Which property would you go for?

[mynameiscalypso]

This is a slightly hypothetical question but keen to get some unbiased opinions. Which of these two houses would you go for?

1. 3 double bed, 3 bathroom. Kitchen/diner and then separate living room albeit on a different floor. Big garage. No garden but a large/enclosed roof terrace. Slightly quirky. Recently renovated to a high standard.

2. 5 bed (although 2 are tiny), 2 bathroom. Large living room opening to a small garden; separate living space in the loft. Small kitchen. No structural work needed but new kitchen/bathrooms required asap. The rest of okay but there's a lot of cosmetic work to be done.

Including the garage, property 1 is slightly bigger (we don't have a car so would use it for storage/a gym room). Property 2 is 10% more expensive and right at the top of what we could afford so we couldn't do the work immediately. There's a lot of potential to add value though (property 1 would be capital appreciation only).

For background, DH and I both work full time. We have a three year old and no plans for another. Location is the same for both.

I would rule out a family home without a garden as I would want one and it would be difficult to sell on.

I should have added that we are in a family friendly part of zone 2 in London where gardens are a rarity.

I would go for property number 2. I think your child will appreciate having a garden and those extra rooms upstairs, albeit small, will be useful additional spaces.

Is there room to play on the roof terrace?

@RedHelenB Definitely - it's about the same size as the garden in property 2. Currently has an outside sofa plus dining table and chairs on it.

Property 2. It would annoy me having your main living areas on different floors and no garden. A roof terrace sounds like it wouldn't be easily accessible and therefore a bit annoying to get to (and not having outdoor access from my living area would make me feel a bit claustrophobic).

Same

2

Really interesting; I think I underestimate the value of a garden (we currently live in a flat with a very small balcony). I guess the question is whether it's worth the financial stretch of the extra 10% on the purchase price plus the 100k or so we'd need to do it up.

2 can’t stand kitchen and living on different floors.

Could you renovate down the track property 2’s large living room to make the kitchen bigger?

We could definitely knock through easily. I am not a big fan of open plan though so we'd probably want to reconfigure into two rooms rather than one big room.

I would do 2, garden on same level as living & kitchen space and more potential.

However if 2 would really push your budget then I wouldn’t do it at the moment.

2 without a doubt.
In time you can renovate and grow with the house. It has lots of potential and would increase in value with your own renovations.

Property one then.

No surprises here... 2

I was turned off by 1 when I read roof terrace, no garden, living room on another floor.

Yes, a house with a garden is so important.

Does property 2 have somewhere to eat with family if the kitchen is tiny? I like a big dining table so we can have people round.

2 I couldn't live without a garden.

2, I would prefer a garden and living area and kitchen on the same floor.

1. 1 sounds impractical as a long-term family house.

Thank you all. Very sensible points which have all shown me that my heart is currently with property 1 😂

How safe would the roof terrace be for children to play in? How high is the enclosure round it?

Anyhow, there's no way I'd be able to live somewhere without a garden so I vote for 2.

It's an adult height wall so pretty safe. My eyes have definitely been opened about gardens on this thread but I guess I haven't had one for 20 years so don't really think about it!

We'll I prefer 1! It's newly renovated which saves a LOT of hassle and money. 3 large bedrooms and 3 bathrooms are a big plus too. The garage can be used for an office/gym/storage. You have outdoor space even though it's not a garden.

I’m learning towards house 1 too.

Leaning not learning.