Looking for our 'forever home'

[IAmRubyLennox]

If you had 3 DC and were looking for your 'forever home' (thankyou, Kirsty & Phil), how would you spend £340,000?

this older 3 bedroom house on the edge of a village
or
{{http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-36801989.html?premiumA=true this 5-bedroom house in a big new development]]

All feedback welcome!

First one. Outdoor space is important IMO.

Is there scope to extend into the loft?

Yes, soverylucky, I agree about the expansion potential of the first one. We've extended the house we're in, so we know plenty of 'trades' and we're not scared of the work involved. However, the purchase price is really the top of our budget so we'd be taking a gamble on being able to afford to extend it in 5 years or so.

The motorway thing - it is really, really close to the motorway, there's no escaping that. However, what the map doesn't show clearly is that it's significantly higher ground than the motorway and there's a lot of trees in between. You'd most definitely be able to hear the motorway, but it would be worth a visit to establish exactly how much.

We're going to see a completely different one this afternoon anyway, so fingers crossed!

We used to live in one like property No 2 and boy does the sound travel. I could sit in the room at the top and hear the TV in the lounge. That was with all the doors shut and the volume not that high.

If DSS was in his room (at the top) and on the phone, he had to keep his voice down when DD was trying to sleep as she was in the room beneath him.

They look good but the sound proofing is generally awful. We said that we would never have a house like it again unless we could build it ourselves.

Good luck with the viewings,

Looks like it depends on how much time you would spend in the garden. the older one has more outdoor space, by the look of things. The newer one seems to have more overall indoor space.

House wise, the first house for the garden space alone BUT.....the location definitely puts me off as it would other people. You won't escape the noise of the M4. Always go for the better location. Only you can decide whether you want the convenience of a new build with the inevitable small plot or the hassle/expense of renovating an older property. We've lived in 2 newbuilds and 2 doer uppers - the current one we are doing a complete renovation plus extension and internal structural work. Location is key imo.

Do you really want to live in North Swindon..? Sure, it's lively now with lots of young families etc, but with that comes all the issues of problems with schooling, future teenage issues and those houses are very crammed in to each other. I personally wouldn't live there. Apart from anything else, you've only got Isambard as the secondary school and I've heard very mixed reviews about that.

Wroughton is a more established area, and I think the house there would hold its value better over the years. Ridgeway is a good, established school so I would probably go for that.

How close to Swindon do you have to be...? There are some gorgeous villages just outside where you can get something really nice for your money (you can probably guess the one I'm in, and you can get 4/5 beds there)... Houses outside Swindon tend to hold their value better than ones in it ime. Why not look at the villages by wootton Bassett, Purton, wanborough, or further afield the villages put towards Cirencester, Marlborough, Fairford?
Whereabouts in Swindon do you need to get to..?

The first one if it wasn't near a motorway, as it is it would be back to the drawing board for me.

I'm not a fan of new builds, number 2 looks a bit boxy and dull.

We live half a mile from a 40 mile an hour dual carriageway, it goes up to 70 about a mile away. The sound is there, particularly if the wind is blowing the wrong way, no way would I live near a motorway. It's not loud enough to bother me but I can hear it.

This is really useful stuff about the shortcomings of the 3-storey townhouses and the soundproofing, thanks for the insights there.

Letchladee - yep, could hazard a guess where you live - no, I really don't want to live in N.Swindon and always swore I wouldn't. I guess the only reason we've even looked at them is really to challenge our preconceptions. Would we trade off living there for a mahoosive house ?? Beginning to think that no, we won't. Have also heard the same less than favourable things about Isambard school.

I need to be able to get to Stratton, so to the S / W of Swindon then Wroughton is about my limit. Chiseldon would be OK because I can get straight onto the A419 and whizz up there.

WRT villages, do you think that it matters / prevents you from fully integrating in the village if your DC don't attend the village school?

What's your priorities? Schools, size of house, journey times to work etc...?

I think not sending your child to the village school would undoubtedly make a difference, but there are other ways to integrate ... Find a village where the children play out, join the brownies etc... As for you, there are other ways of meeting people - the mums I chat to at exercise class are different to the ones I speak to at the school gates for example.

A quick look on rightmove shows some lovely houses in Wanborough (ridgeway catchment) or what about South Marston (although the possible eastern development would concern me there - it could swallow up South Matston if it goes ahead). There's also a very nice one in Biddel Springs in Highworth? A bit further out is a lively house in Clanfield, but would that be too far for you...?

But as I say it all depends on your priorities, when we moved we massively downsized to move into the Farmors Catchment area. But the further out from Swindon you go, the more the house prices increase. We didn't mind paying more for a smaller house but you might. Depends on your priorities really.

For a forever home: location first, plot second, house third (within reason). For me a new house on an estate wouldn't be my first choice, but more because of the location and plot than anything else.

The second has a lot more potential, but motorway noise is a big no-no too.
I don't know the location so I'm probably not very helpful, but this has a gorgeous garden and view and some fab features - it's a bit more though, plus it needs some spending on it.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-22559181.html

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-30868291.html

Could be nice with a bit of redecorating downstairs

irregular, why did you have to show me that one in Lakeside? why?

It's a bit out of our price range, but how much would I love to get my hands on that and do it up???

(Lakeside is very nice indeed , in fact it's where we're going later to look at something else!)

Love that 'Lakeside' house - buy that one!

Location looks great - fab garden/plot which backs onto a park (just like my house)

You should team up with IrregularKirstyAlsopRegular, she's found two corkers!

That Lakeside one has been for sale for 9 months, with a 10k drop 6 months ago. Should be flexible as clearly noone interested at that price.

RCheshire - how do you know this information??? Am I looking at the wrong bit of Zoopla??