A Place in the Sun host admits 'it hasn't been easy' as buyer drops bombshell at the end of search

A Place in the Sun star Ben Hillman seemed to have his work cut out for him during the most recent episode of the show.

During the programme, viewers were introduced to Maria who was looking for her perfect holiday home in Portugal while being accompanied by her daughter Jess.

Maria, who is originally from Lisbon, has lived in the UK for almost 40 years but was looking for the ideal place for her family to visit whenever they pleased.

However, with £130,000, Ben had to try to find a place within Maria's budget with all of her requirements.

However, as the search concluded, Jess dropped a major bombshell on Ben that could have changed the entire search.

In the end, it came down to two properties, as Ben highlighted that Maria's only reservation about the first home was the building work that needed to be done.

He asked: "Would you be able to work with builders here?"

Jess replied: "We do have a family member who owns a construction company, so there are links."

Speechless by the revelation Jess had just told him, Ben added: "Hang on a minute. You're telling me you've got family in Portugal that are building contractors? What are you worrying about?!

"It feels like you've got to have a good word with the family to help you make your mind up."

Jess confessed they'll be having a big Zoom call before making their final decision.

Before meeting up with Maria and Jess to find out what they'd decided to do, Ben told Channel 4 viewers this search was his "trickiest house hunt yet".

Back with Ben, Jess revealed they'd spoken to their family in Portugal, and they were most interested in the first home that they saw, a four-bedroom Villa in Buarcos, close to the beach.

Jess added: "My godfather, who owns the construction company-"

Clearly not impressed they hadn't divulged that information, Ben interrupted, saying: "Which you told me right at the very end of the search!"

They told the Channel 4 star the person they knew needed to come and see the property for himself to see what work needed to be done and how much it'd cost.

Jess said: "We need to know how much we need to invest in that property because even at the price it is, we're worried that we might not have enough. We want to do the outbuilding."

He offered them some advice and told them not to wait as the market is competitive.

As the show came to a close, a voice-over of Ben said: "Maria, Maria, Maria, it hasn't been an easy search here in Portugal, but we did find the perfect property she can enjoy with all of those lucky grandchildren."

A Place in the Sun continues weekdays on Channel 4 from 4pm.