Would you let your heart rule your head?

[PastaBeeandCheese]

We've got a decent offer on our house. Yippee! We need to agree on our purchase now.

Property 1: safe, conventional 4 bed detached house on a newish estate in naice village. Layout you'd expect with good storage, all double beds although they aren't massive. Excellent primary a stones throw away. Not preferred secondary catchment but still a good school.

Property 2: Beautiful 3 (large) bedroom semi detached cottage set in large, enclosed grounds on a quiet lane. Surrounded by fields. Amazing kitchen, family room. No mains gas though. A drive to the very good primary and in preferred secondary catchment.

We've one toddler DD and a baby on the way. This is meant to be our forever move.

We do have family to stay so it's a bit of a barrier to think we won't have a guest room anymore.

WWYD?

1. Get a sofa bed for the family room. Location is everything.

Would there be any room to extend property number 2 in the future? Even if not i would still be inclined to go with the cottage as preferred secondary catchment would be more of a priority than guest room and Like other poster has already suggested you could always use another room as a guest bedroom.

I would say 2nd choice, but with one caveat - schools can change a lot in 9 years (ie when you want your eldest to go to secondary). We moved to lovely village location; couldn't get into local Primary but lived with the 5 years of driving to neighbouring village for primary, as were in preferred secondary location. By the time we came to make secondary selection preferred school had gone from Outstanding to Special measures!

mylittlemonkey we have considered that as there is a massive garden. It's been significantly extended in the last decade though hence the reason it has the 'dream kitchen' and even a third bedroom. I think it more likely we could rearrange the upstairs layout as the bathroom is huge too but then we'd have 4 small beds and I can really see the DCs loving the massive rooms as they grow.

We definitely couldn't afford it until we'd finished paying double nursery fees too!

gandalfcat you are right and we have warned ourselves about that but with such young DCs we can't really do anything other than look at what schools are good now. It has been the desired school for a long time (hence the reason we can't afford detached or a 4th bedroom in the catchment) though so hopefully it'll stay that way.

rubyrubyruby I knew you'd say that! I get the impression from the sellers support thread that you are brave though and I just wish I could have a crystal ball!

Anyway, we're going to have to make our minds up today. Off for a walk along the footpath near the cottage to aid this decision.

number 2, sounds lovely. Heart will always make you happier!

Realistically, in the long run, are you someone who can live without neighbours? Will your kids be able to live without friends to call on?

For me, no2 sounds my ideal, too isolating for others, for my ds8, it wouldn't be his thing....

I don't think I've helped there.

Number 2 definitely. A guest room is only used occasionally, so yes, get a sofa bed.

I'm going to go against the flow and say number 1.

It is 'done' and will allow you to move in,without worry and enjoy your dc's. The estate will provide children for your dcs to play with as they get older, and the convenience of being near amenities will become note important as the children grow.

Also the fourth bedroom will make it easy to enjoy having family and friends over.

I think property 1 sounds better, too. Better to live within walking distance of a good primary and, hopefully, with children nearby for your children to play with.
I know you are looking for a "forever" house, but things can change. Our current house was meant to be our forever" home, but things have changed in a way that we couldn't necessarily have predicted. what I am trying to say is that, if your eldest is still a toddler, a lot could change before she is ready to start secondary school. What is going to be best for the next decade or so?

We're going to put an offer in on #2. I won't mind the isolation. It's in a row of 4 anyway so not completely alone.

I am concerned about the journey to primary school but as DH has pointed out I work 3 days so will only take her 2 days. Wherever we live she will have to be dropped at a childminder or similar 3 days.

We'll be much closer to her nursery which is good in the short term.

Very excited!

Good luck! In the absence of being able to choose our next home before we can find someone to buy the current one, I was wondering what you would go for. Hope it all works out for you.