Can’t decide between two houses

[Oblix]

Dear community,

I have read few threads around this topic but I am still confused, probably because its different for every individual. I hope that the strong community here can guide me in the right direction.

I am not able to decide between two houses to buy. I am currently single and don’t see any kids happening for at least a couple of years from now. I am also a commuter to central London for work. I want to buy a house and not a flat, so ruling out purchase in central London for that reason, as I can afford to buy a flat in central London.

One is a terrace 2 bed house in the conservation area of St Albans (so no reserved parking) and hence close to amenities. 20 min to train station but the train goes to Kings Cross, not Baker Street which is where I need to be. Since I have been driving to London for years, I won’t mind doing that going forward. But there is heavy traffic around this part of St. albans before you can hit the motorway.

The other one is a semi-detached 3 bed in peripheral village Bricket Wood with two reserved parking spots. Starting from Bricket Wood allows me to avoid the heavy traffic around central St Alban if I drive to London and significantly cut down overall travel time. And the journey would be simpler too, as it is driving from door to door. So no walk of 20 min, then train etc. But then I won’t be able to either use the public transport that easily or atleast the trains are not that frequent from Bricket Wood station.

I have tried looking in other areas but S Albans is the best option for me to manage things beyond work life.

Which one do you think will be a better option for overall comfort and quality of life? Any feedback will be much appreciated.

Thanks.

As long as you don't mind driving, I'd say the second one. You list more pros and less cons for the second one, and personally I'd prefer a semi over a terrace.

The 3 bed definitely.

After reading all the shocking parking threads on here, I'd pick the one with dedicated parking any day!

Sorry I should have mentioned that the 2 bed house is a period property and is in much better location in terms of school catchments and all city amenities in walking distance. So may be it will turn out to be a better investment in case I decide to sell in few years. Would you prioritise current comfort over future value?

And would you prioritise work commute comfort over access to amenities?

Have you considered Hemel? With the sort of price im guessing you are talking about you could afford a nice 4 bed in hemel close to the town centre and train station with parking. Trains every 15 mins

Or kings Langley trains every half an hour.

If not i would definitely go bricket wood its such a small quiet place! We are looking at this area currently.

Also just to add property is dead round here at the moment so make sure you're not paying over the odds

You are right about property being dead here in Bricket Wood Kattatty87 and hence I am concerned that I may not be able to sell easily in future here if I want too. The alternative option of buying in conservation area of Bernards Heath looks much better from this aspect. What do you think?

I am not interested in Hemel or Kings Langley, plus don’t need a very big house as I am on my own at the moment.

Another reason to reject Hemel/Kings is that the traffic from those areas through A41 (before joining M1 at junction 5) can add to significant delays during peak hours to London. Starting from Bricket Wood avoids all that. I have done seversl journeys through those regions/roads over the years, hence I know.