urban environment vs trees+grass+greenery

klmwong

Here's the choice:

A lovely 4 year old house on a new housing estate. Lovely new fittings, excellent kitchen diner (kitchen diner was a deal breaker and this one is fantastic), clean, white walls, modern, needs nothing doing to it. Also have to cross one very busy road to get to the secondary school but there are pelican crossings. It's 0.9 miles (according to rightmove).

However, should I hang on to see if a house in my favoured area comes up? I have just over 2 years before we need to apply to the secondary schools but maybe the right house in the right area won;t come up for sale. I am hankering after an established area closer to the school. House are apx 20/25 ish yrs old so won't feel as new as the one on the brand new housing estate. However the area is lovely. I love trees and grass and greenery. They are good for the soul and this area has many house but you wouldn't know as they are hidden behind established trees and there are big wide open grass verges next to the pavement, easy walkable access to duckponds and it's a lovely area but we do get an older house. Generally 0.5 miles to school.

For our money we get more house and newer house on the new housing estate but the environment is very sterile and stark and urban. The house is beautiful but look out of the window and all you will see is the opposite house (miniscule front gardens so you are quite close too). It is on the corner of a main road and aside road but when we drove down sat 5pm and sun 3pm even the main road wasn't very busy. I am guessing that it will be at its busiest when people are going to and from work. I am a stay at home mum (1 year old, 7 year old and 8 year old) so I would like to be in a tree-y, green area (good for my soul as I said earlier) but should I be realistic? As it is, no house in the preferred area is anywhere as good as the house on the new estate. Yes, I know I can plant trees in our small back garden and yes, the very small trees planted next to the main road will grow but they aren't the same as big greenery with birds.

The other half would make an offer on the new place tomorrow but I can#t help thinking to myself "just hang on and see what else comes up in my preferred area". What would you do?

moneyistooshorttomention

Depends partly how long you want this house for. If it's just a few years and then move on that's one thing. If it's a house you plan on staying in permanently, that's quite another and definitely choose the "greener" area.

If you're hankering after a "greener" area now at your age and/or regarding it as "the normal way for an area to be" then that hankering will only get "louder in your ears" as you get older.

I could accept a more urban area when I was younger and tell myself about all the convenience I had with living there (here = current house). As I have got older though then the fact that a greener area is, to me "the normal way for an area to be" has become a positive "scream in my head" and I cant tolerate so urban any longer and am having to move to somewhere that is more "what I'm used to" (even though I've not had that personally for years). You might feel the same.

Someone who expects to be able to see birds in trees, see grass, have a reasonable garden literally cannot manage for ever more in a house that hasn't got those things - as they can't live their life the way the way they've been expecting to and literally don't really know how to live their life in a different way and may not wish to learn. Take it from me - that's how you will likely feel come retirement age if you were still in that more modern house...

lessonlearned

New Estate House

Is it definitely in the catchment area for the school.
Will it remain so or could the boundaries be changed in the future.
What's the parking like - go back several times to check. This can often be a problem on high density estates.
Does the house have a shared drive or access - common on new estates.
Does the rear garden have a degree of privacy.

Remember any area can be "greened". Trees, shrubs, flowers etc can make a huge difference, softening a new build, attracting birds etc

The Established House

An older property can always be modernised and brought more in line with your own tastes. New bathrooms and kitchens are not difficult. Rooms can be knocked out, layouts changed. Something as simple as a fresh paint job can make a house feel "modern" light and airy.

Resale Values

In general - there are always exceptions of course - but generally speaking, a non estate house in a popular established area with good schools will usually sell more easily than an estate house.

However, some estates do become extremely desirable given time, especially when they in turn become established.

A new estate can look a bit stark to start with, however, once people start planting up the gardens, changing doors and windows, adding extensions etc a new estate in a good area can very quickly "take off".

My last property was a new build. It was a bit of a box but very well built by a favoured local building firm. I didn't like it much at first and did feel that the estate was a bit ugly. However, my house was in a very quiet secluded cul de sac.

Within a few years the trees grew and our new estate became a very desirable "green and leafy suburb". People chopped and changed the design of their houses, landscaped their gardens.
Over time the estate matured and became a highly desirable location whilst my own little cul de sac became a real property hot spot.

As always the house itself is largely irrelevant - it's always down to location. A house can be changed easily and quickly. A location can change but it takes a bit longer.

Always remember - Locations can go down as well as up!!!!