To not know which of these houses to buy? Two choices, can't decide!

[dottytablecloth]

House A
New build
Garage but no utility room
4 bedrooms
2 small reception rooms
Small garden to back and side
About 1300sq ft - worried it's too small (we are moving for more space)
We can comfortably afford this

House B
Repossessed house, needs a fair bit of work about £30k need spent
4 bedrooms
No downstairs wc
No garage but has utility room
2 large reception rooms
Good size garden
Stretches our budget
(I love the size of this house)

Both houses are in a great location for work and school.

The second house has thrown a spanner in the works; went to see I today and didn't really expect to like it but I do!

AIBU for dithering?

virginia we wouldn't be planning to build a garage

House B!

I'd love to be able to buy something like that, it would be £600k here at least!

House B all the way (hadn't realised there were links!) It's more than liveable and the work you've suggested is largely easily fixed - even if you feel you need to put a kitchen in soonish. Im currently living in a house that's in a far worse state and we are managing fine ... Looks like you'd even have a shower!

A lot of that stuff like the kitchen can be done over a few years. My kitchen looks of a similar vintage and it's a project for year 5. In the meantime it's perfectly serviceable just not uber swish.
New boiler will set you back a couple of grand and with 3 downstairs reception rooms you can camp out a bit until floors are patched. If the holes are small in the walls then fill and sand and paint. If they're dirty great bare patches then you may need to patch with plaster, skim or possibly replaster.
I say B.
But if your DH has no diy confidence that maybe is why he wants safe A.

B all the way.

If the walks are in that bad a state you can get them skimmed.

The way you were talking I thought it must be in fire or something.

Another fellow NIer here waves.
I'd def go for house B, I reckon that the new build will feel squeezed. And no way does the second need 30K of work. The bathroom is dead on and the kitchen is liveable until you can afford to change. I think it's nice personally.
Good luck with whichever you go for.

Strrreeeeettttccchhhhhh.......
House B
Can tell from opening post
Nowt wrong with stretching.......... if you don't someone else will

House B. House B. House B.

That would cost seven figures in my neighbourhood. I am so buying a second home outside of London for cash, as soon as I can.

House A
But, no, small, small, worried, too small, comfortably

House B
Fair, work, large, good size, stretches, love

I had two different feelings when I read this

What they said. That house would cost closer to a million pounds if it was near me.

Oh and I just bought a 4 bed house that's 1300 sqft. It's way too small for 4 bedrooms. We are extending to over 2000 sqft, but still taking it down to 3 beds. New builds are awfully small. Don't buy unless you plan to majorly extend it.

I don't think house B looks like it needs major works unless the wiring's ripped out, what it needs is mostly cosmetic and not a huge investment.

Never under estimate how much it costs to fit out a new build, landscaping, curtain poles, light fittings, floor coverings etc. It's not a cheap option.

B is lovely but you need to find out how much damage was done when it was repossessed. Iv seen ones with radiators literally ripped off the walls and same with light fittings

Definitely house B , otherwise I think you would very soon regret it. House A seems very tight as a 4 bed.

House b 100%. Don't do anything to the kitchen (apart from good clean of course) until you've lived there at least 6 months.

You need that time to decide where you want things to be. When we bought our house the kitchen hadn't been touched since the sixties and sink was in a strange place. After a year living in it I knew exactly where I wanted units and appliances to be, so when we ordered new kitchen there was no indecision or faffing about.

BTW - we had house rewired, new kitchen and bathroom (walls replastered too), large bay window replaced with DG, new porch and front door, good quality laminate throughout ground floor. Total cost around14k. Used local tradesmen and Howdens for units. Bought large kitchen appliances on internet saving hundreds.

House B is lovely!

Oh B without a doubt!

It looks like it is in a significantly better condition than ours was when we bought (think damp, slug problems and rotting wall plates, joists and floor boards - oh, and lots of blown plaster).

Yes, it was hard work, but now we have somewhere that is just "us". And tbh we probably have added to the value by getting repairs sorted properly.

Think about how you might feel in 5 years - from what you've said I think you'll regret house A in time, whereas house B will be hard work but I don't think you'll regret it when it's finished.

Definitely B...

That work isn't £30k worth, unless you want to spend a fortune on a kitchen.
And it can all be done while you live in it, so in stages as and when you want to.

Seriously? Am I seeing something different to you? Hose B looks lovely, I don't see anything wrong with the kitchen either, (other than the cooker hood, but that is just my personal taste) Even if the doors are wonky/hanging off it is easily fixed. Nail holes for pictures- that is not a deal breaker!! I also can't see why it particularly needs repainting outside either, unless they have touched up the photos! I think house B would be my choice, can you make a lower offer to make it less of a squeeze?

House 2

From your list of what it needs:

New kitchen
Clean the existing one. Live with it for at least a year before changing it.

New utility
Unless you mean 'is falling down and needs new walls and roof', this is not a priority. Stick a washing machine in there and put it towards the bottom of the 5 year plan.

New doors/skirting boards
If the doors are missing you need to buy some, otherwise neither they nor the skirting boards need to be done immediately.

Driveway widened
Looks big enough for a car. Why do you need it wider?

Garden sorted
That will also need doing in the new house. Not urgent. Very cheap.

New shower in ensuite
Needn't be done immediately if you have a working on in the main bathroom.

Fitted wardrobes
Not necessary. Freestanding secondhand or IKEA ones will do you fine for a few years.

New floors upstairs
OK, yes, this does need doing and before you move in.

New boiler
Budget around £3k. Maybe a little more if you are switching to gas, but that will pay for itself in no time. You won't be in time for the new boiler grant - it expires in mid March.

Completely repainted inside and outside
Fill nail holes with polyfiller, undercoat (stain-stop undercoat where the writing is), couple of top coats. Budget around £50/room unless you're going for designer paint. Outside I'd get the professionals in - not a job I've had done since moving to NI but I doubt it would be over £1k unless there's a lot of patching to be done on damage render.

House B! By God Woman, it is LOVELY!

If I could buy a house like that for that price, I'd be right in there.

The bathroom is gorgeous (have even screenshot it, for my own little scrapbook of ideas) and the front features are lovely. You will miss having garden space, so it's not even a consideration. New builds IMO (unless self designed for your exact needs) just don't cut it for me.

Another vote for house B. :)

please bung up the link to house B again : i want to see itttttttttttttttttt

House B! A sounds tiny. You don't need fitted wardrobes because they are horrible and most of the rest sounds cosmetic.

B!