Help me choose between two houses - which is the best house for a young family?

[Cazwa]

We have accepted an offer on our house, just waiting for the survey to happen so Im looking online at various places. We LOVE the area we live in, walking distance to the beach etc. but its quite expensive and you dont get things like a garden without paying a fortune. We have 2 young DCs, age 1 and 2 who share a room in a 2 bed house with a living room and kitchen and tiny yard. We want a bigger house and were hoping our next one would be a 'forever' house, however its slowly dawning on me that working part-time and the state of the market mean that Im better off thinking the next house is a 3-5 year one and then when back full time at work aspiring to a bigger better 'forever' house.

OK, ramble over. So, I cant decide between the following two houses, I will of course go and view both once the survey on ours is done, I dont want to fall in love with either just yet by viewing properly.

First house
Second house

The way I see it Im getting an extra bedroom in the first house but no extra reception room. The second one has the extra reception room but no new bedrooms. If you had a young family would you be better with more reception space, or with the extra bedrooms?

I can't comment on the price, Cazwa, I'm in S. London.

well they seem quite expensive to me as I immidiately think "ne" cheaper than here (Northamptonshire)...........but then I see it's Whitley Bay.......so think ok prices would be higher.....

Houses similar to those would be around the £110-130 mark round here (or less if you don't mind doing a bit of redecorating).......

However - we are also about 2 1/2hrs to the beach

LOLOL that house is puke. I cant believe they've shown before and after shots of the glass doors. To think if you had 10 photos to take of a house that size and thats the best of the lot??

Im off to tidy my v messy kitchen, thanks for the advice and links! Will report back after viewings.

LOL at the 1.5 mil house with the pub living room, cheap kitchen and that god awful frosted glass. Do you think the EA knocked off half a million to put it right?

LOLOLOL at that blinging £1.5M house. I'm far too anal and mistrusting of technology to have a shit in a room that depends on frosted glass to shield you from view. I'd have to add shutters, black and white of course.

Well, I viewed the 3 bed one today!

sigh disappointing I have to say, just too small. The photos make it look bigger than it is but unfortunately every room was smaller than I thought, with no potential to extend. It was like the house had been squashed from front to back. The hall was short, the bathroom minute, small yard, titchy utility room. We even looked in the loft for potential loft conversion but it was too small.

Its been helpful though in terms of prioritising. I now know its the following:

1. location
2. space
3. decor

We are going back to view this one which Id dismissed as needing too much work. But Ive realised that I'd rather have the space and do it up than have a done up house that is too small.

Thanks for all your help on this thread!