An interesting house buying update...

[mrsukyankee]

I alluded to all of this in a post in CEP but things are happening.

We put an offer on the pink house that I posted about in the past. It's very cute, has lots of potential but it's going to need a lot of work and we'll have to live through all that dust and lack of kitchen. Our offer has been accepted as of today despite the owners not having somewhere to go. This does not mean things have ended. Things aren't "set" until you sign contracts and that happens after your solicitor does all the legal searches and you get a survey done on the property. So, minimally, 4-6 weeks.

We also had an agent get in touch about a house (Edwardian) we had really liked and said the owner will reduce his price and move out whenever you need. (I think we've been the only people interested in the house). We're going to see it again on Saturday and see if it makes more sense financially now.

So, we're now doing pros and cons for both of the houses - this is an amazing development as we have two possibilities after having lost out on a few houses.

Pink house: it's a Victorian property with all of it's Victorian feel to it. We loved it as soon as we went into it - has a great feel". It has 2 good sized bedrooms, 1 small one and one tiny one. It has a small kitchen, a dining room and a living room. To make it work for my H, me and my MIL, we'll need to do a loft renovation - which will add at least one large bedroom and another bathroom (possibly one more bedroom as well or a walk-in-wardrobe). We'll also have to extend the kitchen and open it up into the dining room (we're not formal dining room people). So a con is the dust. It's near a park and on a small cul-du-sac - a big pro (especially as we'll get another dog or two one day). An okay sized back yard for a London property. Con - have to take a bus to get to the tube. Pro - it's in our preferred area so we'll be able to walk to shops, pubs, theatre, cinema, etc.

Edwardian house: it has been modernised but kept a few features. It has a lot of space and is set up perfectly for us already so we can have our own spaces. And the price might be right. A con would be that it's not in our preferred location - it would be a bit of an uphill walk to our favourite places (and take around 20 min which is fine but not like you can just pop out your door and be at our fav pub in 2 min like the other place). It's a bit of a "younger" area - most people moving in are probably in their 20s/early 30s, so the local pubs have a different feel, though we do like the ones we've been in. We'd only have to put in a bathroom to make it really work, which would take next to no time. There is a very small back yard. And if my MIL was unable to use stairs any longer, we'll have to do a lot of work to the open-plan ground floor space to make it work for her. There are definitely more stairs and they are more narrow.

I'm sure there is more and we'll be talking about it this weekend after we view the Edwardian again. I don't think we can go wrong but this is going to be our forever place, so we'd love to make the "right decision". It may be a bit heart versus head. We'll see.

[sacattack]

I don't mind renovations and feel like the short term pain is worth it to get exactly what I want, so for me it would be Pink House all the way. The only negative there is temporary, while the negatives at the other place are forever! I also love the character of Vicotrians! :-)

[jamaicam]

What are you r commutes to work like from either place? That would play a big part in my decisions -while walking to the pub quickly is nice, i assume it's not an every day thing like commuting is!

[simpsongal]

You're on H&G - reno is welcomed and location is worth it! I'm pro Victorian

[zaneyzoo]

I lurk on this board a lot and have followed your home selling/buying journey.

I agree with sacattack as far as the negatives being temporary.

Also, your comment about the stairs in the other home - if this is your forever home, how will the house function for you and your H down the road if steps become an issue.

From what you have described, I say pink house all the way.

How exciting! Congrats

[pumpkin]

I'm so glad you guys have options and things might finally be coming together for you!
I'm pro Victorian at this point.

[penguingrrl]

The Victorian sounds all around better, but both sound like they could be excellent for you! Personally I would choose location and the ability to choose layout and touches over already renovated in a less desirable location.

[mrsukyankee]

Aug 15, 2019 12:20:54 GMT -5 jamaicam said:

What are you r commutes to work like from either place? That would play a big part in my decisions -while walking to the pub quickly is nice, i assume it's not an every day thing like commuting is!

The commute difference -

Pink house: around 35-40 min
Edwardian house: 30-35 min

Here's a few pics to help as well:

Pink house (already posted before - based on the pics on the handout I got):


  


Edwardian (which might actually be Victorian...not certain of exact age):


  (the purple room would be my MIL's room but could end up an alternative living room in the future if she moved downstairs)

[jamaicam]

With that update, I like pink house! Being close to the places you want to go, near a park for dogs and the chance ot make it how you want all sound good to me.

[bullygirl979]

Aug 15, 2019 12:08:45 GMT -5 sacattack said:

I don't mind renovations and feel like the short term pain is worth it to get exactly what I want, so for me it would be Pink House all the way. The only negative there is temporary, while the negatives at the other place are forever! I also love the character of Vicotrians! :-)

QFT.

I would MUCH rather live in a short term renovation to be in the house I loved long-term. Go with the house you love.

[mrsukyankee]

XP in CEP: we went to visit one of the two houses we are considering and we love the house. Just not the location (it's not bad, we'd be happy there, just not as much love). So, we've decided that we'll put in a low-ball offer and if it is accepted, we'll go with it (an acceptance of an offer does not mean you have to buy it in the UK, in case anyone wonders how it works - you eventually sign paperwork/put in a deposit after a few weeks of searches, bank stuff and a survey). It would make it worth the different location. If they don't accept the low-ball offer, we'll very happily go with the other house (the owners have accepted our offer, which is higher than we wanted but acceptable).

[pumpkin]

I think this sounds like a very reasonable approach. Just glad you finally have options that will make you happy!

[ellipses84]

Does the Edwardian require a bus ride to the tube? If not, that would be a big pro for me. If it does, I’d lean towards the Victorian because it sounds like it will work better long term and you like the neighborhood better, so it would make short term construction worth it. Both seem like great options!

[mrsukyankee]

ellipses84, nope. I could walk to the tube in 10 minutes.

Sending in the email to the agent to put an offer on the Edwardian today. Will most likely hear back by Weds and hoping to hear back from other house owners as to whether they were successful in their bid to get a place. And then we can finalise our decision.