We are house-hunting and have found four suitable properties, all very different, not sure what to go for. Which one would you go for?
A bit of background, DH has a work contract in Scotland, and we have bought a small one bed flat near his work place. It is too small for us and our dog, so we are looking for a larger place. We are also ttc, but it is likely that nothing may come of it.
Neither one of us is from the UK and long-term, when we are retired, we would like to spend 6 months in France and 6 months in the UK (assuming we can afford that lifestyle then). Also, my work is flexible, so can work from really anywhere as long as there is internet and an airport close-by.
Of all the places we have seen, these are the ones we are torn between. In no particular order -
a) Modern 4 bed detached house in an estate. Pros: Very close to DH's work, secluded garden and nice conservatory, and a 20 minute train ride into Edinburgh city centre. It is comfortably within our budget plus we can rent out the one bed flat. Cons: Boring and if DH has to move to another part of UK for work, we would feel no pull to come back to this house. Requires a bit of work to make it suit us, but wouldn't add value (e.g., combine two small bedrooms into one master suite)
b) Four bed cottage with a good amount of land, in the middle of western Scotland. Pros: Absolutely charming and beautiful with loads of windows and cross ventilation in every room. Open views. Requires little work - mainly changing carpets and a lick of paint. Within budget. Cons: Would need to keep flat for weekdays and live in the cottage on weekends as it is one and a half hours from DH's work. It is 45 minutes from a major airport. It is really not walking distance to any shops, and the nearest village is a 10 minute drive. Also, it has a long half km driveway that will need gravel to make it easier to drive over winter.
c) Four bed period home with a good amount of land in west Scotland. Pros: Very beautiful, high ceilings, lovely cornice work, lots of space and nice woodland views. 20 minutes drive from two major airports. Walking distance to a small village/town. Short drive to the coast and some nice coastal towns. Cons: Would need to really stretch our budget, requires work, village closeby needs a face-lift, although it does have a large Tesco. It is one hour commute to DH's work, so might need to keep the flat for weekdays..although we probably should rent it out to cover the extra mortgage required on this.
d) Two bed modern detached house in a coastal village in west Scotland. Pros: Amazing sea-views from house and garden, low heating bills, nice looking home. Lovely garden and two beds and two bathrooms, pretty much all we need at the moment. Within budget and will require only a lick of paint and removing carpets. Nice area and close to to a lively coastal town (5 minute drive). Train links to a major city. Cons: Small, expensive for its size and may be difficult to sell later on. It is one hour and ten minutes commute to DH's work, so might need to keep the flat for weekdays...
Which one would you go for and why? We don't have family or friends close by for help/advice and really don't want to make the wrong decision. So any perspective we can get would be enormously helpful.
Sorry for the long post and TIA