AIBU to find choosing a house so fcking difficult?

[FeelingIrregular]

Posting here for traffic really as I cannot make a decision at all.

Have an offer on our house 3 weeks ago, just waiting for survey blah blah.

We're going to move in with my dad to break the chain.

We've seen 2 houses we love and can't choose.

1. Is a 1930s large 3 bed semi with garage. Has a downstairs loo. Massive 2 bedrooms and box room which is small (7x7). We fell in love as soon as we walked in. The downstairs is stunning. Only problem is it is £10k more expensive than house 2. Also we noticed this weekend on our second viewing that the bathroom has a sloping floor. There are some tiny cracks in the walls but not massive ones to make me concerned about subsidence and certainly not any on the external walls. Has new windows, new conservatory. Boiler is new. Doesn't need rewiring or replastering. We think we may be able to negotiate the price down.
   

1. A new build off plan. 4 bed detached with integral garage. Smaller rooms, just one Lounge. However has ensuite. Getting garage and back garden turfing thrown in for free. Leasehold. Slightly nearer a rougher part of the area than house 1. We have put a £500 reservation fee on it already before we saw house 1. They want exchange of contracts in 1 month with a 5% deposit. My only worry on this is what if our house sale falls through then will I lose that 5% as it's a massive drop.
   

We were all prepared to put an offer in on house 1 until I noticed the slight slope on the bathroom floor.

Help!!!!

[Grilledaubergines]

Go for the older house. Every time. Why put up with small rooms that you'll outgrow when you could have much more space to grow into. 10k is nothing in the long term and makes for a much sounder investment.

Bathroom floors can be levelled.

[Riderontheswarm]

If you are in love with a house to that could be the one for you. We feel in love with ours and I still think about how great it is o on a daily basis even though we have lived here for nearly 2 years. I think when you love a house its flaws don't matter much.
A sloping floor would worry me though. It may be nothing to worry about. I would investigate that before making a decision.

[Notjustuser1458393875]

Have a look online about issues with leasehold new builds. I wouldn't touch one with a bargepole.

[madcapcat]

Another vote for the old house everytime

[Riderontheswarm]

My predictive text has made a mess out of my post.

[AndromedaPerseus]

Check for the sq footage of both and I'd go for the bigger one

[Wishiwasmoiradingle2017]

Old house!!
New houses are soulless. .

[Lindy2]

Property 2 is leasehold? There have been some very concerning reports on new build leaseholds being sold on to 3rd parties and costing owners a lot. I'd want to know more about that when making a decision.

[altiara]

I love 1930's houses (like my old house). Am currently in a new house. Check how noisy the house is, eg get someone to go into a different room and see if you can hear them talking/flushing loo etc.

[FlappyRose]

I wouldn't buy a leasehold house. I'm sure I'm not the only one so, if you're planning on moving on again in the future, it may limit your market.

[KC225]

You fell in love with house 1. A survey will pinpoint any problems and if not too scary perhaps you can factor costs into renegotiation

[CMamaof4]

I would go with the house u fell in love with, the older property

[OliviaBenson]

House 1. Leasehold would put me off.

[ExplodedCloud]

House 1.
Even if it does need work or renegotiation or you don't get It, there will be another one. The leasehold new build isn't built, is leasehold and you obviously like house 1 more. If you didn't get house 1 there may still a chance to buy house 2 or similar. If you are comfy with the leaseholder thing.

[itsacatastrophe]

Definitely house 1.
The leasehold bit makes me want to run in the opposite direction of house 2. Just don't do it.

[puglife15]

No1 but use bathroom floor to negotiate hard on price and invest in a good survey.

[savagehk]

House 1!

[IvyLeagueUnderTheSea]

£10k over the length of the mortgage is nothing.

However the slope on the floor would worry me a lot.
Tiny cracks not so much so.

[Youdosomething]

www.theguardian.com/money/2016/oct/29/new-builds-house-buyers-leasehold-property-trap

I too would avoid leasehold. Please 'Google' and read the information.

[StarCrossdSkys]

House 1! It's a safer bet financially. That house has been there for nigh on 100 years and it's value is well established. Resale for new builds is more unpredictable. I speak from experience. It can all look lovely on the plan but you don't know who is moving in and how properties will be maintained. Bits of my old estate were never finished in the way they were supposed to be and the developer wriggled out of improvements they were supposed to make to a major piece of infrastructure.

[MoreThanUs]

House 1 of course!!

[londonrach]

No brainer..house 1. Wouldnt touch a leasehold unless i had to... (flat in london). If you cant choose between them dare i say neither is right!

[bunnylove99]

Get a full survey done one house 1 and then see how you feel about it. Also consider the location of each. Do you have children? Is one site better for them to play out?. Are the local schools good. I've lived in both v old and brand new houses. Lovely and spacious as old houses are they can be a nightmare to heat and maintain.

[Nomorechickens]

Newbuilds are often built to a very poor standard with lots of snags. They are not built to last and work is subcontracted to the lowest bidder, corners cut, work not properly inspected. See recent articles in the Guardian and elsewhere. Plus flimsy internal walls, tiny gardens. I wouldn't buy one. 1930s is a better bet but commission a full structural survey, speak to the surveyor beforehand and ask them to address the issues you are worried about.

[toconclude]

OLD house. Still in love with mine (Victorian cottage with not a right angle in the place) and we moved in 21 years ago next week!