New build or slightly older house decision time help!

[6poundshower]

We are completely stuck in making this decision so any help will really be appreciated.

We are looking to move within the catchment, which is relatively small - a small town in the middle of England. There are 2-3 house options:

Option 1 is a new build, on a shiny new estate. It is a 3 bed, over 3 floors. We can negotiate a good deal with the builder. It has a really nice master suite up at the top of the house. Rest of house isn't tiny but as with most new builds there is less overall space/storage than we might ideally like. We could make it work. There's no garage, so some storage would be needed in the garden which is approx 5x10m.

Option 2 is about 20 years old, on an estate of that age. It has 4-5 bedrooms, also over 3 floors but not the very beautiful master of the other house. Rest of the house is spacious including separate utility, lots of storage. Has a garage. Garden the same size as the other. Not in quite as nice a location, a bit more hemmed in among neighbours.

Both these houses are about the same distance from schools and amenities.

Option 3 is we buy neither of these houses and wait to see what comes on the market.

If we don't decide today one or both will be gone, as the market round here is still moving relatively quickly on houses of this type.

We don't have a huge family - 1 child. Could have more but we're in our 40s and not trying. Not a lot of belongings as we've been renting a tiny 2-bed and need to have a clear out anyway.

We spent the weekend trying to decide and now frustrating ourselves by wavering between the 2 houses, have tried writing out the pros and cons of each, imagining life in each, telling ourselves to 'just pick one'. etc etc. - still going back and forth. There is no terrible decision here, 1st world problems and all that - but how do we decide?

With Option 2 we might use the rooms for e.g. a home gym, a study, a walk in wardrobe. We don't 'need' them.

With Option 1 our home gym equipment (currently in our living room) would need to go in the spare bedroom, and there would be no separate study.

Do either of you work from home? If so, I'd go for the option of one with a study. You could turn the upstairs into your dream loft bedroom at a later date.

Yes, one of us nearly full time.

In Option 1 the spare room would become a gym / study, or the main kitchen / diner would be an option.

In Option 2 one of the top floor rooms might become a study.

This in itself doesn't bother us either way. Not enough to make the decision.

Without doubt I'd go for option 2. Extra bedrooms that mean you can have a guest room or a study for WFH - that's a fabulous bonus. So is the utility room. our utility room stops our kitchen from looking like a bomb. All washing, pet food dishes and muddy boots tucked out of sight. And a garage - somewhere for bikes and tools and temporary storage.

You can decorate it exactly as you please gradually over time. New build decor is all very bland so you'd probably tire of it anyway. I personally loathe en-suites - why would you want all that bathroom steam and loo smells wafting into your sleeping space? But if you do, then could the 4-5 beds be reconfigured to create an en-suite? You'd still have that extra bedroom over the other house, plus the storage.

As a buyer I have completely gone off new-builts and recent houses.

The new-built because so many come with ''estate maintenance charges'', a system which is poorly regulated and basically means the developers can charge you whatever they want for maintenance/repairs and ''management fees''.

Houses built in the past 20/30 years because all the ones I have viewed so far are ageing really badly and require some major work already, a sign that they were built on the cheap.

So I would say neither options and keep looking a bit longer.

If it has to be 1 of these 2, I'd imagine an agent calling and telling you one is sold. Which one are you praying it isn't?!

The overlooked thing is massive to me, but I appreciate it isn't to everyone. Apart from that I'd go with house 2 as it has so much more potential for you to make it fit your lifestyle, what with gym equipment, WFH etc.

Just to say our new build didn’t loose value and has just kept rising due to its desirable location so not true of all new build. We get letters from estate agents once a month asking to sell.

In your position I'd go with option 1 as you're looking to sell in 10 years time and this isn't a really long term home for you.

As someone up thread mentioned 20 year old houses start to need lots of things doing to them, kitchens, bathrooms, windows, flooring and boilers etc. which then require you to do work to the electrics as well.

It sounds like you want to buy a house to move into and not have to be thinking about these things too much, the cost, stress and disruption is understandably not something everyone wants to take on. So if you aren't too up for that and would rather just want to get on with living your life (in my experience as a person who's just spent the last 2.5 years doing up a 25 year old house) by the time you come to sell house 2 you will either need to accept that people will be calculating doing those works in their offers or you'd have to do a reasonable amount you sell before you put it up for sale.

No i don't think it's a long term home. To be honest I don't think we know what we'll want once son grows up but assume he will move on and out.. so we need a house for about 10 years.

The 20 year old house seems solid. Probably needs the bathrooms re doing within 10 years. Maybe the kitchen. None of these are urgent as it stands. Doesn't have the pretty master suite (without significant outlay).

Another day off thinking it over and we're still torn. We risk losing both simply by over thinking.

We did see one last autumn that was 'perfect' but we didn't win the bidding war. So even if we wait, it isn't guaranteed we'll get exactly what we're after. Both of these houses are really good, neither bad. Also neither perfect.

In your situation I’d go for option 1. You don’t need 4/5 bedrooms, and the work to get option 2 up to how you’d like it will cost more than you think.
I also speak as someone who bought option 2 in your scenario. We chose a 25 year old house with more space over the new build, and I regret it now. The boiler, oven and both showers needed replacing within a year of moving in. We’ve had to have fairly substantial work done on the roof where felt has rotted. We had to have front and back doors replaced as the wood was rotting. We’ve had to replace all the fencing in the back garden. We’re still stuck with the perfectly serviceable but extremely dated kitchen as the other essentials things have taken all the money we saved for cosmetic upgrades.

Oh and the double glazing has blown in many of the windows so we’ve had to replace the glass in them.

That's quite a lot of expense waddle...

Option 2 doesn't feel very dated, for what it's worth. Though clearly more so than the new build.

Are they both detached? Both might suffer from attached noise if not, but it depends on the layout. That would help me come to a decision.

10yrs will go by in a flash. Which one would suit you best now?

Both are semi detached.

Both would suit us, but for different reasons.

Do the rooms attach or stairs in both?

Yeah I guess a lot depends on how much updating previous occupants have done. In our case, the kitchen was replaced about 12 years ago but with something that looks far more dated than the original kitchen that was in the house! They obviously spent a lot on it as it’s excellent quality, it just looks like something from the ‘80s 😂

Both over 3 floors, both kitchen/diner and toilet at bottom, next floor couple of rooms. Top floor differs - Option 1 has the nice master suite whereas Option 2 a few more rooms. Both similar size garden.

Option 2 has a garage.

I'd say they've done very little to it. Haven't even painted the walls. Almost a blank canvas despite the age.

If I'm being honest the master suite in Option 1 is a big draw for me, and the views due to location. DH is more practical, likes the room in Option 2 and the garage. We can each see the other point of view.

We could wait for a house that ticks all boxes, but is that wishful thinking.

I feel your pain. I had forgotten to moan about the fence. So far in 3 years of buying a 20 year old house I have had :

Boiler replacement (original house one poor quality and knackered).
Leaking radiator
leaking shower mixer manifold (needed to cut through drywall to fix because of stupid mounting)
bust washing machine (came free with the house)
broken cooker (came free with the house).
Front Door and Back door replaced (back door partially rotted).
All outer locks replaced (old poor security eurocylinders)
New french windows (double glazed instead of rubbish wooden set)
New bar mixer shower in ensuite
replacement toilet seats that are really expensive due to weird toilet shape.
Leaking sink fixed.
10 panels of rear fence and garden access gate replaced as fence was rotted and about to collapse - gate did collapse.

Option 2 sounds more like a longer term/more desirable family house - more bedrooms and the garage.

In 5 years, both will be newish, not totally new houses. One will be a 3 bed and one a 4 bed with garage.

Shiny, brand new lasts such a short time, rather like brand new cars. Don’t be too influenced by that. Also don’t be influenced by the fact at some point you’ll need to do some maintenance…that also applies to both houses.

Look again at layout and position of doors and windows and how that will impact furniture layout. Look at storage. Look at parking. look at rooms sizes. Look more at these more fundamental things than if the bathroom was chosen from a 2022 catalogue or a 2002 catalogue.

Yikes

The thing with the maintenance though is that a 20 year old house is just getting to the point where it will need a fair bit of maintenance. A brand new house won’t need that maintenance for the next 15-20 years (and the first 10 are usually covered by a warranty). The OP said it isn’t a long term house, so chances are the new build won’t need much maintenance work in the time they’re living there, whereas the older house almost definitely will. Which isn’t a problem as long as you know the money will be needed for it.