Big flat or small house?

[Alexalee]

My dd has a choice to make
1100ft2 3 bed flat in a period house, high ceilings and nice features, private section of garden, no direct access ( it's about 1 minute walk away)
750ft2 3 bed 1950s terrace house, decent garden
Which would you go for?

I would go with the house, you could add an extension in the future and have the drains moved further down the garden.

If DD only wants to stay for 5 years why does she need so much space?

Also bear in mind costs of moving again in such a short period. And 99 years is not a long lease. Problems arise if she stays longer than she expects and the lease reduces to the point where a buyer won't get a mortgage (currently 80 years)

I suspect (like me) she's won over by the 'period' looks of the flat! But with head leading heart I'd go for the small freehold house every time.

she loves the high ceilings and big rooms.

The ceilings may be high, but the rooms don't actually seem to be very big. If she's so keen on the flat I would encourage her to look if there are any 2 bed flats available locally, as the price might be lower.

Icerebel 25m2 lounge and 25m2 master bedroom are huge sizes... unless you live in a palace

My bedroom is 20ft x 15ft. Trust me, you don't need a bedroom that size.

Flat. She loves it. Trust her.

Even if 80% of a sample of strangers would go for the house, that doesn't mean the flat is a bad choice or overpriced. She's seen it IRL and we haven't, it's in a nice quirky building that has loads of appeal, it's got plenty of space. Don't rain on her parade.

As an opposite point of view, one of my DCs had love for a house. It was period, a bit quirky, ticked all their boxes. Luckily they were renting as they found so many negatives and living in it destroyed all their pre held ideas. When they bought, they bought something totally different.

Another DC loved a flat and I loved it too, with our hearts, but our heads overruled. It would've been totally the wrong property for lots of reasons, some of them very expensive and something else came along in the nick of time. It was a fairly narrow escape.

I think property is too big a commitment to purchase based on love alone, everything else has to stack up even though it's boring.

Myimaginarycathasfleas

My bedroom is 20ft x 15ft. Trust me, you don't need a bedroom that size.“

We had a huge, Victorian house on the seafront in Cornwall. Grand proportions in every room. We thought what a marvellous idea to knock the two first floor bedrooms into one for ourselves, to make the most of the glorious views. Beautifully done, overseen by conservation officer, period features duly sourced etc. We hated it! It was massive, about 36x18 feet with just an elegant wooden corniced archway between the two areas. It never felt cosy, was always chilly and we wished we’d never done it. Ended up installing big, panelled wooden doors to separate the rooms again. What a waste of time and money!
15x18 is plenty.

@Langrish That sounds like the sort of thing I'd do! Who doesn't love a Cornish sea view x 2?

But you're absolutely right, it's impossible to make a huge bedroom feel cosy.

I think everyone has to get living in a beautiful but impractical property out of their system.

Better to do it renting rather than buying now though given the difficulties trading up and demise of the starter home concept.

House - as an investment it makes more sense, and with children it too makes life so much easier. Plus, no extra fees to pay and the possibility to extend in the future. No brainer for me, even though I'm a sucker for period houses.

House.

Definitely house.
A period property will be hard to keep warm in winter.

You have no control over maintenance of the building which is an additional expense every year. Most flats have to pay into a reserve fund to cover for this.
Noisy neighbours above/below.

You have no control over maintenance of the building which is an additional expense every year. Most flats have to pay into a reserve fund to cover for this.

^^ this.

Those poor people facing horrendous and crippling costs to remove external cladding post Grenfel. I know this won't apply in the OP's DD's case but it's a salutary reminder of the unexpected costs of shared buildings.

Definitely the house...speaking as someone who has just sold a leasehold flat in a nice building and who got stung for £7k of ‘essential’ works that were not disclosed at the time of purchase. They have you over a barrel with leasehold. Don’t do it, it’s awful