Hmm.. which option would you go with?

Ok - since we have been rejected (oh the shame) for a home loan for some land for a pitiful amount of money - we have changed our thinking and are going to buy a house down here instead (bank is more than willing to lend us lots of money for house, but not land)

So - we have found a couple of houses - and are confused as to what we do - so wanted to run it by my smart girls here at BB.

Would you:-

A. Buy an older type house that is HUGE (4 bedrooms etc, lots of living space) but is on a reasonably small block (530-something sqm) and needs some renovations. About 3 minutes drive from DH's work and the city. Renovations like, the bathroom and kitchen needs doing, plus carpeting, walls, pulling out other walls to make a better living space etc - just mostly internal stuff.

B. Buy a smaller house, on a bigger block, for around the same amount of money - with nothing needing to be done immediately as most of them have just had kitchens/bathroom renovated - but about 20 minutes from the city/work.

Keeping in mind:-
The bigger house has basically two separate living spaces, upstairs and downstairs. So whilst stuff was being done upstairs, we could quite comfortably live downstairs with minimal disruption to our lives. The only thing that would disrupt us is doing the bathroom downstairs, but that could be timed in a trip to queensland or something, so we wouldn't have to be home for it.

Bigger house will eventually need a garage put on the side, but its not critical to be done now. We will have some money to do at least upstairs as soon as we would move in.

Oh, and the bigger house is around 150m from some huge power lines.

Smaller house may be under flight path for launceston airport.

Ahhh the decisions!

I would go bigger/older - I look forward to renovating one day, so I wouldnt buy a house all pretty and ready to go. As long as it is structurally (sp?) sound. Close to DH's work sounds good too!
:)

check out the smaller one for the airport stuff

honestly, i'd go the smaller house with land if it's going to be enough for you and your family (given number 3 is it) - a bit of space, as the kids get older, makes for more for them to do. we have the opportunity to sell of one of our house blocks to give us a bit of cash to help out, but we're not doing it as we like the fact we can have our vegies, we can have fruit trees, can play footy out the back.... yes, we have a bigger house at the moment, but i've done the small house thing - if i could have big house small block, small house big block, i'd take the smaller house... plus, reno's can get mighty exxy and will often get left until another day - which means you're living in a house that isn't your ideal long term

only you and DH can make the decision about where to live. ultimately, 20 mins travel isn't far. living out of the city area is great for your kids. you'll make the decision that is right for you both hun

530sqm ain't a big block - longer term I would prefer more room for the kids.

Renos always cost more money and take more time than anticipated - unless you really had a passion for renovation I wouldn't see that as a plus.

With number 3 so close to arriving, I'd prefer a house that was more comfortable to live in right now, especially after all the upheaval of moving.

Plus I'm funny about power lines...I'd prefer to be away from them.

20 minutes isn't far to travel.

Depending on how close it was to the flight path, the smaller house would be my preference.

ETA: Another option is to pick the house you think will appreciate in value the most over the next 5 years and buy that one - 3 minutes to the city surely would be the most likely candidate here. Live in it, make some improvements and you'll have more money to buy the "forever house" in few years time, unless school catchments are likely to be an issue and you need to stay in the same area to get the school you want for your DS.

i would go option A, definitely, as there is more opportunity for adding value. Over the next few years you can invest any spare money you have into your property, which is adding value to your asset.

So many things to take into consideration other than just the houses!
Like what will these areas be like in 5, 10 yrs time? Are you planning on staying htere for a long time? Will the house grow with you? Could you extend/renovate easily in the future if you need to? Do you/will have animals is there space for them? What about ease of 'being' in the house (you mention one is 2-storey) do you think you will be comfortable with how they are laid out? Public transport, schools, day cares, shops, infrastructure etc in the area? Future building for the area? Will the house maintain it's value in the furture if you sell later? Are you prepared to care for a bigger block of land? If you (in the future) and DH have to travel 20+mins to and from work each day, that's 40ish mins less per day (not much really but still...). Will you use the yard much (think weather, inclination to do 'stuff' outside ect...) Will add more if I htink of it....

But personally I think I'd take a bigger house, just cause I'm living in a shoe box now (2br unit) and I HATE it with a passion. I am indoors more with the kids than outside, so it matters to me to have my own space to move in.
The power lines might concern me, but what kind of problems/implications are there because of them??

I would go for the bigger block for a lot of the things BG has mentions. Saying that though I do live the 15-20 minutes out of town and it is a pita with making friends. I grew up in Launceston, so my full answer would depend on exactly where you were choosing to live. From talking to friends who still live there, there can be a real issue getting tradies for renovations. One live on a bit of a slope,which is far from unusual for L'ton, and they had real trouble getting trades (like roofers) to give them a quote. Depending on the trade many do not want the small jobs, or they are only interested in working on new builds.

ETA: whilst 20 minutes is not far for many of us, my experience in Tassie is that many think it is too far. I was actually one of those people when I lived there :blush:

Quick answer for astrid cos I gotta cook dinner - the option A is in Riverside - option B would be someplace like Hadspen or Evandale/Perth/Longford.

I already commented on FB...but just wanted to add that I would rather live under the flight path than under huge power lines.

Having older children i would take closer to the city, the less you have to drive them around to see friends/PT jobs etc the better. This would only be if you are planning on staying there a few years obviously!

Just a comment on adding value to the asset, I guess I see the asset as being the land. That's what's going to appreciate in value - the house itself will depreciate. So personally, I'd go the bigger block. But that's coming from someone who is looking to one day buy a house we like rather than one to 'do up' as we'd be one of those couples who never gets the renos finished, LOL.
GL with your decision, mate.

hmmm good and bad for both but I think I would go smaller house more land under flight path!!

Launnie airport doesn't get that much traffic compared to other airports. Something to consider.

I would go for option A, because that's something that's really important to us - being close to town and close to work. But everyone has their own priorities, so I think you need to work out what's more important to you.

Financially, well, you could't go either way. Launnie's still got a bit of space to sprawl out into, so I don't think a big block has as much chance to appreciate as one with proximity to town.

Maybe flip a coin/use a dartboard/rock off with DH. Use some ridiculous arbirtrary method to get an outcome. If you feel disappointment when you get a result, then go the other way. But if you feel elated, you've got your answer.

:D

There are just so many things to think about. We had a good size block in queensland (837sqm) but the house itself was only 93sqm - so we were absolutely busting out of it with two children, hence why we had to move.

So I think my main problem with getting a smaller house is that we may not have bothered to move ya know? If we are just going to be squished into a small house on a good block - may as well stayed where we were!!

DH is just all over the place with his decision making - one moment he doesn't want the committment of having to do renos to get our money back if we decide to sell, and, well, to me, its not all about money ya know? I do like the fact that we made 70 grand by selling our house in Queensland, but I'm not expecting to make any money on property, I just want a house that doesn't give me the absolute irrits by being too small, with absolutely no storage space. It doesn't help that I live with a hoarder and we have sooooo much CRAP its unbelievable.

Plus, Astrid is right - there is a weird mentality here that if you are more than 10 minutes away from the city - thats wayyyy too far to live out there. Its very odd. Ourselves we don't mind too much, we lived in Nambour and that was a good 20 minutes away from anything on the coast. Riverside is a good suburb and close to the city so definitely has its advantages there. I'm also looking at other properties now - because DH isn't sure if he wants to just get a place to get us out of the rental crap and then we'll just live there till we are ready to move (ie, when I go back to work and start bringing in an income) and thats when we get the house that we want.

flight path or power lines I would say neither keep looking !

been someone with older winkies they DONT use the land ! how much bigger are we talking, is it acres or just like 800sqm 550 sqm is tiny as far as land goes, but you will be close to work / city, if you are planing on saying there in Tazy forever and this would be you forever house, you should check out schools in the area, see what the towns are like, you might find the one which is better than the other... ( I know small towns can be very hard to break into when your not a local unless your born and bred there so keep this in mind too )

Also check out what the PT would be like witht he house which is out of town, as when you have older children they will want to be dropped off and picked up a fare wack, look at if there are things for the kids too do in the smaller town ie out of school sports, places for them to get a part time job when the time come for it... just loads of stuff that isnt on your mind right now but you might regret if you stay forever and didnt think about it now...

I know in Tazy 20min drive is HUGE and everyone will think you crazy for driving that far... plus if you choose to go back to work once the kids are at school it would mean you driving in to...

Ok I know I havent been much help, the decion is yours and DH's to make, I hope some of my ramberling has made sence and given you something to think about...

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Quick answer for astrid cos I gotta cook dinner - the option A is in Riverside - option B would be someplace like Hadspen or Evandale/Perth/Longford.

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Ah, now that helps.
I would go option A. Riverside is quite nice and the schools are good. The buses there were reasonable for Tassie standards.

If you were to go option B, you would need to check out which highschool each town goes to. If it is Cressy, then no way. I would just never go Longford, but that is personal, DH grew up there. Never got good vibes from Perth for some reason. Evendale is nice, so of the 3 I would pick Evendale. Not too sure about Hadspen.

Ok, my main recommendation. Wait. Get to know Tassie a bit better first before jumping in. There are lots of great little places about. There are some great spots down the Tamar River.

Have fun deciding. I know when we looked at moving back, there was always someone who did not like the areas where we were looking in.

I think it's a decision you have to make hun - but a smaller house would mean less cleaning ;)

I think I would keep looking too.... I think the proximity to town is a really really big draw card. He could walk you only need one car, If the schools are good - which usually the closer the cBD the better the schools...
I wouldn't go flight path - too much pollution both noise and aviation fuel. Not good. The power line thing... Are they high voltage? If not thern they are probably the run of mill ones that most of us are subject to.

I would go larger house smaller land. Less maintnenance and there are lots o parks. Good luck with your decision... :hug:

Personally I would wait. If neither really float your boat they just aren't right. There may be something just right come on to the market in the next couple of months. I would research where you really want to live (area wise) and focus your attention there until you find the house that is just right.

But if you are really set on one of these houses my opinion is go the flight path over the power lines. I live in an area with powerlines, which also happens to be in the flight path too. We can't see any power lines here, and I know when we bought we put an offer in on a house that you could see powerlines in the distance, and it really put me off. I was actually really happy when we didn't get the house, which really told me something. That was waaaay more than 150m away. We did buy a house under the flight path but we really barely notice the planes (we are 20mins drive away from the airport though, so they aren't too low) and the times we do, we get the opportunity to point them out to Jett!

Also some advice we were given by a friend who is a builder about whether to buy a house needing renos or as is, he said that we are better off working the full week, earning the money to pay for a place that needs no renos, rather than working the full week, and then working for the weekend on renos, that drag on and on for months sometimes years always feeling like you are in temporary accommodation IYKWIM. And also doing it yourself you lack the skills, so you will always have to get tradies in for bits and pieces (electrician etc) and you may find you make mistakes and waste money in correcting them. If you are paying for someone to do the renos in one fell swoop that is a whole other story. We ended up buying a house that needed no work (updating the bathrooms is on the agenda, but not necessary) and it has been great. I like the idea of DIY, but if it wasn't done quickly I think it would really get me down.

HTH and Good Luck!!

I would say the bigger house, simply because you have the option of more space without having to do any building, etc. Riverside is nice, and I've heard only good things about the schools too :).

I would say wait. It doesn't really sound like your heart is for either house. I know when we bought a house we were looking for something that didn't need renos. Simply because we knew we would never get them done.

I might be wrong here but Mel your coming through sounding like your leaning with ' more ' enthusiastic for the 1st house you mention ;) ... ' If ' your doubts are weighing too heavy for both houses i agree don't go with either if your not in desperate need to buy now !!

BUT if i was to choice myself with what you have stated i personally would GO with the 1st house mentioned (the bigger one).

Thanks guys for all your opinions - it means a lot :)

FWIW - they are the high tencile (sp?) power lines. I think we are attracted to this property because there is another one on the market up the road, which is the end product of what this house COULD be potentially - and its on the market for $419,000. So a bit of tender loving care and some serious hardwork - this one could actually make us money (which is what DH likes about it).

He's not sure now about the committment of it, plus you guys raise a good point - renos are exxy and something always pops up so jobs don't get done. I mean, we had all these plans for the house in Nambour - and never did ANYTHING to it until we went to sell it 3.5 years later!!!! And that was nothing compared to the plans we had.

So I think we are leaning more for a nice-ish house of a normal size that I won't crack it in cos its too small, with a niceish size yard - but in a different suburb. Not a "good" suburb as such, but we figure since they are cheaper (and we get good security on the place!) that we might be able to keep it as an investment when I go back to work and then we buy in a better suburb. DH just hates renting with a passion (and I hate listening to him biatch about renting) so I know he wants to get out. We are in a lease for a year though, but the fact that we would be paying mortgage and rent till they found a new tenant doesn't bother him - thats how much he hates it.

I wish my husband was less wishy washy with his thinking and knew what he wanted!! would make it a heap more easier for me.

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DH just hates renting with a passion (and I hate listening to him biatch about renting) so I know he wants to get out. We are in a lease for a year though, but the fact that we would be paying mortgage and rent till they found a new tenant doesn't bother him - thats how much he hates it.

I wish my husband was less wishy washy with his thinking and knew what he wanted!! would make it a heap more easier for me.

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Went through the same thing after we relocated. I was happy to stay put, we had a 2 year lease and it was a nice enough house. But, no, he had to go house hunting nearly every weekend. It drove me batter, rather than settling in getting to know the people and the place, we had to trapse around the country side :rolleyes: Thankfully we found somewhere reasonable one in the end, but it drove me nuts as he carried on about every place we looked at like we were going to buy it. Made the whole process un enjoyable. There was many a time I was hyperventilating and in tears at the mere thought of buying some of those houses. I would be saying no and he continue negotiating to the agent.

Just put out there what you want in a house and don't feel pressured to compromise just because he hates renting. Good luck.

God Astrid that sounds awful.

I don't think DH is that bad - he doesn't like talking to agents, so no chance of him talking to them for something that he isn't serious about.

We found a couple of nice houses in Invermay - and I know typically you stay away from that side of town, being its close to Ravenswood - but I found a nice one closer to the city in Invermay, so surely the crap part can't extend down that far can it? LOL

I have to email our agent today anyway cos they have had 3 different realtors come through in the last week and a half to do valuations - so perhaps the landlord is thinking of selling?

Invermay used to have a bad rep many years ago, but it has become much better. The usual thing, cheap housing and some of it very nice. Young couple start to move in, do the place up, house pricing goes up, so the "bad" element move on. I used to live there for a couple of years as a kid, prior to that we were in Trevallyn. Glad you know about Ravenswood ;)

Well, if you are in a lease for a year, (providing the landlord doesn't sell and the new owner evict you) which means you have that long to find the house of your dreams (or close enough!!) So I agree with Astrid - work out what you all want and don't want in a house, what you would like and not like (these are the more flexible demands!!) and then stick to it. If a house just isn't quite right, it isn't right. The right property will come up eventually. But you have to be prepared to give it time and not lock yourself in to an unsuitable house just because you want out of renting.

We looked almost solidly for 6 months before we found our house. We put in offers for 2 other houses and all I can say is we were compromising and thank-god we didn't get them. The third house was just perfect (well, as perfect as we were going to find on our budget) and that is the one we got. During that week I was in tears, I was so sick of looking and not finding anything worth it and thought it would never end. Saw the house on the saturday, did a 2nd inspection on the Sunday and put an offer in, by the Monday it was ours. This was due to the fact that we knew this was the place, there was no umming and ahhing and trying to look at the potential. When you look for that long and you have such a defined list it means you can walk in somewhere and know it is right and be ready to make that offer straight away.

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Glad you know about Ravenswood ;)

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haha Ravenswood was BAD 20 years ago when I lived here, not much changes in tassie ;)

I was talking to my aunty on the phone earlier and she said that Invermay is not as bad for rep as it once was, mainly for the reasons you outlined Astrid. I think the crap is still remaining in ravenswood/mowbray/rocherlea - which is good for us cos I don't want to live there anyway.. LOL

MT - yup you're right mate. We got our last house really quickly and although it turned out good for us (because the house was in an awesome position, one of the best positions you can get in nambour) we just got lucky. Not much research went into it, so definitely going to research down here before jumping in.

Goodluck with it all! I know it is very stressful.... :hug:

Ahh you know me - I thrive on stress ;)

... we have an Invermay here in Balllarat and it's a really, really nice area :D ... so, NO stigma for me there in Tassie Invermay ;)

If you're happy in the house you're renting, and think the owner is considering selling, can you find out if it fits within your budget? Just thinking how much simpler life would be without moving house!! Especially with three littlies.

Hmmm, I agree with a couple of other posters, keep looking. It kind of doesn't sound as though you are in love with either of these houses as much as you were in love with the land IYKWIM...
As for buying a house needing reno's, 3 young kiddies and reno's = HUGE HEADACHE, that's just me anyways.
Best of luck x

SW - apart from the fact that it would be out of our range that we want to spend (we could get a loan for more money, but I want to stay at home with the kids so we need a fairly low mortgage for that) its a crap house thats falling apart. Yesterday I couldn't even get the oven to work until I swore at it continuously, banged the door shut and turned it off and on a few times ;)

Nic - yeah I know. Theres just something about that older house thats all.....

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Theres just something about that older house thats all.....

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personally, I'd go with the older house. The extra land would be nice, but the older house seems to scream of potential.

My theory is buy the worst house in the best street! The house can always be improved, the neighbourhood, not so much