Could you live comfortably as a family of 4 in this?

[KimGa]

Hello, I’ve posted multiple times with various questions as I’m in such a quandary. Here is another, forgive me. The background: we have lovely 3 bed extended semi with parking and big garden, but outside catchment for decent secondary school. Not willing to consider secondary school we will get. Need to move this autumn. Can’t afford any houses we like in the catchment area. So going back and forward about whether to proceed with sale and go into a rental if we can get one - but financially it will be the worst choice (we’ll have to use part of equity from sale to fund a year in rental as monthly cost is double mortgage - will we get back on ladder in 12-18month?) or shall we buy something smaller/worse than what we have?

A smaller house has just come up which could work as it has 3 decent sized bedrooms and no onward chain. No parking and very small garden. This is the floor plan. We have a 10 year old and a 5 year old and husband wfh (will have to have a desk in bedroom, but he is used to that). Think we’d put 10 year old in the basement for now as we still have to go to 5 year old in the night sometimes.

Do you think if it was you, you could manage quite happily in this for 5 years or no?

My 11 yo would love a bedroom away from sibling! I do think it depends on the children. Quite nice in a year or two for the dc to have a floor and you move downstairs.

Every time we walk past it we see seriously antisocial (dangerous) behaviour.

You get that at every school. I wouldn't base my choice solely on that, nor on exam results actually.

The catchment area for a school can change quickly too, or a new housing estate could spring up, so anti social behaviour might easily become a thing at the other school very quickly, even if it's not that bad too.

Where I live, an RAF base with stable families closed and an army base where families are more itinerant took its place. The school in catchment changed almost overnight. Results are down, behaviour is worse etc. etc.

I wouldn’t buy it unless you will be able to extend into the roof to create another bedroom in due course.

If you are used to more space and DH is working from home that house is going to feel very small. Particularly with wet washing hanging about the place.

Is there an alternative school you could choose - maybe it won’t be perfect but the houses in that area might be less of a compromise.