What would you rather - house purchase?

[LighteningRidge]

Buy the house that has (mostly) everything you need in the house. It isn't perfect but with some tweaking and maybe a small extension in a few years it could be close. However, it is a road over from a less desirable area of the town.

Or

Buy a house which requires work which will take years and expense. Perhaps comprise on a bedroom and other factors you would rather have than not, but is in a better area.

It is fairly difficult to say which one would increase in value more because house prices are crazy anyway, but I suspect the nicer area would net you more, but you have to compromise more day to day and spend more on the property.

You want to stay long term too. So what do you do?

[lilyboleyn]

Option 2. You can change the house but not the area.

[hettysdrawers]

As someone who accidentally bought in what turned out to be quite an unpleasant area, I would take location every time over house. You can't change a neighbourhood or it's residents.

[Velveteenfruitbowl]

I’d buy the house in the nicer part of town.

[DryHeaving]

Option 2, but I love working on houses
What's the parking like ?

[BreadSauceHmm]

The second one

[VictoriaBun]

Location, location, location.

[TrophyCat]

You think about what is most important for your family - write a list of priorities including parking, garden space, distance to shops/town/schools/work/transport links, number of rooms (will your DC be happy to share as teenagers or not?), mortgage costs and affordability, whatever your specific family criteria are...

My brain automatically says go for the area, but actually when we bought our house we went for a slightly less 'naice' area to get a bigger house, with an easier commute for dh, and plenty of parking (our historical town centre houses have zero parking and we needed space for 2 cars and visitors to park).

Then also bear in mind that house prices fluctuate and banking on an increase in value could backfire.

[Dowser]

Neither.
Neither aren’t right for you.
Wait for the one that is, in the area you like at the price you can afford.

[HebeMumsnet]

I'd also go option 2, OP (assuming there's a significant difference in the two areas). There are loads of cheap things you could do to improve a house until you have the money to do exactly what you want, but as others have said, there's nothing you can do to change the area.

[BrokenLogs]

That's MNHQ wading in on the dilemma 😂

Neither OP, I'd wait for a better house in the location you want. A house that's too small is shit.

[spacepyramid]

Location is key.

[CoffeeandaBagel]

I strongly suspect everyone will say the same. Location EVERY TIME.

I have this dilemma all the time and I always get temporarily tempted by the giant, shiny, new kitchen, bigger living room, extra bedroom etc, but every time I come back down to earth and will discount if I don't get a good feel for the area. This actually happened to me yesterday. Gorgeous house, but I didn't like the road, so it's a no.

OP, option 2 sounds better, but it might make more sense to hold off.

[Faith50]

Are both houses roughly the same size?
Does house 1 area look noticeably rough?

[Faith50]

It is funny when you just do not like a road. Sometimes we must go with our feeling.

Dh and I deliberated over two houses some years back. One was in a no through road so peaceful, very neat pavements and the other was chaotic looking and the houses failed to compliment one another.

[LighteningRidge]

Ooo never had MNHQ comment before

The road itself is ok. I know people who live there trouble free and the police reports are no worse than where we currently live. The house has everything we need. We have a baby on the way and DP has two children already. House has a massive drive to accommodate all our vehicles (commercial and non) and a garage for DPs business needs. It has a good size garden which isn't overlooked. It really will be the better house but it is on the edge of a council estate which used to be bad but isn't so much now.

A nicer area would mean harder up financially which isn't good. Smaller garden. No drive. More overlooked. Garage in a block and £££ on making it better which scares me when I'm on maternity leave/pay.

Would this now change anyone's mind?

[Myneighboursnorlax]

I had this decision to make 6 years ago. Bought the house in the “rough area” and don’t regret it. Never had a single problem. Even if you bought the house in the nice area, you still might end up with nightmare neighbours, music playing all night, etc.

[DryHeaving]

No drive would really bother me
It's such a luxury to come home knowing I just have to pull in. If I ever move it's top of the list

[Orangesanddachshunds]

I would go for the cheaper house.

It will be easier to sell in the future as you're getting alot more for your money, which will also appeal to other people. Alot of people will compromise an amazing area for an okay area if it means getting alot more for their money.

Houses around here, ex councils or ones in a slightly less desirable area of town, where you get a lot more for your money are 'snapped up'. Where as the ones in the 'nicer' areas but have a lot less to offer stay on for weeks/months.

[Zaphodsotherhead]

Is there any chance of the 'rougher' area being 'up and coming?' Like with schools, it doesn't take much for a very good to become very bad and vice versa. If you live in an area where property is generally expensive, then the rougher area may suddenly take off if lots of people opt for the cheaper housing option - and you may find your 'rough' area has become gentrified and sought after!

[notso]

I don't think location is always everything.
16 years ago we bought a doer upper house in a nice part of town.
All the nice families children grew up and moved out and their parents downsized, their houses were bought by landlords and housing associations who converted them into HMO's and the nice part of town became the rough part of town.
We endured a miserable few years before we could move too and we had to take a hit on the house price although we were fortunate enough to have had a lot of equity in the house to start with.

[AndAnotherNameChanger]

Option 1 - before and after your update, on the condition that it's in the catchment for decent schools.

A road over from a rough area isn't necessarily a problem, and your update indicates that it isn't in this case. It would affect me personally much more negatively to have to live for a long time in a house that needed a lot of work and even more so one that doesn't have enough space.

[Lovemenorca]

2 without hesitation

[Ariela]

Option 1 has everything you need, and if on maternity it'll be a while before you can afford to adapt option 2 to being your perfect home. I'd also question the wisdom of parking commercial vehicles in an area of garages, all too often these are a target in nice areas as they're not overlooked like a driveway is.

[sparklefarts]

1

[misspiggy19]

Option 2 without a doubt. Who wants a nice house in a dodgy area?