Escape to the Country guest’s emotional dilemma as host says ‘what have I done’

Escape to the Country presenter Sonali Shah’s mystery house pick left a buyer facing a difficult decision

Escape to the Country’s latest buyer confessed he was “flummoxed” as he faced a difficult decision.

The series sees property experts helping people to find new homes, often miles from where they live. The presenters show potential buyers a series of houses plus a mystery pick.

And it was the mystery property that proved to be a problem for Andrew, when he fell in love with it after he had already come close to committing to a more affordable cottage, reports Leeds Live.

Andrew had decided to relocate from his city residence in the Netherlands to the countryside of the Peak District, where he’d spent childhood years and where his grandmother had lived.

The BBC show’s presenter Sonali Shah found him a cottage from 1850 that ticked all his boxes, but complications arose when she unveiled a mystery property that actually consisted of two distinct dwellings, each with its own bedroom, kitchen and outdoor area. The catch was its £400,000 price tag, exceeding his £375,000 budget.

Andrew was impressed with the position of Sonali’s mystery pick, saying the view was “definitely the best so far”. He went on: “It’s the kind of view of fields that I was asking for. That’s what I really like.”

He also liked the way the property had been finished, noting: “It has all the charm of an old cottage, and it’s completely renovated.”

His sister Sue said she thought they were going to have “a problem” and Andrew admitted that was the case.

“What have I done? What have I done?” exclaimed Sonali as she perched on the stairs listening to them.

She continued: “They really liked a house. They were probably going to make a move on that, and then I come in with this mystery house that is amazing. Oh, dear.”

Later, Andrew conceded that seeing the mystery house had made his decision “more difficult”.

And after deliberating with Sue, he remained uncertain about which property to pursue.

“I really like, obviously, house number one, but I really like the mystery house too so I’m flummoxed now,” he explained. “I have to do a lot of soul searching.”

Sue said: “I think this mystery house has definitely delivered something different for Andrew, something he certainly wasn’t expecting, and now he’s a bit flabbergasted, I think. I think that as Andrew’s sister I’ve now been put in a very, very difficult position, because I don’t really know what to advise him to do.”

Nevertheless, Andrew ultimately went back to the first cottage and submitted an offer, which was accepted.

Escape to the Country airs on BBC One.