Cant Decide which house to buy

Cazza

stmidwife wrote: »

Just from my point of view I wouldn't be too happy accessing the downstairs toilet via the dining room. On the other hand, being on a corner plot gives you a larger garden and also the chance to extend to the side.

Best of luck.

Ooh, hadn't spotted that, I agree! Also, how much space is there at the bottom of the stairs, in the DW house? If you answer the front door to a group of friends and have to open it wide, do you then have to stand on the stairs to let them in before you can close the door? Sounds silly but my in laws have to do this and it would get on my nerves!

zeeww_2

i prefer the semi-detached, because it's a cul-de-sac, and living room looking out into the main door, compared to the end terrace's living room facing garden... but the end-terrace have bigger master bedroom space, with a storage space... the semi-detached do not have any storage apart from in the garage!!

the corner plot have a same sized garden with the semi-detached, so extendability chances are exactly the same...

zeeww_2

Cazza wrote: »

Ooh, hadn't spotted that, I agree! Also, how much space is there at the bottom of the stairs, in the DW house? If you answer the front door to a group of friends and have to open it wide, do you then have to stand on the stairs to let them in before you can close the door? Sounds silly but my in laws have to do this and it would get on my nerves!

that shouldnt be a problem because they can go straight into the living room, and i would not have to stand on the stairs....
does storage space is a major factor in a house? semi-detached = storage in garage,
end terrace = 2 small storage under stairs + garage.

i am thinking about resaleability in the future, so hence these posts to gather people's view...

zeeww_2

the difference in floor build up area is 80 square feet. i.e. 3 bed end terrace is larger in build up space by 80sq ft.

G-G_4

If there isn't much difference then look at what you want, and not what future buyers might look for.. At the end of the day it sounds as though both houses are lovely, and so you have to want to live there yourself, who knows you could be there 20-30 yrs!

Kez100

Take a look at the amount of on road parking that is going to be available when you move in. People notoriously use garages for anything other than their car, so once their first car is on the drive all the others will likely be on the road and, where the roads are narrow, most park half on half off the pavement.

Everytime I drive onto new estates which are fully occupied I am appalled by the number of cars looking as if they have just been dumped all caused by planners being more interested in the external look of the build than the amount of space given over to the road itself and excess parking arrangements.

Also, look at where the house is situated. A mate of mine bought on anew estate a few years back. Now most have tarmacced their outside lawns to give extra parking space. As a result, the drains didn't cope with the excess water running off last year and his house - being located at the bottom point - got flooded!

I would also be very wary of the dream start. This 75/25 sounds to me like a way of them getting their high asking price by giving you a carrot where you pay later. That money still has to be found one day - I'd go for getting as close to 25% off as a discount now!

PasturesNew

I prefer the one where it is a lounge/diner, not separate.

But if you've got kids you might prefer that there are two separate rooms so you can watch TV while they're fighting in the next room.

Also, if you're the sort of person who invites friends for a meal, then being able to walk away from the table and leave everything, then close the door on it might be better.

I'd go for the one with the biggest plot probably. But corners of cul de sacs can be a problem because there's often not enough parking so people tend to park round a wide/end plot because there's no driveway to block.

Also, depending on the road layout - at night time will every car coming up the road/turning have its headlights shining into your window? That is on my list of "no nos".

As for semi or end terrace, I'd not be overly bothered unless the two houses were literally identical to each other/next door, then I'd choose the semi.

BettiePage

I prefer the downstairs layout of the 2nd one.

No toilet off the dining room (ewwww....!) and you don't have to traipse your shopping through the living room to the kitchen (especially if you get light coloured carpets).

zeeww_2

thanks for all the comments...

as the for worries about 75/25 scheme, i did use my own valuer to conduct a valuation on the property before going in to negotiate it, and he came back with a valuation of 5k below the asking price, so it's not massively off, and i can use his valuation to get a discount. and also, bearing in mind the people who moved in next doors didnt opt for the 75/25 scheme and went for 7% discount on the same asking price, so i dont think there's a huge markup in the asking price, if there's any at all....

parking on cul-de-sac corners and people driving up with headlights on the house bay window is not a problem on the semi-detached, as the position of the house has prevented these from happening.

i went down to the development to have a good look again on both houses, and i am more inclined to semi-detached than the end terrace, as i prefer a separate dining room (although the WC is built next to it)... and also the position of a cul-de-sac rather than on the side of an access road...
i'll have a look tomorrow again