I'm torn between 2 houses, which would you pick? Details -
Firstly, both of these are in the same village, both equally good for schools and amenities. However are at opposite ends of the village so some differences in location as follows:
House 1
Brand new, with the build due to complete in August. 3 bedrooms, over 3 storeys. Lovely master as the top floor with an open staircase - this is gorgeous, a real selling point for me. On high ground so sweeping views of local countryside (this won't change). Has 'kerb appeal' on the outside (think sort of brownstone town house style). On the inside the ground floor is open plan from kitchen to diner, with the kitchen being relatively small (galley kitchen), appliances built in - and here the washing machine, oven on the smaller side but manageable as there is only me and DD. All 3 bedrooms have wall to wall, floor to ceiling wardrobes built in which is very attractive as we could hide a lot in there. The garden is 10x5 metres (same as for all their houses), not overlooked much at all. We couldn't decorate a new build at the start but would focus on the garden. 2 parking spaces. There are a relatively small number of houses on this estate and due to position there is no ability to build more. The advantage of this house is very easy access to a major motorway, A roads and into the nearest town - we could zip off to wherever we wanted very quickly. The monthly mortgage on this one about £100/month more than the other. This house is direct with the builders so perhaps easier (no vendor or estate agent)
House 2
2 years old but the owners bought it then moved to another country almost immediately, so as good as new and no chain so could move as soon as conveyancing goes through. 4 bedrooms, over 3 storeys. The master also as the top floor, but without the open staircase - stairs and a door open into the room. On low ground so without the sweeping views, but tucked away on a very peaceful estate. Slightly less kerb appeal if I'm being picky - compared with the first one (think more standard white painted normal 4 bed). And the estate in general perhaps not quite as pretty as the other. On the inside the ground floor has separate kitchen and living room, both equally spacious but could be knocked through to create the open plan. More storage for coats and shoes than the first in hall cupboard. In kitchen more space for appliances of normal/larger size. Bedrooms don't have any storage built in and doors are positioned so you can't quite get the wall to wall wardrobe appeal of the first house, and we wouldn't have any storage there at the start. The garden is same size as the first but overlooked on every side by the backs of other new builds, not overly intrusive but not the open perspective of thr first house. We could decorate as it's past the 'settling' stage. The garden is plan patio and plan grass so equally we could get started doing something there. 2 parking spaces. No further houses to be built as the estate is complete. One consideration for this house is as it's tucked away at the bottom of a relatively busy village, to get anywhere you need to drive our of the estate, up through village traffic to get to the same spot as the first house, and exit - which probably adds 5 minutes to any journey. Less 'zipping'. The monthly mortgage on this one about £100/month less than the other.
What else to say... both have a service charge on the estate, and a build warranty. All 3 have a toilet on ground floor, main bathroom on 1st floor and ensuite on top for the master - and not much difference between the houses. We can't stay where we are beyond this year and don't want to. DD would have a similar length walk to school from either (neither super close to her school but similar to many of her peers).
There is no terrible choice here, either is perfectly liveable. Which would you go for?