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Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

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Original poster

Wise mumsnetters, please help with my property dilemma!

52 replies

LadyThompson · 12/05/2009 10:10

Have had an offer on a house accepted which is going through slowly as the vendor is being sluggish about getting quotes for the work that the survey threw up. Have now seen another house and have lost a bit of perspective on the whole thing. I have a DD of 6 months, and these are the relative points of the houses in question. Would be interested in your gut reactions:

House 1

Three bedroomed, 200 yr old terrace within walking distance of station in small, attractive Cotswold town. Said station is the mainline into London, which is important to me as I still have a flat there and most of my friends! Disadvantages are that it has no garden or outside space (though a little park is two mins walk and the green areas of the Cotswolds are all around, plenty of walks) AND is on the main road through the town (which isn't busy, except when a train is due, but still).

House needs a lot of work.

House 2

Four bedroomed terrace in a village, with a reasonable sized ramshackle back garden, with two bathrooms. Village is three miles from little town above. Also needs a lot of work, perhaps even more than house above. Also on a mainish road. Perhaps less attractive on outside than above house.

What would you do? Both similar price.

OP posts:

luvaduck · 12/05/2009 13:02

to be honest, i would wait.
house prices still coming down. rent first, and in a few months time, you'll be able to afford a house with a garden in town 1.

I agree about isolated in a village - we are moving out of ours (renting thank god), but garden is a must!

QueentessentialShadow · 12/05/2009 13:07

If she is spending money on rent, she might be able to afford less than she can now.
Moving costs money too.

I have this opinion that what you spend on your home, does not matter so much in the long run, as it is a HOME and not a business. You are ultimately buying a family home, and not an investment.

This means, you buy the house that will best serve your family, and over time you do it up, and you dont think about it in financial terms, as it has value as a HOME.

paisleyleaf · 12/05/2009 13:09

I really think a garden will improve your DD's and your quality of life more than being walking distance to the station.

QuintessentialShadows · 12/05/2009 13:13

Imagine this. Nice warm summer day, you have plenty to do in the house, dc playing happily, you are cracking on with whatever it is that you do, then.

"Mummy, I want to play outside!"

In house one your reply will be

"Later honey, I promise we will go to the park, I just need to ......"

followed by impatient toddler and

"Muuuummmiiiieieeee"

constantly

In house 2 your reply would be

"Sure honey" while you open the garden door, and you crack on with what you were doing. Before you make a picnic lunch and bring outside, ALL while you supervise dc from the window......

Original poster

LadyThompson · 12/05/2009 13:18

Mmm. Yes. Food for thought. Trouble is, I fell in love with House 1 as well so it's hard to let go. And I fell in love with the town too, before we even get on to its convenience.

OP posts:

QuintessentialShadows · 12/05/2009 13:23

Then I suggest you hold your horses, and wait till the right house comes up, in that village.

To be honest, being close to the train to London should not be so important that it compromise on the quality of life you and your young child could have.

I have never been without a garden, as I could not bear it, but if you have never had one, you wont see its appeal until you DO have one.

Also, at your babys current age, the need for a garden is not so big. Give it a year, and the garden will provide endless play opportunity while the child is having a fantastic time, either while you garden, read a book, sunbathe.....

lalalonglegs · 12/05/2009 13:24

In that case, I would buy neither. The first house sounds perfect for you but possibly not for family life; the second house sounds a great family home but might drive you nuts (this is personal prejudice as I am allergic to villages). I would sit tight - or move into a bigger rental - until the right house comes along.

titchy · 12/05/2009 13:33

Agree neither are right.

Would a 2 bed house in the town be affordable? Then maybe you could split one of the nedrooms in two, or extend to get a third bedroom at some point in the future.

Or wait a couple of months - nothing sells over summer at the best of times and you may get away with a silly offer on a 3 bed in the town.

titchy · 12/05/2009 13:34

Nedrooms?! Bedrooms even!

QuintessentialShadows · 12/05/2009 13:34

Fimbo · 12/05/2009 13:44

I am going to buck the trend here and say go for House 1.

I live in a village and have all the conviences here like shop, dr, dentist etc, the bus is 4 times an hour to a small market or to a large city about 15 mins away.

I would love to stay in a town and not have to worry about having enough change in my purse to pay for the bus (non driver here too), its a nuisance in the summer time when the dc want to go out as bus fares cost a fortune for us all. If we lived in the market town, there is a lovely library we could visit with a cafe, a farmers market, little dinky shops, a railway station, walks etc etc.

I have also lived in a village with a bus every hour which is an every bigger pia as you have to make sure you are ready to go for a certain time and you can be sure just as you are off, dispite asking a million times, someone will say "I need a poo".

We have a large garden now, but really with the weather you get in the UK how often are the dc actually in it?

Original poster

LadyThompson · 12/05/2009 13:51

Interesting, Fimbo. This is sort of what I think. Am just worried about resale value of gardenless house. You'd think my DP would have a view on this but he's not sure either. He is also torn but it affects him less as he is at work in the day and also drives! And mainly he just wants me to be happy as I left London to live with him in the country which I have found hard, so he is willing to compromise this time

Lalalonglegs said the house is perfect for ME but not for my family and I think there is a lot in that.

OP posts:

lalalonglegs · 12/05/2009 13:54

is your house finished yet?

noddyholder · 12/05/2009 13:58

Go for the one with the least work I am sitting in a pile of rubble here!never again.FWIW I have lived in several 'no garden' properties and it never seemed to make much difference to ds he always preferred the park or his bedroom!Go for the one that is the most 'you' and forget traditions

Fimbo · 12/05/2009 13:58

Is there anything you can do at the front of the terrace?

I know people who have taken down walls etc to make parking spaces, is there anyway of having any outdoor space at the front or is that not possible?

Fimbo · 12/05/2009 13:59

Better still link us to both properties!

Original poster

LadyThompson · 12/05/2009 14:01

Nope, no scope at the front with house 1....although...There is a little gravelled yard outside the back door which I have access to for the bins, but it belongs to the next door neighbours! I wonder whether they would let a toddler on a playmat out there?

House 2 needs more work but they both need a lot.

OP posts:

EvenBetaDad · 12/05/2009 14:06

LadyThompson - I suspect I know the Cotswold town with the railway (House 1) you are talking about. If it is Moreton-in-Marsh it is a really nice place to live, has a big park with a children's playground but the lack of garden with the house is a big problem and you will end up moving fairly soon. Keeping a DD inside until she is 3 - 4 wil be very hard. Without a garden it could also be tough to sell.

House 2 you are more likely to stay longer but feel very isolated without a car and wil want to move in the end.

Best option in my view is just forget buying and rent an even nicer house in a nice place until the market falls even more.

Original poster

LadyThompson · 12/05/2009 14:10

Hello BetaDad - close, but no cigar. It's a couple of stations up from that, closer to London

OP posts:

QuintessentialShadows · 12/05/2009 14:13

The life Fimbo describes sound lovely.
I went to see a friend in a small town on the Kent countryside a week ago. She has lovely parks, farmers market, a busy highstreet 15 minutes walk from her house, BUT she has a garden. Dont complain about the UK weather, it is better than you think! There is nothing like sitting in your garden on a balmy summers evening, listening to the noises of evening, smelling the jasmin from next door, and having a quiet glass of wine. Or friends over for dinner al fresco.

(Lala, yes, it is lovely!)

EvenBetaDad · 12/05/2009 14:20

LadyThomson - ah right. Thats an even nicer place then. Good for Oxford too. Try renting.

rolledhedgehog · 12/05/2009 17:11

I would say that neither house is right for you. As someone with 3 kids and who only recently learnt to drive and still has no 2nd car do not underestimate how isolating it can be if you do not have things to do on your doorstep.

Also no outside space with a toddler = whinging!

moshie · 12/05/2009 17:58

Agree with titchy, two bedroomed house in town with potential for loft conversion or extension to provide another bedroom.

I wouldn't have entertained the idea of a house with no garden when my children were young, it was a sanity saver.

luvaduck · 13/05/2009 13:38

we are currently renting in a village (glad we have, as we don't like it!) and the owners are trying to sell this house, but it only has a very small garden. people love the house but won't buy it becasue oft he lack of garden, so i would be worried about the resale potential.

it may not bother you too much coming from london, but when you come to sell most people will be buying from the nearby area and WILL want a garden.

something else will come up. i know you are against renting but its really good to decide if you like an area, and figure out whats important too. we really thought we were country people but will be escaping back to a small city or town soon as we were wrong. we almost bought - thank god we didn't.

Original poster

LadyThompson · 13/05/2009 15:21

You make some good points, Luvaduck. Well, it looks like House 1 is falling through so the choice is being taken out of my hands! Will have another look at House 2 at the weekend, but may hang on and wait for something else. Thanks for everyone's help, really appreaciated.

OP posts:

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