Another "Which house would you choose" question

[Wafflesnaffler]

Please could you help me with this house choice? Which of these 2 houses would you choose to buy:

House 1: "3 bed" detached, with room to extend/convert loft etc if wanted to make a bigger 3rd bedroom (it's 2m x 1.5m!!), but this would take it above ceiling price. A short walk to school and to the town centre, as well as convenience shops. On a road which I always thought seemed a little dodgy, but I may be wrong (just based it on a woman I met once who lived there) - can't properly tell without living there myself. Maybe the neighbours are no problem at all. Quiet road (traffic-wise). This is not a road I dreamt of living on, but it's walkable to school and town which I did love about my last house.

House 2: 2 bed detached with room to extend at the back and convert loft to make a 3rd bedroom. This could be done within the ceiling price of the road and still leave room for added value (ie: finished house may be worth more than the work cost). A long walk to school, so would usually have to drive for 10 mins. Would have to drive 15 mins into the town centre for main shops etc, although there are convenience shops 5 mins walk away. On a very nice road, but the main issue with this house is it's on the corner with a busy road so that you can really hear the traffic when in the garden. We have options which might reduce the noise, but can't tell if they'd work without buying house and trying the solutions. This really is the "worst" house on a great street, and it's a street we could not afford to live on any other way. If the road noise proved bearable to me, I could happily live there for many a year...but it may be hard to sell on later.

Both have been on the market for ages, house 1 is on at 10k more than house 2.

Thanks for reading all that! Any opinions gratefully received.

Hmm - until your last sentence about "...really is the "worst" house on a great street..." I wasn't convinced that you particularly liked either of them. Still not sure you do - it sounds very like you are trying to talk yourself into at least one, and using the 'investment' argument to do so.

How busy is the road next to house 2? Buses? Trucks? I once disregarded a house backed on a busy-ish residential road as I thought it will be too busy. It turns out it is very quiet after 7pm so would have been ok (I did not know that at the time).

House 1 seems quite a good option. Perhaps walking on that "dodgy" road at different times of day would help to make the decision?

MoonlightandRoses - my sister thought the same! I like house 2 very much but am just scared I won't be able to reduce the noise or sell the house later down the line.

littlecrystal - the road has buses, trucks, the lot. Whatever needs to come through the town comes down this road or one other. It doesn't get quiet til about 9 or 10pm. We will hang around the house 1 road as much as possible in the next couple of days, as you suggest.

Thankyou both for your answers :)

Assuming you won't be able to reduce the noise, and ignoring the sell bit (although you could, it will just take longer) would you still want it? If yes, then go for it.