Which House Would You Buy?

[Deactivated] on 06/06/2019 - 17:52
Last edited 12/06/2019 - 13:45 by 2 other users

Hello again,

So I made an offer on a house that I really liked a couple of months ago and it was rejected. It was then pass on at auction and taken off the market. The owner is now considering putting it back on the market. This is the house, with the modifications that I was planning to make to it.

In the meantime , another property has caught my eye..

Neither of those properties is perfect but they are both ideally situated: close to beach , school , parks and transport. Assuming the price per m² is the same for both, which one would you buy?

Cheers,
JJB

Updated

I've really warmed up to house #2 - possibly swayed by the poll results :) - and the missus likes it too.

The backyard is enclosed and just big enough for little kids to run around in and like my toddler pointed out, that tree out the back would make for a perfect treehouse for some little kids.

The inside of the house itself is perfectly livable too. There's enough space in the living room for a couple of couches ( or an L-shaped lounge) ,a coffee table and a play area for kids. The kitchen is small but functional and the breakfast bar sits 2 adults comfortably as is. The addition of a gas fireplace would make the place feel more homely and cosy. This would fit in the budget.

The garage is massive and can fit 4 cars : part of it could be used as a workshop, office or as a home-gym. There is also space for a shed at the back, where the clothesline is.

So I've made a tentative offer on house #2 and it was verbally accepted. It will only be official on Wednesday due to the long weekend in Melbourne though. A lot could happen until then…

Cheers,
JJB

Poll Options expired

  • 9
    Old one that I liked from the beginning
  • 18
    New one that just caught my eye.
  • 6
    Neither
  • 8
    Rob a bank and buy both.
  • 3
    Other ( see comments)
Home & Garden

Comments

  • 87percent on 06/06/2019 - 18:02
    +1

    I would rather the first house that I could modify to my taste and requirements. But as someone that went through a renovation recently, expenses can blow out pretty easily, and you have to be prepared for that

  • spackbace on 06/06/2019 - 18:11
    +1

    1st one isn't ideal with the 2nd bathroom sharing a wall with your bedroom, 2nd one looks better in that respect. Just needs the kitchen altered a little maybe, try to take up a bit more of the living room to give more bench space.

    Yeah second looks decent, very livable

    • [Deactivated] on 06/06/2019 - 18:31

      Where would the TV go in the master?

      • spackbace on 06/06/2019 - 18:33
        +1

        In the corner next to the WIR. Wall-mounted

        • [Deactivated] on 06/06/2019 - 18:37

          Of course :)

    • [Deactivated] on 06/06/2019 - 18:48

      How would you pick which child sleeps in the 3.2 x 3.2m bedroom? It is between the front door, garage and laundry so will be noisy. It also has a smaller BIR and west-facing windows :(

      • spackbace on 06/06/2019 - 18:50
        +2

        The laundry won't matter too much, nor should the garage.

        Pick the kid that goes to bed later (for the laundry situation), or doesn't sleep in (for the garage situation)

        • aragornelessar on 06/06/2019 - 21:21
          +5

          Geez, thats too logical. We'd just let our kids battle royale it out

    • [Deactivated] on 08/06/2019 - 15:37

      Where would the gas fireplace go?

  • spiff on 06/06/2019 - 18:13
    +1

    Pros of first house: Additional study room, garage is closer to kitchen, direct under cover access from garage to house, dining and living area combined is bigger.

    Pros of second house: Dining and living is smaller but more open plan, can fit more cars in the garage, master bedroom has better separation from the other bedrooms and second bathroom.

    I'd pick the first one.

    • [Deactivated] on 06/06/2019 - 18:15

      The garage in the 2nd house can be converted into a workshop and an office.

      • spiff on 06/06/2019 - 18:17
        +2

        At additional cost, right? Making structural improvements could be expensive.

        Both are pretty practical layouts, I just think the first one is a little more practical.

        • [Deactivated] on 06/06/2019 - 18:22

          Might be able to negotiate with the seller to come to the party in regards to modifying the garage. They are keen to sell as they've already bought elsewhere and owner is a builder.

  • JoChris on 06/06/2019 - 19:10
    +1

    Have you considered factors like heating/ airconditioning costs, factors that might affect power bills e.g, insulation, traffic noise?
    A house we had to rent faced west and so we had huge power bills in summer.
    At another house we loved having no traffic noise thanks to cul de sac.

    Which house would have lower power bills, privacy (if that is important) etc.?

    • [Deactivated] on 06/06/2019 - 19:13

      They are both quite private and have north-facing backyards.

  • Euphemistic on 06/06/2019 - 19:29
    +2

    Assuming the price per m² is the same for both, which one would you buy

    I cannot answer that for you, they look very similar. I need to know what it feels like and looks like from the street. You are the only one who can feel the difference based on non-tangible factors. In looking for a house I’ve quite often seen a property that looked good in the photos, floor plan etc but known it was not right within 30sec of inspecting, also the reverse looked a bit ordinary, but just felt right on inspection.

    Finding a perfect property is near impossible unless you found the perfect block of land and built with an unlimited budget.

    • [Deactivated] on 06/06/2019 - 19:53
      +1

      The 1st property is the one I liked the best out of all the ones I've seen. It was homely. It does have a few issues and will need to be renovated. Like @supasaiyan said, the costs could very easily blow out.

      Property #2 is move-in ready. Small kitchen and bedrooms but massive garage. Otherwise, quite liveable. Really, there's not much wrong with it.

      This is going to be an investment property for now and a possible back-up plan* for later. Perhaps I shouldn't let my heart dictate which one I buy?

      *We're planning to sell our family home in a couple of years and move overseas. We'll be storing some of our personal belongings in the lockable workshop/storage area of whichever house we buy. If things don't work out as we expect overseas, we'll move back into this house or if the kids want to come back to uni in Melbourne someday, they'll have somewhere to stay.

      • aragornelessar on 06/06/2019 - 21:24

        If it's an investment property, then I'd be letting the numbers decide instead of your heart. In the event, which may or may not happen, that you move back in years later then you give it a go… otherwise that could be extra potential money costs if you chose the less profitable one

        • [Deactivated] on 06/06/2019 - 21:32

          They cost the same, or rather I'm prepared to pay the exact same amount per sq metre for both.

          They are situated within 500m of each other. One is slightly closer to the beach and train station , the other is slightly closer to school and park.

          • aragornelessar on 07/06/2019 - 00:39

            @[Deactivated]: Will they rent out the same? Thats what I meant by profits - I had assumed investment meant you're renting, but I could've misunderstood

            • [Deactivated] on 07/06/2019 - 07:15

              @aragornelessar: Yes they will rent out the same.

  • serpserpserp on 06/06/2019 - 20:22
    +1

    Geez the layout for both aren't very good are they? Sure hope they are cheap.

    • [Deactivated] on 06/06/2019 - 20:26

      1mil+ walking distance to beach, parks and schools. Technically a bargain at that price.

    • [Deactivated] on 06/06/2019 - 21:32

      What would you change about the layouts?

  • holdenmg on 06/06/2019 - 20:27

    I always go for Park Lane or Mayfair and I have been playing Monopoly for a while…

    • [Deactivated] on 06/06/2019 - 20:28
      +1

      The missus always goes for those ones and she always win.

  • aragornelessar on 06/06/2019 - 21:19
    +1

    Came to see paint diagram. Thought I found some paint editing, but looks like professional paint skills

    • Wystri Warrick on 06/06/2019 - 22:32

      Jar Jar tells me it was done by whicket.

  • Wystri Warrick on 06/06/2019 - 22:34

    Read the title and I knew it was you Jar Jar binks!

    Say aren't you going to be moving to a exotic island in some years time?

    Say hello to whicket and the younglings for me!

    • [Deactivated] on 06/06/2019 - 22:38
      +1

      Hey WW,

      We are :) But you always need a backup plan… even when you're moving to Paradise.

  • HeWhoKnows on 07/06/2019 - 08:20
    -2

    I find it utterly ridiculous when OBs post highly personal questions like this one.

    Everybody has different needs and different priorities
    Everyone has different opinions and tastes.

    Whilst the votes and opinions here are respected they are made in respect of the needs and priorities of that particular person.

    OP needs to think for themselves and make a choice because only OP knows whats best for themselves.

    Besides that OP hasnt made a successful offer on either property so this is all pointless as that may well be the deciding factor!

    • [Deactivated] on 07/06/2019 - 17:05

      OP needs to think for themselves and make a choice because only OP knows whats best for themselves.

      I'm buying a property with the intention to rent it out in the short to medium term. Neither property would suit my family of 6 :) I wouldn't have a clue what others who are in the market for a 3-bedroom property on a smaller lot are looking for.

      I , personally, liked the 1st property better but the majority of voters so far prefers the 2nd one and find it to be more livable.So it does look like option 2 would be the better investment property.

      Besides that OP hasn't made a successful offer on either property so this is all pointless as that may well be the deciding factor!

      For the 1st property , I was contacted by the owner who wanted to know if my original offer was still standing. I haven't replied to his email yet.

      For the 2nd property, it belongs to an acquaintance who has already said he is happy to help us modify the garage to better suit our needs.

      The bank has already conditionally approved the 2nd mortgage .

      I don't want to make 2 offers and get both accepted. Neither do I want to make to end up with a property that is hard to rent out.

      • HeWhoKnows on 08/06/2019 - 11:00

        Rental market is totally stuffed at the moment in both Sydney and Melbourne.
        Not sure where OP is looking to buy but unless the rent asked is VERY LOW or the apartment is super fabulous and competitively priced its going to be difficult to rent any property in this environment.
        But at the end of the day as any real esate agent will tell you. its all about
        LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION

        • [Deactivated] on 08/06/2019 - 11:19

          Rental market is totally stuffed at the moment in both Sydney and Melbourne.

          Source ?

          According to this article , its quite the opposite.

    • [Deactivated] on 07/06/2019 - 20:40

      Should probably add, that I'm not in a rush to buy. I won't need a back-up plan for another 2 years at least.

  • unclekenz on 07/06/2019 - 14:15

    My concern is that orientation of both buildings are undesirable, neither home can maximise benefits of east-west sun into rooms that ordinarily would benefit most from sunlight ingress. Sadly in both these cases, rooms that are normally the least priority for sunlight ingress ARE getting it.
    Look for North to North-East orientation buildings together with appropriate room layout that achieves sunlight benefit to highest priority sunlit ingress rooms.

    • [Deactivated] on 07/06/2019 - 17:15

      Isn't a north, north-east-facing backyard desirable?

      • HeWhoKnows on 08/06/2019 - 11:04

        Irrelevent for backyards as they get sun from any direction.
        And you dont spend that much time in backyards anyway

    • HeWhoKnows on 08/06/2019 - 11:03

      All depends on LOCATION!

      If the apartment is located in a HOT inland area well away from the water then a SOUTH to SE aspect is a much better option.

      • unclekenz on 09/06/2019 - 11:19

        Apartment? Irrelevant to the OPs post.

    • [Deactivated] on 09/06/2019 - 14:53

      Re: House #2 ,

      The deck is actually 10 degrees due north. Not sure if that makes much of a difference but I've amended my drawing. The covered deck is very similar to this and does let a good amount of heat and light in.

      I've been to the house twice. The first time was in the morning and the living areas were bright and warm , with lots of sunshine coming through. My second visit was in the arvo and while there was some light coming through the glass pane next to the front door, the living areas were significantly darker and colder than when I visited in the morning. I think the room will benefit greatly from a gas fireplace. It will create a cosier atmosphere on cold winter evenings.

  • ozbjunkie on 08/06/2019 - 00:52

    First one because of greater chance of man cave, if you're buying a 3br, you have multiple children. Lord help you.

    • [Deactivated] on 08/06/2019 - 07:59
      +2

      I do have multiple children (how did that happen? 😲)

      Currently 4 kids but usually 3.The eldest (B) is 4 mins older than the 2nd (G) who in turn is 7yrs older than the 3rd (G). My littlest one (B) is 10 yrs younger than my eldest.

      They all get along well enough but still the layout wouldn't work for us long-term.

      • ozbjunkie on 08/06/2019 - 08:09

        You know just how that happened, you were there! And having a great time apparently. Indeed, 4 great times.

        • [Deactivated] on 08/06/2019 - 12:03

          I most definitely wasn't there for the 3rd one …😳

          • ozbjunkie on 08/06/2019 - 13:08
            +1

            @[Deactivated]: Yeah sorry about that mate, she said she had it covered.

            • [Deactivated] on 08/06/2019 - 15:34

              @ozbjunkie: Just to clarify, according to DNA testing, she's my half-sister… I guess that makes you my Dad too? 😂

  • [Deactivated] on 12/06/2019 - 13:29
    +2

    It's a done deal! Thanks for your input ozb :)

    • spackbace on 12/06/2019 - 19:20

      Now please collate all new house questions into 1 post ;) Let them accrue over a week or so and fire all the questions at us lol

      But congrats :)

      • [Deactivated] on 12/06/2019 - 19:35

        Thanks😊

        Since you've asked so nicely, I do have another house apartment-related question …

        But I might wait until the interest in this post dies down first. Otherwise, it might look like I'm taking the pis-erm-pee out of OP😲

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