4 bedrooms vs 2 receptions 3 bedrooms, which one value more?

Ramouth

3 bed, 2 receptions, garage gets my vote.  But I can see how open plan and 4beds would be brilliant for a family with young children.

zagubov

You've not given us enough info about you and your needs. For example, how big a family have you got (or are you planning)?

Open plan's impractical but bafflingly popular. Having multiple reception rooms helps supply separate spaces. 

If you've got growing children, you want separate rooms for them. Having a separate guest room's a waste.

We have a sofa bed in our dining room so if guests stay, thats their room. As we can't feed them at home, often they take us out for a meal so we can eat together.

rexmedorum

I really like open plan, provided the entance is seperate. Having said that, there's nothing stopping you from using 1 of the downstaris rooms in property 2 as a 4th bedroom. Worth considering if that works for you or not.

Another thig to keep in mind is the garage vs carport and which one would suit you best. One advantage of a garage, if it's attached, is that you may be able to convert some or all of it into more space in the house.

Dave_6

For me the north facing garden would put me off, unless of course it would still get a good amount of sun due to how it was positioned.

An extra bedroom and the south facing garden would be big positives for me, although I agree open plan living isn't for everyone unless you time when you use washing machines etc

RogerBareford

I much prefer to have the washing machine and dishwasher in a seperate room so having an open plan kitchen the noise from these when they are on would be irritating.

The other issue with open plan is the smells that come from the kitchen. When cooking aromatic food, while it smells great it's nice to be able to get away from that smell in another room and not be constantly exposed too it. You also sometimes get steam (also maybe some smoke if things goes wrong! ) and the kitchen is a heater when the oven is opened/ the hob burners are on. So these things can disrupt normal living space activities and when it's hot in the summer you don't want an extra heat and it's nice to be able to get away from it. 

Belleofthebooks

Do you have floor plans for both?

SavingPennies_2

Buy the one that suits your desires and needs the best, you have to live in it, potentially for many years, so why choose a house based on what might get you a bit more money for in the future? If there's no major red flags, like things that would put the majority of people off, then it doesn't really matter, both houses will appeal to different buyers in the future.

TBagpuss

I don't think that there is a single right answer. 

As you can see from the answers so far, some people will prefer one,some the other.
Personally, given those choices, I would go with the 3 bed because I'm not a huge fan of open plan, and like to be able to have my kitchen and main living space separate.  In both my current and last house, I have one large living / dining area and a separate kitchen, and both times that was a compromise where had the same house but the one large room been two smaller ones, I would have gone for the 2 room option, but having a separate kitchen is my non-negotiable point.

If you have or plan to have children then again, having more separate rooms can be an advantage - but if you have 4 bedrooms you always have the option of using one of them as a playroom or office or tv room if you want somewhere (whether for you or the children!) separate from the main living space.

I'd buy the one that you think will work best for you and your family now.