Baffled by property decision

[Arobase]

Escape to the Country has become my lockdown vice/escape route. This fairly recent programme frustrates me, mostly because I just can't understand the prospective buyer's decisions - www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000r0hb/escape-to-the-country-series-21-14-pembrokeshire

Summary: Prospective buyer (PB) wants to move to Pembrokeshire from Walton on Thames, budget £7-900K, priorities include a lot of land, remoteness, views. Also wants land to be self-sufficient, and outbuildings with development potential. Absolutely loves house no. 2 (so do I!) which is a 5 bedroom house in the National Park with gorgeous views, and 5 acres of land including woodland and a stream; also has a separate annexe she could make an income from, or use for things like therapies that she wants to look into. Guesses price for some reason at £480K, when told it is just under £800K dismisses it out of hand as too expensive. Suggests that she underestimated the price because she thought it was small!

PB is then shown house on a cliff. It's a fairly modern build, middle of nowhere, 62 acres which is predominantly clifftop views over the sea which are lovely. No prospect of the land being self-sufficient, no outbuildings. She doesn't like the house outside or inside, but decides to snap it up at £900K purely because of the views.

I mean, whut? I get it with the views, but paying £400K extra for them only to live in a house you don't even particularly like? And no money left over to improve it or start up your therapy or whatever business?

Ultimately she didn't get the clifftop property and is apparently still looking. Doesn't seem to contemplate going back to the other house.

I'm not criticising her, she's an experienced property developer who clearly knows what she's doing, but I just feel frustrated that she wasn't asked about and didn't explain her completely unrealistic valuation of house no. 2 and why she wouldn't even consider an offer on it - yet would pay so much more for something she didn't even like.

In an ideal world she'd be on MN and come and tell me; but, failing that, any ideas?

I don’t think I do but recognise the presenter.
That was a time of ultimate career stress for me and I don’t think I watched much tv for a good few years (and still prior to ability to catch up / stream etc. Think still had vhs there not yet my new super new fangled recordable dvd huge box thing. So a lot was simply not watch and missed.

I quite like Alastair Appleton, but recently it's been getting up my nose the way he says "Aaaaaaaah" with a falling inflection every time someone expresses any degree of enthusiasm for a property. And they all absolutely love it if someone can produce a tear.

I’ve always found AA intriguing. His ‘energy’/communication is very unusual for a presenter. I think he was at his best with Anne Maurice (if that is her name). Seems very ‘flat’/withdrawn sometimes but that’s rather welcome compared to overexcitable types.

AA is a practising Buddhist iirc and I think that may be why he comes across quite differently from other presenters.

wow I didn’t know that ! That is interesting and may well be behind some stuff. I’m not a Buddhist so maybe this is way off but I’d think it’s an unusual combo - Buddhism and a property programme. Fascinating.