A lighthearted one about escape to the country

[Souredstones]

Aibu to be ragey at the middle aged couples with no children buying up family homes in rural locations?

For some unknown reason this makes me really cross with this programme!

[BIWI]

Why talk about it being lighthearted, when you also then go on to talk about being ragey?

And why shouldn't people buy the homes that they want?

Just because they're middle aged, doesn't mean they can't buy a property they like.

They may - shock horror - have family or friends that they want to entertain.

[Gruntfuttock]

When did rooms start being called "spaces". I'm sick of everyone saying "Oh this is a good space" when they're looking round houses.

[expatinscotland]

It's a stooges, anyhow. None of them ever buys a house.

[exoticfruits]

I think some if them have no intention of buying a house- they just want a free weekend in the country.

[Mumsyblouse]

Better than Phil and Kirsty who always have a couple looking to move to X, they only have 320k and are being 'very unrealistic' by wanting to have a small garden (cue sniggers by Kirsty and PHil).

[exoticfruits]

It is better than Down Under' when they are supposed to be moving to Australia and you find that one of them has a child who would be left behind if they went, and you know they will never do it.

[HeyIJustMetYou]

320k AND they want a garden? They must be dreaming. You can have a paving stone and the lovely warm feeling of paying for the boomers cruise.

[alemci]

I always laugh when they say I want a large kitchen and sometimes they are shown a really lovely kitchen and they say 'not enough storage' etc or worktop. not large enough. twice the size of mine.

they probably buy ready meals every night at M&S.

[Ruffello]

I agree NotYoMomma. There was an episode a while back where one of the main priorities for the recently retired couple was a good sized garden/land to grow veg. They ended up going for the mystery house that had practically no garden and was nothing like what they'd asked for. They seemed to love it, but I couldn't help feeling it wasn't right for them.

[nancerama]

It's horribly boasty. I love watching it for the houses, but I can't bear the "we have £850k to spend on a property".

And they all want chickens/alpacas/horses despite the fact they have always lived in big cities and never set foot in the country before.

[ShellyBoobs]

I only have to walk outside my house to see 4 old men living on their own each in 4 bed detached houses. I don't begrudge them it - they've paid for it and are of course fully within their rights to live there, but I wish they'd get a clue as to how ridiculous it looks when there are 30/40 year old's shoehorning 3 kids into 1 room.

WTAF?

Do you think they should pack a case and walk out of their home, only stopping to throw the keys to some entitled fucker who thinks they deserve that house more because it 'looks ridiculous'?

The mind boggles.

[greenfolder]

well, i throoughly enjoy it, have a bit of a giggle at the "not big enough" brigade and generally enjoy looking at some nice houses. in a few years, we will both be 50, will have paid off our mortgage on our current house and maybe in a position to buy something bigger with a bigger garden. do i wish i could have done that when my eldest was 5? rather than finishing uni? of course- but life aint like that.

[greenfolder]

oh, and if it makes you ragey- just switch over!

[HeyIJustMetYou]

WTAF?

Do you think they should pack a case and walk out of their home, only stopping to throw the keys to some entitled fucker who thinks they deserve that house more because it 'looks ridiculous'?

The mind boggles.

Yep I do. The 'entitled fucker' with 3 kids would probably make a damn site better use of the space than some 60 year old bloke on his own. HTH!

[pippop1]

I always think what happens in a few years time when there is only one of them or the one that drives can't drive anymore. They are in the middle of nowhere with no services (Dr, pharmacist, shops to buy food and so on). Have they thought it though.

I would have thought that moving into the city in later life might make daily life easier and allow older people to be independent for longer. Maybe these couples all have willing children ready to take them to hospital appointments and so on. Certainly public transport is not readily available in many of these areas.

[HeyIJustMetYou]

A slightly less facetious way of saying what I said would be that under occupancy of owner occupied properties should be taxed heavily in order to encourage downsizing as appropriate. if you can afford the tax, great. This might go some way to addressing the clusterfuck our housing market is in.

I would also punitively tax borrow to let too.

[DoraExplorer1993]

I always think what happens in a few years time when there is only one of them or the one that drives can't drive anymore. They are in the middle of nowhere with no services (Dr, pharmacist, shops to buy food and so on). Have they thought it though.

They moan to the government about how hard done by pensioners are, demand higher winter fuel allowances and more government money for supporting pensioners who couldn't be bothered to do any planning for their own wellbeing a couple of decades earlier

[MummytoMog]

Oooh, my in laws house got filmed for Escape to the Country a little while ago - must check it out in case it was them! They are downsizing, but we think their house is totally unsuitable for a family even though it has four bedrooms. We're always saying they need a middle aged couple with a couple of kids at university who aren't home much. Sadly, in the two years it's been on the market, they haven't had much interest.

[expatinscotland]

Why would you want some big fuck off house with no gas central heat and tons of steps and land to look after far away from vital services when you're old?

People seem to think they will live forever in excellent health.

[expatinscotland]

They probably want too much for it. That's the other thing, all these geezers in their out-dated house thinking it's still 2005.

[Lurleene]

My MILs house was on the show when the people who bought it off her put it on the market. She was beyond livid as the presenter kept pointing out lovely things such as garden features that she had done herself, giving the current owners all the credit.

[Meglet]

XP's parents moved to cornwall when his dad retired. Miles away from anywhere, a 15 min walk from a corner shop. Heaven knows how they will cope when they become ill or one of them passes away. Bonkers.

[MummytoMog]

I think they've pitched it about right - but it's a bit of a niche market. Stables for a start, but not really a family home. Beautifully decorated though, not at all outdated.

[BalloonSlayer]

I used to love watching it and drooling at the fantastic spacious houses, then I observed the mysterious phenomenon of a perfectly normal kitchen cupboard door appearing to be about three feet long.

'Twas then I realised there is a teensy weensy bit of camera trickery involved. And the houses probably aren't all that fantastically spacious.

Another illusion shattered.

[DoraExplorer1993]

House not selling = overpriced. Anything will sell when it's at the right price. Unfortunately the house price inflation obsessed public and media are in a tizz again about "help to buy" and sellers are getting even more carried away asking for unrealistic money for their houses (even if they bought them for £2.50 in 1993).