Help deciding on house

[Cutecouchpotato]

Hi all

Long time lurker - decided I'd post for once as I could use some advice. My husband and I are thinking about buying a house and we've found a few we like but we are really torn.

There's a gorgeous detached period house in North Croydon / Selhurst for 650k which we love and the road it's on is cute but the area is Croydon and we can't figure out if it's getting better or worse or if it's just a bad idea full stop. We really love the house and we'd be willing to take a 10 year view on it if the area is improving.

Then there's two semi-detached houses for 725k and 730k in Purley and Redhill respectively. Both pretty but not as pretty as the detached. One is a little smaller one is a little larger with the detached in the middle in terms of size. (1600sf, 1850sf, 2200sf)

I know the old adage, location, location, location but it feels like we will never have another chance to buy a detached property in London close to a station for this price regardless of the area. We don't have kids yet but we are thinking about having them in the next 5 years and the local schools in all these areas range from "need improvement" to "good". No outstanding ones.

Any thoughts?

Thank you
CP

Thanks for the input all. We decided to wait for the Croydon one to go down in price more. We're going to take a bet that in 10 years time its a better area than it is today and that particular house is quite irreplaceable in London.

The Purley one has too many issues (small kitchen, rail noise, neighbour doing structural work without building control sign off and it impacts the joining walls, pre-existing damage from the neighbour's work already being seen on the internal walls etc)

They say location location location for a reason. You want the worst house on the best street you can afford, not the best house on the worst street. Tenants for neighbours means a transient community too, crap if you want a family. Croydon has never come up, no matter how many times people say it will. It always gives off a disadvantaged / deprived vibe. I’d be worried about crime and schools. If you can afford a huge detached house for the price of a smaller place elsewhere that tells you everything about the desirability of the area. Don’t do it.

I would go for detached if you can (if not that one). Had good and bad semi-detached neighbours, the bad was awful screaming at each other and the kids all day, could hear it all. Bought a detached bungalow (in need of a lot of work) no attached neighbours is worth every penny.

Hi there,
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