Which house would you keep: Victorian terrace or modern townhouse?

[HouseXorHouseY]

Please help, I'm driving myself crazy! If you were me, which of these two houses would you choose?

House X: in a great area of a vibrant city. It only has on street parking, which is very busy. It's close to cafes, shops, and friends. It's a terraced victorian, five bedrooms but two of them small, only one main bathroom and a downstairs loo under the stairs going off the kitchen. It has lots of niggly little problems and is a high maintenance house but also has lots of lovely features, eg log burner.

House Y: quiet area in a market town about fifteen minutes away from the city where the other house is. This house is terraced as well but with a slightly staggered design so it feels more private, and the road is much more spacious with a little green area in front of the house. It has a garage at the back. It's a modern house and has no niggly problems, but no great features either. It's a blank canvas and is easy maintenance. It has four double bedrooms, a downstairs toilet plus a main bathroom and an ensuite. It is a similar square footage, just a little smaller but better layout. It is closer to youngest DC's school (7 mins versus 20).

For context, I am 50, single, with two young adult DC and one teen aged 14. Both the adult DC will probably be bouncing back and forth from uni for a few years. I currently live in House X. House Y is from an inheritance. I need to sell one of these houses and I can't decide which. I am tired and going through menopause so the modern house appeals for the low maintenance, but I would also have the upheaval of a move. Of course, in this climate I might not be able to sell, but apparently in the area where House A is the market is still ok/resilient. What do you think? Thank you!

You can do it in stages if you want to buy a third house. Sell Y, then X and buy Z in a chain. I'd choose that option, if it's possible to buy a bigger house in the city. I'm 50 and I love my quieter location. But when I'm older, I think I'll need to be in busier place where I can walk to more places.

House X for location, life is so nuch better in a vibrant city than a small market town. I am not too bothered about Victorian features etc, but most buyers are so resell value is better for the future.

House Z. Which is house Y in the city.
Sell the modern one. Then the current one. Then buy a solid semi in the city with a drive and a garage. Or maybe a funky modern townhouse.
The kids will probably boomerang for years. Having a low maintenance and good sized house where you live now is best.

From your OP I would have said Y. But given you are likely to move again in 10 years or so, then X. No point in moving twice.

House X, I think close proximity to amenities and friends is more important in older age.

Also use any proceeds from house Y sale to fix up house X.

Sell Y
Stay close to things
You can change house later if you want to down size.

Yes, I think renting for a while would solve the dilemma. Move to the other house. Give it a year or so, see which you preferred. And it does have to be you, because in 10 years the children will all be gone.

If you had inherited cash rather than property Y would you spend that money buying property Y or something different? Don't move to Y just for convenience sake, only do it if you really love it. How often do you meet friends and use the cafes in X location? Go for the location where you will spend the majority of your time. 15 mins away is nothing, most people don't live on the doorstep of friends and amenities and you will get used to occasional travel.

Do you live the city - ie. use the amenities? Did your older children use them?
What do you think your life post children at home will look like?

Long term - do you plan to move? If not, does either house lend itself to one floor living?

I'm an urban person. I currently live in a small central flat as I prefer being able to walk places and the thought of being stuck in suburbia is just dreadful.

I've also got a couple of friends who can't drive now for medical reasons and being somewhere with amenities in walking distance is so so useful.

It’s the drive or bus, it’s very frustrating and I miss the vibrancy and life of the city.

It sounds like it's not quite the right time or you would be a bit more certain - there are a fair few changes coming with kids. I would stay in X, sell Y. Use the cash as others have said to make House X easier to live in (and potentially worth more when you sell) and then reassess in a few years to get something that you really want. It will be enough effort to sell House Y, let alone move when you are not sure.

The other thing is to give it a few months- if House Y doesn't shift, maybe have a rethink?

Stay where you are. Sell the other. Use a bit of money for any work you want done. In five or ten years when your circumstances are different with kids probably moving out buy your perfect house for you at that point in your life. Which may be smaller, or a different location, etc

I live in house X and my parents live in house Y. Now I’m older and wiser I would go for house Y in a heartbeat

Why don’t you live in Y for a few months and see how it feels,

One thing that's occurred to me, if there is furniture and enough items to get by without spending a fortune already at Y, could you spend some time living at Y, just temporarily to see how life there makes you feel?

Maybe just for a couple of months while you get a feel for it and then you've got a fair comparison.

Been in your position . Loved the Victorian house in my 30s . By my 50s I was done . Renovating or repairing , even painting got to be too much for me on my own . House Y might be soulless now but it's a lot easier to put some character in it . And the toilet thing is a deal breaker . Even if the stairs are a problem later on it's easy to install any aids in a modern house rather than an older one . So my vote is Y and if you get tired of it it will be easier to sell I think .

I would move into Y and sell X (especially if it'll sell easier and make more money). With the view to buying something else that you love and is perfect for you. That way you have experienced the busy city location and the quieter suburb and can decide which you prefer.
For me personally by 50 I want something low maintenance and low running cost and something a bit quieter where it can still get where I need to so the newer property would be my choice anyway.

X for me but then I love the character of Victorian houses and will always live in one (or a Georgian house). I just couldn’t get excited about a modern house and I don’t believe you can add character that wasn’t there to start with..

I need to love the house that I live in!

I’d use £ from Y to maybe change the layout, fix all the issues and update bathroom.

I think you’ll find it handy to be able to walk everywhere as the years go by.

However if you really want to get out of the city I’d sell both and find somewhere else you love. It doesn’t sound like you can get excited about the modern property- it just ticks the boxes that’s all

I'm so glad I posted - reading all these responses is really helping my thought process. I'm very conflicted, but also realising that the pull to an easier house is very strong. I've been a lone parent for a long time and I'm tired of all the upkeep.

I do enjoy the city - I meet people for coffee or lunch about once a week. But I could still do that from the other house.

I just received a big council tax bill for house Y today, which has made me realise that I need to make a decision quickly as I definitely can't afford to maintain two houses.

@middleagedandinarage I am the same. I've done up six houses in my lifetime, four of them listed, these days I am not interested in picking up a paintbrush.

My furniture/belongings are still probably better suited to one of my older houses, but that in itself means that my home has a bit of character because a lot of my things are older. Once you are in your home, your furniture/soft furnishings and just 'things' will make it the home you want it to be.

@HouseXorHouseY Check if you are actually liable for Council Tax on House Y . If it's in probate or unoccupied it might be no charge .

One thing that might put me off is whether the kids would miss the house X location. I wouldn't want to be a taxi driver or for them to be less keen to visit.

I'm for house Y, because I'm now retired and don't want to do any more work to my house besides decorating. It has more bathrooms/loos, and it probably has a utility room, and parking.

House Y.
we moved from an older property in a busy place to a house like Y last year and I’m so glad we did. The peace and quiet is amazing, there’s so many nice places to walk. The house is cheaper and quicker to heat up. Having an en suite is great. There’s no where near as many maintenance issues. School is closer so less travelling time. There’s shops and amenities locally, but it’s not a problem having to travel a bit further if I need a big shop or to see friends. I feel much more relaxed and happy here. It’s like my private haven.