After eight years of living and working in Abu Dhabi teachers Jon and Rowena wanted to come back to Britain and find a dream home in the country. They were eager to swap sand for green foliage as soon as possible and so decided that applying to be on BBC's Escape to the Country was a perfect place to start their property hunt.
Out of the UK market for such a long time, the couple were hoping the popular daytime property programme could guide them back into the world of bricks and mortar for sale back home. The couple had a budget of £750,000 and were hoping for a detached property with kerb appeal, three to four bedrooms, a place where they could tutor students so keep working but also within walking distance to a pub as the local community was as important to the pair as the property.
But maybe the most important location decider within their chosen county of East Sussex was the drive time to Jon's beloved football team, Brighton & Hove Albion in time for kick-off, although wherever they ended up it was certainly going to be closer than Abu Dhabi. The couple had two sons, one aged 16 and living at home and one aged 20 and at university so it had to be a house that could welcome all four members of the family, as well as friends from the area.
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The first property just outside Rotherfield was a pretty, three-storey, detached house dating back to 1927 that was spacious and full of character. The couple both enjoyed looking around the period property and the garden was the extra layer that made this house a possible contender.
It was on the market under budget at £725,000. But there was no time to ponder this property as there were more to see with presenter Briony May Davies, especially as the couple hadn't been house hunting for over 25 years, so off the trio trundled to have a rummage around property two.
Located on the coast in Saltdean the next property was a bit of a Tardis, looking like a smaller bungalow dating back to the 1950s at the front but expanding into a large home with up to six bedrooms, a garage and a garden room. On the market for £750,000 it was top of the couple's budget but it offered walking distance to the coast and all the amenities of the village on the doorstep, and was only five miles or so from the Brighton & Hove Albion FC's American Express Stadium.
The mystery house, a Victorian former coach house, was hoping to turn their heads and hearts away from the first two properties and its initial kerb appeal certainly did that. The brick façade hugged by pretty foliage and the addition of a charming clock tower completely enchanted the couple instantly, even though it was a semi-detached property rather than detached.
The kitchen breakfast room was described as 'beautiful', the lounge was called 'amazing' and Rowena in particular was feeling the love for this charming property.
There was a second reception room versatile enough to be a dining room or an office, or both, while upstairs there were three bedrooms plus a family bathroom, all of which featured character and exposed beams, but this was a four-bedroom house so where was that elusive final slumber space?
The mystery house revealed that it had a lower ground level that was home to a quirky converted space that was a bedroom but, with its own wet room and separate entrance, was the perfect annexe that was part of the house but had its own independence. The couple were smitten by the mystery house but could they afford it?
Rowena, worried that it was over-budget especially when Jon estimated it at £780,000, offers an 'optimistic' £765,000 and says she's keeping 'everything crossed'. But when Briony revealed that the coach house was a whopping £100,00 under budget with an asking price of £650,000 Rowena could not contain her emotions and out of nowhere began to cry.
"It's incredible!" she said through her tears, "Quick, phone the shipping guys, Jon get your cheque book out. This could be a possibility, we could be living here. It's just kept on giving, the standard here is just superb, beautiful bathrooms, beautiful bedrooms, we could really see ourselves living here."
Meeting up with Briony at the end of the property search, the couple were still immersed in the dream of living in the mystery house and intended to definitely go for a second viewing.
Rowena said: "But we need to take the boys back because there are four of us in this move, so we do need a sixteen-year-old pair of eyes on it and a twenty-year-old pair of eyes on it, just to see how it would work for them." Jon added: "It's so exciting, it was absolutely spot on so thank you so much."
At the very end of the show Briony is excited that the show has found the couple's dream home, but then via a voice over as the credits roll she says: "Jon and Rowena continued to love the mystery house but in the end the location didn't pass the test with their youngest son. However they have had an offer accepted on a house just outside Brighton."
This story was featured on Escape to the Country series 24, episode 38, currently available to view on BBC iPlayer. For more property stories sent to your inbox twice a week sign up to the property newsletter here and join the Amazing Welsh Homes property Facebook group here. For the latest TV and showbiz news sign up to our newsletter here.
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