location versus dream house

kathy_b_2

Hi
Just wondered what you lot think.
Hubby and I have been looking for our dream house near York. We currently live in Cheshire, he works in Harrogate, so we need to move.
Seen loads of properties. Only one has taken our breath away. It's so much more than we'd ever dreamed of.
Problem... it's not our dream location. Schools are decidedly average and the village isn't very pretty livable (only 3 miles from our favourite and very popular and pricey village) but not great.
So do we carry on looking at disappointing houses where we want to live or do we go for the home we've always dreamed of but never thought we could have?
What do you think is more important - schools for our two little uns and a lovely village or a great home albeit in an old mining village?

Your thoughts would be most appreciated

potnoodle_2

i moved out of my "home" area, only a few miles out and it was a bad chioce, although house was rubbish too though so maybe not a perfect example! i really missed walking round the mill pond, feeding the ducks and character of place.
in hindsight, i would rather have a crappier house in right location than lovely house in uninispiring place.

as an opposite though, my mum bought a bogstandard house in very pretty village (godshill on isle of wight) but she hated it. she said that she spent much more time in house than walking round village and promptly sold!

so i dunno

but you know what they say bout location x 3!

Kez100

Location location location.

It really does matter. A dream house is nothing if it's in the wrong place because once you live there the whole area affects your well being. When buying all you see is the bricks and mortar.

hopeless_case_2

i would rather buy in area that is good you can do the house as you want and maybe move to a better house later.

TJ27

I was buying my first house ten years ago and I read a Sunday Times guide to house buying. One piece of advice from that book has stuck in my mind, "ALWAYS buy the worst house on the best street, NEVER the best house on the worst street."

The house my wife and I bought looked like it had been bombed. Honestly, it took me a year of doing it up before we could even move in.

Now my house looks great. More importantly, it is in an absolutely superb area. I ride my bike to work (in the middle of a capital city) in under 20 minutes. The people around here are great. I have a duck pond on a green in front of my house and a boating lake a few hundred yards away. I have allotments to the rear of my 130 foot garden. The parks around here are among the best in Wales. I can walk into open countryside, through woodland which starts less than 50 yards from my front door. I am literally a two minute walk away from one of the best secondary schools in Wales. I have shops nearby. Regular bus and train routes run nearby. It's a 4 bed semi and cost just over 60k.

It's not absolutely perfect but it is about as close to perfect as I could hope to achieve.

I very nearly bought a huge house in a ropey area but I am so pleased that I didn't. By taking heed of the Sunday Times advice, I really do think that my first home will probably also be my last. I consider myself extremely luck to be here.

lessonlearned

I have twenty years experience selling houses and I am also a parent of two grown up sons. Here's my advice.

Forget the dream house for now go for the better location.

The mantra is

Location, location, location & yes that old saying "Best street, worst house". Remember you can always improve your house but the location is beyond your control, therefore you must chose the best location you can afford.


(If you do not have children and you can afford to play a waiting game you can try and make a killing by gambling on an "up and coming" area, however, this can be a high risk strategy).

As a parent myself I would advise you to go for an area that offers the best schools you can find. This by itself will mean higher houseprices because a house within the catchment area of the best schools will always fetch a premium.

Your children only get one crack at primary and secondary education and it's not a good idea to gamble on the poorer locations and inferior schools.

By going for the better location and better schools not only will your children have better chances the house you chose will also benefit from the higher prices that accrue from being situated in the catchment area of the good schools. Your investment will be protected as long as the schools maintain their standards.

You can always move again when the children have completed their education and in the meantime you get to enjoy the benefits of a nice neighbourhood.

mr.broderick

TJ27 wrote:

I was buying my first house ten years ago and I read a Sunday Times guide to house buying. One piece of advice from that book has stuck in my mind, "ALWAYS buy the worst house on the best street, NEVER the best house on the worst street."

The house my wife and I bought looked like it had been bombed. Honestly, it took me a year of doing it up before we could even move in.

Now my house looks great. More importantly, it is in an absolutely superb area. I ride my bike to work (in the middle of a capital city) in under 20 minutes. The people around here are great. I have a duck pond on a green in front of my house and a boating lake a few hundred yards away. I have allotments to the rear of my 130 foot garden. The parks around here are among the best in Wales. I can walk into open countryside, through woodland which starts less than 50 yards from my front door. I am literally a two minute walk away from one of the best secondary schools in Wales. I have shops nearby. Regular bus and train routes run nearby. It's a 4 bed semi and cost just over 60k.

It's not absolutely perfect but it is about as close to perfect as I could hope to achieve.

I very nearly bought a huge house in a ropey area but I am so pleased that I didn't. By taking heed of the Sunday Times advice, I really do think that my first home will probably also be my last. I consider myself extremely luck to be here.

Must agree, we looked at a perfect house just recently in cardiff.
we were going to buy until we realised that "sheep shagging" wasnt a myth...

oldandhappy

We bought this place for location. Before even getting to the first gate...we loved it. The gardens at the front where huge...that was so important to us for starters. The bricks and mortar just happen to be part of it and certainly did not blow us away.
So yes without doubt the location is the one you need 1st.
Mrs Happy

lynzpower

Location for me every time.

bootman

I keep checking if the house I have fallen in love with is still for sale. Same as you, not the area I was looking in and it is sooo expensive compared to everything else in the same village. I am having to look around the Huddersfield / Wakefield area, so it is really important I get it right, I live South so can only go by what I am told.

But I love the house!! My son is 9 so school is priority.

I think you should post a link to your dream house and we will scrutinise it for you, to try and change your mind.;)

nearlyrich

We lived in a good location but needed a bigger house, after 2 years of looking all around the area this one cameon the market and we bought it. It wasn't perfect it was missing a few features we wanted but we have added them and now we have a great house in a fantastic location. I would say go for location too, you might love the house but if you don't enjoy your surroundings you won't be happy.