to choose a bigger/better house over one in a nicer area?

[Vallhala]

A bit more of a WWYD, I suppose, sorry for the length of this.

We (2 x teenaged DD and I) are soon to move house. I'll be renting having long ago decided that NEVER will I buy again.

Our curent town is lovely but DD2 and I are unhappy with the (allegedly 'very good and in parts outstanding') school and although the other local school is far worse on paper, at present I doubt that this is possible! So what do I do?

I can have a 3 bed semi in my current town, a similar, smaller house in the nearby city... or for the same monthly rent I can have, for example, a 4 bed plus study and en-suite BUT in a town with known social and crime problems. Current town = allegedly "good" school, city and dodgy town = the same "lesser" school.
I'm beginning to look at it like this:

1. Social problems/crime are all relative - I was raised near Brixton so hmmmm...

1. I don't socialise in the town I live in now, don't go to th local pub etc, my DDs aren't allowed to just "hang out" on street/rec etc so unless I'm unlucky enough to live next door to trouble how much of it are we really going to encounter in Dodgy town? Trying not to be snooty here, but epecially in one of the more expensive, desirable parts of town?

1. Dodgy town has, if not as many as curent town, sufficient shops etc, a rail station and a big leisure centre.

1. Dodgy town seems to have some nice riverside walks for the dogs and I!

1. We would benefit from the extra space and bathroom and couldn't afford a house of this size and maintain our existing standard of living in current town/city/surrounding nice but expensive villages.

1. Dodgy town's school is not the most wonderful but neither imho is the current one... am beginning to cynically feel that all state comprehensives are the bloody same!

How's this sounding... or AIBU to even consider it, given that I'll knowingly be taking my DDs to a "dodgy" town with a less successful school?

Do you know anyone who lives in the dodgy town? So you can get a real idea of how 'dodgy' it is? I live in a 'dodgy' town and I am quite happy here (for the moment).

ATM I'd sell my soul for some more space.

I've just wrestled with a similar dilemma and went for big house in dodgy town, for all the reasons you listed.

The schools in the area are all good, which makes it easier, but we are at the start of the education system, so have longer to go.

My driving vision is hulking great teenagers and their mates draping themselves over the furniture and banging doors (I'm projecting here). That's why I've gone for the big house.

The area is like yours, ok to get the basics, but a hop on a bus to the really nice area in which we couldn't afford the same size house.

yanbu to consider it, i think i would too
go and spend some time in that town and check it out more?

Thats the problem, Orm (or one of them!), I don't know anyone there. The reputation it has is widely acknowledged by estate agents, Police, press etc.

Half of me is saying, sh*t, no waaaay, they found needles in the kids' swings last week! The other half is saying that not all the population are junkies, that my DDs don't go to the swings, are older and pretty strictly brought up wrt where they go/what they do...

Oh, I don't know!

I agree wiht OrmIrian. Do you know anyone who lives in the 'dodgy' area?

I have chosen to live in a 'dodgy' area which imo is much better than the 'wonderful' area I grew up in and the better areas that I have lived in. School (primary) doesn't have as good an academic reputation and many are put off by it's size (reception intake is 90) but ds is thriving there and it is a lovely friendly school that genuinely cares about its pupils.

Local facilities are good and I really like living here.

However I did know (and work) in the area before we moved here and dp grew up down the road.

Ask around, get opinions of the school from those who go there, get opinions of the area from those who live there. Visit it at different times of day if you can and wander around. Can you visit the school as well?

Would you be comfortable with your DDs coming home after dark?

Might sound a bit mad, but its a question I considered.

I will indeed visit the town and school - though am dubious about how much I can glean from an hour's visit to a school and acceptant of the fact that if I choose to move to Dodgy town the DC will HAVE to attend that school, there's no other option unless I want to HE - and I can/will do that for either one but not both.

Not a mad question Fox, and one I'll ask myself when I go to see the area... good point and thank you for suggesting it.

To be honest I would rather have a smaller house in the best neighbourhood I could afford.

This is something I have already done and regret it every day. We could have stayed in our "nice" town with the best school but would have had to settle for a smaller house.

We chose big house in not so nice area instead. Big mistake for us - I have never felt happy here and we now have a plan in place to try and get back to being very near to (but not within) our old nice town.

I would always choose location over house size. BUT it doesn't sound like you're that happy about your current location. The dodgy area might have some quite nice pockets in it and if the school is better it would definitely be worth looking at.

Having lived in some rather dodgy areas myself, I found that the day to day quality of life issues get to you more than the general 'don't go in the park at night' issues: dog shit on the street, noisy neighbors, sketchy bus stops, etc. If you could find a nice family street it would probably be fine though.

TippyTumbles we went for a big house in a crap area too and moved right back to our teeny house after a year.

Ok, having lived in dodgy areas it really, really depends on the street you buy into.

If for example, you have a family of petty crims or burgulars a few doors down, who generally do queer their own pitch, or antisocials out at night causing problems in the street, then it really blights your life and no amount of ensuites make a difference. So talk to potential neighbours of any house you are looking at and get the solicitor to check very carefully to see if the occupants have any made complaints to the council or to the police. Visit in the day and on a Fri or Sat night.

Re the schools - a pretty bad one can be just that, pretty bad. Look at the Ofsted reports and see what they identify as a concern - if it's the teaching then imo it's a no go. Again would visit in the school day to get a feel for it, look at the GCSE results to see that at least some students are attaining the higher grades (and assume your dd's will be amongst that group). Ask what sets your dd's would be in and ask for them to be pointed out on the tour.

As someone who is looking to move whole counties next year for more space I think YANBU! That said, the area we are looking at, whilst a bit neglected (an old seaside resort) doesn't have 'known social problems' so the situation is slightly different. I agree with the posters who say to go and have a look/speak to residents. It depends on what area of the town you will be in as well, it probably has nicer areas. Sometimes looking at the stats doesn't paint the whole picture.

We live in a beautiful (but smallish 2 bed) house in a very expensive part of the world at the moment, once our first DC arrives in the summer we will start to get overcrowded...to have the family and lifestyle we want we'll probably have to move!

Tough choice, good luck.

Dodgy Town's school is average wrt teaching, satisfactory wrt behaviour with some particular troublemakers identified as being the main problem. It's this later which worries me more.

As far as my DDs are concerned, DD1 (14) is bright, adaptable, chilled, DD2 (12) is brighter still, bullied at current school, doesn't cope well in a large school environment (so ANY state secondary and most independents, even if affordable, would be a problem).

No chance of seeing the town at night, can't drive due to surgery on my arm and no-one to help. As far as I can make out Dodgy Town does indeed have some nice pockets and is expanding quite rapidly. (You know the thing, these new 3 or 4 bed "executive" new-builds). Pros for me re the extra space is that DD(12) has behavioural and emotional outbursts and so the chance to seperate her and wind-up merchant DD(14) and a detatched house where people are less likely to hear her screaming at the top of her voice (and thus complain) sounds appealing.

As I said, I'd never buy again, I hate being tied down, so logically I could always try the Dodgy Town for a 6 month let and move out agian at the end of it if we don't like it.

Am I talking myself into it?

I have to go out so apologies but will come back here later this pm and answer any more points.

For now, thank you.

I'm from Tottenham which everyone considers dodgy but it doesn't bother me at all! I don't care about areas, it's all about the house for me. You can shut the door on the world in a lovely home but if the home isn't all that you'll only be wanting to move again. If you're used to Brixton I don't think anything will shock you

With two teenaged DDs my overriding preoccupation would be the friends they would make and the aspirations that their environment would inspire in them.

So I would go for the better area any day.

Back again, and thank you.

Bonsoir, I am pretty confident that I could handle the concerns you mention, though that's not to say they're not serious ones. I'm very strict and stroppy careful about who my DDs mix with and where they go and I've also always been quick to point out that regardless of environment and peer pressure they must work hard and do their best. My own background was humble but I was encouraged to work hard and got the results of that so hopefully that example helps.