compare and contrast, if you will, these 2 properties for me.

[NinjaChipmunk]

OK so we have seen this house. For dp it was a bit 'meh' but I quite liked it and could see potential.

We are arranging to view this house which is £40K more.

They are in the same road, house B has a garage which dh needs as a workshop. My initial thoughts would be that you could add a shed with power and light to property A for about 5K and also think about an extension/ conservatory/ playroom in the future.
House A is obviously much more affordable but house B is nicer....

I much prefer house B. If your finances would stretch, I think it would be worth it.

Interesting, is there any actual reason why? If we spent up to 40k on house A could it be as nice as house B? This is where I am having issues!

I can also see the potential in House A and 40k is a massive difference. I certainly don't think there's 40k's "worth" of difference between the two. So I would go for A, offering about 375k to start

B is a nicer layout (from what you can see in the photos). Guess it really depends on how much you have to spend, and how much the extra workshop etc would actually cost you.

I think architecturally house B is just a lot more attractive, and although you could improve house A, it would never be as pretty. But not everyone cares about that.

Actually comparing the floorplans it is jsut the kitchen extension that makes the difference. So I guess the question is could you do a similar extension and a workshop for DH for less than the 40K difference - I guess probably.

Is A next to a large block of flats?

I have family living nearby but i cant remember the layout of the road

Not that I recall, although I know there are flats a couple of roads over. Maybe that's where you are thinking?

prefer b. is the kitchen as narrow as it looks in house a?

I also prefer B mainly due to the kitchen pics, the house A kitchen looks very poky.

kitchen in house A is 14'9 x 8'6 so yes is narrow but I would look to opening up the doorway between that and the dining room for a bigger feel. I don't think the pic helps!

I prefer house B, but think house A is the better buy - I agree about the kitchen extension and garage/shed for 40k.

I would look into if you would need and be likely to be granted PP for that work - especially the garage/shed if that is a must.

Alternatively offer very low on house B, citing a housed A as a similar property at a much lower price.

could well be as i only know the roads to drive through and my family is Alexandra park side

I prefer B, I think in that area the period features will always win out. I live very close to that road if you need more info about schools etc

I'ld buy A, in practical terms I don't think B is worth 40K more

I much prefer house B. It is better looking from the outside and the layout is better inside. The kitchen in house A looks like a long corridor.

Andie have pm you, I think we have someone in common..

I don't think house As kitchen looks much better, the floor space is more but the cupboard space looks less IYKWIM

I'd buy A though I can see the attraction of B. The room sizes are better in A, despite the kitchen extension, and I prefer a roomy square bay window too. Those fresh colours really lift the look of B and the use of a fisheye(?) lens in the pics too all conspire to hide the fact the rooms are actually significantly smaller.

£30k would easily cover repainting , a new kitchen with small extension and a large shed, and you've still saved.

I'm a bit suspicious about the unpictured garden in B - how much space is taken up by this garage?

House B is nicer (or, at least, much better photographed by the EA), but I agree with everyone who says that House A is probably better.

Looking at the floor plans, it looks like house B's kitchen extension has made the dining room into an internal room. You can see the doorway through the arch, but there isn't actually a window in the room. House A has a lovely big window in the dining room.

You could do a better kitchen extension to house A for the difference in price, and the other rooms are a better size.

also B is painted nice interesting colours and A is very bare looking magnolia, the nicer presentation wouldn't influence me though, you could do so much with 40k

A is obviously less attractive than B but not £40,000 worth. The floorplans are really interesting as A then seems better. You could do a lovely extension across the back for that money and then it would be much bigger and better I think with a proper kitchen breakfast room and a dining room.

It gives you a good position to bargain on house B though. Offer what you think B is actually worth compared to what you'd offer on A and then if they refuse (give them a short time limit) you still have house A to offer on!

Is there potential in house A, for a loft conversion for example? The third bedroom in house A is tiny, and I would only consider if there was a chance the extra £40k could go towards a loft conversion to provide another double bedroom and possibly and another bathroom up there.

downstairs I would be tempted to knock through the kitchen rather than extend, to make a kitchen diner with nice big bifold doors on to the garden. Not sure you can do all that on £40k, but that's what would swing it towards house A for me.

Otherwise House B is nicer, and has a bigger third bedroom. Also, the garage would also sell it to me

I don't think you will really know until you have seen both inside and out. Does the way the garden faces have any bearing on what you could do with the properties in the long term.

In house B could there be any potential in doing a joint side extension and keeping the garages as workshops in due course. Maximising downstairs space is potentially good for the future and I can't see any scope for doing that widthways in House A.

How long are you likely to stay in the house? How easily can you afford an extra £40k. How long has each been on the market and how flexible are the vendors about price. If house B's price is relatively non negotiable but you could get House A for say 15k off the asking price then that turns into a differential of £55k. Have a look at Zoopla and see what the differential between the two house styles has been over the last 10 years.