Which house?

[blinkineckmum]

A: top of our budget and need approx £30k of work. Lots of outdoor space for the 3 kids. 4 bedoms, one bathroom plus w/c, integral garage and converted loft. 30min walk from town but lovely location. Parking for 4 cars.

B: similar price but no urgent work though possibly needs a new boiler. 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, utility, small office. Loft space but not converted. Only a front garden and a small yard. One patking space. Centre of town.

Sorry, that posted before I'd read it and finished it properly, but that's basically it.

B unless A is in a much better area. I wouldn't buy as it is at the top of your budget and needs work.

Would also rather have 2 bathrooms with 3 kids. Also A has already used it's loft space, B hasn't so you can either use it as a loft or convert on the future.

Thanks.
A is 1970s. Very logical layout.
B is Victorian but has been altered over the years so a bit higgledy piggledy.

When we moved to a town and we chose location over parking (also a victorian semi) and it was the best thing we ever did.
I would absolutely go B
Plus A is top of budget and needs money spending so a slippery slope because it will always be more than you think.
Its so nice to be centre of town-everyone is happy!

Thanks. I'll now reveal it's a head/ heart thing. I've fallen for A as I can picture the kids playing outside all the time.
B seems sensible but will sell very quickly so I'd have to let go of A and make an offer tomorrow. We're actually negotiating with A but they're in no rush and want more £, which we don't really have. There's no other 4 beds on the market in the area within the price range. We've sold and hsve dc3 on the way and dc1 starting school in September, so I'm feeling the pressure!

What sort of work is needing done to A?

If it's kitchen/ bathroom / windows etc could you live with it until you've saved enough to do it?

Does the asking price truely reflect the condition and the need to do work?

School catchments would make a difference to me with (almost) 4 small dc. If they are 1/2 hour away from each other then presumably different schools ?

A. It sounds like you could outgrow B. Is A more of a forever home?

The asking price is much too high. We've offered below. The EA said if we raised our offer it probably wouldn't be worth any more on the mortgage valuation anyway.
The house is filthy. Old carpets, yellow walls... it has a filthy old avocado bathroom that is 3 rooms currently: w/c, shower, bath. So it urgently needs a professional clean, painting, new carpets and a new bathroom. After that we can take out time converting the garage, knocking through the kitchen + dining room and fitting a new kitchen-diner... new windows at some point.
It's got great dimensions and great outdoor space (cul-de-sac) opposite a canal and playing fields... It could be lovely!

Sorry. To be clear, we have 2 dc and another due next month! They are both near good schools but the schools near A are so good they may be oversubscribed for this September.
B doesn't have many options for storage bar the loft and utility. I wonder where we'd keep all the stuff we currently have in our 3 sheds? Also, in each the loft would probably be used as an art studio.

It doesn't really sound like you have much choice if A wants more and your offer is already at the top of your budget... but if you can wait it out, I'd go with A; the cleaning won't cost £30k and so bigger jobs can wait til you've saved a bit - a big garden when children are small feels really valuable - unless B has a big park or similar around the corner? I'd also check out school situation for A asap.

You're right. We have reached stalemate with the vendors of A. We have offered our max and he has been advised to accept as it's not worth more, we are proceedable, amd no-one else is offering. The only advice we've been given is to offer a bit more then ger the price knocked down at survey. But that feels too risky to me.

Yes that does sound a bit risky but I have no experience of that so can't really advise. Is it worth asking if there are any other conditions that would make him consider your offer - e.g. Moving in a certain timeframe, or is it all about the £? Also, just another thought on B, say you decided to take the risk and wait for A to see sense, how frequently do properties like B come along? You don't know for sure it will sell asap, and there may be more like it...? Good luck with making your decision.

Thanks. We've been looking for 3 months and properties like B tend to sell within days! The vendor of A is just stubborn about £! I think DH is keen on B but I am not so sure.

I would tell phone A as soon as EA opens that you are going to withdraw your offer at 10.30am if he doesn't accept.
And then get your offer in on B.

What is in the centre of town? Any parks?

There are parks but no brilliant ones that end of town. It's closer to the shops.

Another option is to look at 3 bedrooms with room for an extension.

Good luck

Yes, my husband's quite keen on that idea but nothing suitable at the mo.

Any luck with A accepting the offer?

We've come to a decision and will be raising our offer on A slightly tomorrow! Fingers crossed.

@avoidingDM you play hardball and I like your style - might have to seek out your counsel if I ever get lucky with finding a place.

Ohhh I came here to say option A. House should never be about money only and space for kids to play outside is priceless and trumps being in the town center. You can tell the kids to go play outside and do stuff from where you see them, if you have to go to the park that's a whole trip.

I am always wary of 4 bed family houses with a small yard. That wouldn’t be sought after around here, Victorian or not. It just wouldn’t be considered to be a family house with limited outside space. I think you are right to go with A.

Thank you all. I'll let you know how it goes!