To ask if you'd rather live in a massive house in a crap location, good-sized house in a good-ish location or diddly house in a fantastic location?

[Beepbeep1]

First of all let me just make clear I'm very blessed to have a house at all! And very grateful. I know people have bigger 'problems' - this is just a lighthearted thread really.

I'd bet we'd all probably like to live in a massive house in a fantastic area - but that's reserved for people with a lot more money than my family.

At the moment we live in a good sized house in an goodish area but I'd absolutely LOVE to live in a quaint little village...it's a long-time fantasy. However on our budget it would be a diddly (quite crap) house. And DH would be very, very reluctant to downsize. I wouldn't mind so much.

We have good schools, little crime, nice community etc but the suburbs just make me feel a bit sad. I don't think I'll ever really properly love it. Does anyone love where they live? Or is the grass always greener?

We have one DS and another on the way though so I suppose things like a nice big garden are important - again, wouldn't get that in the posh village.

What are everyone else's preferences?

[PhallicGiraffe]

Location, location, location.

[DENMAN03]

Having had to move fairly recently, I actually decided on a good-ish house in a good-ish location. Not a brilliant town but a nice part of that town. I had to move out of a fab village and could have bought the very expensive shoe box, however I still wanted space to have friends and family round! Practicality overcome the love of the village.

I would never buy a huge house in a rubbish location. You would have nightmares trying to sell it and its just more rooms to clean!

[lljkk]

Weird thing is that everywhere I've lived has grown on me over time, even Loughborough. Loughborough!!!

My mother, who had a fantastic knack of buying property in rising neighbourhoods, always said spend as much money as you can buying the smallest/cheapest house in a fab area.

For me personally I'd go medium nice house in medium nice area, all else held constant.

[littlepeas]

Always location. We have a 2 bedroom house and 3dc! I wouldn't consider living anywhere else, so we just have to wait until we can afford something bigger in this area (shouldn't be too much longer). My parents made the opposite decision and how I wish they hadn't.

[Smartiepants79]

Safe location with good schools and then the best that we could get!

[BMW6]

Location wins hands down

[yuleheart]

The old adage ' always buy the worst house in the best location' comes to mind.

You can always do up a 'crap' house, you can't single-handedly do up a crap area.

[Cotapaxi]

Village location, location wins hands down every time for me even it was a lot smaller.

[StuntGirl]

Smaller house in the better location. But then we only have two adults to consider; if we had kids we'd need to take their needs into consideration too, which might mean being unable to move into our first choice property due to cost.

[JeffActually]

For us it would have to be be good-ish house in a good-ish location.
We currently live in a teeny tiny victorian terrace house with a teeny tiny garden (which is a bonus) in a lovely market town in the Westcountry - but with DC2 on the way very soon the house will be just too small.
Sleeping arrangements are fine (2 bed) but it is the downstairs space that is the squish. The front door opens straight from the street into the lounge and the stairs are also in the lounge so we have space for a 2 seater sofa and our dining room table and that is pretty much it!
We can't afford a larger house in the town so will have to move a little further away which is a huge shame as we love it here.

[Beepbeep1]

Oh how I wish my DH would agree. I'd love to get the crap house in the fantastic area. He's a happy suburbanite.

[Catsdontcare]

I'd rather move all four of us to a one bed studio flat than leave our current area.

[Roseformeplease]

I live in a large house in an amazing location but, because the wilds of Scotland are not for everyone, it was really, really cheap. Fortunately, we don't have to factor in catchment areas, jobs or anything and we were lucky to find this place. Used to live in a tiny flat (1 bed) in a grim bit of London and it is worth the same as we bought this place for.

[Cakethrow]

Location for me too.

Reluctantly gave up living in the city centre (in a flat). This reluctance meant I would only move to a nice village, like where I grew up as anything else would've made the move seem like too much of a compromise.

I live in a lovely area in a small house with a small back garden but I'm glad to be here! It's the perfect location - near public transport (I don't have a car), near the village centre, near the countryside and near 3 exclent schools.
It's also tucked away where I can see the stars at night and hear the birds singing during the day. (Sorry, I'm waffling!)

[pettyprudence]

we are trying to buy our first house and due to our budget we have had to settle for a do-er upper in the best shittest area (as in its not the crapest but not the best by a long way). Its our first rung on the ladder and out of all the crap areas we can afford we have chosen this one as its the most likely to be the easiest to sell in a couple of years, and if they accept my VERY low offer we will hopefully make a good profit too.

[Beepbeep1]

I'm jealous Cakethrow.

[blueberryupsidedown]

Size for me, and a garden. I would be miserable in a tiny house with no garden, would prefer an average area with an average house if it has a garden.

[TuttoRhino]

We went for a good house in a good location. It wasn't our first choice of location as we couldn't afford the same size of house or something next to a good school. This place has a lovely location, great school nearby but is further out than we were originally looking to be.

However, we're loving the neighbourhood so far and I think we made a really good decision after all. It's in a neighbourhood that is on the up so hopefully it will only get nicer.

[Sheilathegreat]

We have a very large house in what would be perceived as a crap area and would probably make the average mumsnetter run for the hills. But we've rather inadvertently grown roots. We love our house, the diverse community, our neighbours (some of the time) and have made ourselves 'a home'. I can't see us leaving.

[NC78]

good sized house in a goodish location.

[INeedThatForkOff]

Location. We have a small house with a big garden in a very nice part of town. My cousin has a massive place with land, but the neighbours hate them and they hate the neighbours (all of them) which is different I know, but an all round pain in the ass.

[LaTrucha]

diddy house in a good location. DH and I faced precisely this dilemma and we are very pleased we chose the good location.

We bought at the height of the property market in late 2007. Our house hasn't depreciated and we have beautiful scenery and walking distance to everything we need.

A friend chose a bigger house in a less nice location at the same time and she knows she will never get what she paid for it.

I do dream of a kitchen that isn't also a dining room and utility room though.

[PacificDogwood]

Weeeell, we have a great (old) house in a 'good' location (low crime, good High Street, good state schools, great motorway/train links to the rest of the world), but very, very boring suburban location .

I agree with old 'location, location, location' adage if you are looking for a house that must (at least) keep its value if a further move is on the cards. However, if like for us, the house is a forever-house, then it does not matter quite so much.

I happen to like semi-rural/suburban life and the fact we have masses of space, can walk everywhere and much as there is an active community here, the place is big enough that not everybody knows everybody's business .

I sometimes wander around, admiring the stained glass windows and wood panelling, and I still cannot believe that I live in a house like this. Personally, I would not swap it for a lesser place in a 'better' location. DH might.

I am not moving again until I go into sheltered housing btw.

Horses for courses, methinks.