Pick a house you can live in with your 5 year old DD. That way there won't be pressure to move anytime soon and you won't have to be looking for the "next step" before you've had a few years settled.

I looked for somewhere with 2 bedrooms (because i didn't want to HAVE to share with DD all the time or move so we could have our own rooms), a nice kitchen (because cooking food is cheaper than buying readymeals etc. and it's easier to cook in a decent kitchen), heating (of course - you might want aircon too), ok-sized rooms (because when DD is ill and i'm stuck in for whole days with her i'd go mad in a tiny house) and a shower (some places in the UK only have baths still!). I wanted to live in an area with toddler groups, parks (i live right ON the biggest park in the central city), a GP and dentist nearby and not too far from a gym. I'm in a pretty rough area compared to some places i've lived but that means the rent is a little bit cheaper. Sit down and think about how you want your life to be when a year has passed. What will be important? Who do you want to live near? WHere will you work? How will you get there? That sort of stuff.

Bx