Picking the right property help?

jesterspirit007

Hi Everyone,


I am a first time buyer and have found two properties that we like and have put offers in for both. I was going to go with the one that accepts the offer but they have both accepted the offer so I need to make a decision quickly.


The first property was 165k but he has accepted 159. This house is a traditional semi with everything perfect except that it is next to a busy main road dual carriageway. Its been triple glazed and so the sound is reduced but you can still hear it a little which is a concern.


The other house is a newer property, was 150 but accepted 146. Its detached with large garden in a peaceful countryside location. The thing that isn't perfect with this one though is that all the houses in the cul-de-sack don't have drives so instead I would have to park on the road 30 second walk back to the property.


I have to pick one of these but its really hard to decide based on the above.


Any thoughts / advise would be gratefully appreciated.

silvercar

Can you turn the front garden into off street parking? I would be concerned about the parking issue, will there always be places to park on the road?

jesterspirit007

I don't think it would be possible to turn the front into a drive way, the other owners seem to either park their cars on the nearby road or just drive onto the grass outside the houses and park outside their house. The houses do include a small set of garages for the houses but these are tiny and would be difficult to use. Its a real tough choice between these properties, one is near a very busy noisy road but the other has no driveway or even a road directly outside.

LilElvis

Or you could carry on looking until you find a house that has parking but isn't next to a dual carriageway! You're going to be living there for a couple of years and these aren't things you can change like wallpaper or an avocado bathroom.

Don't forget to consider how much the traffic noise might affect you in the summer - the garden isn't triple glazed.

Kidder81

I wouldn’t consider either property. They both have compromises that I wouldn’t be prepared to make.

Why does it have to be one of these? Can you not carry on looking?

jesterspirit007

Having viewed over 30 properties these two were the ones we liked most. We were purchasing a different one which was proceeding fine until I got a home buyers survey done which had loads of issues including structural and roof so had to leave that one. I am in rented property at the moment and the owner wont renew the lease as he is selling so I have to move out anyway.

SMR710

Think of it this way... decide the house by the road is heads & the house with no parking is tails. Toss the coin. In that brief moment when its in the air, suddenly you know the result you are hoping for.
Tossing the coin doesn't make the decision. It makes you realise what you want the decision to be!

Cakeguts

I wouldn't buy either of those.

fiisch

I'd suggest stop making offers on properties you don't intend to buy......

That is poor form to make two offers on two properties at the same time.

[Deleted User]

The OP was hoping the decision would be made for them. It wasn't a bidding war so no other sellers lose out, the offer has only just been made so not exactly enormous legal costs for the vendor. I hardly consider this the crime of the century lol.

I definitely would not consider the house off the busy road, as already said, garden's don't have double glazing ... and there's the pollution too. I realise you feel you need to move because of the rental contract running out but to evict you would actually take months.

Expand your areas, just to have a look. You might find other properties you like better than these without the compromises. Parking a few seconds away isn't a huge compromise to me, but will be to others. I'd be looking at room sizes, how suitable is the kitchen (would not move anywhere with a cubby hole kitchen). Perhaps take a relative with you, they might see potential where you can't.

While a person needs to be wary when reading a survey, quite often things that are marked as calamitous in reality aren't. Phone the surveyor, ask what they mean by x,y and z. Speak to builders or knowledgeable relatives.., or even come on here.

YoungBlueEyes

If I had to pick between these 2 I'd choose the quiet one and deal with the 30 second walk.

The coin toss idea is a good one, it'll let you know which you're hoping for.