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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:
BitOutOfPractice · 06/07/2017 13:45

I was going to say stay in St Albans. Never ever underestimate the total PITA that a driving distance school run will become to you

anewdispensation · 06/07/2017 13:46

Ahhh.. reading the OP, I knew you were talking about St.Albans as I live quite local... I would go with House A as I know the road house B is on and parking is a nightmare around there and quite close to the city hospital... Goodluck.. you are in an enviable position...

Floggingmolly · 06/07/2017 13:49

A. Schools are something I wouldn't compromise on, for anything.

TisapityshesaGeordie · 06/07/2017 13:53

House C has excellent schools, FloggingMolly.

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HipsterHunter · 06/07/2017 13:54

@TisapityshesaGeordie

Love the kitchen diner

But it looks a bit funny out the back! Like they couldn't be bothered to finish off the extension so just chucked some crappy wood steps like you had in porta cabin at school to get out of the back door.

Also that garage has ruined the garden. I'd want to knock down the garage, park on the drive and have a brick built shed for bike, lawnmower storage.

TisapityshesaGeordie · 06/07/2017 14:00

I thought the same, Hipster - both about the way it looks at the back and wanting to have the garage removed!

It does have a utility room though. I would love a utility room.

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PineappleScrunchie · 06/07/2017 14:05

House C looks like it's just been developed and they ran out of money after the kitchen extension and just finished everything off as cheaply as possible. I think you could spend a bit of money upgrading the finish (floors, garden, bathrooms) and it would be lovely.

OlennasWimple · 06/07/2017 14:10

C is definitely worth looking at. Check the quality of the fixtures really carefully (things like cupboard doors, taps), and bear in mind there's not a lot of scope left to add much value

Bear in mind that pretty much all the schools are great, so it's less of a factor than in some other places

MaryPoppinsPenguins · 06/07/2017 14:44

House C is lovely... and scope to extend to the side?

rizlett · 06/07/2017 15:00

House C is the nicest - but have they also sold some of the garden off to next door?

rizlett · 06/07/2017 15:05

or maybe going to build behind - is there an access road at the back of what used to be the whole garden?

BachingMad · 06/07/2017 17:12

St. Albans - beautiful vibrant city, whereas Harpenden lacks any soul and is full of Stepford wives.

Pallisers · 06/07/2017 17:21

I prefer House B and would always want to be in the city - especially if you don't like to drive but the lack of parking might tip it for me.

Oh just saw House C - definitely that one. You could make it really nice and it has parking.

noenemee · 06/07/2017 19:50

The garden does look small for House C, compared to some of the neighbours' but I would find that the easiest compromise to make. I think House C is best of all those linked, followed by A for the actual house and B for the location. I don't think you'd feel any benefit moving to house B and ultimately wouldn't be happy in house A's location.

Adding value doesn't need to be a consideration if you're hoping to stay in the house for ever and a day, but there are still small improvements you could make in time. The steps down to the garden, the garage, garden planning, and the glass around the front door are the ones that shout out to me.

If it's a developer selling it, which it looks like, I'd negotiate a better access arrangement to the garden instead of those temporary steps as part of the deal and leave the garage until the DCs grow a little and then think what would suit best.

Notonthestairs · 07/07/2017 16:06

A fellow Albanian here. House C gets my vote.

Notonthestairs · 07/07/2017 16:08

Ps hadn't House A been on and off the market quite a bit? It looks very familiar (RM obsessive)

OVienna · 07/07/2017 16:15

House C x1000. Call and make an offer!

OVienna · 07/07/2017 16:17

There's another St A's thread running. Get in there OP!!! You've got competition!

TisapityshesaGeordie · 08/07/2017 13:22

Saw House C. It has a phenomenal amount of potential. I didn't love it, but I could see that I could come to, given time to turn it into a home. The garden is slightly larger than it looks and the good news that there is potential to buy back the half of it that was sold off - which would make it huge.

Main downside is the street - it's a real hodge podge of different houses, and a lot of them aren't very nice or well-maintained.

DH isn't hugely keen, which would be fine except I don't think he's seeing it in the long term. He says it "doesn't feel like a home", which of course it doesn't, because it's an empty shell ATM. He's also pointed out we couldn't afford to do the work I'd want to do with it, and he's right, we couldn't immediately. But there's nothing there we couldn't live with for the moment (except for the back steps; I'd want them replaced as a condition of sale, they don't seem very safe), and if we're going to be there for the next 40 years we've got plenty of time to transform it into our dream house.

We've agreed to think on it over the weekend.

OP posts:
CardinalSin · 08/07/2017 13:30

I was going to come on and say house B, as you can't put a value on family time, but now I'd say house C. It looks ideal (and I'm assuming the location is good!).

user1499523365 · 08/07/2017 16:09

I've been following this thread and have just joined to say don't buy House C. Francis Avenue is really not a good location, long term that house would not be a great investment. You're right on the border between St A and Harpenden. It's not a desirable area around there. It's a huge purchase and one you have to get right.

Here are my thoughts:

Harpenden you would get bored of after a while. St Albans is absolutely the best choice. It's an amazing place to live and you won't regret your move.

House B in Normandy Road is a great location, but you will so outgrow that house. No parking is a nightmare, but you are well placed for primaries in city centre. Any city centre house is a good investment because of location and primary school places. However, people stay for 5/6 years and then have to move for secondary schools so long term it won't be a forever home.

TBH none of the houses in this thread would get you into a great secondary school, but you could see it as a 5/6 year plan.

You've talked abut an outstanding secondary school from House C, Townsend is not a good option, there's a reason it's undersuscribed. It's the one no one wants and the school you get allocated if all the other ones fill. Any agent that tells you that is a good school is talking even more bollocks than normal.

This one on the thread (Sheppards Close)is the best investment: www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-46719039.html

Not far from Francis Avenue, off Harpenden Road, needs about 100k's worth of work to turn into a 5 bed, but quiet road and look at the ceiling price of Sheppards Close - 925 for a 5 bed renovation.

Compare that to the ceiling price of 672,500 your House C, of Francis Avenue.

Alternatively, you could also consider this one on Beech Road. www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-66440921.html

Ignore the outside, you could completely change it and again similar to Seymour Road needs about 100k's worth of work to redo the extension. Ceiling price of renovated 5 bed on Beech Road is 820.

All three houses above - Francis Avenue, Sheppards Close and Beech Road have similar primary options - Garden Fields and Bernards Heath which are amazing. Sheppards Close and Beech Road give you a pretty much guarantee of Bernards Heath which is a more affluent intake (if you care about that) compared to Garden Fields. Both Beech Road and Sheppards Close will guarantee Bernards Heath Juniors which is outstanding. None will give you good secondary options for mixed - all Townsend, but all will get you to St Albans Girls which is hugely in demand.

The best investment is Sheppards Close, followed by Beech Road and then Francis Avenue. If you can get Sheppards Close for a good price, you will have done very well indeed.

The very best of luck.

TisapityshesaGeordie · 08/07/2017 16:35

The nearest secondary, according to Herts.gov, is Sandringham. I'm assuming they don't include Townsend as it has a religious entry requirement? STAGS is also 0.3 miles away, which would be great for DD.

DD is already at Maple, and it gives siblings priority, so hopefully DS will get in as well next year.

OP posts:
TisapityshesaGeordie · 08/07/2017 16:37

Also, we do not have the money or inclination for a fixer upper, and are looking for a home; not an investment.

OP posts:
TisapityshesaGeordie · 08/07/2017 16:58

Sorry if that sounded snippy. It's just I'm really not interested in how much a property could be worth. I want to live in it (preferably till they carry me out in a box), not do it up to sell it

OP posts:
TisapityshesaGeordie · 08/07/2017 17:51

Just did a bit of research on the street House C is on. It's got a fairly high crime rate and a high proportion of social housing (33%).

OP posts:
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