Location vs house

Catpuss66

Mishca21 said:

Catpuss66 said:

having been in both as a single person, definitely go for run down house in better area. Feeling safe & secure is something money cannot buy. My last house had gas light piping still in situ . You learn how to do DIY, Google is a god send. Still posting for information on house renovations. You need somthing to get your teeth into rather than just carrying on as before. Get out of your comfort zone, sure you won”t regret it, I didn”t. 

Trouble is I literally just sold a house like this and it very nearly ruined me, both financially and mentally. I get what you’re saying and wish I was much braver but I just can’t face a project house!! 

At the end of the only you know yourself , it has to be something you are comfortable with.  best of luck

MysteryMe

Location is everything in an ideal world where choices can be made but this is the real world. The OP does not want a fixer upper so the bottom line is they can't afford to live in their ideal area so have to forget perfect location. It's not a failure moving back to an area where you once lived and your parents continue to live OP, you are buying your own place not moving back in with them. Presumably the area has been safe enough for them for decades. Of course the area will seem run down compared to what the OP has been used to but it's important not to allow fear over ride actual reality. 

redundantmortgage

For me it's about location that's why I live in a one bed flat when I could buy a house for the same money in most other areas of the country.

One thing to bear in mind about location though is things could change. I grew up near 2 towns of a similar size around 10 miles from each other. At the time one was the place to go shopping, socialising etc. and felt relatively safe. The other was really run down, very grotty town centre that never felt safe and had a reputation for being particularly rough. 

Then the run down town was regenerated. It became a more attractive shopping destination and I know of several people who moved there which would have never happened a few years prior. As a consequence the better town started to become run down, the town centre was dead and crime was up.

That said if you lived in the better town because of it's railway links then you still have those whereas the other town doesn't.

markin

You could move to any close by town and move jobs, A NHS job usually means you can get a job anywhere in the uk.

movilogo

Location is not a fixed thing. Over time a good location can turn bad and bad location may turn good. Currently lot of buyers can't afford to buy in good locations so they are ending up buying in not so good locations. 

carefullycautious

Hi, another thing to check is who did the work to modernise this house. I have heard horror stories of DIY bodge jobs being done to properties to make them look good.  Not sure how you can safeguard against this. Make sure you have a really good survey and make sure everything works properly.

Also try to meet the neighbours to get a feel for the area. Go into local shops and ask what the area is like generally.

I understand completely how you are feeling as we have also 'Gone round in circles' worrying about what ifs.

Good Luck with your decision

Sistergold

Firstly you need to worry about having a good roof over your head. When now there is more money you can decide to worry about location. It’s easy for one to say choose location. If house meets your needs and it’s a neighbourhood you already know then your are lucky. After a breakup many can not afford to buy at all so don’t feel so bad know you have actually done well. Downsizing is not a bad thing! Best Buy and build up equity. 

I would personally choose a house in an average location than a leasehold flat in the best location. I am also single and so a house with freehold makes me feel more secure. With a flat there are joint responsibilities and expenses which I don’t want to deal with unlike a house where I can decide when and where to fix. Also with a flat there might be more neighbours with higher chance of noise and such. 

Scotbot

Your DIY skills sound like mine!  You need to check that the wow factor isn't cosmetic and a result of good interior design skills. When you book the survey ask for a surveyor who will let you attend. That way you can ask questions as you go around.

RAS

Hi, it's not clear from your posts whether you are working from home, and therefore free to live "anywhere", or restricted geographically to the Plymouth area? 

I'm mindful that a lot of NHS jobs require on site presence and that despite what people think, the concentration of services means that often there is a huge travel time between locations that specialise in the service in which you might work. particularly in the South-West.

On the other hand I know people working in some roles who only needed on-site meetings a couple of times a month before Covid hit our shores,

If your parents didn't live locally where would you like to live? And could you afford to buy in that location?

No need to reply to these musing, just a prompt for thought rather than a load of queries.

Bendy_House

What a dilemma, Mishca, and completely understandable.

You've had the whole diverse range of views - no surprise! Because everyone will have different priorities re location vs house.

It might help to initially remove as much 'gut' from the decision as possible, and look at tangibles. For instance:

WHY does the location matter? Is it largely convenience? Or attractiveness? Access to other means of transport? Or a sense of safety/security?

And HOW do you 'use' a location - are you the sort of person who steps out the front door, goes "Ahhh!" and sets off at a jaunty amble, waving cheerfully to all and sundry? Do you like walking around the 'hood, to a local shop, pub, event?

Or does this not matter so much - you are prepared to forgo all that just to drive to your home, and then go 'Ahh' when you unlock the front door and step inside?

Can you analyse your feelings towards your 'home ground' to try and work out how you will continue to feel about it (after you've got over any initial thoughts of it being a retrograde step - it isn't)? If you had truly fond memories of that area before, then the chances are (I think) that will return. If, however, living there did reach the point where you really wanted to 'get away' (a natural response to the parental home), some of these feelings might return - tho' they might not.

Although you don't want a 'project', just how much of the house you've put the offer on can be easily 'replicated' in another similarish property? It's been 'modernised', but how much of that is decoration? A tasteful choice of colour scheme, furnishings? Ie, has it had a relatively easy-to-do cosmetic going-over, or has it been 'properly' modernised with added insulation, bathroom, CH system, electrics, that sort of stuff? If it's largely 'cosmetic', then you can/should be able to replicate that in a different home, and you (hopefully) wouldn't be paying a premium for someone having wielded a paint brush (I exaggerate...)

Would you be ok with posting a link to this place? Folk would then have a better idea of what you are after, and could guide better.

Finally, I know living at 'home' ain't ideal, but as long as it's acceptable/tolerable, you will remain a no-chain buyer, with a good deposit, and increasing savings, and this could very possibly be in a housing market that is slowing down, so much better choices could literally be around the corner. I mean, things HAVE to become reasonable again, don't they?!

Cool - now add a good dose of 'gut' :-)