Which one would you choose? Pictures

[HeartOrHeadDecision]

1. 160sq m 3 bed Victorian semi with a loft to convert. The kitchen alone is 25 sq m. Plenty of space for a family of four and more. Not stunning views and a bit shaded. Location is good just not picturesque. An ordinary road. If anything perhaps even more convenient for us. Feels sort of cold inside although it has been nicely done and we could spend a bit of money (not much) on making it warmer and cosier. Lots of original features. Two bathrooms. So spacious. Very high ceilings. The garden is boring, bigger than in the second house *2,5. Just grass for now. And a nicely newly done spacious patio. North-west facing. Gets some sun but I reckon not too much. It is a bit on the slope. Overlooked. Could be good for plants in pots and with some shrubs.

Has been there for a while. Two sellers so two chains. They have nothing in mind. Would you consider getting involved?

1. A 80s a-la "periodic" terraced in the heart of a very very beautiful old town. Stunning views. West facing. Sun for the whole afternoon. Nice renovation. Feels modern inside. Very warm and easy/cheap to run, ready for moving in. French doors, landscaped smallish garden. 86sq m. Rooms are good size but no storage space. Chain free.

We are chain free. Heart or mind?
We are not experienced buyers, the first house.

Well, everyone says location is the most important thing, but you have to live inside the house - I don't think I could do the 80's one. It's too small. It also looks like you could do the side return possibly in the Victorian one and have so much more space. (I did this once - it's amazing what a few more feet of space looks like!) That was a very similar Victorian terrace with a north west facing small garden - totally overlooked but admittedly a good location as close to station and high street - but I loved living there! I'd go with the Victorian unless you can hold out for a better house closer to the location you want.

The first house is the one I’d pick especially if you want more children
the second house is too small imo

I'd go with House 1. We live in a 110 sq m house with exactly the same layout as your #1, with two DCs (teen/preteen), and it still feels too small sometimes. That loft room will turn out to be a lifesaver.

We bought from a divorced couple and it did slow things down, even though in our case one of them had already moved on and was demanding that the house be sold. Two sets of solicitors to deal with, so some of the legal work can become protracted (especially if one solicitor is slow or just a bit crap - with our purchase, his solicitor kept "forgetting" to contact him), plus you are in the middle of a potentially fraught situation. If one party doesn't want to sell, wants to mess with the other or wants far more money than the other is willing to accept, it can really drag on.

I just want to add that the location in house 1 is great and very convenient. 2 min to the nursery as opposed to 20 up the hill from house 2. It is just not picturesque. Imagine seeing other houses/roofs and a bit of neighbouring gardens. Nothing special. It would get some nice sunsets though. Especially from the balcony. That's it.

House 2 has a beautiful side sea view and over the old town. Lovely. But I was also wondering about how sound proof it is and whether it is going to be a terrarium in the summer with wide French doors on the longer side of the room exposing us to the sun for the whole day. Summers are getting hotter and hotter, right? We are viewing it again this week.
Need to decide.

Well you can't live in a view. It's all very well having a nice view but you will soon get used to that while having to make do with less space and more noise. When you're tucked up at home you won't be looking out of the window all day.

Unless you spend a lot on insulation, old houses can be cold. And some older houses can't be insulated without compromising them in other ways- damp being the biggie. So you either have to be comfortable with the higher expenses of heating, or not feel the need to keep your house terribly warm. If you like your thermostat set at much above 18 it may cost you a lot to heat.
I prefer to wear thermals in the winter and have the higher ceilings etc., but it doesn't suit everyone. And this last winter was a bit of a *, what with it being cold and more expensive as well. Nice last summer though, the North-facing downstairs rooms stayed cool all through the summer.
Other than that, I tend to prioritise space and light. 80s building is a bit of a crossover- 60s buildings tend to have big windows and lots of light and some storage. By the 90s, windows got smaller, rooms darker, room sizes meaner, often to facilitate (to my mind) fiddly little ensuites all over the place, and storage got scarcer- and the quality of building tanked (with a few exceptions). So it depends on what sort of 80s build it is.

It can drag on. 6 months, for us, because one wanted to sell and the other was obstructing it at every turn, even threatening our surveyor that they would be sued when they visited to do the survey. The court was involved a few times, also slowing things down. It had been for sale for 2 years, with, we were told, various offers falling through because of the 'war'.

Honestly I think 2 is too small. Kids grow and it only really has one reception whereas the other basically has three. When they’re older you won’t ideally want one open plan reception. I say this as someone who lived in HK for years so definitely not used to huge spaces but having more walls with older kids is definitely a plus.

Sunsets are, to my mind, one of the best views in the world. Don't forget that the lovely sea view will also expose you to winter storms and probably significant wind.

If it's just 20 mins down the hill to the sea from house 1, you can choose to do that walk after nursery when it's nice weather and you feel like it, and take in the lovely view. But if you're in house 2 you'll have to slog 20 mins up the hill, rain or shine, with no choice about it.

Also - I believe that maintenance is much more involved when you're right on the sea because of the salt. A little further inland you don't have that headache to deal with. I'm not convinced that 80s insulation was all that, and that an 80s house so close to the sea will be much warmer than a more sheltered Victorian house - but happy to be corrected if I'm wrong about that.

House 1 is double the size of house 2. If location is more convenient for you, I'd be going for that (I'm probably biased though, as I love big old Victorian houses, and not so much 80's shoe boxes).

What type of house are you in now? what are the things you like/dislike? Neither option feels right tbh

@frankgu we are with my in-laws. An old grand Victorian, 200sq m. We are in two rooms so used to being a bit squashed. This house also has a fantastic view which spoiled us I guess. You get used to good things pretty quickly)) it also has a garden where children can run around. So I suppose house 2 will be a bit of a squeeze

Have you been there a long time? If so I defo think house 2 would be a struggle.

There's a massive difference between mainly in two rooms of parents massive house - I expect you will have some use of the other rooms so won't feel so squashed, and stuck in a small house with a small garden with growing children and no additional space to use.

OP, if you like the 2nd house, go for it. A house is a home, and needs to feel like one. Our house is exactly 86sm, including a conservatory. We have 3 dc and the 3rd bedroom is an office. We are surrounded by other families in identical houses. It's not "too small". Teenagers do not need tonnes of space, nor does a family need multiple living spaces. Buy the house that you like

Neither. Keep looking.

I expect it depends of your personalities and those of your dc whether you can handle living in a smaller space. I have 4dc, our house is 150sqm and it feels too small at times, but two of mine have SEN and need more space away from each other which can be hard to achieve.

We used to live in an 85sqm flat when the dc were little, and while they were little it was fine even with 4 of them. But when they got bigger it wasn't any more, for us at least.

Last post before I stop spamming up your thread. Our flat had very limited storage and I really hated that. Storage really does make life easier and more comfortable.

Definitely house 1 without a question. The layout and potential to extend are much better. Don’t underestimate how much easier life is with kids when you all have spaces of your own and decent storage- it makes a huge difference. If I’d moved into the 80s house with my kids when young I would unquestionably have been moving again in a couple of years.

I have a sea view and I really enjoy it but I'd still go for the bigger house in your circumstances. It would be a huge transition to go from living in a 200sq m house although shared to an 82sq m house.

Oh dear. Such a difficult decision. I think we have to decide and make an offer on one of the houses today. We viewed house 2 again yesterday.
We do like it but everything said here makes so much sense.
Thank you for all your advice! And time spent to contribute.

Have you looked at what type of heating/hot water each house has and their EPC's - energy prices/insulation/potential for damp/mold are a consideration not to be overlooked these days.

A little update. Our low offer on house 2 was declined. Made an offer on house 1. Not sure they will accept but to be fair they have not had anyone for almost 8 months.
Once we hear from them we will decide whether to go higher on house 2 or stick with them.

Nothing else is on the market.