Anybody got anything positive to say about house over location?

Phil4432

The other major factor is neighbors,  You could move into the street of your dreams, and then the neighbors get some barking rat dogs. 

So if a bland location has great neighbors, you've got a great location.

Irishpearce26

It all depends on the variables. My friends wanted a dream house in the countryside, couldn't afford but could afford the house in the estate on the outskirts of the countryside. Bought it with a plan to build the equity and acquire better paid jobs and then move.

They have great neighbours, walking distance to a great pub and had kids! The owners of the house they wanted sold up and moved to the village estate they live in and complained so much about the house and the neighbours.

In the end they stayed, extended and enjoy their community.

Anyanka1

I have to agree with Irishpearce26:  Neighbours can make or break your experience and trump a post code if they are good enough, I think... Maybe, sometimes; it depends how far away they are.

Murphybear

Davesnave said:

seven-day-weekend said:

That programme is not called 'Location, Location, Location' for nothing.

You can change the house.  You can't change the neighbourhood.

Location every time.

We know that. OP stated as much in their first post and looked for alternative views, maybe because the real world is more complex than TV programmes suggest. Like it or not, compromise becomes the order of the day for most of us.

Here in Devon, it doesn't take a rocket scientist (or even an EA!) to know that the most desirable locations are places on the coast, and especially in the South, like Salcombe. However, the majority can't live there or in similar locations, so they may even end up in the centre of the county, 30miles from the sea, like us. We came here because we could get the acreage we wanted at an affordable price. People who come to our village are sometimes shocked to discover we're classed as a 'deprived' area, but that fact is not the whole picture. The schools and medical facilities are good and crime is low; we're just a long way from urban centres......and of only minor interest to tourists and second homers. Hurrah!

To be fair, not everyone who comes here stays. Some can't get used to the slow pace, the darkness of the nights and the long trek to MrT's. Others, like us, are pleasantly surprised; it's better than we imagined and we accept the inconveniences.

Life and people are complex. Just because a location is deemed the best, doesn't make it so for everyone. Knowing the location well is important, but knowing oneself is even more crucial.

Living in rural Devon is heaven.

When we told people that we lived in an area of Devon where few tourists went and house prices were reasonable, but the scenery was still beautiful they often found it hard to believe. 

Davesnave

Murphybear said:

Davesnave said:

seven-day-weekend said:

That programme is not called 'Location, Location, Location' for nothing.

You can change the house.  You can't change the neighbourhood.

Location every time.

We know that. OP stated as much in their first post and looked for alternative views, maybe because the real world is more complex than TV programmes suggest. Like it or not, compromise becomes the order of the day for most of us.

Here in Devon, it doesn't take a rocket scientist (or even an EA!) to know that the most desirable locations are places on the coast, and especially in the South, like Salcombe. However, the majority can't live there or in similar locations, so they may even end up in the centre of the county, 30miles from the sea, like us. We came here because we could get the acreage we wanted at an affordable price. People who come to our village are sometimes shocked to discover we're classed as a 'deprived' area, but that fact is not the whole picture. The schools and medical facilities are good and crime is low; we're just a long way from urban centres......and of only minor interest to tourists and second homers. Hurrah!

To be fair, not everyone who comes here stays. Some can't get used to the slow pace, the darkness of the nights and the long trek to MrT's. Others, like us, are pleasantly surprised; it's better than we imagined and we accept the inconveniences.

Life and people are complex. Just because a location is deemed the best, doesn't make it so for everyone. Knowing the location well is important, but knowing oneself is even more crucial.

Living in rural Devon is heaven.

When we told people that we lived in an area of Devon where few tourists went and house prices were reasonable, but the scenery was still beautiful they often found it hard to believe. 

I don't mind if they doubt. Couple the above with no National Park status or AONB and dealing with the planners is also straightforward.

Trades can be a little hit and miss to recruit and they often claim "Oh, I was in........" (insert name of local place with poor phone reception!) when they don't respond to your calls, but rates are reasonable and they get around to things in the end. You just mustn't be in a hurry!

Scotbot

lookstraightahead said:

The first house I could afford was either a 3 bed detached on a newish estate, or a 2 bed tiny mid terraced house on the most expensive road in the town. A no brainier. The terrace. 

An absolute no brainer for me too; the detached. I grew up in a detached house with just me and my parents  and I  just cannot cope with noise. Even normal party wall noise drives me nuts. Horses for courses different people value different things

Olive3

We chose house over location back in 2017. It was in great condition, a beautiful house, spacious and a great layout. But it was located in a small village with very few facilities and rubbish public transport. We moved 6 months ago to a smaller house, that needed a lot of work and cost 25% more - but it is 15 mins walk from the city centre. I wish we had moved sooner! We love it here, we can walk everywhere, there is lots of life, cafes, restaurants, shops, theatre. But as Scotbot said people value different things.  

robatwork

Olive3 said:

We chose house over location back in 2017. It was in great condition, a beautiful house, spacious and a great layout. But it was located in a small village with very few facilities and rubbish public transport. We moved 6 months ago to a smaller house, that needed a lot of work and cost 25% more - but it is 15 mins walk from the city centre. I wish we had moved sooner! We love it here, we can walk everywhere, there is lots of life, cafes, restaurants, shops, theatre. But as Scotbot said people value different things.  

Have you moved from 0 party walls to 1 or more?

greensalad

You can't change a location, but you can do a lot to make a house nice. 

We wanted to live in a specific village, with a big garden, driveway and garage. I always dreamed of owning a big Edwardian townhouse, or at the very least a nice Victorian property. Unfortunately those properties either don't exist in the village or they're in the absolute prime (the houses around the village green, for example, which are top dollar). So 1960s bungalow conversion it is!

It's a lot easier to make the changes to the house to make it happy for how you want to live than it is to change location. I'm so happy with the large garden, no neighbours, beautiful pear and hop orchards all around. Far happier than I would've been in the other pretty Edwardian mansion we looked at that backed onto an industrial estate...