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.

Hope you hear soon.

A little update from us.

We offered on both. Offer on the 2nd bigger house rejected as too low. It was an ok offer. Less than 10% off. But to be honest we are not ready to go higher. Some things that are stopping us: it feels cold and very shaded. The garden is north facing and I'd say 70% shaded all the time, a tiny corner bit gets some sunlight. Very overlooked (aka from 6 properties around) due to it being on the hill. The front is ok but on the road with a big and loud primary school opposite. The road is not super busy but is used especially during rush hours and has a bus stop just 5 m down (used a couple of times a day but still) + parking during school hours is tricky. It is nice but not perfect. And has been on the market for very long time. I cannot see it getting OIEO.

We offered on the little house #1 and so far the difference between what they want and what we are ready to pay is 3500£. What looked like a chain free sale in the beginning now "has" to match a property that the owner likes somewhere else and wants to buy straight away. Annoying tbh.

And the market is dead. Zero houses.

Thanks for the update. Sorry to hear it didn't work out, but maybe it's a sign that neither of these is the right one for you.

Hang in there... the market may be dead at the moment but people will always need to move and sell - something else will come up eventually!

House 2 sounds loevely but I think it's too small for a growing family unfortunately.

House 1. Those children will grow.

But, you’ve made house 2 sound so attractive. You clearly love it! The third bedroom
would need to become a teenager zone/playroom in my opinion.

Do you have parking for the 2nd place? No mention of it and "heart of the town" suggests that you don't. With small kids, I'd always get a parking space if you can, so 1 for me. Even though 2 sounds wonderful.

@FriedEggChocolate oh yes there is one assigned parking place for house 2. So not a problem. It is in a quiet cul de sac. Not many visitors there.

1st house definitely if you have 2 children already and want more then you need space