NBR: house stuff...

atlantic

Would you sacrifice some of the features of your perfect house for a great neighborhood?

We found a house we loved last week only to have someone get in an offer right before us (and the sellers didn't want to accept multiple offers (wah?))  Today we looked at another one we really like.  It's in a beautiful neighborhood on a really large lot that backs to the greenbelt.  Two pools/playgrounds in walking distance and elementary school (exemplary) in walking distance.  And it's priced below market.The inside is gorgeous but it's a little small.  There's not a lot of space to store all the tons of toys we have - we'd probably have to use the dining room as a second living area/playroom and not have a large table for guests (which, really, we don't have dinner that often, but i'd prefer it).  We also prefer four bedrooms, this has three and a fourth "flex space" that would be my office.  Just wondering other people's thoughts!

Jess.O

That's tough.  Are you the kind of person (family) that feels cramped or gets frustrated at the lack of space?  To me, I think I would be worried about that because we have so much crap and I tend to get frustrated if I can't find a place to put it.  We bought a house that was way too big for us (at the time), further out than we anticipated, because we knew that one day we'd probably get frustrated if we didn't have enough space. 

Having said that, that's just the way we are.  I know some people who are so much better about clearing our clutter or who don't mind having less space.  If it were me, I'd try picturing the family at different stages with all their stuff and see if I felt okay with it.  

Just my .02

m_and_m

The older kids get the less space their toys tend to take up.

How long would you plan to live there? If it's only a few years then I'd pass, but if you're looking for a longterm home then I would find a way to organize and/or pare down the toys so they take up less space.

smb29

We have a smaller, older house in a central neighborhood.  Not commuting a long distance was really important to me, and even though we definitely could use more space with baby #2 on the way, moving isn't even a thought.  We just purge a lot.  Its all about what is important to you. 

GuavaGal

Since the house is on a large lot, would you be willing/able to do some renovations to expand the home in a way that would make it more comfortable/acceptable for you?

Is this a house you plan to live in for a long time?  (Sounds like it, from your description of wanting to be near the best schools.)  I would have a hard time living in a place I didn't fully like and couldn't change for the long term.

atlantic

I'd like to be in this house for a while, probably ten years. We've never lived in a really large house, so I'm used to not having a ton of space, but we were originally looking for something bigger. I think we're the type of people that expand to the space we have, so uwe could use more space but maybe don't critically need it. It has a huge raised patio /deck and it's possible we could enclose part of that, which would be helpful. Also, it's appraised well over asking, so Our resale should be good. Larger lots are just so hard to come by in cedar park, and that's a non negotiable!

brooke152

We just bought a house a year and a half ago that is a little cramped to me.  We bought it because it allowed us to stay in the same neighborhood (which I never, ever want to leave) and we knew it was the biggest house we'd be able to afford here that didn't need a remodel.  I would love to have more space, but we're all about location, location, location.  I have a lot of useless crap that I've been forcing myself to throw out due to lack of space.  Did I mention this house has only ONE closet?!?  We have a lot of potential to add living space (huge attic and garage/basement with full bath), however that is going to be pretty expensive so it's not in the cards anytime soon. 

I'm rambling.  If everything was perfect but the house was a little smaller than we wanted, we'd probably go for it.  Especially if there is potential for the house "growing".  Sounds like the neighborhood you found is pretty great.  I would try to decide if that is the most important thing for your family.

ssinca

IMO, a big house sounds great in theory. But, it also means more to clean and the more crap one seems to collect. It sounds like you could make it work though and location is key. You could always get some kind of shed to put in the yard to store bigger toys and whatnot.

ec3under4

My husband and I had our dream house when we lived in Houston. Everything was perfect about it, except for the size. It was central, a craftsman home, tons of charm, etc... When we moved here we ended up in rr with a huge house. At first, I hated how big the house was but our family has expanded so much that now we fill the space perfectly. I wouldn't go back to a smaller house at this point in our lives. But we also have 3 little kids and 2 dogs. A small house would just make us all a little *too* close for comfort. 

Duckie07

Location would definitely trump house size for us.  But, we've also never wanted a huge house either.  We definitely have regrets in purchasing the house we are currently in due to location.  I really feel that you can always make a house of any size work for you, but you really can't do much about the actual location of the house.  It is where it is, and we've definitely learned our lesson the hard way.