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Original poster

Which house? Going round in circles .. Help!

28 replies

mamatime · 19/03/2018 19:37

Hi there - I would appreciate ANY advice please as we need to offer on a house this week. We sold our last house due to noise and are now living in a pretty dismal rental in an area we don't like & need to move ASAP. This will be our third house purchase in five years and my Mum is living with us.

We've found two houses in the town we like.

1st House

  • Catchment to one of the best primary schools in the country (it's a big school, & we've heard negative things such as it's just results driven, however we really like the look of it after visiting it)
  • Big & modern (Mum could use utility as a little kitchen)
  • BUT it's on a busy cut-through road, & there is construction going on all around the house (the road is bungalows being demolished and converted)
  • Next door (1 metre away - walls practically touching) is waiting for planning permission to be demolished and rebuilt.

2nd House

  • Village setting & much quieter
  • Smaller, but also modern (sharing a kitchen with Mum)
  • Small village school which is a OFSTED rated good school, but I don't think it will suit my LO as much as the bigger school.
  • 13 houses might be built 100 metres away at end of garden, but neighbours think it won't happen (it's behind trees - so won't spoil view).

SO, the question is...Do we move to a noisy house on a road, with potential contraction to get our LO into a brilliant school? I don't like noise, but I'm willing to put up with it for the sake of our daughter's education. She is very bright and I think the opportunities / challenges would be much better there. OR do we move to the quieter house, send her to a small village school which I think is OK but felt quite chaotic and cramped (though has good results and happy pupils) and be a little bit more on top of each other in the house?

Sadly both are going to be temporary as no room to build an annexe for Mum. But we have to move and settle now, even if it's just for a year. This house hunting has to stop as the stress is affecting all of us! My OH feels like he's going to have a heart attack and my 3 1/2 year old hasn't started nursery yet as we're not able to settle.

Thanks for reading - sorry it's so long and thanks in advance for any help!

OP posts:
OneDayIWillHaveAGreatUsername · 19/03/2018 19:45

Personally I'd go for the better suited school [for your LO] and larger house. As you said it's going to be temporary so if you can put up with the busy road and building work then the positives seem outweigh them (especially as the second house will have building work going on nearby as well).
Space is important if you have your Mum with you plus there is no benefit for you to be in a catchment area for a school you don't like. And finally, when you come to sell in a few years the other building work should be completed and then people will just have to contend with the busy road (which many people don't mind).

Good luck!

Notinmybackyard · 19/03/2018 19:49

I think I’d go for the first house too as it’s going to be a temporary situation.

Original poster
mamatime · 19/03/2018 19:50

Thanks so much for your reply, I appreciate it.

Do you think we are mad to even consider buying a house temporarily?And after so many moves? We're so used to it that we're almost numb to it, however I do think that most people would think it's a crazy idea!

I should have mentioned that both houses are fairly similar in size, just the first one has a bigger utility room that could be the kitchen for Mum.

OP posts:
Chocolateyescakeyes · 19/03/2018 19:51

I’d go for the bigger house and the school you think your daughter would prefer.

Donotbequotingmeinbold · 19/03/2018 19:55

I would just rent if it is only for a year. You would spend a year's rent in fees and stamp duty or keep looking for a house that you can move into for a few years.

Chocolateyescakeyes · 19/03/2018 19:55

It does seem like a lot of hassle for a year as you will then need to incur fees associated with selling and then buyers fees again (if England is like Scotland). IMO if there isn’t anywhere suitable that you would want to buy and live for a decent amount of time, then looking to rent in the same area would be best.

37KAT · 19/03/2018 19:58

In would 'park' the idea until I could search for what I really wanted. As you quite rightly state, moving is very stressful. Why put yourself through this now and then again in a years time. It will also be very expensive. Do it once and get it right.
Another point is if you don't like noise now, why buy a house on busy road with construction work going on?
Could you all rent a house together for a year?

Scribblegirl · 19/03/2018 20:07

I would rent near the good school for a year, get DD in and resssess. As PPs point out, the cost of rent is easily your moving fees.

Original poster
mamatime · 19/03/2018 20:10

We have thought about renting again, however the rental market in that area is terrible and the catchment area for the school is tiny. So sadly the chances of something suitable coming up is practically non-existent.

OP posts:
backsackcraic · 19/03/2018 20:28

I wouldn't move as neither sound suitable, if I had to though it would be house 2, house 1 sounds like a nightmare.

GardenGeek · 19/03/2018 20:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

JoJoSM2 · 19/03/2018 20:33

It does seem like madness to be putting 3 generations through house moves every 1-2 years. Why are you always moving? And what's preventing you from getting a house that would last you for 5-10 years at least?

It sounds like the bigger house might be big enough and you like the look of the school. If the road is cut-through, then not that busy all the time? Is it just rush hour traffic? I'd be tempted to go with that.

Original poster
mamatime · 19/03/2018 20:39

Thanks for your replies ..

I completely agree, it is utter madness to be moving so often. My Mum sold her house a year ago so we could club together and buy somewhere bigger (after we sold our house due to noise).

The reason we have moved so often is due to noisy neighbours. Like unbearable noise. We've been unlucky and haven't taken these decisions lightly. We're so fatigued by it, and the market has been so awful this year that nothing suitable for all of us has come up. Maybe we were being too picky in the beginning, but now we're making so many compromises just to settle.

OP posts:
JoJoSM2 · 19/03/2018 20:58

If noise bothers you a lot, then perhaps a busy-ish road isn't a good idea.

If you like the quiet house and feel like the space could be big enough, the school might not be that bad. Ofsted ratings aren't everything so I'd research it a little more.

OliviaBenson · 19/03/2018 20:59

Neither.

Noise from building work will drive you mad if you are sensitive.

Also, with all the costs involved it's madness to buy a house for a year only. Also this time next year brexit will be upon us so who knows what that will do to the market,

beachcomber243 · 19/03/2018 21:10

Renting somewhere, looking for somewhere nice to live, sounds more sense if it's only temporary.

Then look for a long term home at your leisure, invest what capital you have. Or else you could be spending loads of money on stamp duty/estate agent fees/conveyancing costs which is dead money.

Sounds like you are all under a lot of stress and pressure and you probably won't be happy in either house anyway...then you'll have to sell up again as well as look for a suitable house in a few months time.

wowfudge · 19/03/2018 21:13

I wouldn't choose either in your position or given your history and the noise issues. If you are hell-bent on buying one of them, then go and see what the area is like at different times of the day and days of the week plus weekend.

BettyBooJustDoinTheDoo · 19/03/2018 21:17

Buying a house for a year? Do you have money to burn OP?

GreenSeededGrape · 19/03/2018 21:18

You're not thinking this through. You've moved a lot because of noise but are considering buying on a busy road with lots of building going on Hmm

Find a rental, seriously, until you can find a suitable house.

ICantFindAFreeNickName2 · 19/03/2018 21:55

If the school is that good, there probably aren't any free places for your child anyway. You could easily be waiting a year or more for a place to become available, so I would not base your decision on the school.
In your position I would continue to rent, until you find the house that is right for you.

backsackcraic · 20/03/2018 06:48

Make sure you go to a detached property too.

AJPTaylor · 20/03/2018 07:03

what is the stamp duty? legal costs? dont buy an unsuitable property. its bad enough renting one!

yellowfreesia · 20/03/2018 08:48

Will the first house not be difficult to sell in a year or two if you want to move again, given that it's going to have building work a metre from your house which probably won't be finished by then?

Original poster
mamatime · 20/03/2018 18:17

Thanks for your replies ...

I'm not sure - would construction next door put people off buying? Even if it's still only in the planning stage and hasn't even started yet?

Lots of people have said they wouldn't mind construction next door as there is an end point to it ... but we are trying for another baby and thinking about the baby being disturbed while trying to nap during the day already feels stressful when I think about potential noise from next door ...

And the rental market in that area is not good. There is nothing suitable for all of us, and we've already been living in an unsuitable rental for a year, so the thought of doing that for another year makes us feel pretty rubbish.

OP posts:
OliviaBenson · 20/03/2018 18:31

Yes it would put a lot of people off. It's the noise, mess etc.

A compromised rental for a year is a far better prospect than an unsuitable house purchase.

You seem really panicked about this. I think you need to take a step back for now.

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