How do you decide which house?

mishkanorman

I've narrowed my choice down to 3 houses, all similar price however they all have different selling points, 1 completely modernised, 1 more practical for the rooms and one which is a total 'heart' choice.

Would you offer on all 3 ? See which one comes cheapest ? Our priority isn't specific enough to say location wins or decor etc. And they all suit for school catchment area.

What factors are important to you ?

Any tips on how to compare them when they tick different boxes appreciated !

jayII

Which one would you regret not buying?

Other than that, practical issues like busy street vs quiet cul-de-sac; aspect; closeness to local shops/distance from local pub; availability of other amenities, such as park, cycle track etc; general condition/age of house.

All the above may not be important to you but they can affect sale-ability when you want to move again, so are worth thinking about.

smallholdingsister

Offering on all 3 would not be fair or reasonable to the vendors.

LuckyG

Ultimately it depends on what your personal preferences are.

We narrowed our search down to 2 properties, both in a similar price range, both in the same area.

What made our minds up to a certain degree was the fact that one had a steep garden, whereas the other had a nice flat garden. The one we didn't buy had a lovely view, ours not so lovely but it was detached, whereas the one with the better view was a semi detached.

Loads of different things can determine which one you prefer, but it depends on you personally.

hazyjo

I wouldn't blindly offer on all three, but I may say something like it's between this and another and whoever accepts £X is the one we'll go with. But then a few grand isn't enough to swing it for me when buying a house.

I always think about which one I'd be absolutely gutted to lose if someone else beat me to it. There's usually one that's got my heartstrings. I need to love a house I buy.

I had a similar dilemma once with two houses. Bought the one that wasn't as pretty, without as many period features, with a thru-lounge which I didn't think I wanted... because I loved it. The other one was the practical choice, but I was so very happy in the one I bought.

ProDave

Look at all the things that matter to you that you CAN'T change, like location, orientation with regards garden, sunlight, views etc, parking, garage or potential to build one, traffic (or other) noise etc.

Get those fixed things right. Then even if the house is a wreck, you can fix it.

If you instead choose a perfect house but the garden faces north so gets no sun, there is no view, it's overlooked and there is no off road parking and it's on a noisy busy street under a flight path, you might end up wishing you had chosen a different one.

Kynthia

What will annoy you almost daily? You may think you can live with something but if it's a daily annoyance compared to a compromise that would only annoy you a few times a year, then go for the latter. Daily annoyances wear you down even if tgey aren't the biggest thing, like no off-street parking, a difficult commute to work, a noisy road, a small kitchen, etc.

If that doesn't differentiate between the properties then which has the downsides that can't be fixed if they really began to bother you?

Then finally go with one that doesn't require proper work doing to it. It's always more hassle and much more costly than you expect. However the properties need to be fairly equal for that to be the decided.

comeandgo

We were lucky that the houses we have bought were love at first sight. We had viewed a few which were ok but the ones we wanted we felt were absolutely ideal. I would not buy anything I just "liked."

mishkanorman

Thanks everyone !

There is one which really grabs us, never thought we would be able to live in a house like that kind of way. It's just got a quirk to it that we love, however it needs the most work by way of bathroom & kitchen. 2nd place house is slightly bigger than 1st but the layout doesn't fit as well (bedrooms at rear rather than front and 3rd is accessed via 2nd) and 3rd house is fully modernised & the logical choice but it's a bit meh for my tastes .

All currently on at 300k - if we pick our favourite we won't be able to afford the work, if we pick the renovated one will we ever really love it ?!

Contessa

If you picked your favourite would you have to do all the work straightaway?

LuckyG

If you have doubts on whether you'll ever love the house then maybe that's a sign that it's not the one for you.
Go with the one you really want, you can save for the work to be done.

The house we've chosen needs a new kitchen and bathroom, nothing overly wrong with them but they're old and dated.
We will be able to get the bathroom done straight away but not the kitchen. We will save to get the kitchen done, in the meantime will use it as it is.

In the long run, it'll be worth trying to get the one you really want