Which house to buy?

[Whoevenknows79]

We’ve been house hunting for a while and have finally got to the stage where we’re trying to decide between two places — but my head is spinning a bit!

House 1:
We initially dismissed this one as overpriced, but after it didn’t sell for a few weeks we went to see it and managed to negotiate a lower offer, which has now been accepted. It’s still over budget, but technically doable. It’s not that we can’t afford it — more that we want to keep a good amount of disposable income for holidays, meals out, etc., and not feel stretched.
The house itself is lovely — done up in the last five years, so not much to do cosmetically. However, it will need new windows throughout and possibly new electrics, which is a bit annoying as it’ll add cost and probably mess up some of the decor. The survey also uncovered some issues with damp and the roof which will need to be sorted.

House 2:
This one has just come on the market and has made us question everything! It’s very similar in layout and size (same number of bedrooms, slightly better-shaped rooms, a small ensuite in the master and an extra toilet). The living room and dining room haven’t been knocked through, but both are a good size, and there’s an extra reception room too.
The downsides are that the garden is sloped (though could be reprofiled a bit), and it’s generally more dated. That said, it’s been really well looked after and is totally liveable as-is, so we could do work gradually. It’s also £105k cheaper than House 1 — and I know the sellers have found somewhere, so they might be open to an even lower offer.
It’s only a 5-minute walk from our son’s school, which is another big plus.
If House 1 didn’t exist, we’d definitely be offering on House 2. But now I’m torn — House 1 is gorgeous and ready to move into, but I worry about hidden issues and how tight the budget will feel. House 2 would leave us with a lot more breathing space financially, but it will be a lot of DIY and might never feel quite as “nice”.
We’ve got a 4-year-old, so we’re trying to think practically as well as long-term.
What would you do? Go for the done house that’s a bit of a stretch, or the cheaper one that needs work but gives more financial freedom?

What to do?

I wouldnt buy a sloped garden and I also think that people are far too rigid when it comes to 'you cant move in because the electrics need doing'

We were here years and years before we got the windows done, electrics, theres still more work to do and we've been here 16 years, some rooms havent been decorated at all.

Nothing has to be done urgently unless the roof is falling in. Homes are nearly alwwys livable, you wouldnt get a mortgage on it if it wasnt. Just tkae your time

Also he wont be at that school forever, where is the secondary school he is likely to go to?

House 2 all the way. Both need money spent, but at least with house 2 you have the extra 100k to play with. The garden sounds big enough and it's near a school, good for resale.

Just in case anyone was wondering. We pulled out of house 1 after confirmation that a full rewire is needed and today had an offer on house 2 accepted. Really hoping we've made the right decision!

Lots of good luck with your move!

House 2! New windows and electrics are huge!

Cross post. Congratulations, fingers crossed for a smooth process

I can hear your bank balance sighing with relief from here.

Hope all goes well for you from here.

Congratulations @Whoevenknows79!

Aw fabulous! Good luck with the move!

It's not that blown windows cause movement but that sometimes windows blow because movement in the property puts extra pressure on them and causes them to fail. This can be settlement, poor installation like not having the right support above the frame or subsidence. They could also have failed for a variety of other reasons. You'd hope your surveyor would pick up any serious reason.

Absolutely the right decision. You'll need to redecorate the whole place after a rewire, so needing to redo the decor making house 1 pretty.

This!

You say it’s been done up, but then list a number of major works which are required. I guarantee that once you start working on the place other problems will emerge. Don’t be taken in by decor.

House 2 is a much better option.

I’d go back and look at house one of you’re not sure. Open windows. Turn on and off lights. Look in cupboards. I do t have much experience but I bought a ‘doer upper.’ On the basis that it had been well maintained/ looked after. I still now have the same windows because they all still work and have been well maintained. All work carried out has been solid.

Have just seen your updates.

Congratulations, OP!

£100k doesn’t go that far for renovation costs but new windows and rewiring / fixing a roof would eat through that anyway. I’d go with house 2 but be prepared for it to cost more than you think.

@kirinm I'm braced for renovation costs, but the price difference has ended up being 122k which will definitely help! House 2 is perfectly livable so no major rush, and we are happy to do painting and wall paper stripping where we can. In the end house 1 felt like too much of a risk.

Good luck!

House 2 sounds great! Copy the decor of house 1 if you loved it! And my parents had their garden made flatter and it made a difference to them. I lived a slopey garden as a child though.