Compromises when buying

[alwaystimeforcakeandtea]

We are moving and can’t find a house because there are so few on the market in the area we want to live in. Would you compromise on size of house or also include nearby areas?

What is it that makes the area better - work, safer, more attractive, schools?

We are moving mainly for school catchment. There are some definite areas for this and some likely ones. The catchment isn’t a fixed one. The definite areas are generally considered more desirable with house prices to match. We could get a bigger, better house for our money in the likely areas. There is really very little available in the definite areas. The other option is to rent for a while.

You have to decide what is most important to you. The compromise is clear - bigger house and risk being out of the catchment area or smaller house within. Only you can decide if it’s worth it. You’ll probably have the house longer than your child will be at the school.

If you're in a 'likely' area and don't get the school place, how bothered would you be? And how soon is your child going to school? If it's a long way off, it's possibly less of a consideration as schools can change.

If you are moving especially for catchment then then that had to be your first criteria. We did it last year. There is no way I would have gone to a risky address. It was our primary reason for choosing the area. What happens if you go in the risky area and get the other school? Would it really make much difference? You need to decide on your family's priorities.

The compromise for us was that the bedrooms are no bigger really than the two bed we've moved from but we have a lovely open plan kitchen diner which we wanted as well as a big garden and in a nicer area than our previous house.

We're in Scotland and its not a battle here for school catchment area's as such which helps - well certainly where we are

I'd compromise on house if the garden was decent and there was options to modify at a later date. We just missed out on a house that had no driveway or garage (dh was initially horrified at the suggestion but came round as we loved location). Mainly due to school catchment but it was also a lovely street.

I compromised on location (Z3 over Z2) to get a house rather than a flat and 40% more square footage - however according to all of MN and property law you should never compromise on location.

If the only reason you're moving is for school catchments then that's your answer. Make sure you're in the school catchment area.

I’d rather have an extra 40 minutes commuting and a bedroom for each of the children/dining room/utility room/conservatory or whatever your requirements are than a shorter commute and everyone being on top of each other.

Having both personal space and enough space to keep a tidy and therefore happy home is very important to me, as I’m sure the majority will agree with. You don’t move to end up cramped.

we compromised on a dining room lol the first house we wanted was an extended house so had a seperate dining room, seller messed us around we are now going for an unextended house with no dining room but as it was £11000 cheaper we are going to build a small extension on the rear of the house to make a dining room