Trying to figure out my thoughts about this house

[Dancinggroot]

We viewed a house earlier, and have been thinking about it since. I cant quite figure out my thoughts on it and wondered if anyone might be able to help me think through it.

Its in the area we want and its within budget. The pictures were nice and floor plan decent.
When we got there first thing we both thought was that the street was narrow. It does have a driveway as did majority of houses on the road, however if there were cars parked on the road it could possibly make parking on the drive more awkward.

Living room a good size. They had slightly too much furniture in there for my taste which made it feel a bit cramped, but if it had less it would be a nice size.

Kitchen quite small, but has separate dining room and utility space so although it was small it was purely cupboards so enough space. Dining room good size. The back of garage is converted into a utility space with all white goods, accessible trug kitchen. Also had a small pantry area in the side of the kitchen.

Lovely large bright conservatory on the back. Really large garden, well maintained. Grass area, paved area, decking and storage shed.

Upstairs all 3 bedrooms good size with decent storage. Fitted wardrobes to master, would want to change the doors but otherwise perfectly fine. Even the "box room" was a decent size and could fit a single bed plus wardrobes.

Bathroom nice, plenty of storage space. Really nicely decorated.
Loft converted to be able to use as storage or another room.

All in all, pretty perfect on paper. So why do I feel so hesitant?
My husband loved it and asked if we should put in an offer. I feel like i don't want to but I really don't know why. Like I said, it's basically perfect.

Help!

[Jerble]

Is it in the perfect location? Is it exactly what you wanted on paper or are there compromises? Have you viewed a lot of properties, and have a good idea of what is out there? Is it within budget allowing for the work you would want to do?

Hopefully one of those questions might help you work out what is putting you off. If not, I’d suggest a second viewing.

[Rainallnight]

It’s a tricky one because I always think house buying is all about gut, but seeing your post made me realise I felt exactly the same about our house when we looked at it as you do now. (And my DP felt the same as yours!).

It was perfect on paper but my gut didn’t go ‘wow’.

However, I really like it now. I decided to go for it because it was the right sort of house in the right sort of area for the right sort of house and frankly, I was fed up looking and I didn’t think we’d actually get any better for our criteria. (And looking back, we were buying our first family home so I think what I was looking for deep down was something quirky that’s a bit easier to find in single flat-land!)

And there have been lots of benefits that weren’t part of our criteria but have turned out great - our neighbours are fantastic, for instance.

I don’t know if I’ve exactly answered your question but hopefully my experience is a bit helpful.

[Rainallnight]

Sorry, that’s supposed to say for the ‘right sort of price’ above.

Also, is there anything you could change to make it better? I made DP promise we could get a kitchen extension as soon as we could afford it?

[Dancinggroot]

Location is pretty perfect yeah.

Compromises are more in terms of budget. Our ideal property would be around 50-75k more than we can afford. This makes it hard as nothing is likely to be perfect, but we just can't afford perfect.

It's the first house we looked at this time. We looked at lots prior to buying our current property but it's a different area. We've looked at lots online but obviously it isn't the same.

I think it felt small. But thinking logically I think that's due to the amount of furniture in the room making it look cramped.
The kitchen is smaller than our current too which is off-putting, but it is purely cupboard storage and work surfaces due to being able to store all white goods elsewhere so probably don't need as big a kitchen.

[Dancinggroot]

It has a garage which could possibly be extended on top of to create an extra bedroom or some more upstairs space. That is a definite plus.

For our budget we are going to have to look at 1930s semis really. We are currently in a new build so it feels very different.
My ideal would be the bedroom sizes of one of these but the layout and downstairs space of a new build probably.

[custardbear]

Can we see a link?

[EmmaGrundyForPM]

OP I could have written your post 15 years ago when we bought our current house. The size and layout even sound similar. The kitchen was smaller than our then house, but there was a conservatory and dining room.

I really didnt feel the wow factor but was eventually persuaded by the fact that it was in a fabulous village and in a particularly good location- almost opposite the park, walking distance to village school and shop, really pretty lane etc.

Since we moved in we have had an extension built and now have a big kitchen/diner. The house really works for us and I don't regret. buying it at all.

[RahRahs]

I would absolutely trust your intuition. Something may seem great on paper but just doesn't "fit" you, you can't imagine living there, it just wouldn't work somehow around how you live and your routines. I've lived in some places that were great in theory but they never felt like home. I think when you walk into a house where you will have that feeling, you know straight away. You wouldn't be questioning it. I would wait and see what else comes up for sale.

[RahRahs]

Also if the highlight is the conservatory... they are fairly useless as living space! Boiling in summer and freezing in winter. Do you have money set aside to renovate; to rip down the conservatory and buildca nice big kitchen? If so then for location etc it may be worth it but if you are going to live in the house as it is and you don't feel excited at the prospect of living there, then personally I wouldn't do it.

[RahRahs]

A 1930s house will be WAY better than a new build. It won't be built from cardboard! 🤣 But you can find one where you can knock through the kitchen and dining room to make a large modern kitchen so that downstairs is much more open plan, most lend themselves to that?

[JoJoSM2]

It sounds like you possibly find the downstairs has too many separate rooms and doesn’t feel spacious?

The house has 3 good bedrooms upstairs meaning that it actually has a large footprint. With a bit of vision and money, you could improve the downstairs layout.

[Bluntness100]

It’s difficult to judge. Normally house buying is about gut. You love it or you don’t, but you may have got yourself into a bind where you’re wanting something you can’t afford, so nothing will be good enough.

And then whilst you search for the holy grail, house prices could increase and you can afford less and less. And before you know it, you’ll be posting threads on here asking if the market will crash.

So you need to ask yourself is there going to be anything in budget you love and are you willing to make the compromises required, or is it just about this house specifically you don’t love?

[icklekid]

My perfect house sold the week before my previous house had an offer accepted. My dh persuaded me to review one round the corner. I was not convinced. It just didn’t have the same feel, had a horrible conservatory etc. He could see the potential. 7 years later we are in the house I did not love. We have extended and done lots too it but it is now perfect. It actually had more potential to make ours than the first house. Definitely have a second viewing, also see if you can see other houses on the street on right move and see what they have done with layouts etc for inspiration of what it could become! (1930s semi here too by the way!)

[alreadytaken]

Go and see a couple of others quickly. You may just be feeling nervous about the disruption of moving.

[burritofan]

We were in the same position – everything that ticked all the boxes was out of budget. I wasn’t sold on our house, but I did love the area and proximity to an incredible park that DID give me the gut “yes!” feeling. It also was small-feeling and crammed with furniture, but honestly without the furniture, and with white paint and lightbulbs not from the Dark Ages, it feels twice the size.

I definitely don’t love it and it’s not our forever house, but I’m fond of it and it definitely works for us – for now. But then I always knew it was a for-now house and we would aim higher if we could in 10-15 years. And if we can’t, there’s potential to extend and convert.

[OfUselessBooks]

I felt like that about our current house, but having lived in it for 7years I now love it! More so now that we are down scaling and we're losing all of the space that we love. Imagine what it would be like to live in - would you have space for all of your furniture and stuff? Are there areas you could make nicer? It's hard having to compromise and see nice houses just out f budget.

[wishingitwasfriday]

You say that all the white goods are in the utility, does this include the fridge? It would drive me mad having to go to another room for things everything I was making a cup of tea/cooking dinner.
Look at the potential and how long you plan on staying there. If you can do work and make it perfect as a forever home then consider it by if it will take you 5 years to do and you only plan to be there that long then I'd maybe look for something else.

[MaggieFS]

Can you go and view a couple more? I'm normally incredibly analytical, I'd be looking at floor space, parking, making lists of pros and cons, but when it comes to houses, you also need to have the feeling.

I find when I'm nit picking small details, it's because on paper it's the one but it doesn't feel right and I'm trying to find excuses to say no.

When I ignore small details and don't even realise I've done so, it's because it is the one!

[GreenPlum]

Looking at the tick box list, you'll never be able to tick all of them, but to. Enable to tick all those most important is a pretty good outcome.

It's normal to be hesitant. It's a huge deal to leave your home for the unknown.

Think about how you would feel if someone else put in an offer today. Does that tell you something?

Good luck!

[MrsPerks]

It's funny, I'm normally fairly intuitive about decision-making, but I have an analytical streak that kicks in on house purchases. The last two didn't 'wow' me, but had all of the things I thought were important, a long with a gazillion superficial niggles. Both proved to be very good homes, with not much work. For me, if this didn't have any limitations that would be hard to put right, it would be a contender. Is there much coming onto the market? Do they go quickly?

[Seracursoren]

Any second viewing I have done has included really tiny detail crap like where do they keep their outside bins, inside bins, ironing board, coats/a million shoes etc?

What can I see when I look out the kitchen window, what about when I sit on a sofa in the lounge? All the practical stuff, the day to day.

Can you draw a floor plan of the lounge with your current furniture in to see if it is more spacious?

Conservatories are for the most part useless. Overly hot in summer, ridiculously cold in winter, and that was with a radiator in there.

I agree a narrow street can make drive parking more difficult if people park on the road.

Can you look at some other houses to see if you like this house better?

I have always bought on gut feeling, it has to work on paper before I view it, but it is disheartening when you can't quite put your finger on why you don't like something.

[Dancinggroot]

I've got some more viewings but not until the weekend due to working late. They are in the same area though so handy for comparison. One 10k cheaper, the other 10k more.

To answer a few of the questions.
I dont think I would care if I looked again and it was off the market. It wouldn't feel like i had missed out at all. My only concern as such is that the box room is quite big and I might struggle to get another that size within budget. That probably gives me the answer though doesnt it.

It just didn't feel like it could be my home. I definitely feel like it should've been perfect but I just didn't like it. And now I'm trying to find excuses to explain why and give me a "legitimate" reason to say no.

We would have the money to renovate, but for a job the size that would be needed it would probably not be for a few years. Ideally it's meant to be our forever home unless we can get something better in 10 years or so.

I sort of felt like we would be spending more money to get less than we currently have in terms of space.

It wouldnt feel fair putting the link on as its their house.
In case anyone wants to have a look online, we are looking at the Radcliffe/ Whitefield area near Bury. Wanting a 3 bed somewhere between 180k and 210k absolute maximum.

[Dancinggroot]

Meant to say 170k-210k. Preferably at the 170-190 end but able to go up to 210 if needs be.

[Darkestseasonofall]

Sounds to me like you really want to skip a rung on the ladder, but the reality is that you can't due to budget constraints. So you're hankering after the 4 bed & playroom house, but your reality is a spacious 3 bed semi.
If so I'd go for the house if it's solid and has good resale potential.

[Bluntness100]

Op why are you moving?

It seems you want the house you have now in the area you wish to move to, but can’t afford it. So to move area you’re needing to downgrade.

You will need to either accept the downgrade or not move I think?