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Which of these houses would you pick for your Forever Home?

167 replies

TisapityshesaGeordie · 03/07/2017 17:21

I should start by saying we haven't offered on either yet, so there's a good chance we'll get neither!

We currently live in a small city outside London, and we love it here. DH commutes in daily - train journey is under 30 mins. I'm a SAHM, DD is 5 and at an Outstanding primary school that she (and we) love. DS is 3 and at an Outstanding nursery down the road from DD's school, at which he's pretty much guaranteed a place next year thanks to the sibling rule. We've accepted an offer on our current house, and our chain is complete - they're just waiting for us.

House A is on the outskirts of a different town, about 5 miles away from where we are now. It's huge - 1000 sq feet more than we have now, and their asking price is £15k under our maximum budget. I absolutely love it - it's pretty much my dream house, or as close as I'll get to it in this part of the world with a limited budget. It's on a quiet street near a river and a nature reserve.

However. It's at least a 20 min walk to the station - which is a stop further down the line then we are now. DH's train journey would be closet to 40 mins, and with that and the longer walk he'd never see the kids before bed - which he loves to do. He leaves very early in the morning so is gone before they're up - he'd have an even earlier start if we move here.

The local primaries are fine, so we could move DD - but if we decided not to (because her current school really is amazing), I'd be driving the school run at peak times on a busy commuting road every day - 6 times a day for the first year while DS is at nursery.

The local secondary is Outstanding, and less than half mile away.

A smaller factor to all this is that I'm very active in our local theatre which currently a 20 minute walk away. Moving here would make this much more problematic as DH wouldn't be home in time to let me get away. Other things like play dates and nights out (we don't have many but enjoy them when we do) would be more problematic - although there are plenty of kids activities and bars and restaurants in the nearby town; it's not like we'd be moving to the middle of nowhere.

Have I mentioned it's my dream house? Grin

The other house, House B, is round the corner from where we are now. It's handy for school, the station and the city centre. It's a nice house - very nice - and is about 400 sq feet bigger than we have now, so big enough, but not huge. It doesn't put us in the right place for the best secondarys in the area, but the nearest ones are still good. You'd have to work hard to find a bad school round here tbh.

Downsides are it's right on a busy main road - and round the corner from the hospital, so you'll have siren noise at all hours; has only on street parking (which is always tight round here), and I don't love it. Can't imagine spending the rest of my life in it. DH likes it more though. Its asking price is right at the top of our budget.

Well done if you got through all that! What do you think?

OP posts:
Lowdoorinthewal1 · 03/07/2017 17:25

House A

You'll make the logistics work and the Secondary school thing is important.

Lowdoorinthewal1 · 03/07/2017 17:26
UsedToBeAPaxmanFan · 03/07/2017 17:29

House A. Although bear in mind that secondary schools can change a lot between now and when your dc get to that age.

Your dh could cycle to/from the station which would knock some time off the commute. You could pay a local teenager to babysit the kids if you need to go our and dh isn't back.

I think house A sounds much better all round.

TisapityshesaGeordie · 03/07/2017 17:32

Alright, this will out me, probably, but:

House A (the pictures don't do it justice, IMO) - www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-67064822.html

House B - www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-49175073.html

OP posts:
Boredboredboredboredbored · 03/07/2017 17:32

Link link link!

House A by a mile. As pp said you'll adjust to it.

Lowdoorinthewal1 · 03/07/2017 17:36

A no contest. Do it!

Smitff · 03/07/2017 17:38

B.

We have given up a huge amount of space etc in order for our young children to see their father every day. Don't regret it for a second, and would do the same again. Things will be different when they're older; that's when we will move further out to get space and privacy (for them to do homework (so won't need to see dad) and extra curricular stuff). But when they're this little (mine are around the same as yours) family life is far more important than anything.

Lowdoorinthewal1 · 03/07/2017 17:39

The only thing that would put me off A is the front door opening into the living room. I wonder if you could put a front door in at the back of the carport.

KickAssAngel · 03/07/2017 17:40

I would never even look at a house on a main road if I could possibly afford not to.

MaryWortleyMontagu · 03/07/2017 17:42

My personal preference would be for house b. Both are lovely but I'd personally prefer to be in the middle of st Albans rather than on the edge of harpenden. I also couldn't be faffed with the multiple and long school/nursery pick up and drop offs to st Albans from harpenden. But that's me and you do seem to really love the harpenden house.

TisapityshesaGeordie · 03/07/2017 17:42

That's my main sticking point Smitff. If he habitually worked late and never saw them it'd be different - but he rushes home every day to tuck them in and read their bedtime story.

There's a side door already Low, which opens into the hallway between the kitchen and living room. Vendors say they never use the front door.

OP posts:
Lowdoorinthewal1 · 03/07/2017 17:42

Hmm, also why bathroom downstairs and study upstairs?? I would much rather have those the other way round.

I'm going to revise my bid to A.. if you have the cash to sort the random layout out!!

Vagndidit · 03/07/2017 17:42

B.

If you don't want it, I'd happily take it if I could ever afford something like that

Your children are 3 and 5, so secondary is years away. Things could change dramatically by then.

purpleleotard · 03/07/2017 17:42

undoubtedly A
Just nicer and with a larger garden.

MaryWortleyMontagu · 03/07/2017 17:43

Also you have 5-6 years until you have to start thinking about secondary school and a lot can change in that time.

SerfTerf · 03/07/2017 17:44

B, above a certain point extra space doesn't improve your quality of life that much; People and experiences do. The theatre aspect, particularly you will regret as a SAHM even if you can manage the other issues.

Plus B actually has more characters.

TisapityshesaGeordie · 03/07/2017 17:46

I forgot to mention B also planning permission for various extensions, so could be made bigger, though it'd be years before we'd have the cash to do it.

OP posts:
AndNowItIsSeven · 03/07/2017 17:47

House A , secondary is far more important than primary. Also your ds can go to a local nursery. No real benefit in feeder nurseries.

UnicornMadeOfPinkGlitter · 03/07/2017 17:48

B. I prefer that house. I know nothing about the areas though.

Catchment areas change and so domofsted ratings. The oftsed ratings of the catchments for b are just as good as a.

I'd chose shorter commute and more family time over a bigger house.

LittleMissCrappy · 03/07/2017 17:48

Honestly, st Albans is so much nicer than Harpenden. Can you wait until another house in location B comes up? Are you in a huge rush? It's the busy road that worries me. St Albans is really lovely. We lived there for two years and it's fab. Harpenden is too quiet.

IWantABlueBanana · 03/07/2017 17:49

B absolutely

SnowiestMountain · 03/07/2017 17:50

Oh B is lovely!

MoonfaceAndSilky · 03/07/2017 17:50

House A is lovely EnvySmile

TisapityshesaGeordie · 03/07/2017 17:52

I don't know LittleMissCrappy, our vendor's been very patient but she won't wait forever. And it took 3 months to get one offer (hers) on our tiny house, so I'm not keen to try our luck on the market again.

We really do love living here though. It has pretty much everything we want.

OP posts:
Boredboredboredboredbored · 03/07/2017 17:52

Now I've seen them I've changed my vote

B. Much nicer location and style. Do not like a door opening straight into the lounge or the weird car port

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