Everyone's fave- which house?

House 1: Smaller, older house. VERY high taxes, very small lot. No garage. House itself is ok. In our top choice area, first choice elementary school. 30 minutes to the city via train. We are familiar with the area and know we'd like it.

House 2: Larger, newer house. Decent taxes (though not low), 1.5 acres. 2 car garage. House is stunning. Far from the city, over an hour on the train. We don't know much about the area, but have heard only great things.

House 1 is ~$100k more than house 2.

Neither of us commute at the moment but we may in the future.

DH very clearly wants house 1. I pushed for our last house, which was "just a bit far" from the city, in an area we didn't know much about but had only heard great things.....

Everyone's fave- which house?

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Message edited 3/19/2020 10:32:34 AM.

Re: Everyone's fave- which house?

How likely will you work in the city? What industry - midtown or downtown.

I work in FIDI and would not even consider house 2 due to the commute. Not only is there the commute to penn, but then you have to get to your work location.

You clearly want house 2. I can tell by the way you wrote the descriptions.

It’s a sacrifice to live closer to the city, one that’s worth it if you use that proximity like for commuting. But it’s not worth it if that doesn’t apply to you.

Are there any towns you would consider in-between these 2?

We looked at houses closer to the city but the compromise on space wasn’t worth the 7 min savings on train time, plus our area has much better parking. But 30 mins each way is significant and adds up over time.

Everyone's fave- which house?

house #1 10000%. if it's only 30 min to the city in a nice neighborhood with top schools, I have a few towns in my mind (one of them being my neighborhood lol- FM me, I am wondering if it's the same town). You definitely get smaller houses here, but in the long run you won't regret it because the value will be high. You have one DD and no plans for another right? If so, I wouldn't worry about having a huge house. The only thing I don't like is no garage

Re: Everyone's fave- which house?

I like space so #2 for me.

Everyone's fave- which house?

Neither house is on LI.

We looked at house 2 because DH got a new job that no longer involved a commute to the city. It opened up more areas, which was nice because we were basically looking in 2 towns that don’t have a ton of inventory. House 1 is in one of those areas.

Re: Everyone's fave- which house?

What state are the homes in? If NJ, I can fm you about different areas.

Re: Everyone's fave- which house?

Everyone's fave- which house?

It's such a tough decision! If there's little chance that you'd end up commuting, then I'd go with # 2. If you're going to commute every day, then # 1. Or, just keep looking to see if you find something in the middle.

Everyone's fave- which house?

To answer some of the questions:

One child, no plans for more.
Commuting to the city in the future is likely.
There isn’t much between the 2 areas that we are interested in. We’ve seen a few houses in towns slightly closer but not sure they’re the vibe we’re looking for.

Everyone's fave- which house?

I'd say #2 but big lot with neighbors not on top of me is a huge priority for us. I could see the proximity to the city being enticing in #1 but I hate dealing with the typically coinciding congestion of these areas. Tough choice if you think you might be commuting to the city eventually.

Message edited 2/18/2020 12:56:28 PM.

Re: Everyone's fave- which house?

I also like space; but I know everyone has different wants and likes.

The older house is $100K more; plus its an old house. You are going to need to fix something at some point soon which could be quite costly. If money is no object on that aspect; then choose #1.

Also, keep in mind that house #2 is only an extra 30 minutes on the train than house #1. If the house is that worth it; as far as newer, larger yard, garage, great area, then choosing house #2 sounds like a no brainer.

Message edited 2/18/2020 1:20:16 PM.

Re: Everyone's fave- which house?

Re: Everyone's fave- which house?

If you can afford the extra $$, I'd go house #1. I HATE commuting and I know some people are okay with commuting 2 hours each way every day, but I would not be. It sucks the life out of me. The top choice school is also very important to me. You can update a house (though you can't change the lot size) but you can't change the location- so that's always #1 in my eyes.

Re: Everyone's fave- which house?

I'd say if you think there is going to be a commute to the city in the future, go with house #1

Everyone's fave- which house?

#2. Commuting sucks but I would rather LOVE my home

Re: Everyone's fave- which house?

#2!

Re: Everyone's fave- which house?

#1.

1 kid. No plans for more. Close to the city (Which you said may come into play in the future) you know the area, great schools .. just the convenience overall and resale could be a big plus

Space is nice, but unless you have a house full of people all the time and plan on having a bunch more kids, why? It's just more to clean, heat & cool.

Plus, are either of these homes closer to family & current friends? That would help in the decision as well.

Message edited 2/25/2020 11:39:15 AM.

Everyone's fave- which house?

We aren’t going to end up in either house. Back to square one.

House 1 wouldn’t budge on price even though it’s been listed for 150 days so we’re tabling it for now.

DH can’t get over oil heat so we are skipping house 2.

Re: Everyone's fave- which house?

Re: Everyone's fave- which house?

Re: Everyone's fave- which house?

Property value will always be stronger for the house closer to the city and in a well rated school district.
With one child I don’t think 3800 sq ft. Is necessary. Not worth the extra commute time when you don’t really need the space.

Re: Everyone's fave- which house?

I was faced with a similar decision years ago and went for house #1. Have never regretted it and would never move farther our east to have more space even thou many of the town and schools are fantastic. I just love having the proximity to the city for my husbands commute and also that I can meet people in the city for dinner/drinks and I take my kids to the city all the time. As long as the house and property can accommodate your family comfortably I would go for house #1.

Re: Everyone's fave- which house?