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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:
Bluntness100 · 03/07/2017 17:54

Before I saw them I was going to say a. But looking at them b every time, it's gorgeous, and a is rather fugly. Sorry. But it has no kerb appeal and internally it's no where near as nice as b.

However my only caveat is the main road and how busy it is.

Wonderment · 03/07/2017 17:56

House A because house B is pokey and I think you'd feel claustrophobic in the end, and because I think if at all possible everyone should live in a 'love it' house. That is worth it's weight in gold.

I've only had one home that I really loved and sadly had to move due to change of circumstances. The home I have now is better area and so on, but my heart is at the other place and always will be.

Wonderment · 03/07/2017 17:57

Having said that, I like how they've put house b together, it's less bitty. But that's a personal thing rather than the house itself.

Bluntness100 · 03/07/2017 17:57

Front door opening straight into the lounge is a no no for me too, as it is for a lot of people.

Alittlepotofrosie · 03/07/2017 17:59

Neither. House A is gorgeous but it would massively impact your dh having time to see his children. That's what they will remember when they're grown up. For 700k i wouldn't want on road parking near a hospital. There must be some thing that's a compromise between the two?

noenemee · 03/07/2017 18:02

Sorry House B has too many absolute deal-breakers for my taste. The busy main road, only on street parking and proximity to the hospital, which will make parking all the more difficult, and it's top of the budget.

It wasn't possible to extend your present house?

TisapityshesaGeordie · 03/07/2017 18:03

Not really, alittlepotofrosie. There's not a lot on the market that suits us on our budget, and round here there's always going to be compromise on something unless you have megabucks.

OP posts:
TisapityshesaGeordie · 03/07/2017 18:04

Our house was already extended to the limit when we bought it, noeneeme. Plus we want a bigger garden.

OP posts:
Puffpaw · 03/07/2017 18:06

House b
Carport thing on house a will make the bedrooms above very hard to heat

Allthebestnamesareused · 03/07/2017 18:06

St Albans over Harpenden anyday

badgercat · 03/07/2017 18:07

Are you looking for a forever home or a suiting you right now home ? I think I'd probably go with a compromise of B for now with the long term plan of finding an A in 3 - 5 years time. The style of B is more my taste, however I'd never ever consider a house that didn't have off road parking - parking wars is no fun !

Allthebestnamesareused · 03/07/2017 18:09

I also think that you are more likely to get higher capital growth on the St Albans property than the Harpenden one.

Katmeifyoucan · 03/07/2017 18:10

House B is much more appealing.

TisapityshesaGeordie · 03/07/2017 18:12

It's got to be a forever home badgercat. Neither of us want to move again.

OP posts:
InspectorPenguin · 03/07/2017 18:15

Nothing to add except I knew it would be St Albans from your OP Grin
I lived there for nine months until I moved to live with DP and I bloody loved it. Would move back in a heartbeat.

The parking there though... Horrendous!!

HotelEuphoria · 03/07/2017 18:21

I think B is the nicest house, it is more attractive, so it's a bit smaller, it is where you want to be and according to those in the know in a better town.

The is a lot, a very lot, to be said for being in a location you like and have roots, as you appear to have now.

Joinourclub · 03/07/2017 18:23

House A is clearly a better house. But quality 'family time' would win for me every time. My husband hates it when works late and he goes a week without seeing the kids and I hate it too, doing EVERY bed and bath is a drag.

Time40 · 03/07/2017 18:25

House B. All that extra commuting and running about would be awful for everyone. It's not worth the trouble. I think you may have to accept that it won't be the forever house, and be prepared to move one more time.

TisapityshesaGeordie · 03/07/2017 18:27

Nope, never again Time!

OP posts:
sysysysref · 03/07/2017 18:27

100% the St Albans one. Harpenden is lovely but St Albans for quality of life, so much better when your kids are older

ImListening · 03/07/2017 18:31

St Albans, St Albans, St Albans

Every

Time

Did I say St Albans? Grin

spectacularvelvet · 03/07/2017 18:33

No idea about which house BUT if you look on google view at the front of the house there is a blue car in car port..... move along a teeny bit to the garages next door - look at your house - suddenly it's a red car and there is a man walking up the drive! Hmm

ftw · 03/07/2017 18:33

B! Bigger house is not worth DH not seeing DC for. (Esp as house B is a perfectly decent size - it might be different if that were tiny.)

Jermajesty · 03/07/2017 18:34

House b

mumsiedarlingrevolta · 03/07/2017 18:38

I would absolutely pick B.

We have just moved -1000sq ft smaller (in to something that looks a bit like B) to a house in the middle of a town.
There is something to being local and in the right place for everything.
And family life so much more important-especially at the ages of your DC.
Just think timing wrong to go to house A.....

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