SHould we just flip a coin?

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We've been looking for a few months, had some disappointments, and now have a shortlist of 3 inoffensive 4 bed detached houses on OK roads/ estates with acceptable schools. Trouble is, none of them "speak" to us, but it's time to compromise and accept that this move isn't the forever house. We are working to a timescale - must be moved by Christmas - and we are thoroughly sick of looking at houses!

So - we have:
1 on the edge of a little market town (a few shops, swimming pool, library etc)
1 in a slightly more villagey-feeling place on the edge of the main town connurbation
1 in a des res estate, but the worst plot.

Really, should we just flip a coin to choose which one to offer on tomorrow?

The last one sounds the least desirable. Number 2 sounds nice? Villagey feel, near a town. Any links? I'll decide for you

And have you got a three sided coin??

Links please!

Sorry, I've burbled on about these three all week and links may out me!

Shakey - DH may be able to do something complicated with dice?

I know it's not really a sensible way to choose a house, but really, when your heart's not in it, just exactly how do you do it?

Previous purchases have been heart decisions. I'm over waiting for "the one" now, but am finding that my head is useless at this, and DH appears to be waiting for me to take the lead probably because I've been so rabid about schools.

You have mentioned the locations of the houses, but not anything about the houses themselves. Therer must be some differences between the size, layout, garden, finish?

Do you have to buy? Could you rent for a while and buy yourselves some extra time to find the 'the one'?

I think 1 or 2, can we have more details? Layout/decor/garden/parking etc.

How long do you think you will be staying?

And what was the final outcome on the house that needs loads of work? Did you just walk away or did they say no ball to your plans?

I bought a "heart's not in it" oneand bloody hated it

How many times have you seen them?

Hello Oreo - vendors want to sell as is (as far as I can tell, as the agent is still not very chatty, to say the least) and mortgage lenders we've spoken to all pull faces at the mention of "structural repairs". It's still on the market at the same price. If we really can't bring ourselves to go for one of these we could still try - Co-op said they would decide whether to lend or not based on the valuation survey, before we would have to commission a structural survey, so we could line ourselves up to lose only c.£200 rather than c.£900, IYSWIM. (I still don't understand that - are they really saying the lender's not bothered about the structural survey, or just that the valuer will look at more than he'll put in the report?)

Anyway - house 1 is very nice layout and garden, drive slopes down towards the house but I think I'm over that, good condition. Slightly put off as I drove by earlier today and spotted a sofa abandoned in the communal garden of the nearby flats, but DH says I'm being picky about that. House 2 also nice layout and OK garden, fronts main (estate) road, good condition. House 3 has a bathroom with no window and is tatty, but south-facing garden.

We did the give-each-one-a-score-on-the-important-stuff earlier, and they all came out pretty much the same, which then led to DH weighting the factors (no, honestly) and then we had an argument about the results. Not the best way to decide, I fear!

Shakey, we've seen 1 and 3 twice, 2 once.

Oh bollocks, we're going to have to keep looking, aren't we?

DH doesn't want to move into another rental.

WRT the valuers survey, I think they will moderatly look into the state of the structure when making the mortgage valuation, and you will get a detailed breakdown with a structural survey. I'm not sure though .

If all the houses balance out on various different points I would make a decision based on location and what is available to suit your needs - school, playgroups, shops - whatever you would use most in your life.

But if you can't decide you probably need to keep looking! - sorry!

I know we haven't got it right yet, I know.... But it's soooo boring now!

If we have a startling revelation overnight I will, of course, pop back with an update