Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Flip

Original poster

Please help: what matters most: Location or the actual house?

24 replies

VanillaMcFly · 04/01/2018 01:32

Hi all, looking for some brutal advice as I can't decide what's more important: the location or the actual house when searching for a property to buy. We're in a desirable area but the houses we love/want are waaay out of our budget. My DH has said he'd be happy to move out of the area and go somewhere on the outskirts of where we are but I don't want to as I don't drive, i work locally and am familiar with the area we're in and feel safe here. We've recently come across a property not too far from where we live but it's a mid-terrace (currently in a new build flat), on the main road (bus stop nearby) and in a terrible state. Wwyd? Do it up, add value and move to a bigger house later or move out of the area and find another place in a not so pretty area to make home?

OP posts:

keepsakebox · 04/01/2018 01:48

You clearly want to stay in the area by what you say so the first thing you need to do is find out if DH is willing to go through the cost and stress of living through a renovation.

DelphiniumBlue · 04/01/2018 01:55

Sounds like it would suit you best to stay in area- having a support network and being able to walk to work/friends/shops is really valuable.
How much work does the house need? Is it liveable in while you do the work? Can you afford to get help with that or will you be doing it yourselves? Long term a doer- upper is a good idea, but it does put a huge strain on you while it's in progress. Decorating is not too bad, but structural work can be expensive.
Mayber get quotes for the work and time estimates before finally deciding?

Littlecaf · 04/01/2018 03:01

Location (which is why the probgram is called Location Location Location). Houses can be changed - that’s in your control, the Location can’t.

SilverBirchTree · 04/01/2018 03:02

Location every time.

RavingRoo · 04/01/2018 03:14

To be honest, as a first time buyer, just having a house is the most important thing. I personally would buy the best I could afford even if it means leaving the area.

Crumbelina · 04/01/2018 05:07

Another vote for location.

RestingGrinchFace · 04/01/2018 05:23

If you can afford to do it up then do it up. Unless the houses you could buy elsewhere are amazing there is no point. Most less pleasant areas in Britain are so horrible that you end up trapped in your own house if you cannot drive.

Mummychoochoo3 · 04/01/2018 05:29

Location! We were first time buyers nearly 2 years ago and I am extremely happy we chose location. I'm happy i live somewhere that I feel safe. This did equal to a smaller house, but we love it. We can always extend in the future.

Thirtyrock39 · 04/01/2018 10:08

Location 100% we could live in the next village or town and get a house £30 grand cheaper both these are within 3 miles but I'd hate to leave our village

OuchBollocks · 04/01/2018 10:10

The prices in desirable areas may rise faster than in less naice ones so you may find that if you move away you're priced out forever unless your finances improve dramatically.

greendale17 · 04/01/2018 10:17

Definitely location

TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince · 04/01/2018 10:22

Location. I bought house in the mid 90’s for 45k. It’s now worth nearly 200k.

House pries in desirable areas rise much faster than in other regions. I agree with poster who said you might get priced out

GingerIvy · 04/01/2018 10:28

Location. We chose a smaller place in the location we wanted, rather than a larger place in a less ideal location.

Namethecat · 04/01/2018 10:31

Don't they say buy the worst house in the best location. i.e if it's cheaper because it's a doer upper but in a great location then win win ! ( Obviously have to be able / have finance to do so )

Note3 · 04/01/2018 15:02

I don't think it is as simple as just going for location over anything else.

We had a lovely but tiny house in a very sought after location. We were miserable as the house was too small for our needs (think 2 bedrooms and one small lounge/diner and a galley kitchen). There was no room for growth at all. People paid a premium for the area but we were depressed and never invited ppl over as so cramped and cluttered.

We moved to a still nice but less sought after location and are now in an enormous house with room for growth which cost the same as our tiny house would currently market for. Our current one needs modernising but is liveable in at the same time and we haven't looked back.

We have a couple of less desirable neighbours in our new area but this is no different from the last as I knew of two houses in my old road where there were issues with drug dealing. So a sought after location doesn't guarantee you happiness and decent neighbours.

I can honestly say if we were still in the first house our marriage would not be in a good place.

BlueFleece · 04/01/2018 15:52

Although I would hate to have a small house now (we moved for more space), I think I would be more depressed if it was difficult to get around. I don't drive and even when we've stayed with local relatives out of town I've hated not being able to just pop to shops or to know a bus will be along soon.

Mybabystolemysanity · 04/01/2018 16:10

Like Note, we bought a new build bungalow knowing it was too small to be a long term home. But...

It's desirable because of where it is and we've made 25k in four years just for living in it.

Now we have 1 DC and another on the way and we're looking at a bigger place but in a less desirable area because we're still priced out of a larger home in this area.

Depends on your plans for the next few years, but remember it costs 5,6,7k every time you move in fees, LBTT, estate agents etc. I wish we'd been able to buy bigger sooner. Swings and roundabouts.

Bluntness100 · 04/01/2018 16:16

I think it's a mix of both. A shit house in the right location and no ability to structurally change and a great house in a shit location aren't going to make you happy on a daily basis. You want a decent house in a decent location if you can get it.

Here you're looking at shit house in a not great location, so not worth it.

I'd view others within budget and then decide what's the best for your money. View others outside of your area I mean. Then decide.

MaisyPops · 04/01/2018 16:28

It's a balance.
I wouldn't take a house that doesn't meet my needs because it's in a good location. That seems a recipe for being frustrated.
Equally, I wouldn't have my perfect house in a crap location.

But on smaller things you're willing to compromise on then location wins. We're moving later this month and we had it down to:
House 1 - older brick property, needed quite a bit of work but would be lovely when done up but location not as good, near a busy road, on the fringes of a higher crime area, schools not as good (think RI and special measures) so would be relying on getting in out of catchment

House 2 - newer house say 70s ish, already been updated, not our perfect house (because we wanted an older brick house with high ceilings) but got a much nicer garden/plot, low crime area, quieter area, in catchment for lovely schools, close to family and friends, shorter commutw to work etc.

We made compromises for location.

Original poster

VanillaMcFly · 04/01/2018 18:47

Thanks for your replies everyone- some very valid points.

I'd personally love to buy a do-upper and put our stamp on it but DH helped his parents renovate their house years ago from scratch and is averse to the idea of having to do that again. Plus, he was born and raised in a nice house so I think he feels he'll be regressing down the property ladder... I think it would make financial and practical sense to stay local but I don't know if I'd be able to tolerate DH and his moaning ways re: renovating. He can be verrrrry lazy at times and that coupled with a house that needs serious attention would drive me crazy. Having said that; despite this house being stuck in a 1950's (and not in a nice way) time warp, DH has agreed to go and have a look at this property with me next week, so let's see...

OP posts:

SkyIsTooHigh · 04/01/2018 20:07

Be careful OP, if he's saying loudly that he doesn't want to do the work (which is immense working round FT work) then it could be a serious challenge to your marriage to take it on, especially if you are expecting him to do most of the work (not sure if you are or not).

Do your research very carefully. Fixer uppers are very in demand these days, especially in expensive areas, and you might not be able to add value as easily as you think. It's incredibly easy to spend more on a kitchen than it adds to the value, for example. That's fine if you bought the house as a home, for its location etc, but not good if you've bought it to make money.

That said, transport links need to be absolutely top of the priorities as a non driver IMO. The stepping up or down the ladder thing is irrelevant as it's all driven by value, and it's normal to have a cheaper house than your parents to start with. It doesn't matter if it's cheaper because it's smaller or further out. I've made my peace with always living in a smaller home than my parents. It's a children-of-successful-baby-boomers thing.

Original poster

VanillaMcFly · 10/01/2018 18:40

So, we went to view the house and my gosh did it need some TLC or what- rewiring, new windows and doors, new ceilings possibly due to cracks and the whole works. Put a low offer in but it was rejected. It's also a probate property so not sure how it'll pan out as our mortgage offer expires soon. It's a case of wait and see.

OP posts:

Crumbs1 · 10/01/2018 18:42

Location, location, location.

FluffyWuffy100 · 10/01/2018 20:17

People don’t really mean ‘location location location’ - otherwise everyone would be living in shit hole basement studio apartments in Kensington rather than in 3 bed houses in zone 2 ;-)

Flip

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.

Swipe left for the next trending thread