Which house would you buy- newish build or doer upper?

[Purple89]

Really struggling between two houses! Such a big decision and I know ultimately it's one my DH and I have to make but very grateful for any insights or thoughts others have to help us decide.

House 1
Victorian detached.
Visually stunning - a show stopper from the outside. Period features.
750k so top of our budget but will have some savings to do urgent work when we first move in. However will take us a long time to get it how we want it, we both work 4 days a week each and have a toddler.
Needs as a minimum- chimney fixing, cellar tanking, downstairs loo reconfiguring (it's accessible only from the outside at the mo), garden clearing (it's a total mess). Kitchen isn't fitted. However, it is liveable.
Beautiful views, affluent and highly regarded area, and in the catchment for excellent state schools (have a nearly 2 year old DD).
Garden needs clearing out and doing but would be nice big garden for DD.
No garage but there is scope to add one given there is a space for it, and there is a driveway.

House 2
Newish build (maybe 5 or so years ago).
Stone built and a pretty house but not as visually beautiful as house 1.
Seller built it themselves to live in so everything very high standard. Beautiful kitchen and bathrooms.
Detached
In a lovely village which seems very friendly and family oriented, but area is not as 'prestigious' as House 1. However, on a nice cul de sac (not a new build estate). Walking distance to local pub and shop, park and village hall.
Local schools rubbish so would send her private. However, the private school is excellent and walking distance from this house.
We wouldn't need to do anything to it apart from make it our style.
Garden is smaller than house 1 but already done.
600k price tag so 150k cheaper than house 1.
There is a single garage.

Both are similar size.

Argh we are TORN. Any thoughts welcome!

An excellent school now might not be excellent in the future. 10 years is a long time in the life of a school - heads come and go, staff leave. I deliberately bought a house in the catchment of a consistently outstanding school that I knew extremely well having taught there myself for nearly 2 decades. By the time my children were old enough to go there, the head had left, vast new build estates had increased the NOR exponentially and things were starting to slip. We ended up moving our dc. Fortunately, as I lived in a house that was up together and didn't need anything doing to it for the foreseeable future, I was able to squeeze the money together to pay for a few years private schooling ( something I NEVER ever thought I would consider doing until it was MY children's education suffering).
Very sadly, the previously outstanding school (and it truly had been) is now finding it impossible to climb back out from several years worth of RI Ofsteds.

You can't predict what your dc will need in the future; don't tie up so much of your income to bricks and mortar that you sacrifice the ability to make choices should the need arise.

Links please!

I would instinctively go for #1, but...

House 2

@Purple89 if you have ongoing available finances, then, without hesitation House 1.

OUTSTANDING
"Visually stunning - a show stopper from the outside. Period features.

Beautiful views, affluent and highly regarded area, and in the catchment for excellent state schools"

CAN WAIT
"cellar tanking, downstairs loo reconfiguring (it's accessible only from the outside at the mo), garden clearing (it's a total mess). Kitchen isn't fitted"

Choose your Victorian detached.🌺

If you don't need to privately educate your daughter in this area, then your disposable can be used for the house.

It sounds fantastic, full of character. Can just imagine the changing seasons in such a wonderful area.

Good luck @Purple89 all so very exciting, whichever you choose🙂

Was brought up in a perpetual dooer upper. The modern one.

House 2. You could move in and enjoy it from the start. It will also have mod cons, including wifi ports and plenty of electric sockets. You will also have money to spare. It will be much more convenient in every way.

I've just moved out of House 1 into a new build. Stunning, breathtaking sea views were no consolation for the endless tedium of maintaining a Victorian money pit.

I am veering towards house no 2. What has swayed me is the house was built by the owners and so you would expect it to be very well built. I think more modern houses usually have a better layout and for it to be well insulated. Also you have a toddler so it would be great to move straight in and not worry about work to be done. You know the area and feel very comfortable there, you like the school and it is very close by. I am not a period house type of person, practicality wins for me. Hoping you are a little clearer on which house is for you.

House 2. It’s not a new build in the sense of a house built by a big firm so shouldn’t have any of the problems a usual new build would do.

If the kitchen isn’t fitted in house 1 do you mean there is no kitchen at all or just that it’s free standing units? It can be hard to get a mortgage with no kitchen.

House 1 if it has great views. You can't put a price on a sensational view and you'll enjoy it every day. I grew up in a house with fantastic views from my bedroom and I have wonderful childhood memories of breathtaking sunsets.

I also prefer to put my own stamp on a house and so prefer doer uppers which would make me choose house 1.

My heart would say 1 and my head would say 2.

Oohhh tough choice. You want house 1, but the education for your daughter that is only available with house 2. I bought a doer upper over a decade ago now and it is still not completely done up. The major works were all done in the first few years and ground to a halt when children arrived. Trades prices have risen astronomically. But there is much to be said for living on a house you love in an area you prefer. Can you view them both again and have your sensible glasses kn instead of the rose tinted ones? Also, determining it as a forever home is a lot of pressure to add. If you were to mentally designate it as a house that you could move from, would that make a difference?

When you've made your decision, please come back and tell us which you went for, OP. I have to know!

House 2 at this stage- a money pit with no holidays etc and yet working can get very tedious , very quickly - if you want to buy something like that I would say do it with a teen not a toddler

For the difference in price I'd say house 2. I bet house 1 will probably need (at least) an extra £100k on it when all said and done to get it the same standard so £600k vs £850k plus you have to live through a load of building work and upheavel with a toddler. It will also probably cost more to run.

Having said that I just moved into a "house 1" with a 4 year old about to start school but I really needed to stay in area so location location location was my biggest factor and any comparable new builds were either much more expensive for super compromised with overlooked postage stamp back yards.

No regrets on my part btw, but alot more work than I anticipated and I am struggling to get the "unclean" smell out. (Can't afford to just rip everything out and start again, having to make do and mend)

Either which way get a level 3 building survey. 😅

Went for house 1. It’s been a journey. 3 years in.

No regrets. Every day I think fucking hell this is my house!! And that is an incredible feeling.

We also have a 2 yo. He’s actually incredibly adept at using power tools now so we had to buy him his own set. He has a hard hat and a yellow hi viz which he goes to collect anytime his dad or I starts the diy 🤣 He happily assists with his plastic hammer and electric screwdrivers. Very cute!

House 1. But it will be cold there. Very cold.

House 2, especially as it was built by the seller. I imagine things like insulation will be very good and you've said it's full of top of the range. Victorian houses are pretty - but can get cold in the winter.

This is true. In the bad gas price years we had recently my bill was 6k 😱 for gas alone!! And we are B+ energy rated!

House 2. Seriously, period houses are massively overrated. Once you move in to House 2 and you feel warm you will not regret your choice.

I live in an Edwardian house. I wish I could find a modern house I like the look off, the layout and quality of build. The issue is that 97% of newly build homes in this country are a complete Architectural disaster, so I just can't believe I will ever find one to buy, Only hope for me to live in a modern home is self-built, which I will do in a heartbeat if I only had the funds....

We bought a small 1930s in need of renovation almost 8 years ago - it's still not finished and I can relate to PP that said the only time they ever finished the renovation was when they were about to sell. I can see us being the same. Living in a building site is not fun, having workmen in your home is stressful, spending weekends doing DIY while trying to juggle young child virtually impossible. Renovation/building costs have increased considerably over that time too.

I love period properties and House 1 sounds amazing. If I didn't have a child maybe I'd consider it. But I do and so I don't think I'd take on a renovation of this magnitude ever again.

If you are seriously considering House 1, view it with a builder and try to get a good understanding of costs - it's amazing how even small jobs can cost thousands. Does it need rewired? Lead pipes removed? Condition of roof? Modern boiler? Windows? Etc etc.

Another vote for property 2. Property 1 would be OK if you had a bottomless budget to get the works done.

House 2. I have a 1940s house that was/is a project. We've lived here's 2 years and did a full renovation... we still have two rooms to complete and no end goal in sight! We had a toddler during the renovation and had to move in with family. I'd buy a new build in a heart beat as the stress isn't worth it.

I live in a self build that was built by a very wealthy lady. On paper, it’s perfect, beautiful, very high quality features, fixtures and fittings.

I type this as I lay here listening to a new part of the ceiling or wall making popping noises. Earlier today it was a different room on a different floor. Usually, it’s just the roof popping and cracking during winter when it gets colder at night, so this is an Autumn 2024 special. Even keeping the loft hatch open is no longer stopping the roof noise. And it’s not a cold day. Last I saw it was 22 degrees downstairs.

The actual quality once you get past the fancy interior has blown my mind at how utterly shocking it is. The drive is slowly slipping into the field next door too. Actual holes between tarmac and grass border bricks. I could fit both hands on top of one another in one of them.

I could go on for hours because the list of things wrong with it are quite funny - in a haha slit your wrists kind of way, but my point is this: just because someone has built a home themselves, please don’t automatically assume that it will be vastly superior quality to the tat Persimmon and their competitors chuck up.

House 1. But I wouldn't move to somewhere the local state schools are crap so house 2 wouldn't even be in the running.