Which house should we buy?

[Animallover87]

Same price.

House 1 - great location and handy for schooling/shops etc (no DC yet but TTC) 3 bed 1 bathroom and needs a new roof and garage roof. Won't have loads of spare money for this. It's about 60 years old.

House 2 - lovely rural location, quiet, still 3 bed but this one has 3 bathrooms. HUGE garden and house is only 13 years old and looks like a new build. Less convenient for amenities, there is a primary school in the village but would need to drive future DC to it.

Me and DH both drive and are both full time teachers. House 2 we get so much more for our money and it's gorgeous. I just worry about being frustrated at being less handy for things. Houses are only about 15 mins max drive apart.

Please help us make a decision!

House 1

House 1. I grew up in a rural area and hated always needing a lift everywhere. It's so much easier to be able to chuck the kids in a buggy and walking to the shop/playgroup etc than having to drive everywhere.

I don't have to drive kids around due to my location. It really is golden not to be the taxi service that so many parents have to be. And it's better for the kids too to have independence on getting around.
So I'd choose house 1 for sure.

Being able to walk to school and shops is so much better than having to rely on the car, so if you do have a child house 1 would be far better in spite of the disadvantages.

I’d personally go for house 2 but our circumstances are different to yours, older kids and we WFH. I’m not sure that either of the houses sound right for you so maybe keep looking.

I’d go house 2 while DC is small if you are in love with it, then move for the teenage years. But what are your childcare options post maternity leave and pre school?

Three bathrooms and a huge garden sound like a liability to me.

Why would you want three bathrooms for max 3 people? Go for house one.

I would go for number 2.

Thank you- all your points of view are helping!

In terms of house 2 - I love the 3 bathrooms and huge garden so that's a plus for me. There's loads of brilliant walks around that are quiet and safe so that's a plus too.

It's the perfect house but the only thing holding me back is the idea of always driving kids to school and being a taxi service when older.

The other thing I should say is there's a kids park in the middle of the house 2 estate so it's a family friendly place.

House 1 for me - but only because I have 3 teens and driving them everywhere would be a pain.

We manage with one bathroom - it's not always great but it's okay

I like being able to walk places and have shops, bars etc on my door step - but I grew up in a town

We're moving from a beautiful rural house to a smaller, less lovely one, because we are utterly fed up with the lack of facilities, culture and diversity. We have to drive for everything at the moment and it grates after a while.

Bearing in mind DC won't start school until they are 4 you need to think about baby and toddler years too & childcare.

Personally I think house 2 sounds better because you clearly live it more but your head is saying house 1 is more practical. House buying is usually a compromise so would you rather live the lovely house that needs no work and have to jump in the car to go out or would you put up with the less nice house & building work in order to walk to everything?

The saying 'live in the countryside, live in the car' is usually true unless you do little. Only you can decide if that matters to you, in terms of both £ and time.

It's a sunny day, you want to go for a walk to the local shop for milk. Baby is in the pushchair napping.
Can you do that in house 2? Eg is there a footpath?

Yes there is a footpath and there is a small Tesco and a corner shop about 20 mins walk along it.

If you're only planning to have one child do you really need 3 bathrooms and a huge garden?

Personally I never want a lifestyle where I have to drive regularly so I’d go location 1. You can always extend it or do renovations

I wouldn't buy a house that needed a new roof that I didn't have funds for. Can't you find a nicer house in location 1? I've done both city and rural living and I wouldn't want a pre schooler in a rural setting. The convenience of amenities is extremely useful with young kid/s.

We are renting a big house at the moment in what us considered a very nice area that is not rural , but is 2 miles out the town and not great transport. An awful lot of driving and no shop just to nip too on foot . Haven't lived anywhere without 'some' amenities within 10 minutes walk before. I will be honest it makes me feel a bit trapped. I like convenience and if necessary a slightly lesser house.

For me, definitely house 2. I love rural and it’s easy to look at what isn’t there (shops! Schools!) instead of what IS there (views! Birdsong! Amazing air quality! Beautiful walks!)

More importantly I wouldn’t touch a jouse that needs a new roof. It’ll cost way more than you think, then the builders won’t turn up, then it’ll finally be done then it’ll leak because the builders forgot to seal a bit and damage your new paint etc etc You don’t need all that stress when ttc.

Walking to school sounds good but everyone I know drives anyway - Wnglish weather, little legs, stuff to carry etc etc

Spoke to DH and we've agreed that it's too big a purchase to be unsure about. Think we'll let both houses go and keep looking!