It's... I had trouble pulling a chair out to sit on it,

in the dining room bit.

There isn't much in the way of cupboard space in the kitchen.

The shower's fabulous. Can we move the shower? Oh, yeah.

The solarium. Lovely. Beautiful views. But it's not for us.

Oh! I know.

Oh, I'm sorry. If we've got to give up location

to get the space that we need... That's the compromise, yeah.

...that's the compromise we're going to have to make. So, noted.

The rain gods have just called. They're on their way.

So why don't we head over to property number five?

Yeah. Yeah? Come on.

Coming up: I hope to finally bag myself a contender with my fifth

and final property.

This apartment, with loads of space and a cracking roof terrace.

I can just see myself laid back here, you know, on the sun bed,

with a glass of vino.

Today I'm in Guardamar del Segura, searching for a holiday home

for couple Jackie and Steve.

I've literally shown them four houses and still have no contender.

So to say the pressure is on is an understatement, but I still feel

very hopeful, as I've got one property left.

My house-hunters, who have a budget of £80,000 with an additional 7,000

wiggle room, have only really liked one place I've shown them -

this detached villa, but they ruled it out

because it was on a steep slope.

So I'm keeping on the straight and narrow with my fifth

and final property -

this apartment with loads of room inside and out.

But before we go there, I'm looking at properties that cost

a lot of wonga, here on the Costa Blanca.

And I've come down to the Orihuela Costa to check out

this massive modern villa.

It's all about the clean, straight lines, inside / outside living,

and open-plan light, bright space and sunshine throughout.

I'm very excited to be meeting the agent for a tour.

Hi, Lee. Yes, Edward, how are you? Welcome.

This looks amazing. It is an amazing house.

Shall we take a look inside? Let's go inside.

Let me show you around.

Oh, wow.

Edward, this is beautiful.

I love this room.

This is actually designed by the owner himself, who is a fan

of the show, by the way.

And as you can see, he's got a bit of an Italian influence in it.

They've used the space really well, as well,

because you can see, obviously, completely open-plan. Sure.

Nothing is cornered off and sectioned off.

It's a great family space, isn't it? Absolutely.

Can we see the main bedroom? You can.

Let me show you the main bedroom.

Oh, this is a very, very nice room.

I mean, the first thing that strikes me, Edward, again, is the light

that just shines through.

But I also love the fact that you could just wake

up in this magnificent bed, go out on that balcony, have a nice cup

of coffee, and think, "Do you know what? I want to swim."

I really need to see that pool.

Let me show you the pool. Come on, let's go. OK. Come on.

Wow.

I mean, this is incredible,

Edward, what a great pool. I've got to ask.

How much is it on the market for?

It's on the market for just under £1.7 million.

1.7 million. And you get this little gem of paradise.

It's an incredible, incredible property. It is superb.

Thank you so much for showing me around.

I've got to get back to my house-hunters.

Let me show you out. Thank you.

I reckon Steve would love that place.

And Jackie would fancy doing a few laps of the pool, though,

as the weather's taken a turn for the worst,

we can get wet without getting our swimmers on.

We're staying inland for our fifth and final property, and I've decided

to make a quick and, hopefully, dry stop in the town of Rojales,

that's just up the road from it.

Now take a look around.

I brought you to the beautiful town of Rojales.

Yes. It's lovely.

You did say you were willing to move a little bit inland for size.

Yeah. Rojales is the nearest town of our next property.

What do you think? There's a lot going on here.

Oh, it's lovely. Lovely. Lovely cafe behind us.

We've seen... We've driven through Rojales,

and we got out and had a quick look around.

Oh, so you are familiar with it? Yes. Slightly. But we...

I remember looking and thinking, "Oh, this is really lovely."

So, yeah, it's really lovely.

Nice. There's a lot going on here.

There's the River Segura just over there, which is a nice walk

down as well. You go over the bridge. Yeah. Take it all in.

And one of the things the local region is known for is about 70%

of the population are actually expats and foreigners.

Right. So big British community.

But you do get the Spanish tradition and the Spanish culture as well.

So there's a good blend. Yeah. Next property is less than

a ten-minute drive away. Come with me. OK.

We're heading back to the urbanisation of Ciudad Quesada,

where we saw Steve and Jackie's current favourite.

But this time there are no slopes.

We're talking flat as a pancake.

Which couldn't be said of the property market here.

And indeed the rest of the Costa Blanca, where things are booming.

So to find a place with what I hope is enough space

to satisfy my house-hunters, I've had to go a bit over their

wiggle room, though the agent has told me there could well be a bit

of wiggle room their end as well.

Now, the property we are looking at is just in front of us.

We are in Quesada town centre.

Very interesting. Yeah. Looks good.

Now, I've literally tried to pull

every single thing out of the bag here for this. OK.

The property we are looking at is a top-floor apartment. All right.

It is a two bedroom, two bathroom...

Wow. ..apartment split on two levels.

Upstairs, you've got your rooftop solarium.

Now, as you know, property here is in demand.

And to be able to get you every single thing that you want

within distance of amenities, I've had to push the budget. OK.

This particular property is on the market

for just over £91,500.

OK. So it is over budget, but I have been assured by the agent

that the owner is willing to accept offers at the top end

of your budget. Shall we go and take a look inside?

Yes. Let's.

This apartment has a large balcony at the front and a smaller one

at the side, as well as a roof terrace.

Inside there's an open-plan living, dining and kitchen space.

Way bigger than anything I've shown Jackie and Steve so far,

along with the main bedroom with an en suite bathroom,

plus a second bedroom, and a shower room.

This is the open-plan living space.

Yeah, I really like it. Yeah, I quite like it.

I like the layout. I quite like the open plan. Mm-hm.

And the fact that it's a bit bigger kitchen as well.

And you can sort of, even if it's not quite big enough,

you can put sort of something else along there.

So, yeah.

Once you get in, put your own stamp on it... Yeah.

Create the home that you want, it could be a really great space.

Yeah. It's a blank canvas. It's got great floors.

It's got blank walls.

And you can just really add your own mark to it.

The wheels are turning.

Thinking about what we could do if we need to change things.

I mean, it is a lovely room.

Yeah, it is just the sort of thing that we would like.

It's easy. It's going to be easy to take care of,

and a good living space.

Shall we go check out one of those bedrooms down there?

Yes, please. Come with me.

Look at the bedroom.

It's currently got two single beds in here.

Yeah. A lot of light coming through.

Great wardrobe space.

Oh, yeah. It's triple. It's a nice, workable space.

Yeah. You can see what you could do in this room. Yeah.

Quite a good vibe, I think. A good vibe. Yeah.

I suppose, you know, I'm just concerned

that there is stuff that needs doing,

and whether we'll have that money in the budget,

which we'll have to think about.

Go and take a look at the rest of the property, and then I'll come

and meet you after. Yeah? Thank you.

They said they're getting a good vibe from it and they see potential.

So I'm hoping this is the property for them.

It's actually probably the one that I would use as a...

Nice big room. Yeah, really nice size.

Good size. Lovely view. Stunning, isn't it?

Absolutely stunning.

I think I saw electrics somewhere.

You need that for your bar.

We'll get electric up here, yeah.

Steve and Jackie seem really keen on this apartment,

which is on the market for a negotiable just over £91,500.

However, Jackie did seem slightly concerned that it might need a bit

too much spending on it to make it perfect for her.

Still, I'm feeling positive, and I'm hoping I'll be ending

this house hunt by finally getting myself a contender.

It's absolutely beautiful views.

You can just imagine lying back here.

Just doing my little rain dance.

How are you? OK, good.

Look at that. I mean, come on. We're just saying,

I could just see myself laid back here, you know, on the sun bed

with a glass of vino.

You've done the ticks, Lee, you've done the ticks. Done the ticks.

Which... Let me just take a breath before I ask this question.

How did it go?

I think we're going to have to have a good think about it.

So you liked it? Yes, we like it.

It's... I would, I would say a semi-contender,

in that we are looking at what we could do,

because obviously it's the top end of our budget. Right.

So we need to think about what we'd have to spend to get

it the way we would want it to be.

And it's got so much potential...

Yeah. ..inside. It's a big decision for you to make. Yeah.

Take all the time that you need.

You've got to make the right decision in what's best

for you and your future, here in Spain,

and for your family as well.

So we'll meet up tomorrow, and then you can let me know

what the future holds for you both.

Yeah. Yeah. Sounds good. Thank you very much.

But in the meantime, shall we get out of this rain? Yes, please.

Yeah. Let's go. Come on.

If you'd like more information on any of the properties featured

on today's show, visit:

We've now shown Steve and Jackie all five properties

in and around Guardamar del Segura for their budget of £80,000,

with an additional 7,000 wiggle room.

After a difficult search,

we've only got one sort of contender, this apartment,

which they really liked but weren't sure if they could make

all the changes they felt it needed within their budget.

I've no doubt that they've had a busy night talking things

through and doing their sums, and I can't wait to find out

what they've decided to do.

Morning. Morning. Look who's back.

Beautiful. The sun has got its hat on.

That's what it's all about. How did you sleep last night?

Oh... Not brilliantly.

There was a lot of talking and a lot of thinking going on.

Yeah. How do you feel the search went for you?

I think it went really well. It's taught us a lot.

Space versus location, and where those compromises might have to be.

I took you to a property number five.

Our final property. It was right up your street.

And we left the search with a semi-contender.

Yeah, I think, you know, it had so much potential.

When we talked about it,

like, you know, last night, late last night...

We... We tried to picture what we needed to do.

In our opinions, "put right."

And we thought about, "Well, we're at the top end of our budget."

We then need to spend that money.

We would probably be more sensible to look for something

that was done further inland.

So that, you know, we could get everything we wanted there

and done, without having...

Because there's also the issues that, you know, you can't do

an awful lot with DIY, that sort of thing any more. Yeah.

So we would have to get people in to do it or it wouldn't...

It wouldn't be us doing it.

So property number five is a no go, which is disappointing

because I think... Sorry. No, I know, I totally understand.

On paper... No-one is more disappointed than us, Lee.

Yeah. No, I totally understand, yeah.

On paper, it seems like it was the right property for you.

But I do understand it was at the top end of your budget,

and there are certain changes you would like to make, to make

that property ideal for you.

So what you're taking from it

is a good thing that compromise is the key.

And you are aware that, you know, the further inland you move,

the more that you get for your money.

And everything is driveable here, you know?

So it's just about getting the right balance for you.

And it's not that far inland. No.

You know, I think sometimes you look at the map and you think,

"Oh, God, that's..." And it's not... It's not.

It's not that far inland.

Sort of seeing these different places we've realised we actually

can get to the beach very quickly. Yeah.

If your head and your heart is there,

and you feel like it's the right property, don't wait. Yeah.

No, we're not going to. Just go for it.

Yeah. No, that's... And I will know. Yeah. I know.

Well, I'll probably walk in and cry and then say,

"Show me the rest of the property," because I will know.

OK. So...

Yeah, I think that's... That's what we're going to do is we're not

going to mess around. Once we've found it, that's it.

Well, listen, Jackie and Steve, it's been an absolute pleasure.

I am a bit gutted that I haven't been haven't been able to find

you your place of your dreams, but I do know

it's just around the corner, and I wish you all the best...

Thank you very much. ..in your new life here,

and thank you for a great experience. Thank you. Thank you.

Slightly disappointed that I haven't been able to find Jackie

and Steve their dream property here in Guardamar, but I am glad

they've decided to venture slightly more inland to get the space

that they need for their dream home, and I wish them all the very best

in their future.

Jackie and Steve stayed on in Guardamar after we finished

filming, and viewed several more properties with the agents

we'd introduced them to, and I'm delighted to say they are now

the proud owners of a house a few miles further inland from the areas

we showed them, and I couldn't be happier.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media