Mumsnet Talk

We viewed 2 houses on Saturday and we still can't decide where to go from here. Both are 2beds with big bedrooms. Ex council(175k) is on a cul de sac and has a bigger lounge diner with garden facing onto countryside. All neighbours are privately owned too. The other is also a 2 bed bungalow (£215k) on a cul de sac. It's considered more desirable bse there are no LA houses to be seen. Garden is terraced which puts DH off. It also has a garage and off road parking. I'm in the mind that ex council can't be that bad, cheaper mortgage, we can extend to loft and to garden but then we might also exceed the ceiling price for the road if we spend too much. The bungalow will probably go for close to asking price leaving us with a higher mortgage debt with not much left over to create extra space(neighbours have extended into loft). We would like to stay for at least 10yrs so the decision we make now is rather a nervous process for us. Am I over thinking this? 1st time buyer nerves

The main thing to check is that the ex-LA house is of standard construction and is suitable for a mortgage.
Are the neighbors owner occupiers or are they privately rented?

The neighbour on the right is an old lady been there 20yrs privately owned. The other ones I'm not sure but land registry shows they bought 6yrs ago, however, they could be renting it out. I will need to check that. My fear would be be nightmare neighbours!

Have you got links? If it was me I would probably go for the ex council as they are usually solidly built and well maintained assuming its not been privately owned for umpteen years. You would need to keep a check on the ceiling price but if it's a long term place I can't see that it would matter too much. Does the ex council place have parking? Assuming you have children, how old are they and would the terraced garden in the other house be a problem for them?

oh and you can have nightmare neighbours wherever you are.....

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-23472252.html/nomsite

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-37438228.html/nomsite

We don't have children yet but plan to in the next few years. Parking might not be a big problem i grew in Lonfon so on street parking was the norm but DH like the idea of having off street.

London

Still the ex council for me I think, apart from the fact it is 20sqm bigger than the bungalow, I would be put off by potential flooding in the bungalow. What is the room off the kitchen in the ex/c? Is it a utility? The details for either of them aren't that comprehensive! Is it easy to park?

Oh, why are they selling after 30 years, have they said?

I prefer the bungalow but the ex council house looks like better value

I prefer the look of the bungalow and looking at next door you could extend up in the future. Many ex LA houses have construction issues which can make it difficult to get a mortgage or resell in the future.

Just looked at the street view so obviously you can't have off street parking but shouldn't have any problem I wouldn't think., Nice road

I will ask why move after 30yrs.
I have not considered the flooding issue, thanks. I still don't know how difficult it would be with parking. Most of the neighbours seem to have off street but this one is rather awkward with that telegraph pole in the way.

The bungalow is far, far better IMO.

What is the difference in the monthly mortgage amount between the two?

For me, the bungalow.

The pole isn't in front of yours though is it? I would think the issue would be with the large grassed area in front.

Hi Flatbread

£1208 for bungalow and £990 for the other one.

If you were renting, would you be wiling to pay the £200 difference for the bungalow?

If you had to move in 2-4 years from now (without doing anything to it) would it be easy to sell the bungalow without a loss?

If the answer us yes to both, the decision is easy

On Right move click on the house prices tab and you can see what the prices are so you can ascertain potential ceiling prices.

OMG how long is Hunt Road, it has 5 postcodes! I could not get a clear idea of where the property is on Street View. Previous sales £165-205k

Pen Way previous sales £225-237k

If you are planning on stopping 10 years and plan children soon I would look at primary catchment areas for both properties.

The catchment issue is also why I'm drawn to Hunt rd. its very near woodland school but i font know if bungalow falls into the catchment. i will look into this. I have looked at the sold prices on rightmove and still can't decide whether I will lose money or break even. The bungalow has been on the market for 6 months and price lowered from £250k so I assume it is priced ok for now. The Hunt rd one has just come on the market. There is another one on hunt rd on at £190k with a drive but I don't feel the love.

Hunt rd is very long . the house is near the far end of the rd. 3rd one from far end with a porch.