Property choice dilemma - wise advice needed!

[Time4Tiffin]

I'm seeking advice from the savvy property buyers out there. This is my first purchase (at an advanced age). Choice is between village, small town or country. I am finding it hard to make a decision. I don't have much to tie me anywhere (living alone) and living under lockdown has skewed my perspective on what is sensible...

OPTION VILLAGE - ex-housing association, 2 up 2 down, modern, garden front and back, parking, nice neighbourhood, nice neighbours, friendly village, no pub or shop (except farm shop). 1-2 miles to nearest town/rail station. 2/3 bed (1 double, 1 medium. 1 boxroom), v small bathroom. Compact village not chocolate boxy, but generally pleasant mix of private/social housing. Rear garden ok size but north west facing, so pretty damp and seems to get very little sun. New kitchen. Rests needs minor cosmetic work. Cheapest. 1 hour drive to work. 196k

OPTION TOWN - 1870s end terrace with living (wood burner), sun room, kitchen diner, utility, large bathroom, 2 bedrooms (1 double, 2 boxroom). Town has nothing really bad about it, but nothing really good either (unless Waitrose counts). Locally it's a bit sneered at, maybe because it's non-descript? Mixed street, Victorians, modern, some pretty, some not. Bad points are neighbour has right of way across back garden (current neighbour uses rarely) and 5 affordable housing units are about to be built in small gap opposite, by relatively tasteful developer. Rear garden long and south facing, very sunny with small cabin at end with electric and plumbing (random!) Doesn't need anything doing. Small drive at side, but would block right of way - have not seen it in use. Rail station and shops in walking distance. 1 hour drive to work. 215k I think this is least likely to increase

OPTION 3 - COUNTRY Itechnically a village, but is strung out, so no real centre or community feel. 5 miles to nearest proper shop, 1 mile to farm shop (and oddly, patisserie and yoga). Biggest house, largest garden - faces north, but there is large space to side of house so 2 thirds of rear garden gets sun from front. 1 and half miles to rail station. Heating and decor needs updating throughout, but nothing shocking. Has conservatory (upvc). 3 decent sized bedrooms, kitchen, living room. Has best potential (I think - but what do i know?) of increasing in value with some improvements. Drive, front garden and ample parking. Closest to work 40 mins. Most expensive 220k.

Help please...

Why not link to them? I'm sure none of us are just waiting to leap in & put offers on the exact same houses.

[quote Time4Tiffin]@yourestandingonmyneck I wouldn't want to live near my work, it's pretty awful - the closest i would contemplate is at least 10 miles away [/quote]
Haha, fair enough

Based on your update, I would say 3.

You seem to really like it and if you don't feel it would be too lonely then it may be perfect.

From your initial description of yourself I had thought you might be older, but at only 51 I think this would be less of a problem than if you were elderly.

It also sounds like a nice house that should be easy to sell on if / when required.

None of them. Never buy if there's garden boundary issue or no small convenience shop near by and having to travel an hour to work is rubbish.

villlage 100%

if you were 70, alone and needed"people" imight have said town

but nah - ithink the village house sounds lovely!

@78%Lindt I'm a 70% Green and Blacks girl myself! @carly2803 you VILLAGE PEOPLE are lovely I do like the idea of being in a village - it was my idea of an ideal location though with shop and pub) but the garden just seems damp and like it might never get the sun... To me there's not much point in having a nice garden if you can't sit out in the sun for a bit

[quote Time4Tiffin]**@78%Lindt I'm a 70% Green and Blacks girl myself! @carly2803 you VILLAGE PEOPLE are lovely I do like the idea of being in a village - it was my idea of an ideal location though with shop and pub) but the garden just seems damp and like it might never get the sun... To me there's not much point in having a nice garden if you can't sit out in the sun for a bit[/quote]
@78percentLindt

I think my biggest 'thing'/fear is not wanting to make a mistake/buy something i cannot easily sell as i would probably look to move in 4 or 5 years.
Therefore you need to factor in what your future-buyer will want. You haven't mentioned school catchments at all ...

@senua good point. The town has a good up and coming free school. Village and country have their own small primary schools, probably both decent enough. Well branded private schools within a Chelsea tractor drive of all three.

I'd have to go for number three if they were the only three choices. None sound great though

One, ex housing association, we were house hunting recently and were told to avoid a street with houses on like that

Two, the access thing is not something I'd like. My Uncle sold a house because of a neighbour having access down my Uncle's drive and round the back to his garden

Three, sounds like it could be pretty lonely but if you drive shops etc aren't that much of an issue I guess. For me peace and quiet is the most important thing so the less ppl around the better. Main downside is shops, right now I can be at a newsagents and off licence in sixty seconds and a Tesco in ten minutes, 2-3 minutes by car

I love old houses with shops etc in walking distance so would vere towards 2 but would be concerned about the building work impact. After that 3 with shorter drive but sounds a bit characterless house and place.

@Burnthurst187 these housing association properties are nice - decent design, well kept, just one short row of semis in their own little green area. The housing association is getting rid as they have no other properties in the area.
@SilkieRabbits 2 has most character (oldest), 3 is a redbrickcottagey semi, probably 1930s - it has character but the village doesn't. 1 is most modern, but not completely bland.

@Burnthurst187 shops, takeaways are 5-10 mins in car from village (same town as town option)

Option 2, Town.

The affordable housing being built is not really a concern because they will be owned by aspirational people (looking to get on housing ladder), so no social housing concerns (unlike option 1). In fact, option 1 sounds....not very good...

Option 3...why would you want to be so isolated? No community, no shops, be like waiting for GODOT OP.

Option 2 sounds nice. The right of way is the only concern but not sure that would bother me. If it became an issue you could always move.

So, Option 2.

It would be the village one for me, but once again I’m biased! I would not go for the town one with the right of way. The current owners may not use it but just imagine how awful it would be if someone new moved in who took advantage of it.
The country one also sounds lovely but perhaps a bit lonely for you living alone.
You say you can’t wait but I really would hang on and see what comes on the market after Christmas if you can.

@Time4Tiffin
Hmm- we could get into a debate about G&B vs Lindt. I have suddenly developed a passion for the Raspberry intense - a new user name there!
School catchment areas are interesting - when we moved here, there was a village primary school but it was closed a few years later. It wasn't very well attended by children from the village as people took their children to other (better) schools- independent and state, so other children were bussed in.. The catchment secondary school was pretty poor at the time but has become one of the best in the area and we have been asked by acquaintances if they can use our address to get their children into it. (No!)
So, the school situation changes. We went private because of the poor schools at the time, but my next door neighbour moved here because of the schools.

Op where do you work? Why a house so far away?

Let mumsjet find you a house!

@Porridgeoat this is my worry. I don't want to be so far from work, but my social life/activities is based around where I'm renting now, which is an hour and a half south down the coast from where I work. I don't want to live where I work, but ideally would like to be 20-30 mins away to the south, towards my 'happy place'. I work in South Norfolk, want to be in Suffolk.

For me, Option 2 is completely ruled out due to the right-of-way.
Option 1 I’d rule out as it’s not really got anything going for it.
So by default Option 3, although in some ways it’s neither rural idyl nor convenient / sociable.