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Original poster

I’m watching Escape to the Country - how do they afford those homes?

109 replies

CormoranStrike · 16/02/2019 16:07

Youngish couple, he has kids from a previous relationship, new baby and she’s happy to now give up her career - they’ve got a budget of £900k!

How on earth do people manage that?

OP posts:

DuggeesWoggle · 16/02/2019 17:52

We have just made our 'escape to the country'. We've moved to a "double fronted period property with lawned gardens to front and rear, far reaching views in a desirable village location".

It's a terraced ex council house, built in the 1940s , cost less than £240k and with the price we got for our 3 bed semi in town we have paid off our mortgage. The views are great although the gardens are very much visible from next door. Thankfully we seem to have very quiet neighbours.

It can be done! Although probably wouldn't make as exciting telly. Not sure what we'd do with a paddock and 25 acres!

DuggeesWoggle · 16/02/2019 17:53

I wouldn't mind a craft room like the wife on ETTC always wants, and I'm sure DH would appreciate a man shed for all that tinkering like the husband always asks for.

Justanothermile · 16/02/2019 17:54

That would be so funny faded, or asking for a nice new build😁.

To be fair, our property is worth a fair bit, we did incredibly well on our first ever purchase (bought at the bottom and sold at the top, all luck and no judgement), plus one move where we pushed quite hard and jumped up, but mainly luck. My dc are closeish to flying the nest and I can't imagine rattling around in a huge place any bigger than this already, just us two so I find some choices on their a bit odd.

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Justanothermile · 16/02/2019 17:55

That would be so funny faded, or asking for a nice new build😁.

To be fair, our property is worth a fair bit, we did incredibly well on our first ever purchase (bought at the bottom and sold at the top, all luck and no judgement), plus one move where we pushed quite hard and jumped up, but mainly luck. My dc are close-ish to flying the nest (well, in theory I guess) and I can't imagine rattling around in a huge place any bigger than this already, just us two, so I find some choices on there a touch odd.

Justanothermile · 16/02/2019 17:57

Ha - MN told me that didn't post, so I corrected the horrendous grammar error, thinking I'd got away with it....😂

anniehm · 16/02/2019 17:59

I know of several people I went to school with who have inherited £1m+ in the last couple of years from parents dying - they bought in the 70's & 80's in London (my parents moved out of London before prices rose as did I!) one of the aforementioned acquaintances was apparently on escape to the country.

missclimpson · 16/02/2019 17:59

What I want to know is why the couple (see also A Place in the Sun / Wanted Down Under etc) always have to hold hands as if they are in danger of losing each other.
And why do they always have vintage cars and want a fucking man cave.

3out · 16/02/2019 18:00

@EastMidsGPs I think you forgot the water feature? (‘Small’ duck pond with fountain to rival Chatsworth’s 😂)

QuantumWeatherButterfly · 16/02/2019 18:02

My parents were on ETTC! Can't say too much about the specifics as I don't want to out myself, but what I will say is that none of the houses they were shown was actually in their search area. They weren't being super specific or unrealistic either - they named a whole county and two of the three were in different ones, with the third being right on the border. This was the main reason they didn't buy (or even second view) any of the properties.

They did say it was a super-helpful experience though - it helped them to really work out what they did and didn't want and I'm pretty sure if they hadn't done it, they wouldn't have bought he house they eventually did.

53rdWay · 16/02/2019 18:03

I am always fascinated by the ones that want a workshop/studio or an outbuilding that can be converted into one, for a hobby that they vaguely like the idea of starting.

It’s like all the “lots of room to entertain” and “lovely village feel” and “play a real part in the life of our new community” stuff. They’re trying to buy a fantasy life.

Autumnchill · 16/02/2019 18:07

We play ETTC bingo!

Nook
Aga
Beams
Ménage
Entertaining
Workshop
Land
Belfast Sink

😁

BooksAreMyOnlyFriends · 16/02/2019 18:10

As well as hand holding, wife steering is also rife in ETTC. Thank goodness those women have helpful husbands to steer them from room to room lest they get themselves lost .

Slowknitter · 16/02/2019 18:10

How on earth do people manage that?

Some people are born with or inherit lots of money. There's nothing mysterious about it.

BettyBooJustDoinTheDoo · 16/02/2019 18:11

Glad you said that quantum I always notice so many properties are in a completely different county to where the couple actually want to live! I think the production team find it difficult to get houses on the programme so will just film any available within a 100 mile radius which vaguely fit the brief where the vendor agrees to filming! And yes missclimpson the holding hands whilst wandering around a property really irritates me but not as much as the male of the couple who always insists on pushing his wife from room to room with his hand in the small of her back, they all do it, drives me batty it just looks so controlling, as if the female is totally incapable of navigating her own way from the kitchen into the hallway.....

evaperonspoodle · 16/02/2019 18:12

I would love it if they spoke about how they were affording it, the same way they do on APITS. I stopped watching ETTC when wanting space for alpacas was all the rage, but it seems nothing has changed.

53rdWay · 16/02/2019 18:12

A small and mean part of me is convinced that all the handholding, arms round waists, wife steering etc is because one of them had an affair and the other one’s condition for staying married was that they ditched everything and bought his/her dream house in Dibley.

BooksAreMyOnlyFriends · 16/02/2019 18:12

The bloody beams. There's always some poor tall sod having to bend down awkwardly while saying 'what a lovely space!'

BrizzleMint · 16/02/2019 18:14

irritates me but not as much as the male of the couple who always insists on pushing his wife from room to room with his hand in the small of her back, they all do it, drives me batty it just looks so controlling, as if the female is totally incapable of navigating her own way from the kitchen into the hallway.....

I find it really irritating when I see this in real life, can a woman not navigate round the supermarket on her own or is it a possessive control thing in case hoards of men are going to snatch her from his evil clasp.

EssexGurl · 16/02/2019 18:17

I prefer LLL as they have a complete narrative arc - we know what the outcome is and usually see them move into a house. In ETTC it finishes without them even doing a second viewing and very rarely buying one of the houses. I find it very unsatisfactory. LLL gives closure, mostly.

BettyBooJustDoinTheDoo · 16/02/2019 18:21

I also agree with woolly I want to see average priced country cottages, you really don’t need these vast budgets to have a house in the country, and just because they are smaller does not mean they are any less interesting, in fact they can be more interesting!

Toooldtobearsed2 · 16/02/2019 18:25

@Autumnchill - yay, I win 😁

I live in't country. The track to my house is 1/2 mile long (roughly), then into a lane for 2 miles to get to a b road for 1/2 mile, then, yipes, an A road!
I have everything on your list apart from a menage.... no horses.

I love where I live. It suits me. It would NOT suit most people, no matter how much they wanted to escape to the country. It is isolation with a capital I. I must admit ti sniggering regularly on escape to the country.
We have land, but a teeny tiny garden. Our sheep and goats take care of the land. These people who want 3 acres for a vegetable garden are deluded. Do they not want a life???
We also have some luxury here (i am in the north east). Without that I would be wanting to escape to the town 😁

katseyes7 · 16/02/2019 18:26

There was one on recently (l don't know how long ago it was originally broadcast) - the couple were living in Stockport and she was commuting to Wakefield for work. Four hour round trip every day!
So they wanted to be in West Yorkshire for a shorter commute. They were shown an amazing house 500 yards from where she actually worked. She could walk to work. Apparently it was "too close".
l'm convinced half these people just want to be on tv or to boast about how much money they have. l'd love to know how many actually buy a property they've been shown on the programme.

AnnabelleLecter · 16/02/2019 18:26

I prefer love it or list it. The houses Phil finds are so much nicer than anything I've seen on ettc where they all seem to have the same blandness about them.

Seeline · 16/02/2019 18:35

I love the ones where they have to take their shoes off to look round and clearly haven't been warned. Odd socks and ones with holes all on show. No wonder they seem so overwhelmed by the tennis court sized kitchen which still manages to have no storage space or work surface 😁

LightAsTheBreeze · 16/02/2019 18:50

I like the programmes with Phil and Kirstie, the young couples on that always seem to have a huge budget also.

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