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Original poster

Which of these two houses to buy?

29 replies

Mamma2027 · 03/05/2025 20:25

Layouts are virtually identical with some small differences:

House 1 - preferred location and garden

  • On a close and front of house goes directly onto a green, so very safe for kids.
  • Amenities 2-3 mins away
  • Garden is east facing. Large, no features, no shade.
  • Newish development and looks it, saplings rather than mature trees
  • Exterior is nice
  • interior is a bit too modern for us, doesn’t match our current furniture which is very Cotswolds type
  • kitchen opens directly to garden (which is giving us a huge headache in our current house with kids and mud)
  • Might be easier to sell on in 10 years

House 2 - preferred house and look of area

  • On a quiet through road on the other side of which is a green. No pavement but could use the garden as a buffer and side gate to exit
  • Same amenities are 15 mins walk on a path with one road crossing
  • Garden is north facing with patches of sun. Mostly decking and paving so not my dream garden
  • A bit more private front and back
  • Older development, 20 years, mature trees, lovely area
  • Well looked after by owners, like the decor, wouldn’t need any extra work
  • utility room opens to garden which would be hugely beneficial re kids
  • Love the exterior, interior is great and to our tastes

——

Essentially we prefer house 2 and the look of the area, but also prefer the location of house 1 for kids safety and amenities round the corner and garden potential.

I would love an amazing south facing garden with mature trees and flower bushes but I don’t actually have any experience in keeping one. I have a new baby too so the time I could spend on trying to establish one would be limited.

We also have kids with high needs and will not have a huge amount of time to devote to renovations or lots of work.

It’s also not a forever home or ideal location, more like 10 years in a town we have to live in out of necessity.

——

I would love some thoughts from others. I like house 2 but I’m not sure if the look of it outweighs the north facing garden and distance. House 1 is on balance better and the practicalities of location and safety are really important, but our heart is less in it plus it doesn’t have the utility room where we want. Head and heart are a bit mixed up!

OP posts:
MrsKateColumbo · 03/05/2025 20:29

#1 no brainer

You can change the inside when you've saved up, you cant move a garden!

Okthenguys · 03/05/2025 20:30

I would go for House 1 as it’s not your forever home. Location and proximity to amenities is so important when your DC are small - you’ll likely find it easier to get buyers who want these exact things. You can change lots about a house but can’t change the location.

OlderGlaswegianLivingInDevon · 03/05/2025 20:32

Location location location

indeed there is even a TV programme of the very same name :)

TammyJones · 03/05/2025 20:32

One.
Bills will be cheaper.
House will be easy to keep warm and clean
Sunny garden
Get the kids to take their wellies off outside and have one of those big mats by the kitchen door which absorbs muck/ dirt

Original poster
Mamma2027 · 03/05/2025 21:30

I hear what you’re all saying.

House 1 is good enough. We were going to go for house 1 but our hearts haven’t been in it. It’s because the town isn’t where we want to be but the move is necessary. I thought that maybe if we switched to house 2 we would be happier with the prospect of living there. But I also want to be sure we can sell it in the medium term so that we can find our forever home!

OP posts:
BarbieKew · 03/05/2025 21:34

Neither. House 1 doesn’t sound like your style, and I wouldn’t buy a house with a north facing garden. Can you afford to wait for something better to come up?

Original poster
Mamma2027 · 03/05/2025 21:49

BarbieKew · 03/05/2025 21:34

Neither. House 1 doesn’t sound like your style, and I wouldn’t buy a house with a north facing garden. Can you afford to wait for something better to come up?

It’s not about money so much as need to time it for school.

We haven’t seen anything that ticks every box unfortunately.

OP posts:
Original poster
Mamma2027 · 03/05/2025 21:50

And I doubt we will in this particular town,

OP posts:
Purplegiraffe345 · 04/05/2025 08:59

That’s a hard one and hard to say really.

I had one thing to add though about the gardens and which way they face. We have moved from a North facing garden to an East facing garden. The one really good thing about a North facing garden is that the sun streams through the front windows of the house all day long and that is really nice. In our East facing garden we get the sun in the morning but not later on when we would like it.

AnnaQuayInTheUk · 04/05/2025 09:02

House 1. You can create shade whilst the trees are growing. You can potentially build a porch over the back door or create a back door elsewhere?

GeorgianaM · 04/05/2025 09:10

House 2 sounds more peaceful.

House one with a green outside will have other people's kids screaming all day long and wanting to come back to yours when your children go in for the loo, a snack or for their tea.

Mumlaplomb · 04/05/2025 09:21

I would go for house one, we live very close to shops and amenities and we’ve found it an absolute gift with young kids

Mauro711 · 04/05/2025 09:38

Which house is closer to the school your kids will go to?

housethatbuiltme · 04/05/2025 10:21

Number 1, you can redecorate however you (quite easily) want but you cannot change things like a north facing garden etc...

Seaitoverthere · 04/05/2025 11:33

Number we for me depending on how long the garden is and if there is money in the budget to sort it.

Original poster
Mamma2027 · 04/05/2025 12:05

Mauro711 · 04/05/2025 09:38

Which house is closer to the school your kids will go to?

They are the same distance - child will still have to commute. It’s the halfway point between school and work.

OP posts:
MananaPenelope · 04/05/2025 12:15

How long is the journey and what age range is the schooling you’re trying to accommodate? I’d move closer to school tbh. I moved to the edge of a town so that my kids could walk to school, 10mins away. It has been the right decision as they’ve thrived and I haven’t been a permanent taxi service.

Not a forever move, but brilliant for ten years.

Original poster
Mamma2027 · 04/05/2025 12:49

MananaPenelope · 04/05/2025 12:15

How long is the journey and what age range is the schooling you’re trying to accommodate? I’d move closer to school tbh. I moved to the edge of a town so that my kids could walk to school, 10mins away. It has been the right decision as they’ve thrived and I haven’t been a permanent taxi service.

Not a forever move, but brilliant for ten years.

45 mins, both primary and secondary. We can’t move closer for now for complicated reasons, but we might be able to in a few years.

I would love to be in walking distance but it’s just not possible at the moment.

OP posts:
MananaPenelope · 04/05/2025 12:51

I wouldn't subject my kids to a twice a day 45 minute commute at either primary or secondary.

needastrongoneagain · 04/05/2025 12:57

I am someone that has a very large garden, with a number of very old and established trees (south facing, so does get lots of sun - beautiful dappled shady spots etc). It was a new build 13 years ago.

The garden will sell the house, it’s huge, private and stunning to look at. It is also a HUGE amount of work. Leaves fall off trees in autumn 🙂. The lawn takes forever to cut.

I have different demands on my time to you, but in the last two years we’ve had to pay someone to look after it. Our next house will have a small garden for sure 🙂

theresnolimits · 04/05/2025 13:08

House 1. I’ve had a north facing garden and never again. Plus that’s a long way to walk to amenities.

Having said that is there really no way you can move closer to schools?

Original poster
Mamma2027 · 04/05/2025 13:19

theresnolimits · 04/05/2025 13:08

House 1. I’ve had a north facing garden and never again. Plus that’s a long way to walk to amenities.

Having said that is there really no way you can move closer to schools?

It’s a really complicated situation but we can’t move any closer. 😭

OP posts:
FiveBarGate · 04/05/2025 13:37

None of us really know the answer but some questions that might help clarify your thoughts:

  • If house number two were taken off the market tomorrow would you feel disappointed or relieved (I find when trying to make a decision, considering having the option taken away reveals my true feelings)
  • do you like walking? 15 minutes isn't much. I have to walk about half an hour to our amenities but it's a lovely walk and one I do for pleasure. It is part of our weekend to walk the loop, go to the park, get a bag of sweets etc. But it's a totally safe walk and I don't have high needs kids so if I was battling toddlers with no sense of danger it may not be enjoyable.
  • how long is the north facing garden compared to the house? What overlooks it? We have a north facing garden currently in full sun. But it's really long and there's nothing casting shadow on most of it. The patio is shaded in winter but fine March to November aside from very early. Nice and sunny at the front during the day and evening sun at the back. When the kids were little having shade under the trees at the end was handy.
  • is there space aside from patio or decking? I suspect the decking is to catch the sun when patio doesn't. Improving a garden isn't that difficult. Perhaps you could share a pic for ideas?

It seems like the answer should be one but the fact you like two better must be grounded in something.

If it is just down to the door and mud, is there an option to add a side door?

As the kids get bigger being able to see them is more valuable once you pass the stage of not needing to be with them all the time.

Vikingmama79 · 04/05/2025 22:59

Like the previous poster just waving a flag for a NF garden, if this is one of your primary deciding factors then don’t automatically assume NF = bad. We moved from WF to NF and this one is actually much better for the sun largely as last property was bordered by large trees to the back.

This one enjoys sun in at least 50% of the garden most of the day from March- October/Nov and right across the back of the house/patio area until sunset (our garden isn’t particularly long though is wide) Our EF neighbours have lost it by 4ish.

Vikingmama79 · 04/05/2025 23:14

…ps I will add however that our previous home where we lived for 10+ years was much closer to shops/ public transport etc, 5 mins rather than the 15/20 mins walk we are now which was incredibly valuable with young kids though it was a head over heart purchase too- we grew to love. We moved a little further from amenities to gain more space when youngest was 9.

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