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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Which house would you buy?

101 replies

User112 · 15/10/2021 15:23

We want to buy a 4 bed house. Most detached houses here in our budget are on busy roads.

House A: Around £850k for about 1850 sft detached. Needs a bit of work and new bathrooms. Backs on to a busy road.

House B: £750k for a 2000sft detached. But the road connects two busy roads. There is a bit of traffic with the bus stop diagonally opposite the house. Very small garden but backs on to a public park.

House C: The other day we drove past a quiet neighbourhood and there was a 4 bed semi for sale. It’s at £570k and needs a full refurb. It’s 2000sft and the room sizes are good too. One more problem is it has a north facing garden and the front garden is really small.

I want to go with the semi (option c) and slowly get work done. Can buy a second buy-to-let with the money we save. DH wants to wait for a suitable detached to come to the market.

Which option would you chose?

OP posts:
SisforSoppy · 15/10/2021 16:21

Our house sounds like c. The ONLY bit that swung it for us was the south facing garden. I hate being semi detached.

Bluntness100 · 15/10/2021 16:37

I’d also not buy next to a busy road ever again

I’d calculate th cost of the refurb and doing it to a high standard.

However I see your husbands point. None seem great.

Westerman · 15/10/2021 16:41

I'd keep looking for something that is away from busy roads. I can't imagine anything worse.

I think your husband is right.

Snowdropsandbluebells · 15/10/2021 16:41

I think I would go for B as its 100 grand cheaper than A

c could be lovely in time but tonnes of work and might be a bottomless pit.

ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 15/10/2021 16:42

We have a north facing garden but we have a school playing field behind us so there is nothing blocking the sun. It's not shady or cold. I would avoid busy roads and bus routes (particularly if they are frequent double deckers).

Gizmo98765 · 15/10/2021 16:44

Keep looking, move up north, north facing gardens aren’t great but then nor is road noise.

GabriellaMontez · 15/10/2021 16:46

Agree with your DH.

Suzi888 · 15/10/2021 16:47

I’d wait. None of the houses meet your needs/wants.

I hate busy roads.
We have a North facing garden, if you like gardening, or want to dry washing or sit in a sunny garden then don’t even bother.
If there are trees, you’ll be looking at a nice damp, wet garden where nothing grows to boot.

ronkey · 15/10/2021 16:48

House C but forego the BTL

EdgeOfTheSky · 15/10/2021 16:50

I would wait for another C which has a bigger garden with a different aspect.

In quiet residential family areas I have never had a problem with semis, or terraces. Would much rather live in a semi on a quiet road than detached on a busy road.

Rubyupbeat · 15/10/2021 16:52

Keep looking for a quieter location.

Redwinestillfine · 15/10/2021 16:54

C it's a no brainer for me

Tohaveandtohold · 15/10/2021 17:00

I’d never buy anywhere near a busy road.
In your situation, I’ll wait however if I had to make a choice then it’ll be C. I’ll rather have a north facing garden than the whole dirt, pollution, noise, etc that comes with being on a busy road.

Bluntness100 · 15/10/2021 17:03

@Snowdropsandbluebells

I think I would go for B as its 100 grand cheaper than A

c could be lovely in time but tonnes of work and might be a bottomless pit.

It’s a hundred grand cheaper due to its location .

Some folks are ok with Living next to a busy road but the noise and pollution means I’d never do it again.

JumperandJacket · 15/10/2021 17:05

I’m with your husband.

HowardNoir · 15/10/2021 17:07

I'd choose C. My garden is north facing and I've turned it into a walled/courtyard garden. It's nice and shady in the summer but still warm. I'd take a quiet area over a sunny garden any day of the week

hotmeatymilk · 15/10/2021 17:08

Can buy a second buy-to-let with the money we save.
Or don’t do that? Why fuck the housing market further? It’s nuts that a 4-bed semi fixer-upper with a north-facing garden is over half a million quid.

Peanutsandchilli · 15/10/2021 17:18

None. I'd wait.

CobraChicken · 15/10/2021 17:18

Probably none of those, but if it had to be one of them, then A or B but definitely not C.

I'd never live in a semi again if I had the funds to afford a detached house.

FangsForTheMemory · 15/10/2021 17:21

I wouldn't choose a house near a busy road because I've got a cat. If I had children, no way.

eightlivesdown · 15/10/2021 17:22

It depends on your tolerance of noise pollution and willingness to accept higher air pollution. Personally, I wouldn't buy a house on a busy road for these reasons.

Possibly house C, if you are prepared for the hassle of the refurbishment and depending on how you plan to use the garden.

Most likely, I'd keep looking.

ronkey · 15/10/2021 17:22

I'll never have the funds to live in a detached in the location I'm in (a 3 bed terrace is 1.3m) so never been a consideration for me!

ronkey · 15/10/2021 17:23

But a busy road would always put me off.

ConsuelaHammock · 15/10/2021 17:24

Neither. Keep looking

FrazzledY9Parent · 15/10/2021 17:31

Keep looking. A house on a busy road is always going to be harder to sell if you ever need to, and the north facing garden will always bug you if you care about that sort of thing.