Post by hannamaren on Jan 28, 2013 10:04:02 GMT -5
Option A - townhouse in a very good neughbourhood. All schools are in top 10 in province. We have a 1 yr old but would prefer not to move her around for schools later on. Bus and subway to work - transit 45 min 30-45 minute commute in rush hour by car Would need to drive to most amenities (pharmacy, grocery, coffee shop within short walk)
Option B - semi detached in medium neighbourhood. All schools are average scorers. Rank 1000/2000 in province (ish) Subway only to work (20min) car to work 20-30 min. Restaurants, coffee shops, small grocery, etc all within short walk.
This is a 10 yr house. (Not a forever home) both houses are similar in size. One has a garage, the other has a small basement but ni garage. Townhouse is in a complex which includes a swimming pool.
Priced the same. Woud you sacrifice your own lawn/space (semi detached) for the best schools/best neighbourhood (townhouse)
Townhouse, because of the schools. With your and your husband's schedule, I wouldn't think you'd want to deal with the outside stuff like lawn maintenance.
ETA: How far is either house from your MIL/FIL, your SIL and nieces? Is this a concern for you either way? Not sure if they babysit for you with any sort of regularity, or anything like that.
I'd pick option B because I love living in a place where I can walk places. It feels less isolating. Short commutes are also great. L will only be in school for less than half of those years so the schools wouldn't be too much of a factor for me (unless they were bad but it doesn't sound like they are).
I'd pick option B because I love living in a place where I can walk places. It feels less isolating. Short commutes are also great. L will only be in school for less than half of those years so the schools wouldn't be too much of a factor for me (unless they were bad but it doesn't sound like they are).
Good luck deciding.
I can see this POV but how many people 6-10 years ago bought their home with 0-1 children, thinking they could upgrade to a better district later on, and are now stuck?
What makes a neighborhood very good or medium to you? Neighborhood B sounds preferable to me, so I'm wondering what the differences are...
Also, I don't know much about the are you live in. Could a townhouse be a forever home for you, or would you end up moving to a house house from there anyway?
I'd pick option B because I love living in a place where I can walk places. It feels less isolating. Short commutes are also great. L will only be in school for less than half of those years so the schools wouldn't be too much of a factor for me (unless they were bad but it doesn't sound like they are).
Good luck deciding.
I can see this POV but how many people 6-10 years ago bought their home with 0-1 children, thinking they could upgrade to a better district later on, and are now stuck?
That's a good point but I think the housing market in Toronto hasn't had a slump. It seems pretty hot from what Hanna posts.
Post by hannamaren on Jan 28, 2013 10:18:24 GMT -5
The market is ridiculous. We are considering bidding $650k on a house listed at $570. And it might go for $700k. I am going to have to generalize. But otherwise it is hard to describe. The medium neighbourhood is small homes with people that have lived there forever (blue collar workers in well paid jobs) and new owners ($120k year salary combined) The good neighbourhood (except the small pocket of townhouses) is mostly huge mansions. Average combined salary of at least $250k but I saw a house there yesterday with a chandelier (through the window) bigger than my apartment.
It would be unlikely that there would be any drive by shootings in the good neighbourhood because it is more suburb-y feel. Whereas, the medium neighbourhood still has a downtown feel. I would like to say it is like Brooklyn, but I dont know that area very well. I am going by Tv
I currently live in a "B" type neighborhood, close to work, very walkable, with OK schools at best, and I wouldn't trade that for anything. Definitely B for me.
I'd pick A because of the schools. And it doesn't sound like you are that isolated since there are some thing that are within a short walk with option A as well. The commute doesn't sound ridiculous either.
Well, I was going to say B until you mentioned drive-by shootings.
Honestly, I'd probably pick C, if a third option exists. If a single family in a walkable neighborhood is affordable, maybe a townhouse in a slightly nicer walkable neighborhood would be an option?
I'd pick A because of schools. It still sounds somewhat walkable - I'd be happy with some basics nearby, like the pharmacy, coffee shop, etc. you mentioned.
Honestly, I'd probably pick C, if a third option exists. If a single family in a walkable neighborhood is affordable, maybe a townhouse in a slightly nicer walkable neighborhood would be an option?
I agree with this. I wouldn't imagine that, if you're living in a neighborhood with mansions, you're going to end up in a townhouse as a forever home anyway, and think there's a good chance you'd move from either within 10 years? So if you don't want to switch her schools, and plan on moving, I'd want to move to a neighborhood that has houses you'd want to upgrade to later?
It's really hard to say, I have a 45 minute commute both ways and some days it really wears on me. I can see it feeling worse with a kid. Although given your summers a pool would be a great option....I hate sharing walls with neighbors.
And living in a similar city to you, yes the crime is different when you're 20 min vs 45 min to the main city centre. We aren't as worried about drive bys here (although Toronto has had a few last year?) but you do get more random vandalism, car break ins, etc. I still lean towards house B though. Saving 40 minutes a day commuting really adds up.
Of those options, the townhouse. I think lawns (and the maintenance) are overrated. Especially if there are parks/playgrounds nearby. Schools trump all imo.
I would go with B..But really is this a house you be okay with being longer for 10 years? People are getting stuck in their homes longer due to the market.
I would go with B because I think you really enjoy your current walkable lifestyle and would miss that and the commute from A would be way too long for me.
I know it's easy to get caught up in a tight market (I'm picturing you on that My First Place show with the dark haired Canadian lady), but it might be worth waiting a little longer.
Also, I wouldn't be as concerned about schools for early elementary.
Post by sillygoosegirl on Jan 28, 2013 11:14:42 GMT -5
When you say "priced the same," do you mean they have the same list price, or the same monthly payment? When we were looking, it seemed like town houses had about a 20% higher monthly payment for the same price home because of the HOA fees.
Hanna: do you maybe have cold feet about putting in an offer today? I can't imagine you guys are considering homes in drive-by territory.
I was thinking this, too. Unless I missed something, you went from having definite plans of putting in an offer today to uncerainty over which house to choose. To me neither sounds ideal so I'd probably keep looking. I know it sucks, trust me I've been house hunting for a LONG time. But I'm not going to jump on something just to get a house, even if it means I have to wait a while. Our market is heating up here and all I can do is continue to wait until the right place pops on the market. It's frustrating but buying a house is a big decision so it's worth the wait IMO.
Hanna: do you maybe have cold feet about putting in an offer today? I can't imagine you guys are considering homes in drive-by territory.
I was thinking this, too. Unless I missed something, you went from having definite plans of putting in an offer today to uncerainty over which house to choose. To me neither sounds ideal so I'd probably keep looking. I know it sucks, trust me I've been house hunting for a LONG time. But I'm not going to jump on something just to get a house, even if it means I have to wait a while. Our market is heating up here and all I can do is continue to wait until the right place pops on the market. It's frustrating but buying a house is a big decision so it's worth the wait IMO.
Based on her reply in the post it looks like the house is going into a bidding war (which is extremely common in Toronto) - Hanna is looking at offering $80k over asking and it may go for more. I assume she's looking at other properties in case their offer loses.
I like B. And doesn't Canada have relatively little gun violence? Unless that's truly an issue, B sounds like a better house because of the space, better commute, and schools sound fine. If it's not a forever home, she can go to a better jr high/high school. I don't think grade school matters as much as long as the school isn't BAD KWIM? If it's decent she'll be fine and has support at home if they aren't doing enough for her.
I was thinking this, too. Unless I missed something, you went from having definite plans of putting in an offer today to uncerainty over which house to choose. To me neither sounds ideal so I'd probably keep looking. I know it sucks, trust me I've been house hunting for a LONG time. But I'm not going to jump on something just to get a house, even if it means I have to wait a while. Our market is heating up here and all I can do is continue to wait until the right place pops on the market. It's frustrating but buying a house is a big decision so it's worth the wait IMO.
Based on her reply in the post it looks like the house is going into a bidding war (which is extremely common in Toronto) - Hanna is looking at offering $80k over asking and it may go for more. I assume she's looking at other properties in case their offer loses.
Ah, I see that now. Thank you! I think I'd still keep looking. It sucks, I've been in 5 bidding wars over homes and it's not fun. I've lost to a cash buyer every time. I'd never pay the amount of cash these people are willing to pay, especially with such low interset rates.
B. I like the idea of a shorter commute and closer to amenities. It doesn't sound like there will be drive-bys, and a medium school through 5th grade will likely be just fine.