Location Location!

[Lozzamack]

We are going to be moving back to the UK from Singapore soon. We had identified some houses and DH went back a couple of weeks ago to view them with intention that we would make an offer on one of them. He viewed three, two of them in the same village as his parents and a third a couple of villages on. He really liked both of the ones closer to his parents which are more expensive but definitely a nicer village. I am leaning toward the cheaper house now, there is a school right at the end of the road which has an outstanding ofsted report. The cheaper house is a little tired around the edges, and not in a particularly nice street but does have an amazing outdoor space, with treehouse and huge garage sized playhouse. Having lived in Asia for 14 years and not had that this was very high on my wishlist. The other 2 houses with the nicer postcode have an OK space but certainly nothing special. The school in the village there is just good. What would you go for? I would rather go for the cheaper house, save the money and get someone in to paint and have the space for my children to run and be happy.

Too unspecific to comment really, suggest you re-post in Property and name at least the area and get a proper lowdown.

From a personal pov, dh and i have always gone for the v best location we cd afford and therefore have tended to compromise on the actual house. Many others though have a clear house spec in mind and a broad area on which they're looking.

Well done on 14 years in Asia!! Which area are the houses? Its tough to offer an opinion. Sounds like you've not seen any of them? So no gut feelings on which could make a lovely home. How many kids have you got and which age school is this?

Good luck. A friend viewed the house we are renting as we couldn't. Its great for now but it is surprising how you pick up vibes, and how things like the flow of the space doesn't come across in a floor plan. Its also a really valuable experience in find in out what we do and don't want in our next house purchase. Sorry, not much help!

I feel pretty informed on the properties I've seen. DH's parents went to photograph them all and DH sent through detailed drawings of where the shots were to be taken from so that we could compare to online pics and get a better idea of things. Then when DH went he took more photos and video'd everything, so feel I have got a really good feel for all even though have not seen for myself. TBH I have lived in Asia for so long the dream of having a lovely big garden is what has kept me going. The not so nice house has a fantastic outdoor space and it is a lovely house too, its just a bit of a naff street. The kitchen sink looks out to the not so nice view but all the other rooms look towards the garden and have lovely views. It also has the outstanding school which is about 3 minutes walk. My children are 6 and 7. We have lots of challenges with my daughter and she really does not transition well. I think my husband is probably thinking having grandparents close by will be good for some help and consistency but I don't know that I want to be that close. As I say, I'm thinking a big outdoor space and a good school is better than a postcode isn't it?

Sorry.
I suggest you look in education. An Ofsted Outstanding school is not necessarily better for your child than a "good" one. In fact an Outstanding one could be : a pretty intolerant exam factory, or not have been inspected for a long while.

You can also buy a "gym set" reasonably cheaply.

It is also quite possible in some parts of the country that you will find it very difficult/impossible to get your children into the local school. I would suggest you find out how likely it is there will be space for your children.

I worked at a school that had an outstanding inspection while I was there. I couldn't believe it and would certainly never have recommended the school to anyone. Just because a school has an outstanding offsted report doesn't make it an outstanding school sadly.

Op - can you unpick WHY its not such nice street/village/postcode and to what degree?? Am assuming it's not mere snob value?? Is less nice place v rough/rundown/dodgy or mixed/on the up/good community? I'd be happy with the latter, for the right house, but not the former.. Iykwim?
Has one of your dc got SN (just from what you said) ? If so, worth checking provision.

Will your children get places at the school though ? It is not a given especially for an under 7 where class size restrictions apply. So little advantage to cheaper house if you are having to drive to , possibly 2, schools out of the village.

We have already checked out the schools and we're OK for getting in. I am not being snobbish about the area, I am not knocking the area in any way, I am just trying to point out there is quite a difference between the 2 areas. I have lived in Asia for a very long time, and did not have children to think about when I lived in the UK before. I thought that the Ofsted report was the way to go when trying to find out about schools. Clearly not, from the opinions here. Thanks all

Hi was just trying to unpick your stated view (not attack at all) in order to advise. Hard to say otherwise. Follow yr instincts maybe, or if feeling brave do a link to the houses as some people do on here.

an "outstanding" school with convenient vacancies Can you visit so you can decide if it feels right ?

My mother in law has already visited them and she was a teacher and then 15yrs in the Dept for Education so I feel comfortable with what she has fed back to me. Husband also visited albeit briefly.
My whole point is this; would you put school and garden (which is basically what I'm doing) over location.

Salbertina - sorry, I'm not sure what you mean by doing a link to the houses?

In whose eyes is it less desirable a location ? If you needed to sell , would it be as sought after by others ?

If you look at some Property threads, people link to actual houses via rightmove

It's very hard when everyone else's opinions differ. I'm more than happy with the place I live in, but compared to houses of people I know, it's for sure on the cheaper end of the market. I do also help out people with finding houses and the hardest thing is everybody has their personal ideals, like wanting 3 toilets, a power shower, 6 bedrooms for a family with one child (yes that puzzled me), a garden as big as a football pitch etc. Make a list of things important for YOU.

For what it's worth, I'd choose to be as near to my preferred school over what my actual house looks like. You can improve your house through your own efforts, but it would be hard to improve a school through one person's efforts alone.

Another one for ignoring the OFSTED reports. I like to read the bio-data bits about how many children, ethnic mix, where children live, that's about it. I've always been more interested in what extras the school offers like school trips, after school clubs, size.