Which property would you buy?

[EmiliaAirheart]

Which flat would you pick if you were a first time buyer, with one baby and looking to have a second in the next couple of years?

Some relevant factors:

• small city (400k population) with one main city centre and a few smaller neighbourhood shopping districts.
• we both work in the city centre.
• one baby at the moment (I'm on mat leave) and hopefully a second in a couple of years.
• we have one car and commute by bike, and aiming to keep it that way.
• all the schools are good and are at least a mile away, the difference is just how we would get there.

Option 1 is a 1075 sq ft two story flat (but feels more like a terraced house, just not on street level). It has 2 large beds, 2 baths, 2 car spaces (tandem), a balcony and a courtyard. The building has a lift but no amenities. It's directly above a decent sized supermarket and bus interchange, so a bit noisy. There are shops, library, swimming pool etc within a ten minute walk and transport options to the city are great, though it is around 8 miles to the city centre. There have been some structural issues with the building that seem to be resolved, but the quarterly charges are a high for the next year or two.

Option 2 is an 880 sq ft 2 bed, 1 bath flat with 1 car space and 2 balconies, and good light. The building has a gym, bbq area and lift. It's 1.5 miles from the city centre, so walkable and public transport is good. The quarterly charges are ok, but there has also been some work done to fix issues with the balconies and rendering.

Option 3 is a 1130 sq ft top floor 3 bed, 2 bath, 2 car space apartment. It has great light, a spacious living area, and a sunny balcony. It's 4.5 miles from the city centre, and in quiet complex with big green areas in the complex and near a park/hillside walking track. It's about 20 minutes walk to local shops, and public transport is quite limited. The building has no lift or amenities, so quarterly charges are a bit lower.

Price-wise, option 1 is £215k, option 2 is £226k and option 3 is £242k.With quarterly charges being the opposite way around, the monthly carrying cost would be pretty similar overall (within £130 or so).

Probably option 1 or 2. I wouldn’t like a top floor apartment with balcony with young children.

Personally I would move further away from the city centre and buy a house rather than a flat. Would there be houses within your price range if you were further out op? That way you won't have to move again in the future when you have another child and your children need more space than a flat allows.

Not 2. With 4 people, inc. 2 young kids you want two bathrooms.

Option 3 - -no lift and baby and toddler, I think you'd be mad!

None. The balcony idea with a baby or young child would freak me out and whilst a flat maybe ok with babies/toddlers you will find it very restrictive as they grow and will probably need to move again

I would look for a ground floor flat with access to a garden or move further out and get a house.

Honestly, it depends so much on your lifestyle. I have friends with kids who live in the city centre and love it. But they are very outgoing people and quite bohemian and like the buzz of the urban and the ability to see friends/not be a parent for a bit. I have other friends who live in the suburbs miles from any shops and love the quiet and the immersion in family life. I think both would be really unhappy to swap.

The balcony idea with a baby or young child would freak me out and whilst a flat

You just need to take safety measures like you would if you have a flight of stairs.
No going out on the balcony alone, no plant pots or other objects near the edge of the balcony and nothing that they can push or move to the balcony railings. Plenty of people live with young children in flats with balconies.

Thanks. Re the balconies, they’re all on the third floor so it makes little difference there. We both grew up with them at home and just will use locks on all windows and keep the balcony doors locked, supervise closely and put anti-grip plastic on the railings etc.

Unfortunately a house is a no-go for us. All we could afford would be up to 20 miles out of the city centre, with crap public transport so we’d never ride and need two cars. Plus not as good schools and dated interiors.

Have you thought about asking Mumsnet to find you a place? There are some seriously good property searchers on this site who seem to be able to squirrel out bargains!

Option 3, do you have good storage for bikes, trailers etc?
Does limited public transport mean a walk to the bus or once an hour or three times a day?
If you're mobile, then this isn't such an issue. What are bike paths like (thinking of when you've got the DC on bikes)?

SpinningDizzy I have dc who don’t see danger and forget what you have told them 1000 times before. (ADHD ADD).
A balcony would be a hazard.

I find property as part of my business.

When everyone was saying you couldn’t get a flat in London for under £200,000 I picked up a garden flat in a very nice, very very sort after area for £125000.

@SpinningDizzy, all of them have a storage cage in the underground car park. Limited buses for this city means half hourly on peak and hourly off peak/weekends. Good buses means every 6-10 minutes in peak and 15 minutes off peak/weekends.

I'm not in the UK so can't take advantage of everyone's prowess with rightmove.

SpinningDizzy I have dc who don’t see danger and forget what you have told them 1000 times before. (ADHD ADD).
Me too.

I agree looking for a house would be best option but if not:

Not 3 as no lift with 2 young kids is a nightmare.

Why is option 1 cheaper than 2? I'd intuitively go for 1 as larger and near facilities and has courtyard for bike storage. However, maybe the lower price indicates it's noisy and harder to sell?

Are option 1 or 2 near a park at all?

Option 1 is cheaper than 2 because it’s so much further out from the city centre, noisier and previous/ongoing the repair issues.

Both 1 and 2 would have some kind of park around 10 mins walk away, but less green space overall because they’re in more built up areas.

I love coming back to see an OP's updates, and thought I might add my own! Maybe someday it will come up in a search for someone facing a similar dilemma.

We bought option 3 in the end, and it's served us well. We now have a preschooler and a baby, and I hope this place will do us for a few more years (until our childcare bill decreases!).

We picked the best of the bunch by far! Options 1 and 2 have been plagued by expensive building defects, and their quarterly charges have skyrocketed whilst the value has barely gone up (maybe 5-10%). Ours has gone up by about 50% (which is insane).

The stairs haven't been a problem overall, because we can keep some things downstairs (pram in the car etc). I carry the baby in a carrier and the preschooler is walking well on his own. We barely hear the neighbours, and we have a lovely green outlook. The extra space inside and access to communal facilities have been a godsend during lockdowns.

I do still get garden/house envy when I visit friends. We have a close group of friends who we see weekly or fortnightly, and it would be great to have more space to host them comfortably. That said, we squish in and make it work.

I would also love a garden, especially in the summer, to have a trampoline, inflatable pool, veggie patch etc. If anyone is reading this in the future, consider stretching yourself just that little bit more for the house... I wish we did. The market has also gone bonkers here so the next step is going to be a big leap, and I'm not sure if going further out and upping the mortgage by at least 50% would be worth it. I expect I'll be back for advice in a couple of years!

Oh, I also meant to say we have two cars now (although I hope to get back to the bike when the kids are in the local primary school rather than nursery in the city). In the meantime, it's still a novelty to each have our own car, so I don't mind the driving for now!

I’m glad you went for option 3, OP - I didn’t realise this was an old thread and that was the one I was going to vote for!

Glad it worked out. The 50% value increase will help you afford a house in due course, although house prices will also have increased. But you're in a far better position than if you had opted for flat 1 or 2, and meanwhile have a nice flat to live in without high / increasing charges for repairs, etc.

I too hadn't noticed it was an old thread and was going to say Option 3 and definitely not Option1, which sounded a nightmare to me. Glad it worked out for you.

Probably 2

@Oliversmumsarmy

None. The balcony idea with a baby or young child would freak me out and whilst a flat maybe ok with babies/toddlers you will find it very restrictive as they grow and will probably need to move again

I would look for a ground floor flat with access to a garden or move further out and get a house.

This