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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Small House, Good Area, Big House, Worse Area

42 replies

Vine · 13/10/2010 14:38

We are renting, have 2 DCs under 3 and it looks like we can finally afford to get a house! I am very happy to be getting somewhere for the DCs to settle but cannot agree with DH on what to compromise on given our limited budget. Area or space?

I think that quality of life would be better in a smaller house in a nice area, he thinks a bigger house with garden is what is important regardless of the neighbourhood. Thoughts, AIBU?

OP posts:

MrsC2010 · 13/10/2010 14:40

Depends, how bad is the worse neighbourhood? And how small would the house in the good area be? I agree with both of you to a degree.

In general get the worst house in the best area apparently, but then some styles of house will always sell unless the area is awful. In our town Victorian character terraces are few and far between yet very popular, so regardless of area you would get good resale if you see what I mean?

LynetteScavo · 13/10/2010 14:42

Are the schools in the nicer area better?

I am a snob, so would go for the nicer area.

sethstarkaddersmum · 13/10/2010 14:43

depends.

if worse area simply means not rich area, it would be fine. If it means area full of petty crime where you will have neighbours with ASBOs, it's best avoided.

The cunningest plan is to find the area which is cheap and has a bad reputation but actually has a lovely sense of community and nice neighbours. (I used to live in an area like that - everyone was that I lived there but the people were great and I never felt scared even walking back at midnight by myself.)

and don;t forget to check out school catchments.

minipie · 13/10/2010 14:44

Funnily enough me and my DH have had exactly the same debate and we take the same positions.

I think area is more important BUT it depends on HOW small the smaller house is. If the smaller house would be really cramped, and/or would not have a garden to speak of... then probably the bigger house wins. (Unless the area is really dodgy in which case the smaller house still wins!)

However if the smaller house is perfectly big enough, just not particularly spacious, and has a garden but just not a big garden... then the smaller house, better area wins.

Also, what are the local schools/catchment areas like? And are you likely to have another child and so need more space anyway soon?

trixie123 · 13/10/2010 14:45

I agree that it depends on specifics like how bad is the bad area? Are the schools ok? Would you be happy for your kids to play out in the afternoon after school? Is it really bad or just seen as less desirable? With the house, look for potential like going up in the loft or adding a conservatory or something a few years down the line which might make living in the better area feasible.
We are in the same dilemna (except we aren't moving anywhere if no-one buys our house)so will watch with interest!

Needanewname · 13/10/2010 14:46

Depends on how bad the area is really, don;t forget areas change, you could get a lovely house for not too much money, the area then gets better and its win win all round, or you could end up in a small house which changes into a bad area and your screwed!

posey · 13/10/2010 14:46

Smaller house in better area, imo.
We recetly moved. We found a house that looked great, was well within our budget, went to see it and it was lovely, inside.
But outside, even on the most glorious summer day (when everything generally seems much better) the whole area had a really horrible feeling. I just didn't feel comfortable, I'm not really sure why.
Where we live now, I feel very safe, I'm happy to come in on my own at night,it just feels so much better. There are tres in the street, it has a much more neighbourhoody feeling! We paid more for this place and have one less bedroom, but is def worth it.

ChuckysCock · 13/10/2010 14:46

I'd always say get the best area you can afford

agree with worst house in the best road

I used to be an estate agent btw

sneezecake · 13/10/2010 14:48

isn't the saying location, location, location?

SweetKate · 13/10/2010 14:48

Find a small house in a good area that could be extended at some point in the future. Then, if you wanted more space you could simply add onto the house you have. We are doing that. Our house is not small per se but the rooms upstairs are tiny (cant fit a bed in DD's room). But we couldn't have bought anywhere bigger in this area. So, we've just had planning permission through for our extension. Hurrah!

I personally would go for small house in good area - particularly as where we live the good schools are in the good areas. The not so nice areas have the poorer performing schools. So, catchment is a big issue as well.

PoorlyConstructed · 13/10/2010 14:50

I had this debate with DH. I wanted the smaller house in a very nice area (crucially with very good schools) and he wanted some kind of mansion (in his mind at least) in an ok area but with no viable schools choice. I won the debate.

As it turns out our house isn't actually that small. It's simply that our friend seems to have convinced him that the only way to get a decent house is to live in the ok-ish area so he's resolutely refused to imagine anything other than a shoe box. We've also discovered that house prices aren't actually all that different in the two areas. They might have been 15 years ago when our friend bought, but they're broadly similar now. In fact, some friends who live in the other area (and who are a bit worried about the poor schools choice where they live) were over recently and absolutely amazed by how much space we got for the money. It also turns out that DH really likes this area. It has great amenities and is very handy for him to get to work, whereas it'd have been more of a slog in from the other area.

I think it's probably a good idea to look at a range of houses in both areas and make your decision taking into account all the factors.

missorinoco · 13/10/2010 14:52

Depends on how bad the area in. If it's a nice enough area, but not THE area in the neighbourhood I would go for the bigger house, unless all your friends are in the other area and that would bother you.

If it's a dodgy area, go for the small house.

Wiggletastic · 13/10/2010 14:56

Small house - good area - definitely! We have a larger house in an ok area but close to some not so nice areas so options for schools are very limited so we are seriously considering moving to a much smaller house in a better area so DD can go to a good school. We will have a smaller house that will cost us more but I will be happier because it will be better for DD.

Original poster

Vine · 13/10/2010 14:56

I am far from being a snob but I have spent some time in the 'worse' area, visiting parks and shops in the name of research. The general area makes me feel uneasy (EDL flags in windows, rude teenagers), I don't want to make life difficult for us. It is a medium sized town and the schools are all fairly average.

The nice area would mean a two bed with courtyard garden. The only other option is a house that needs lots of modernisation (time/money).

OP posts:

PoorlyConstructed · 13/10/2010 14:59

If you're buying a house though, it's a long term thing. Maybe you could get something that needs renovation but would be liveable in the mean time?

sethstarkaddersmum · 13/10/2010 15:07

well if you don't feel comfortable in the area, I'd say that is a big factor. If your dh doesn't get this then maybe it is because he's a bloke and less likely to feel unsafe if there are teenagers hassling people etc.

not having a garden would be a pity with dcs, though, unless there is a park close by.

Opinionatedfreak · 13/10/2010 15:09

I have a lovely house in a very nice area which I really like.....the downside is that it is pretty sterile - lots of pretty boden-esque cake shops/ delis and no quirky affordable places.

In addition only a few of my friends can afford to live here/ go out round here so despite having lovely restaurants/ bars/ facilities etc I still end up travelling quite a bit to see them. In addition, parking round me is difficult so that is another barrier to people visiting here.

School wise though it is a winner as I am in the catchement for one of the local 'desirable' primaries and several of the indy options are within walking distance.

I have previously lived in the 'more space/ less desirable area' house and I ever felt overly comfortable there and school wise it was very difficult.

DomesticG0ddess · 13/10/2010 15:16

In my opinion (and experience), always go for the best location - the most you can afford in the more desirable area. This has always worked for us, and we have always extended too. As long as you can live in it comfortably, you don't need tons of space if you are clever with storage, etc. We bought a relatively smaller house compared to others we were looking at, which had huge plots, in not so nice areas. We have actually made it quite big, but we agreed beforehand that if we couldn't get planning permission, we would be prepared to compromise on space for the amazing location.

The other option you have of renovating - is that in the "good" area or the "bad" area?

SlightlyJaded · 13/10/2010 15:16

I am an area snob too so we went for lovely area which has some of best primary schools in country. For that very reason, we could not afford most of the 4 bed houses in area, however, there were limits to how small I would tolerate we could manage, so we went for:

good area
unattractive road
medium house

eatyourveg · 13/10/2010 15:41

sorry to go against the grain but we went for a big house in a not so great area.

dc weren't at local schools so it didn't matter which part of town we were in. We got 4 beds 3 receptions and a third of an acre in a quiet cul de sac for the same money as a 3 bed semi with no garden on a through road.

Whilst we were initially a little worried, the neighbours are really lovely people, all salt of the earth types where everyone chips in to help each other, I know almost the whole close by name. Not something I think we might have got if we'd gone for the posher areas where people often don't even know who their next door neighbours are.

DomesticG0ddess · 13/10/2010 15:49

Good area does not necessarily mean "posh" where the neighbours don't speak to each other! It could mean a great village, or next to the sea, or close to open spaces, etc etc

JinnyS · 13/10/2010 16:07

If the house prices were very different 15 years ago but now are broadly similar then I'd definitely go for the 'better' area. When house prices rise they rise more in popular areas and you stand to gain more in the long term.

Bue · 13/10/2010 16:10

They don't say Location, Location, Location for nothing. Go for the better area. Besides, according to your description the worse area doesn't sound like somewhere I'd feel particularly comfortable living. EDL flag = huge red flag.

sixpercenttruejedi · 13/10/2010 16:10

I've just bought a house and went for the larger house, undesirable area and I'm loving it. Huge garden, lovely neighbours. The nearest school is full of chavs not ideal, so DD goes to a good school a little way away as do quite a few of the kids here.
Depends on how undesirable the area is. Ours is a council estate which used to have a very bad reputation, but slowly the houses have been sold off and are being replaced with private tenants and owner/occupiers.
God, I sound like such a snob
Some areas get a reputation that sticks even though it no longer deserves it.

CrazyPlateLady · 13/10/2010 16:21

It would depend on how bad the area was and what part of the bad area.

We could only afford the house we have. It is tiny but its either that or rent and constantly move. The area isn't great and is known for getting worse. However, our street is tucked out of the way and on the edge of a not so bad area so I can put up with it. I don't like venturing around the area, parks and shops but I do if I have to. There is also a fairly decent school near me that I can try and get DS in. Its Catholic but we are not but they do take non Catholic children.

If I could afford a bigger house in a not that great area, I would probably do it, however there are a few areas I wouldn't even consider, no matter how great the house is annd would opt for a nice area, decent schools and small house.

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