perfect location or perfect house?

[kedward1]

hello everyone,

new to this but hoping you can help. my husband and I are moving from Bristol to find a nice countryside family home in Gloucestershire as I work in Cheltenham and he in Gloucester. We're not parents yet but we're hoping to be!

We're unsure whether to go for the perfect location or the perfect(ish) house. we've found a lovely big house with amazing downstairs living space in Highnam that we could stay in for many years once we have a family just west of Gloucester but it's pretty rural and doesn't seem to be much on our door step. Gloucester is nearby but as I don't know it I've been doing some google research but people seem to say it's rundown with lots of rough areas.

Cirencester is lovely with lots of nice pubs, restaurants, shops and coffee places etc but it's so desirable that for our budget we couldn't get the spacious family home we want and would have to settle for a smaller place.

Location or house - what we do?! smile

Neither /both i.e probably a compromise Location is key May be a cliche but is still true Location is the one thing you can't change But the house still has to be right Go for something smaller in good area that you can improve / extend

The only thing you can't change about a house is the location......

The commute from Highnam will be a nightmare. recommend Cheltenham over Gloucester.

if you have a budget I can find properties for you

Location every time.

Location. As long as the house isn't too small. Like others have said, look for a small place that you can extend as and when you need more space (either by doing the loft, extending into the garden etc).

Cirencester to cheltenham/gloucester is quite a trek in the rush hour, birdlip hill gets very busy and slow.

Cirencester is also not full of great sized family homes. There are a lot of 3 beds semis and then lots of huge farm type places out of town.

Really, location is the thing to go for.

Location. Plus, try and think about how your lifestyle would change once you have kids - what you want from where you live will change hugely. Rural might be very pretty, but means you have to drive everywhere - going to school, meeting up with friends etc, all becomes more complicated.

Cirencester is nice. Nice but flat like a pancake.

Wotton under edge. Very nice town, great schools, top secondary but cheaper maybe then Cirencester? Great community with stuff going on, a fair trade place that offers good amenities close to lovely countryside.

Ross on wye is a very foody and booky town. Cheapish area to buy and lively countryside.

Chalford? Near Stroud has a very very good secondary I've heard. It's very bumpy and a bit more remote but has great parks/pubs/access to Cirencester and Stroud via the bus. My nephews are up and down like yoyos

Rodborough is a nice area of Stroud and on the edge of the common. Not sure about school catchments though.

Cirencester is not flat at all!!

Centre of town maybe, but uphill out to the edge of town in several direction

Lots of people are suggesting nice places, but you work in Cheltenham and Gloucester, so i would say you first decision is how far do you want to travel to work each day, where about sin Chelt and Glos do you work, and which areas fit within that range. Remembering that if you start a family you may want to consider how far you want to travel to work.

Ciren is very pretty and upmarket with a huge park, I'd think good with children - no comparison to Gloucester at all! your friends are right saying Gloucester is rough (though canalside is quite good, but lacks charm imo)

You can drive quickly to Kemble station and maybe using train is quicker to work?

the downside is, Ciren hasn't got its own train station (thinking ahead of teenagers having choices).

If you work in Cheltenham why wouldn't you consider living there? Is it too expensive? Especially as your job is there, if you intend going back to work after maternity leave it will make family life a lot easier if you have a short commute.

Thank you so much for your help and the suggestions - living in Bristol we don't really know the area at all which does make it difficult. Budget is 360 max and looking for ideally a 4 bed with large living room, kitchen and dining room as our furniture from our Victorian house here is huge! I think I've got my answer - location! Thanks you wonderful lot

Yes cheltenham too pricey and would prefer to live in village. Happy to drive 30-40mins into work

Location. When you have a baby or toddler you don't want to have to get in the car every time you want to get out of the house/buy milk etc. You can always move to the dream rural place later once your DC are not so small.

You may need to look again at your valuation. IME villages around chelt tend to be pretty cotswold ones, and they are usually MORE expensive than the town.

For example, we could have bought a 2 bed cottage in the village, a 3 bed semi in Cirencester, or the big 4 bed we now have in an unattractive town 12 miles away

Location I think (up to a point obviously - if you had 4 dcs and could only afford a 1 bed flat then you might need to compromise location a bit ) If you think you might at some point be in the position to trade up then definitely pick the location you would prefer longer-term.

I've really really appreciated being able to walk to places with young children - we could walk to school/nursery/activities/swimming/shops/library/park etc

You might find your ideas change once you are actually parents as well re what makes the perfect house. Would a house in your fave location that has potential to extend be a good solution?

If you love Highnam, then as others said you do have to think about the commute, the main A roads into Gloucester and out to the Forest can be a nightmare in rush hour. I live in Cheltenham and to be honest would choose Cheltenham or Cirencester over Gloucester. If someone has to do the Cirencester to Cheltenham route, you don't have to go via Birdlip Hill - in fact, we never go that way, we use the A435.

If you're living further out and plan to have a family, do think about how far the nearest schools are. If not walkable, are you willing to drive every day or is there a school bus. Also, if you're further out, are you willing to drop off/collect your kids every time they see a friend.

You should find a four bedroom house in Cheltenham for £360,000. We're looking for one in a more expensive part and they are around, even for our budget of £270,000 and you have quite a bit more to get something bigger. You might find something on the edge of Charlton Kings/Leckhampton or Bishops Cleeve which has all have good schools for the future. These places have older and newer styles and easy access to the countryside, with good schools and facilities.

By the way, we choose location over property. We ended up with a home which is a little small for our needs, but wouldn't give it up if it meant leaving the location, so for us location did come over property.

madmog, op works in chelt and her dh in gloucester, (or other way round) so one of them has to get to glos.

Would definitely agree though that Cheltenham is much nicer than Gloucester

Churchdown. Easy to get to both Cheltenham and Gloucester via car or bus, or cycle route to Gloucester, but also walking distance to open countryside. Has primary schools, a couple of secondary one very good, pubs, a few shops. Wish I still lived there, it would hugely cut mine and DHs commute.

I think the commute from Bristol would be less frustrsting than ciren or Hignham.

If I had the choice it would be Charlton Kings village for the schools and course countryside

Location. You can always alter the house.

Definitely location! Makes a huge difference to lifestyle.

you can't alter a small house, especially with an also small garden somewhere pricey and expensive. You'd need money for serious extensions which no everyone has after paying for the prime location!