Which house to buy....

[Supertrouper990]

We have offered on a house and had offer accepted, but it is still at very early stages (Mortgage approved but contract papers not out yet).

A house has come up in the next street along, £65k less asking price!!

Had we not had our offer accepted on house A, we would have happily gone for house B, especially at 65k less.

House A (accepted house) has bigger rooms, has a 3 car driveway plus plenty of road parking, garage, downstairs wet room, backs onto allotments so very private, but is on a busy main road. Lovely bay windows and I had the "feels" from this house.

House B (65k cheaper) does not have a driveway, similar size garden (if not a bit wider) not much road parking but is on a quieter road, backs onto other houses so not as private.

Both need work although house B probably more as it doesn't have the driveway.
Both are 3 bedrooms and location wise they are on the next road from each other.

I still am committed to house A and love it, but am I being a fool for not going for a house 65k cheaper especially in this climate?

Fwiw we will be purchasing the new house on £298k mortgage, £145k fixed at 1.89% until Oct 2024 and new borrowing of the rest of funds on 5% fix for 2 years.

I think the difference in mortgage payments is roughly £250 a month.

So not to drip feed , we have 1 child, no plans for more, school age so no childcare fees and i do 4 days a week so there is scope to increase to 5 days a week (approx £300 a month more) in future should I have to

Have you done a viewing of house B? Have you thought hard about what your core priorities are?
Main road pollution, traffic danger and noise aren't good for small children. That was a deal breaker for us. We refused to view houses on main roads when DC were small.

You have offered on the house but not signed the contract. This is the biggest purchase you will ever make. If you want to pull out, you mustn't feel guilty. But do it because the other house is right, not because it's cheaper.

Is there any scope to make a driveway for B?

In terms of resale, driveways in family sized homes are often deal breakers on here.

I would view B as well so you understand what (if you choose to) you are paying extra for.
The quieter street sounds nicer and how overlooked you are depends on garden and house layout.

Do they both face same direction? Does one have more preferable garden orientation?

Have you visited House No 2? How do the layouts compare? House No 1 sounds better esp backing onto allotments. If you can afford it, stick with it. The 'feels' should never be ignored.

Yes scope to make a driveway on house B but in terms of it being significantly cheaper, I suspect a driveway nowadays is quite pricey, so would probably take quite a bit of that price difference away anyway?

No I have not yet visited the second house.... I kind of don't want to give myself the dilemma of liking it ! But then I think maybe deep down that means I prefer house 1 anyway?

Just go and see it. That way you'll know.

You may find it doesn't measure up at all. Better to find out than keep wondering!

A driveway will likely need planning permission, plus the costs and hassle to do it.

If house A is also bigger I'd say that the £65k difference is justified.

I would 100% go for backing onto allotments. It's lovely. So much light and sky. Well worth £65K.

I would always choose a house with a drive.
A house not being over looked at the back sounds ideal, it means you are able to enjoy the garden and have more privacy.
If they are only a street away, road pollution isn’t going to be very different.

A- god love a driveway and wouldn’t be without one. If the council refuse you a drop kerb what would you do?

I would not buy a house that doesn't have a driveway. It's not just you and your vehicle or vehicles to consider but also tradesmen, deliveries, visitors etc.

Just how busy is the road? The noise and pollution soon get tiresome.
That said a drive can cost £20k.

Do the main living quarters face the road or the allotments?

We lived on a fairly busy road and the living room was at the front, but we had a big driveway and a huge, so it never felt overwhelmingly noisy. A big driveway and parking is excellent, as are bigger rooms. I’d go with the one you’ve offered on.

I would reject house A just for being on a busy road. Always noisy and unhealthy.

go for house B.

Thank you everyone for your feedback.

Looking at googlemaps the house is set back from the road some 40ft, with a parking layby, pavement then driveway. So inside the house the living room (at the front) is very quiet, and when in the garden the road noise is minimal aswell.

There is a living room which faces the front, and larger room (dining room/living room) and kitchen facing the back garden, towards the allotments.

BTW we have decided to stick with House A

I think the price difference is probably more or less justified so you are not necessarily overpaying for house A, it just depends how much the extras are worth to you. The road would be a big downside for me but since you offered on it in the first place it clearly isn’t a deal breaker for you. Definitely see house B!