Sold my property, my buyer is in rented so I'm in a very good position.
I've got a small budget to buy with in order to achieve my goal (being able to reduce my working hours and retire within the next year if I want to when I'm 60) and I have a large deposit with a tiny mortgage to purchase my next house (which ideally will be my last).
So I've seen a really well completely renovated and finished house at the top of my budget. But - it's just a bit out of the town centre with no shops nearby, not even a local grocery store AND it's on a busy road which carries commuters, buses and lorries. Parking is around the corner on the side road. The house is really lovely inside, rewired, new plumbing, new central heating system, new floors gorgeious Karndean floor, plastering, kitchen, bathroom everything is finished really well.
The other house is one I saw weeks ago and dismissed because it's, well, bland. And open plan (I dislike open plan living, I prefer separate front and dining rooms). And the current owners 'stole' a portion of the second bedroom so that they could create an upstairs landing and access to the bathroom - so bedroom 2 is much smaller than it would have been. The house is clean and well presented though, it's been a rental and holiday let and it's in the preferred location, near to the town, parks, rail links, motorway for driving to work, cycle paths and there is parking on the road. It's £20,000 cheaper and been on the market a long time so I could probably make an offer somewhat under as the owners don't live there, they are wantting to release the money to renovate the house they live in.
Both houses are Victorian and in the area it was common to either build a bathroom downstairs on the back of the house OR to have the bathroom access through the second bedroom upstairs. And with my budget and my preference for an older property that's what's available.
I don't know which way to jump, really. What would you do? I can't post links, it's too outing.