I had this choice irl too - small do-upy maisonette in a nice village for me! I could havea big house in a scary neighbourhood, but I want friends I'm not scared of and a good school for DS. Here, we lived in the dodgy area for a bit and no-one said hello back to me, now cars stop so we can cross the road and everyone is friendly, so I am happy with my choice. We also have great local grocers and butchers here, not just supermarkets, so food is cheaper too.