Choice between 2 houses today

[magneticmoon]

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?

Sounds like you prefer house 1!

Yes that's it, thank you 😀

I did check the depth, and this builder seems to have thought that one through so you can actually hang things in a wardrobe.

I’d be looking at other factors - get copies of the lease for each and see how the estate is managed and the estate charges escalate. What restrictions there are in use of the property (like hanging washing / planting in the front of the house) which might give an indication of how uptight the management company is)? Do residents have a seat in the management committee so have a say in what is spent? Are the roads adopted? Are they both gas boilers or is the new one ground source?
how close are the neighbours?
etc etc
the 4th bedroom for 2 people is neither here nor there if you have a doubling ground rent / massive gardening charges for common areas and the place is impossible to sell in 10 years

“It's already moved from Easter to August, but they have built half the first floor so far.”

OP were buying a new build. When we reserved our house in June last year, the structure of the house was finished, staircase was in, room/ internal walls all up, first fix electrics. So a lot further on than where you are now. We were given a November completion date.

In fact, we pick up the keys next week.

In other words, from a more advanced position it took not five months to complete but nine months. I’d take your August completion with a massive punch of salt. I’d say you’re more likely to be in for Christmas.

Coin toss says the 3 bed.

Those of you who bought, did you go with your gut and was it the right decision, with hindsight? I'm not sure whether I completely trust my gut.

Yes - the additional rental income before completion of house 1 is going to be more than £100 extra / month

Op who is telling you they will probably both go today? How long have they been on the market?

Yes that's true, renting is expensive and for what you get compared with a mortgage. I really resent paying for where we are now and want to get out asap.

Hose 2 seems to be much more practical: better kitchen and available now.

if you're desperate for the open staircase then spend the difference in rent/mortgage for a few months in taking the top door out and putting one on the landing & job done.

It sounds like you prefer 1 but think you should be ‘sensible’ and go for 2. Since you don’t need the 4th bedroom, then providing the service charge etc. isn’t a ticking time bomb, I’d say go for 1.

That actually isn’t my personal preference - I hate open plan and bought my current place at least partly because of the large kitchen, plus I’d hate the open staircase so if I had to choose, I’d go for 2 (although the lack of built in wardrobes might be enough that I wouldn’t buy either). However, that’s irrelevant. It’s what you like and you clearly prefer 1.

You could do the coin toss test - you say heads 1 and tails 2 and if it comes up as 1 and you are relieved or 2 and you are disappointed, you have your answer (obviously with this test, you don’t abide by the result, it’s just a way of clarifying feelings).

I would be 100% house 2 as well - lease conditions dependent. Also with that one you can actually see how well run the estate is and speak to current residents about it.
was full snagging done on house 2 if the owners moved out very quickly? If not you may find repairs need to be done that are no longer carried out by the builder - check that.
you need to focus on the practical.

I'd go for the view and the more open, less overlooked garden. I think you are likely to use it much more.

They both sound nice but I love the idea of the fitted cupboards, in our last house we had so many built in wardrobes (proper ones built in the walls not 'fitted' against a wall IYSWIM) and that just meant so much storage house. Our next house was 'larger' but very little storage. Also be wary of the 'open' stair case ... sounds lovely but would it be harder to heat the space?

I would not touch anything with ''estate maintenance charge''. They are uncapped, the developer will charge you ''management fees'' on top of maintenance and repairs and have no incentive to keep costs down.

I would also do a search for the one at the bottom of the village to see if there are any flood risks.

You prefer house one. I would book another viewing and this time walk through what you do day to day

Where do you put coats and shoes when you come in? Where would you unload your shopping? Are there enough cupboards once you take out appliances?

Where do you dry your clothes. What direction does the short garden face?

It sounds like it would work well for you put is perhaps more limited on future resale. But ultimately, you are buying it to live in and enjoy so while a factor, it's not necessarily the most important one unless this is a short term move.

Take the show home gloss away and really focus on the space. Then you'll have your answer.

House 1. Views, garden privacy and kerb appeal - you will love living there.

House 1. You don't need 4 bedrooms for 2 people.

Oh yes and check the position of the sun in the garden..

Go with your gut

Based on your wording, you love the first one. You point out pretty much only positives for it, and mainly negatives for the second. So buy the one you love.

Mmm it would be good to see the plans. We were looking at houses last year and tbh i was surprised at the size of the kitchen/dining and general ground floor space in the 3 storey townhouses. The living space is way more important than the bedrooms imo - which has the best living space - ie where you can comfortably hang out (galley kitchen doesn't scream this).

Additionally with house 1 is it on the edge of a village - could they build more?

I am being a bit careful about writing things that could be identifying. Suffice it to say, things have converged in a way that means I need to make a decision now and if I don't they'll be gone. And i don't want to stay where we are.

If you re-read your OP you’ll see that when you discuss house 1 you list things you love about it. When you discuss house 2, you list things that are not like house 1.
i think that tells you where your heart lies on this one.

Yes house 2 is the practical, reliable option in several ways.

Unfortunately it wouldn't be possible to make the staircase on 2 look similar to 1.

I don't know on the snagging, so thank you - a good question,