To ask your thoughts on this house?

[marniemoonie]

www.onthemarket.com/details/6810758/

Budget is 400k, it's 20k below that. Gorgeous area with brilliant primary and secondary. The next LA over has grammar schools which I really like the idea of and despite different LEA they take kids from this village. DH would be commuting into Manchester and we are moving from London. I've been look at this house and have absolutley fallen in love. I love the quirkiness and almost European look on the outside. The inside is a little dated but we will have 20k to sort that out. However DH isn't keen. He describes it as looking "odd" an since we are moving to a village he desires a more "cottagey" home away from a new build estate and adores this:

www.onthemarket.com/details/6772165/

It's a lot cheaper but also we'd be sacrificng an extra bedroom. We have 2 DD's 1 DS and baby boy on way so it's probably be 2 DC's in each room eventually. And also my choice house looks a lot more spacious. I'd just like to hear an outside perspective on it. We're still early on so haven't looked at many houses but focusing on these 2 for now as which ever we prefer will also set the stage for future ones to look at that are similar. TIA

Your DH choice is the better, how about this, different area but lovely house.
www.onthemarket.com/details/6751533/

I like the first one. Although it does look like you're on top of your neighbours.
The second one is too small, even living space is too small as you can afford to spend more. You couldn't even really extend and gain space that way I don't think.
Personally, I'd keep looking.

That first one is quite odd, isn't it, with a bedroom on the ground floor? I don't think I'd like that. It would be great if someone was working from home - does that apply to either of you?

I'd never buy a house with a kitchen not on the ground floor and having to traipse through another room into the garden, especially not with kids. It is completely impractical. I have a friend who has this set up and hates it with a passion and wishes she'd realised what a bane it would be.

I like the one bookworm advised.

I probably wouldn’t go for either. Given the size of your family, dh choice is definitely too small. If neither of you love the others choice it’s best to wait for something you can agree on.

The one you dh likes is really small- basically a 2 up 2 down with a loft room.

I much prefer your DH's choice. It has charm and looks like it has a much nicer garden, too. Your choice to me looks a little depressing - its cookie-cutter sameness with the neighbours and tiny garden all crammed in amongst the other houses on the estate would do my head in.

I really like the first one. The downstairs would be great for teenagers.

The second one is very sweet, but just too small.

Bookworm4 That house is lovely, actually. Though it's not exactly the area we considered as DH wants a village while still being close to Manchester which is why we looked at north Cheshire and settled on Lymm. Also Cadishead is in Salford council isn't it? So not sure about catchment avaliability there as we really do like the Trafford grammar schools. Though the house itself is very ideal for us, and that same house in Lymm would easily be twice the price from what I've seen. We're still in the very early stages of looking but may broaden our search area later.

I dont see what wrong with number 1.

Very big, bigish garden, balcony.

Yeah, you really can't compare lymm with Cadishead. Try Thelwall and Grappenhall Village too, as well as Stockton Heath although SH is out of Grammar catchment their high school is the best in the area.

The new build is soulless but more spacious for a family your size. Your DH’s choice is too small for a family of 6 unless you really needed to squeeze in. There is no playroom/room for teenagers to hang out in etc in the 2nd one.

Prefer the style of DH and the country looking aspect of it.

Yours is much more practical for a family of soon to be 6. Dh the 3rd bedroom is tiny.

The layout of yours is odd with downstairs bedroom but has so much potential to have a real family area downstairs and decent storage.

I love the inside of property 1 but for the budget I’d feel too squashed in by the NDN. I also like the property bookworm linked too although again, you are seriously overlooked by NDN.

My semi detached isn’t worth half of the ones you’ve linked too but it feels far more private, on the outside at least. It’s not as half as stunning on the inside.

2nd house is too small. 1st house would rule out as no kitchen on ground floor.

I guess the kitchen/bedroom situation on house 1 doesn't bother me much as our current home in London is a flat. So am used to kitchen and bedrooms on same floor but maybe it doesn't translate so easily into a house. Me and DH would probably have downstairs bedroom with baby.

Hi OP,
If you’re keen on Lymm but need a bit more for your money, you could head towards Grappenhall which a mile or two down the road (a few friends have done this). Not quite as desirable but between Lymm and Stockton Heath, another hotspot.

For your budget you could get this
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-80281556.html

This www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-69319939.html

Or this www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-81110087.html

I thought that houses were cheaper up north? They both seem very pricey for small terrace houses but if I was choosing property 1 looks more practical and would suit a family more.

Itavilli Really like that 3rd house. Grappenhall has been considered but DH really did fall in love with Lymm. I can see that house easily reaching towards 1mil in Lymm, it's mad. Might have to pitch it to him again, though would be losing grammar school catchment.

Completely with your dh

The one you like has an odd layout and the downstairs bedroom isn't suitable for small kids, but it's a great family house and spacious.

Your dh's is cute but tiny. It's only 900 sq ft, even with the loft room. It'd be cramped for a family of 4 and you'd outgrow it very quickly.

I don't like the first house at all.

The second house I really like. Depending on the ages of your DCs, though, it's probably not going to big enough, unless they are still all very young, and you plan to move again in about 5 years' time.

I would keep looking too, unless you view House 2 as a stop gap.

minglemangle Sadly not in this area. Lymm is Cheshire and the kind of village where footballers etc live. Then the Trafford area while it comes under Greater Manchester is also very expensive. These areas aren't really the norm when it comes to northern house prices, deffo the exception. If I looked closer to Warrington town centre and at other LA's in Greater Manchester then the house prcies would be a lot less shocking.

I love your choice. Open and spacious and I actually really like the decor. Your DHs choice is horrible, sorry. Cramped, dark, not enough bedrooms, dreadful.