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AIBU?

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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:
ReviewingTheSituation · 15/10/2021 17:34

Don't tar all north facing gardens with the same brush! We have one, and it gets lots of sun - just not right by the house. It totally depends what's around it in terms of how much sun comes in. We don't have anything on the west side and even at this time of year we get plenty of sun. We have a massive border full of plants, and have successfully grown veg. I'd never choose a south facing garden - I like having the choice of some shade.

Of course there will be north facing gardens that don't get much sun, but don't write them all off!

The thing putting me off C would be the fact it's a semi. But I wouldn't even consider A or B because of the road.

Go and have a look at C on a sunny day, if you're OK with the semi aspect.

mountbattenbergcake · 15/10/2021 17:41

Our family home was north facing growing up, it made me determined to never buy a north facing house.

H1Drangea · 15/10/2021 17:45

A or B , I wouldn’t buy a semi
Probably A

Osrie · 15/10/2021 17:47

@ReviewingTheSituation

Don't tar all north facing gardens with the same brush! We have one, and it gets lots of sun - just not right by the house. It totally depends what's around it in terms of how much sun comes in. We don't have anything on the west side and even at this time of year we get plenty of sun. We have a massive border full of plants, and have successfully grown veg. I'd never choose a south facing garden - I like having the choice of some shade.

Of course there will be north facing gardens that don't get much sun, but don't write them all off!

The thing putting me off C would be the fact it's a semi. But I wouldn't even consider A or B because of the road.

Go and have a look at C on a sunny day, if you're OK with the semi aspect.

Ditto
ILoveAllRainbowsx · 15/10/2021 18:23

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BlueSuffragette · 15/10/2021 18:27

Keep looking OP

LeavesOffTheCactus · 15/10/2021 18:28

How big is the north facing garden? My parents have a n facing garden that is approx 60-80ft long and raised approx 4 foot higher than house level and the rear half is absolutely always in sun, so you can’t say that a north facing garden will always be shady and mossy.

SentDeliveredRead · 15/10/2021 18:31

I'd keep looking too

CottonSock · 15/10/2021 18:34

C probably. I used to want a South facing garden. Bit mostly find it too hot in summer.

yellowgingham · 15/10/2021 18:35

I think it's a personal decision to be honest (not helpful, sorry!) I don't mind North facing gardens - our current house has one and I think it is fine - but would never buy on a busy road.

sst1234 · 15/10/2021 18:35

Wouldn’t buy C. It’ll alway be a semi with a north facing garden, compared to the detached ones. Links?

Myusernameisnotmyusernameno · 15/10/2021 18:38

None of those.

Stickyblue1987 · 15/10/2021 18:54

How big is the garden in C? We have a north facing 100ft garden and get lots of sun. We left the end of the garden a decked area and we get sun there most of the day. I've lived with a south facing garden but it was on a busy road- never again.

Tbh none some ideal.

10yearwarranty · 15/10/2021 18:54

I'd wait.

CaptaNoctem · 15/10/2021 19:01

Option D - wait for something else to come on the market

ApplesAreTheBaneOfMyLife · 15/10/2021 19:07

A or keep looking
Definitely not the semi. I’ve lived in several semis and all had noise problems.

HarrisonStickle · 15/10/2021 19:08

D - wait. Is there any reason why you have to buy one of the houses you've listed?

I used to live on a main road that was quietish at night, and about 1/4 mile away from a dual carriageway. I now live in a suburb and the first night I was here I almost couldn't sleep because of the lack of noise. It's absolute heaven!

I have a north west facing garden. It's fine because it's quite long (about 70ft) so it's only the bit directly behind the house that doesn't get much sun, and even then one corner gets the evening sun in summer. So I wouldn't necessarily discount a north facing garden unless it was a small one.

17CherryTreeLane · 15/10/2021 19:09

Agree with other posters saying not to write of north facing gardens. We have one and it gets lots of sun, mostly because it's very large and there's nothing to block the sun.

user1471530109 · 15/10/2021 19:15

Completely depends on more than orientation of garden as to how much sun you get. Mine is north facing and 140ft long. Mostly in sun all day and now in October, I don't get sun in the nearest 5 meters closest to the house (I did in the summer!). I have nothing blocking my garden in all other directions. Just my own house. Over the road, the south facing back gardens are all blocked by trees....

Ilovemycar77 · 15/10/2021 19:27

Our garden is adjacent to a main B road which is generally only busy during rush hours.

We had it valued at £575-600k for a 2000sqft in the East.

The valued told us if we were on a whiter road it would have been £650k.

Mew have been here 15yrs and the noise doesn’t bother us at all. But we also don’t have small children, older teenagers, so don’t have that worry with safety etc.

It depends what’s you’re used to tbh. If sleepy and quiet roads, then a main road will really annoy you from the outset; but maybe visit each property at rush hour times to get a feel and see if it would be a dealbreaker.

We love our home and wouldn’t be willing to fork out another £75-100k Just to have a quieter road and sacrifice the property. Because there’s no way I could ever live in a semi detached house.

Bogofftosomewherehot · 15/10/2021 19:33

keep looking

Orangecrisp · 15/10/2021 19:42

We live on a busy road through a rural village. We have an A road at the front and nothing but fields behind! We are on a small road off the main road and our neighbours house opposite is worth about £150k more due to the road, which we couldn’t afford. The house is detached which is worth making the compromise for the road. But I wouldn’t like a house with a bus route nearby or backing onto a park.

Orangecrisp · 15/10/2021 19:42

Sorry a bus STOP nearby!

AnnaSW1 · 15/10/2021 19:45

I agree with your husband

Wopies · 15/10/2021 20:23

Wait. I wouldn't go for a semi if I could afford detached.

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