Just looking for a few different ways to think about this "dilemma". DH and I have decided to move our family to a new area in London (me, DH and dd aged 19 months, hoping for another baby in next 2 years). We will be moving from a high rise in a very built up area to an area in london with a lot of green spaces and family vibe.
We are looking for 3 bed flats and there is very little available at present, though this might charge of course. We will be renting as we are letting our current apartment out. We have found two rental properties both very different. One is in an amazing location, right next to one of the best parks in London, within 5 mins walk of lovely villages shops and a station. It is a lovely light filled flat with lots of character. However it is a conversion over two floors with an extremely small kitchen (smaller than we have now) with what looks like a rubbish washer dryer. There are two reception rooms so we could covert one into a dining room and include storage of some kitchen items in there but it's not ideal. Also being split level and period property it's not super practical for our toddler and future baby. But the location is second to none.
The other is a new build one level 3 bed with a spacious kitchen diner, smooth floors and all new fittings and plenty if space. However it's not in the location we would want. To reach the park or green spaces we would have to walk along and cross a busy road with a lot of fumes and not very nice shops. At night walking back from the station it's a bit of a dubious walk along a path or take a longer route and stick to the very busy main road.
If we were buying I'd buy the first one and knock a wall down and make it more practical. But as we are renting we are limited on how much we can do to it to make it suit us.
Which one would you choose?