Which house would you buy?

[Coconutree]

So the search continues.. which of these houses would you buy? Same area and same catchment.
House 1 is more walkable to town so that works bettee if ny ds gets in LSS.
House 2 is nearer ashlawn , bigger (i think), needs work but liveable till we can do the work

1: www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/126555341?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/127271165?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY

I mean, property one is much nicer. Property 2 is cheaper, but you couldn’t make it look like the first one with the difference in price. If there is no real difference in the area then to me it look like a no brainer.

Forgot to add, house2 has a large outbuilding, but it will need lots of money to make it into anything useful.

House 1 is gorgeous. House 2 has huge potential but would def cost a lot more that house 1 to realise it. Main advantage of house 2 (assuming you have the money) is the outbuilding and that you could get it exactly to your taste.

Property 2, if you have the money to deal with it.
The structure and flow is much better.

Otherwise neither.

@LionessesRules may i know what are the reasons for discounting both?
I have been to view house1 and do not like the playroom looking out to wall. The rest of the house is gorgeous

It depends how you feel about house renovation. Personally I want to live somewhere that doesn't need much doing but some people love a project. So I would go for house 1 although it would give you less space. House 2 has more space but it's ugly and needs so much doing. I wouldn't want that.

Two.

Very nice garden, sensible layout.
i think the popularity of the all in one space is waning fast, though you could put the kitchen wall back, I suppose.

Depends how much money you realistically have to spend on house two.

Currently living in a house that needs ‘a bit of work’ that’s an absolute money pit and still nowhere near finished myself - I’d go for house one, I love the kitchen/living space.

House 1: crazy storage in place of garage, weird reception room off kitchen. Massive kitchen/diner which I'm never keen on, and that vaulted roof that will cost a fortune to heat. Miniscule bed 4 which isn't really a bedroom, vaulted ceilings in many upstairs bedrooms so restricted hight.
Yes, its beautiful. But has too many physical bits not to my liking.

House 2: could be amazing, but will cost. If that cost is prohibitive, it would need to be discounted. But fundamentally it has the basics of a lovely house.

@LionessesRules you explained better what i felt less attractive about house1. Too many space with restricted height. Look 'stylish' but not practical

Property one has managed to take a modern idea (open plan kitchen and living area) and make it feel really dated. It’s odd and I don’t think it’s just the decor.
if 1 has a separate room on the ground floor for quiet/study etc then I’d go with that as it’s nearer and for us open plan living works well but it would need an overhaul and new kitchen for me to love it so pushes the budget up.

I prefer 1 but there must be better options that price bracket.

Are LSS and Ashlawn the definite school options?

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/85146975

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/126818219

@angeltattoo no garden 😥

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/126519398

Anyway I assume you've seen these!
Do you love either of them?

You could get a beautiful period property on Clifton or Hilmorton Rd with that budget which will be good for either school.

I'd buy house 1, house 2. Weds too much work and if you want a lovely modern feel like house 1 you'd need a load of money.
The outhouse is great, but if it can't be tied into the main house then you need a reason to turn it into something useful if you'd need to go out of the house to get to it so less likely to be used

I am not so keen on new build estate. And also like to stand better chance to getting in LSS as distance plays a part too

House 1 is west facing, do you think the kitchen diner will be unbearable in the summer with all that glass?

Yes this is my view too.
1 is nice but I think difficult to live in and I hate the ceilings upstairs.

2 is ok, nothing exciting. It could look lovely inside with a huge amount of work to change the layout and modernize everything.

OP you obviously know the local market best and know if this is the best you can get for your budget but with house 2, surely if you have the money to do the renovations you can afford to up your initial budget a bit instead?

@Yeahrepublic yes we can push to 700k if absolutely no work is needed, but there isnt such a house in the area we are looking

I thought house 1 was much nicer aside from the miserable driveway with no greenery. But the low ceilings upstairs could be an issue

House1 was totally rebuilt from a tiny 2 bed bungalow.. it is a shame they didnt build something more practical