Which house would you chose?

squirrel99

So we were looking for a house to buy for some time, our sale is already progressing, so there is pressure for us to make up our minds. I!!!8217;d really apprrciate your thoughts on the below.

Property 1 - is a bespoke built house. 2 years old, done to nice spec. The owner is a builder, he built it for himself but is now ready to move on to his next project. Chain free. The house is 3 bed + good size loft room, detached, more !!!8216;interesting!!!8217; than estate new build, has a bit of character. The compromise - tiny driveway for one car only. The second car would have to be parked on the road (which is not busy residential road)

Property 2 - new build. It is similar size to the other one, price works out about the same. All brand new boch appliances included, high spect bathrooms, nice floors, turf, etc included. Large windows, plenty of light. Garage and 1 parking space on a small estate of 10 houses. It seems like a good value for money. House is next to a primary school which may be a good thing when we decide to sell in a few years time.

Any thoughts on these options would be really appreciated :beer:

betsie

Property 2 everything is brand new and you have the full 10 yr warranty-but ask what the snagging policy is. Lots of little movement cracks appear during the first year.
Property 1 has been lived in so all the snagging items should have been done but decoration wise it will be showing signs of wear and tear on the paint work and you will have dents/possible stains on carpets when furniture is removed. Showers/taps may also show signs of age depending on how hard the water is.
One concern with property 2 is the traffic and parking at school drop off and pick up times. I have lived opposite a school and couldn't leave my house during these times and parents can be very inconsiderate parkers. Maybe sit near the house at these times and see what it's like (heads up its half term in a lot of places next week). If you both work full time this might not affect you at all though.
The bonus with property 2 is the garage. People like a garage even if they don't put a car inside, it holds all the "junk". If you didn't put your car in the garage is there room to park it close by?
With both house consider the parking for visitors.
I lived on a small estate and hated it. It wasn't for me but that's because our neighbour was horrible and parked his cars and vans everywhere And as we were in the corner it often made it hard for us to get in and out of our drive. I accept this could happen on a normal road as well but I felt more trapped in on the estate.
Every house has pluses and minuses you have to go with which one suits your needs now and for the longest time going forward. Good luck.

dancing_star

Next door to a primary school? Screaming brats and constant inconsiderate parking? Avoid, avoid, avoid.

Davesnave

dancing_star wrote: »

Next door to a primary school? Screaming brats and constant inconsiderate parking? Avoid, avoid, avoid.

This will be the reaction of many, but to a large extent, it depends on the school.

Where I worked for many years, the roads around our highly rated primary school were always in demand, despite the obvious disadvantages at certain times. There was also little danger in two roads of the open outlook being built on.

A builder working for himself would usually take more care than the average tradesperson, so the first house is also likely to be of better construction, but again, it depends on the builder! Some people who think they fit that description will use their knowledge to cut corners where the building inspector might not see, especially if they intend to move up in a year or two.

In short, not enough info to judge, but a few new Bosch appliances wouldn't influence me. A garage might, depending on how tight the storage is inside. One thing that makes quite a difference is aspect, and you've not mentioned that. It can make or break a house on a tight plot.

betsie

I wouldn't worry about the noise from a primary school. It's only 2 X 10 min breaks and a half hour at lunch time. I back onto a primary school playground and I like the noise of children laughing and playing. As I said before, if you both work full time it really won't affect you. They are shut for 18 weeks a year and all bank hols and weekends.

Bimbly

With all the horror stories about new builds recently, I would go with Property 1. It's been built by someone in the trade to live in himself, so quality is likely to be better. Parking one car on the road seems a minor issue.

RubyHouse

House 1 each and every time. I haven!!!8217;t seen it but can already imagine it has far more character than the new build. I imagine in 10-20 years!!!8217; time when residents of these !!!8216;new build!!!8217; estates want to sell up, there will be no demand. In my region, the biggest draw for a new build house is the offer of help to buy !!!8211; they are overpriced and built poorly, nobody wants a second-hand new build. I have friends who are now sat in negative equity and unable to sell.

AnotherJoe

betsie wrote: »

I wouldn't worry about the noise from a primary school. It's only 2 X 10 min breaks and a half hour at lunch time. I back onto a primary school playground and I like the noise of children laughing and playing. As I said before, if you both work full time it really won't affect you. They are shut for 18 weeks a year and all bank hols and weekends.

I second that, exact same thing,and when i was working i couldn't hear them anyway on account of not being here! Now I'm retired and at home most days, yeh theres a noise but it doesnt bother me especiallya s it is limited, unlike say a neighbours dogs.



As it happens, the school I'm at the back of is very highly regarded and when we bought this house we paid about 10% over the odds on account of it being in catchment (plus another good senior school) and I'm sure there's still a premium for that, maybe not 10%, but something, and worst case it will sell quicker than one out of catchment.



As for parking, it depends exactly where it is in relation to the school if that might be a problem, for me though i back onto the playing fields thats clear the other side from where they are picked up, so zero parking issues, but even if i lived near the school entrance, its on possibly a problem with congested roads at say 845-9am and 315-330pm. How often is that likely to bother most people, especially ones working?

Roo2001

Which way does the sun shine Ideally you want a back garden that when standing from the house faces South South west or west...you can improve a house change a layout even but you cant change the way it faces.

Rambosmum

House 1. But I hate new builds.

neneromanova

House 1 as if a builder built it for himself, he won' have cut corners and will have made it perfect if he was going to live in it. New builds are just thrown up with no love, just money in mind. The builders really don't care, they just meet timescales, even if that means cutting corners.