Janine, a guest on Channel 4's A Place In The Sun, became emotional after viewing a property that ticked all their boxes, but the couple then surprised host Ben Hillman by deciding not to make an offer.
The show, which returned to screens on Wednesday (November 11), saw Ben Hillman back as host. Janine and Paul, a recently-retired couple from near York, were searching for a French retreat in the Dordogne with a maximum budget of £170,000. They wanted a detached "quirky" house with at least three bedrooms, along with land and space for their motorhome.
Property search gets off to a slow start
The search did not start well, as Janine and Paul were unimpressed with the first three properties they viewed. However, the fourth property took an unexpected turn.
Ben showed them a terraced stone two-bedroom house with a mezzanine room in the attic and a good-sized garden. Sharing her first impressions, Janine said: "It's different!" Ben told them: "It's on the market for just under £149,500. This is the best property I've been able to find for your budget. There's a lot riding on this!"
Emotional moment over 'tear-jerker' house
Janine and Paul went inside to view the property, which Ben "had high hopes for". Janine noted how the living room was "impressive" and the house was "ticking their boxes". After viewing, it appeared the property had struck a chord with Janine.
She told Ben: "A little bit emotional!" as she pointed to her eyes while welling up. Ben replied: "Really?! Yay!" Janine then said she liked the property because it had "oodles of character" and had everything they had asked for. The couple confirmed the property was their first contender.
Bombshell decision at the end of the search
At the end of the house search, Ben checked in with Janine and Paul to see if they wanted to make an offer. Dropping a bombshell, Paul said: "We've looked at five properties and only liked one. I think we need to carry on our search."
A confused Ben asked: "So why are you ruling out the one property which was a contender, and a tear-jerker," referring to Janine getting emotional. Janine explained: "The garden at the back, where we would need to put the motorhome, we'd get it in, we'd have to flatten the garden. But then you've blocked the views from the kitchen and living room." She added: "We need to increase our budget so we can do that. At least we know what and where we are looking for."
A Place In The Sun airs Monday to Friday at 6pm on Channel 4.
