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Property/DIY

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Original poster

Should I buy this overpriced house?

21 replies

CupEmpty · 14/02/2023 09:43

Firstly, there’s no way in hell I’m posting a link, sorry, because we probably will be proceeding. 🤣

im just having doubts. Basically I’ve always wanted to live rurally and have a lovely large garden, privacy/ no neighbours, probably even self build or big Reno project.

but a town house has come up in the centre of our village. It’s big, has enough space inside to be our long term/forever house (currently have toddler and baby) but dark garden not great …Enough to kick a football round and have a trampoline but not huge, not private like I want. House not my taste but all ‘done’ no work required. And location location location is amazing. Best street in the village, can walk everywhere. As such is very pricey and huge interest in it.

will I regret choosing location over dream?

OP posts:

unfortunateevents · 14/02/2023 09:45

Well, it doesn't sound anything like your ideal living situation, also you say it is a townhouse, does that mean it is over three floors? Is that not going to be a pain with a baby and toddler?

Original poster

CupEmpty · 14/02/2023 09:48

it does have 3 floors but the layout is pretty good, all the living space downstairs, main & kids bedrooms on 1st floor with bathrooms then upper floor only more bedrooms/ would be used for guests or when kids are much older as teen hangout space etc.

it’s not my taste, but I thought in the future kids would prefer to be able to walk to school/ to friends rather than be in the middle of nowhere.

OP posts:

OhBeAFineGuyKissMe · 14/02/2023 09:49

I know moving is a pain but why does it have to be the forever house. Buy the house that is right for you now and look again later if circumstances change.

With small children how much time do you realistically have to renovate? How much spare cash do you have? How much time will you have to do the garden (large gardens take a lot of work).How much easier will your life be, being able to walk places with the little ones? Or even middle size/ teenagers (being able to get to mates houses without parents driving them is great for all ages)

Your dream house, sounds just like that, a fantasy dream, rather than a practical one for a young family. Possibly one that would be better at looking for later on.

WinterFoxes · 14/02/2023 09:50

No. Don't buy an overpriced house that is not to your tatse. Hold out for the house you want. or buy one that can, over time, become your ideal house.

Shekissedagirlandshelikedit · 14/02/2023 09:50

Living rurally is a pain when the dc become teens - it happens sooner than you think. Unless there's a decent bus route you'll be driving them everywhere.

However the town house doesn't sound great. They're big inside but usually very small plots. Does it have decent parking?

Original poster

CupEmpty · 14/02/2023 09:58

We definitely want to stay in our very small village, and this is part of the problem, there aren’t many houses to choose from. Other than this house, there’s maybe 1-2 only in the whole village that would be suitable, and who knows if they will come on the market/ we could afford them. That’s the massive issue is unless we sacrifice location, our options are very limited. Or we could move to another neighbouring village but we love this one so much, we would likely still use all the pubs/ cafes/ leisure facilities here.

I do see the negatives with a renovation and I am worried about increased building costs etc, which is why I’m more likely to chose this one

OP posts:

Original poster

CupEmpty · 14/02/2023 09:59

Yes good parking off street.

OP posts:

C4tastrophe · 14/02/2023 10:06

Go for it! Price aside it sounds great and practical. Easy living.
Driving every day when living in the sticks soon gets tiring, especially in winter. Kids are social animals and want to be near their friends.

However moving house is expensive so picture your life in 10 years time, does the house still work? Sounds like it will.

PissedOffNeighbour22 · 14/02/2023 10:26

But the town house. Your dream house described is also my dream.
We bought a house a couple of years ago that was nothing like that dream but needs renovating. We absolutely do not have the time, with kids and jobs etc. I'd say we have managed to complete about 5% of what we thought we'd have done by now. It's becoming a liability in all honesty.

Buy something that doesn't need your time and effort until you genuinely have the time and budget to do it.

PissedOffNeighbour22 · 14/02/2023 10:27

Supposed to say Buy, not but 🙄

whoruntheworldgirls · 14/02/2023 10:31

We lived rurally and moved to a village when our daughter was in reception, it's made things so much easier and meant she can walk to school/have friends round without anyone having to drive/can meet at the park/go for walks/bike rides round the village/meet at the pub and the kids can play in the beer garden.
I wouldn't move out of the village now.

Mumdiva99 · 14/02/2023 10:51

We compromised on garden for inside space and location. Whilst I will stay and love the location. We would have been as happy.....maybe more in a smaller house with a better garden. But if we'd known and waited something would have come up. If you don't think another property will come up then you need to think differently.

Lcb123 · 14/02/2023 10:53

I'd go location as a priority, I would hate having to drive all the time from a rural location. I'd be nervous if it is overpriced though, given current economic climate.

BarrelOfOtters · 14/02/2023 10:56

Buy it. You won't spend all your time driving kids about. My only regret where I live is the size of the garden - it's too small for my plans. But it's made me more creative and we (well I) have a longer term plan to move on to a bigger garden.

BarrelOfOtters · 14/02/2023 10:57

And we did a renovation in the house we are living in now, and I will not be doing that again in a hurry.

Original poster

CupEmpty · 14/02/2023 11:46

@BarrelOfOtters and @Mumdiva99 what is it about your gardens you don’t like, if you don’t mind me asking?

OP posts:

BarrelOfOtters · 14/02/2023 11:51

The size really, it's big enough for a greenhouse, a bbq area, an eating area and a small lawn and flower bed. I'm slowly encroaching on the lawn for more planting space. I'd like room for a veg bed and a pond and some fruit trees.

But when DH's kids were small we just had a back yard and that was fine. This is about me and gardening.

And even though the back garden is south facing, due to buildings surrounding us, it gets no sun at all from beginning of November to mid February.

The front garden is quite big, and I've turned it into a cottage style garden but even though we are on a quiet road, we don't often sit out there.

Basically it's too small for gardening but is fine for entertaining.

amonsteronthehill · 14/02/2023 11:56

If the house itself is big enough, I'd go with it for the location.

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 14/02/2023 13:14

If you want to stay in your village, you're presumably limited to what comes up? I think I'd go for this house now, and if one of the "dream" houses came up, then you could consider moving? As you say, they may never come onto the market, or not for 10/20 years, because they may be someone else's dream home. Just as an example, my parents have been in their home for 20 years, and will probably be there for at an absolute minimum 10 more. My grandmother has been in her home for at least 50 years now (which is a bit like your dream home, not exactly the same but similar).

Some people just don't move that often.

If you think the town house is overpriced, why not start by offering what you think it is worth?

emmathedilemma · 14/02/2023 13:15

while your kids are so little I'd go for location. IMO you can't put a price on being able to walk everywhere.

Orangetapemeasure · 14/02/2023 13:37

@CupEmpty we moved from London to a village pre Covid. Location was perfect- edge of a village, on a bus route, close to family- but house was definitely a compromise. We employed an architect and had plans drawn up. As part of this process we realised that the 2 things the architect couldn’t fix were the fact that the house was a semi and the garden was always smaller than I wanted. That said, we would probably have continued if we hadn’t heard about a private sale. House for sale was in an area that we’d been looking at first time round, but is definitely less convenient than the 1st house. We bought it. I absolutely love the house and garden. I always wanted detached, big garden, village location- it’s all of those, but it is definitely less convenient. Mostly I don’t mind, but I do have moments where I wish the kids could walk to school……but that would never have been possible in the first house either.
you don’t say what’s wrong with your current house/why you don’t like it?
living in a house you don’t like does grind you down, and I’m not of the mumsnet mentality where you buy a house- literally any house- that’s on a bus route and equidistant from work and school.

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