What's wrong with a two bed house?

DKLS

Never heard the issue before, I viewed plenty of 3 bed properties before.

Some did have 3 bedrooms the majority had two bedrooms and a cupboard.

getmore4less

At the low end 2 bed is the sweet spot except for totaly unafordable areas.

One reason is the prices will always be propped up by the rental market, couples want and house shares need that extra room, along with the buyer that gets a lodger to help pay the mortgage and those that cannot afford a bigger place.

2 bed is the min size if you want any potential to grow into space(even though limited) anything less is a definate move as soon as you need more space.

the advantage of house/flat with garden is they are more atractive to anyone with a kid.

Moving is very costly so needs to be done a few times as possible.

System

Depends on area and demographics. I had a 2 bed until last June. It had over 30 viewings and plenty of offers at or above asking price.

Around here FTBs buy 2 bed houses to avoid flats. Being period properties mean that they do have hallways that allow loft conversions so it is a good way to hedge your bets.

In cheaper areas I think there would be the possibility that the demand isn't there.

Oswald_Funkletrumpet

I bought my two bed 2 years ago as there are only two of us and a three bed would have been pointless.

2 beds are ideal as a starter home and personally I would take a house over a flat any day of the week and wouldn't the majority of flats come with service charge?

Deep_In_Debt

I live in a two bed house. I have larger rooms than a 3 bed next door and larger garden too. 2 beds where I live sell like hot cakes, often to BTL Investors but also to first time buyers.

mrginge

GoodnessGraciousMe wrote: »

What are your thoughts on this?

Avoid seeking further advice from these friends.

firebird082

Your friends sound utterly mad! Round here, most ftbs are in their thirties, and most can't afford anything more than a 2 bed. Go for a house over a flat every time.

boliston

Doozergirl wrote: »

I'd always prefer a house to a flat, every day of the week! Who would choose a leasehold property if there was freedom?

Of course there's a market. In my town there's desperation as developers love building 'executive' homes and completely ignore the younger/divorced market.

i find flats are often in better locations with better facilities like shops, bars, coffee shops, cinemas nearby so i have tended to prefer flats to houses - a decent flat often costs more than the same size house and good for non car owners too

AlexMac

Maybe I've missed a post, but no-one seems to have mentioned things which are very significant to me- that a flat will tend to be leasehold, so there are likely to be issues of

- recurrent costs; of service-charges for maintenance, insurance, energy for communal areas, grounds or gardens, and any 'sinking fund, plus, if an agent is involved, accountancy and admin fees... These can be anything from the £35 per month we pay on our little flat in a well-maintained listed building, to the eye watering £4,500 p.a which friends pay on a new build in London's Docklands.
- and control; we have tended to go for 'shared freeholds' in small blocks, where we have a lot of control over decisions on spending (on things like those listed above), but if you have a remote freeholder and/or a profit-focussed or incompetent managing agent you could end up with little practical control over expenditure, and the need to ask freeholder permission for even minor alterations...

So whichever you choose, ask detailed questions- although you may not get binding answers until your offer is accepted and you pay for a solicitor to make enquiries; and some freeholders even charge a few hundred quid for these pre-purchase replies!

So I'm not saying avoid a leasehold flat; we've owned three over the years as well as several freehold houses - but think about these points before you commit. As well as the obvious issue about how long the lease is; under 83 years can be problematic; see this website at
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/mortgages/extend-your-lease

Soot2006

In many areas, three bedroom houses are the same outline as two bedroom houses with some internal walls moved around -- keep seeing that on the floorplans of local houses for sale ... often leaving rather small rooms!

We live in two bedroom house - nice big rooms, nice big living room, nice big garden -- potentially space to build on top of garage or extend if ever decide to reproduce above and beyond the house's capacity, but in the meantime - safe neighbourhood, pleasant location, comfortable existence. I can't imagine it would be hard to resell and not many houses stay long on the market here. If the house feels right then it's the right house!