Which house would YOU buy? Compare 2 bungalows in SE London

Strapped

The first one for me. It has room to expand, both out and up. I don't like the look of the second one. You say "quirky", but that implies a narrower market for resale.

I thought the first one even before you mentioned north facing garden for #2. That's a no-no for me.

poet123

From the perspective of modern living both need gutting. So, my decision would be based on which had the layout which I could do the most with and which to me was the most intrinsically pleasing to the eye.

For me that would be the Towncourt lane property. I think that has a lot of kerb appeal now and that would only increase if you modernised it. It seems lighter and airier to me than the other property, and has a lot of potential for expansion in the future. Of course, location would be an issue for me too, I don't know the area but I would take account of which is the most desirable and has the most desired amenities. I was surprised at the prices though, they both seem cheap for London.

ETA, if I bought the bungalow I would knock the two bedrooms into one and make a kitchen diner, and have two sets of fold back doors on the back of the house on the lounge and the kitchen. I would make the existing kitchen/bathroom into an ensuite bedroom and then put two bedrooms and bathroom in the loft. I would also take a bit off the hall and add an en suite shower room to the other bedroom.

aliasojo

Mozette wrote: »

I much prefer the 1st one. I wouldn't touch the 2nd one, I really don't like it at all.

Ditto.

Specifically dislike the narrow 'feel' in between the adjacent buildings, the taller especially.

ridin8ude

worked_hard_for_the_money wrote: »

my wise Uncle always says '' they aren't making any more land ! '' .... Good luck

Really appreciate the thoughts so far.
Definitely giving me lots to consider...

@ WHftM - I did a rough calculation based on estimated land area and what final price I might achieve for each.
Property 1 (Towncourt) @ ~£495 per sqft and Property 2 @ ~£640 per sqft
So while the asking price is slightly higher, I would be getting more bang for my buck if just looking at the plot size. If property 2 goes towards the high end of its guide price, it makes property 1 look even more attractive.
Can't argue that they aren't making any more land!!! :beer:

@ strapped - really good point that quirky might not equate to easy resale in the future and something to keep in mind

@ Poet123 - I'm from the USA so NONE of this feels cheap, but I guess relative to other parts of London it's not bad
Absolutely agree regarding knocking walls to make a big open plan kitchen/living/diner and eventually getting 2-3 bedrooms in the loft. (I actually have another post up about this with drawings of what I'd do) https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4620499

p.s. I got my area calculations using this site. No idea how accurate it is, but gives a feel. entire plot size might be 8800 sqft versus 6250 sqft or thereabouts
http://www.freemaptools.com/area-calculator.htm