Should we buy this house? Help!

[Taybz]

After months of searching for our next home we've found a lovely property that we want to put an offer in but I'm starting to get cold feet due to some compromises that we need to make:

The bedrooms are much smaller than our current large double bedrooms. One of the larger bedrooms is downstairs - would this put you off? Additionally the garden is on the small side -30ft. We've got a 1 year old only at the moment so I'm not sure how much this will affect us. The bathroom is also smaller than ours but in lovely condition.

We love the look of the property, the location is in a lovely quiet area accessible to amenities. The rest of the house has features that we really like.
However, despite moving from a 2 bed flat to potentially this 3 bed house, everything is smaller bar the kitchen. Is this a compromise we should just make?

The London property market is crazy at the moment so I'm scared we won't find something like this again. Yet, I'm wondering if we should hold out for something bigger within the same price range.

Only you can answer your question!!
but - try to imagine yourself and your family five years in the future. Would you be regretting not buying the house? (Assume it was his house or your current flat no other options to choose from)
Then you may have your answer.

A bedroom downstairs can be used for many things - another reception room, play room, office, hobby room, teenagers room away from parents etc etc.

Will either you or the children need to use the downstairs bedroom now and do you think that would work for you all? What I mean is, I wouldn't want a young DC on another floor on their own.

Other than that, only you know the market in your area. If you think it's a good price then yes I would say go for it.

What are the dimensions of the rooms? Kids don't need huge rooms. When you say one of the bedrooms is downstairs, do you mean there are 2 bedrooms upstairs and one downstairs? If you're planning on having another child, would you want to be on a different floor than them? This bothers some people but not others. Personally I don't think a small bathroom is an issue, unless it's tiny.

You say it's smaller overall - are the living spaces large enough? I have an 18 month old and her stuff is everywhere!

Only you know really.
We moved last year from a 2 bed flat with big rooms to a 3 bed house where rooms are generally smaller. There are more spaces in the house that we can spread out into and I don't really notice any more that the rooms are smaller. A downstairs bedroom wouldn't bother me and can always be used for other things. The garden is smallish but it's amazing having outside space.
No regrets here.

A downstairs bedroom would put me off if I needed to use it as such, and I'd assume it would affect resale if I didn't. Unless it's cheaper.

Personally I'd keep looking as I prioritise space. It depends how important a garden is to you as to whether it's big enough. Again, the garden was a priority to me.

Can you afford bigger? If your budget isn’t much bigger than the cost of your flat and you’re staying local then these are the inevitable compromises.

The smaller room upstairs is 2.18m x 2.14m

• technically a box room right- Our ds would be sleeping there - he's currently in a cot bed that transitions into a single bed. He's our only child at the moment but we're planning more soon. The bedroom downstairs is larger which is such a shame as it would be more favourable at least if it were upstairs.

Our budget is much larger than with the flat but the property is in a desirable location and not many houses come up for sale there within our budget.

We do really like the house with the exception of these few niggles. What were the comprises you made on your houses? I think I'm actually ok with the garden as I don't like huge gardens! I'm anxious about making the wrong decision!

I’m sorry but a 3 bed house with a downstairs bedroom and a 2x2m upstairs bedroom is actually a one bedroom house with a box room and a downstairs separate living room. With kids you do need space and you’ll only need more space as they grow up. Id personally keep looking.

have you even checked how many square feet is the house compared with your flat?

Forgot to mention, we'd use the downstairs room as an office/ playroom for now. @WindyGlowers how much smaller were the bedrooms? Was it hard to transition? Personally, I love a big bedroom and wondering if I'd potentially be ok with a smaller room. We are excited about having outside space.

@sarahb083 the living room and dining area is a good size so would be good enough for our 1 year old to roam around I guess! What would be considered a tiny bathroom? We don't have exact measurements for the bathroom but it look small but not cramped.

@StuckInARug oh dear that doesn't sound good. Is it normal for estate agents to misdescribe living spaces eg. to call a reception room a bedroom? We have checked the gross sqft and obviously it's larger given that it's a house and ours is a flat. It's the bedrooms where the stark contrast is but then again we have had the luxury of having double bedrooms large enough to be split into 2 spacious single bedrooms.

Estate agents often call downstairs rooms bedrooms, if that's what they're being used for. Imo they should be described as a reception room.

The box room I wouldn't have an issue with, as it's the norm for older houses in my area to have a tiny 3rd/4th bedroom. As long as it can fit a bed in it, it's a bedroom! The box room in your potential house is bigger than my one!

It's not really about how it compares to your flat, how does it compare to anything else sold in the area for your budget in the last few months?

I.e are these niggles what means you can actually afford a house in the area you want? Other than say a busy road?

Could the downstairs room be used as a master? If not I think it's problematic with more than one child. The other room isn't sharing size and I wouldn't want a young child downstairs alone

I have to be honest, it doesn’t sound ideal. Is there an option to extend at all or convert the loft?

We moved from a 2 bed flat to a 3 bed house, officially gaining about 7 square metres of space. This is misleading as much of the space in the flat was filled by a long hall. The bedrooms were similar sizes, the house has a bigger living-dining room but an even smaller kitchen and bathroom - and the flat kitchen was also a galley kitchen.

We always bought this house with an extension in mind as it has an amazing garden and is in a really good location. But extending will now cost much more than it would have done. If I could go back 5 years, part of me thinks we should have held out for the bigger house in a slightly less convenient location which our initial offer on fell through.

Think about how the house will work for you now and in 5/10 years’ time or with 2/3 children. Always assume you’ll be there longer than planned, and with more people than anticipated!

Sorry if I have missed it, but how many bedrooms are upstairs? One double and one box room?

I'd say the room downstairs is a reception room, not a bedroom. I think EAs that call d/s reception rooms bedrooms are cheeky! If I put a bed in my utility is it a bedroom? come on.

Anyhow, box rooms are fine for a few years but your child will grow out of it so if you do go for this house you need to check that you can extend to create at least one more double bedroom, either at the side, back or in the loft. If not, then I'd say keep looking because kids only need more and more space.

I would keep looking. That house won't work for you longterm and I'd be worried about resale value; as PP mentioned in effect it's a 2 bed (1 double, 1 single) house.
If you could extent upstairs and had the budget for it that's a different story. I would also check what 3 beds SELL for in that area (not what they're listed for); compare also to 2 bed properties as it seems the house is really overvalued.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and advice. After thinking long and hard, we decided it was not quite the place for us due to the bedroom issues. It's so hard finding the right property these days!