Living in a house that doesn’t have much of a view

[Novablue222]

Hi,

We’re in the process of selling our house and moving across the country to an area we’ve visited a few times but don’t know too well. Schools, aging parents and a mortgage which which will significantly increase next year are all factors driving this.

There’s not a lot on the market at the moment and so we haven’t been spoilt for choice unfortunately. We’ve found a house which is lovely (if not perfect), it’s in the countryside but within walking distance of a village and 30 minutes from a nice city.

When we viewed it I came away thinking it was nice but unfortunately not for us. However, my partner and kids loved it and following quite a few viewings of other houses it’s been shown to be the best of what we’ve seen.

One issue is that we currently live in what we would describe as our dream home which includes the most beautiful and dramatic view of the countryside. It was a “pinch me” moment when we moved in. The new house overlooks 1980’s, not attractive houses at the front. At the back is an attractive garden and beyond is a field that is slightly up hill. At the top of the hill is security fencing and CCTV cameras (not pointed at the house and protecting some utilities).

Do you think a view is important? I was prepared to lose the view we have but what we’re buying is not what I envisioned.

It would be a no from me. I’d feel sad every time I looked out of my window, especially if. I’d come from a house with beautiful views!

No from me, just rent locally and wait.

Most people have a crap view. Just make your garden look nice and look at that.

Once you have had a beautiful view there is no going back. Unfortunately they come at a cost. Be ready to sacrifice something else , be it price , distance or size.

An attractive garden and field sounds much better than most views, but I guess it's the comparison you're struggling with. You obviously need to make compromises so the question is which ones.

I think you always have to compromise on something particularly when downsizing. And for me having a view wouldn’t be a deal breaker. Especially if the living room overlooks the garden as that is where you spend most of your waking time.

I think if the view was of gasometers or slagheaps or a landfill site, I'd feel that that was a No. But other houses? With a nice garden view and field beyond that at the back? I could live with that.

I'd probably plant a few smallish ornamental trees along the back boundary of the garden to break it up a bit should the field be built on in future, but it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. (Perhaps because my current views are of other people's houses and gardens, so I'm used to it!)

If it's the best of the bunch, I would go for it. You can always look to move again in the future.

Does it have to be that house? If you’re moving to the countryside in the new area, there are surely better options than one with a view of a row of (relative) new builds.

If it doesn't feel right to you now, it'll feel even worse if you go ahead with the purchase. I would rent and wait.

We have a house with no view and I grew up with a view. It's what you make of it. It doesn't fill me with the joy that you can get from a view but the thousand conveniences of living here compared to where I grew up outweigh that. I have planted the garden so there is always something in bloom (well, should be!), we have bird feeders and can still see trees. I notice the smaller things more and they take on more significance.

It wouldn't bother me as I've never had a view but I live somewhere that has beauty around it if you go out

I do believe that you know if it's the house for you and this one sounds like it isn't.

view out the front mostly irrelevant unless you are a curtain twitcher, (in which case you now have more people to twitch!)

nice garden and a view of a field is, as others say, a good result except in your case where you stick on the comparison to the current one, yet if you cannot find a house with such a view in your budget

compromise ?
The size of house and the fact it is "perfect" in (all) other respects seems an reasonable buy it decision. You'll spend a lot more time with practicalities of the house and garden than you will staring at a view.

Just make sure you investigate the possibility of the field being developed into housing !!!

I've never had a great view and I guess it's hard to comment properly if you haven't.

I don't like being overlooked however. My house backs onto a playing field and whilst it's not particularly pretty (astro football pitches at the end in the distance) it's green and much nicer than looking out onto the back of somebody else's house and means I'm not overlooked.

Also don't forget that many views are not guaranteed to remain these days. Even greenbelt land is no longer safe!

How important is a view in comparison with the other factors - the family, the schools, the mortgage - driving the move? What about the other things you might want in a property? You might need to pick some things to prioritise and compromise on others. It's up to you to decide if a view is something you can compromise on.

I'd struggle in your situation.
To have lived with such beautiful views to having nothing would be difficult for me.

I have a forest at the end of my road and can see it from my front bedroom window so often sit and stare at it.
The back window looks out to greenery with no houses to the back. House isn't my dream home but I think of the greenery as compensation 🤣

If I move again in definitely having a view high on the list of requirements.

I moved from the country where it was literally all fields and it was beautiful. I'm now in the heart of suburbia with no real view. Absolutely fine. How often do you actually sit gazing out of your windows?

Having a view is important to me, I'm a city person so I'm not looking for beautiful nature but more than the buildings opposite.
I get that others prioritise other things. You just have to work out if you can be happy without the joy of a view or if you'll resent the move every time you look out the window.

It's all entirely personal. You may not have the option, but I'd wait until March next year when there will be many more listings to view.