Alistair Appleton is in Oxfordshire. With £600,000 to play with, he is helping a nautical couple looking for a property close to the river so they can moor their boat. The ideal house will also have to provide bags of character, a minimum of three bedrooms for friends and family, and must have a large kitchen diner.

Jules Hudson is in Powys with a couple from Basingstoke. They love their big Victorian semi but hate suburban life. Leaving their home behind is not a decision they are undertaking lightly - they have been searching for three years and have already viewed 20 properties, none of which they liked. Will Jules find them the four-bedroom detached house they dream of, with all the period features, the three reception rooms, a good sized garden and within walking distance from the shops, all for their budget of £400,000?