Which house would you buy?

summerbld2

Ok looking for some help both these houses are the same price, small school district -

Would you buy the smaller new house on a small manicured lot in the city limits. (pros less space to clean, easier to clean, quick to mow/maintain yard)

Or the large older house (1978) on the large farm (15 acres) in the country?

(pros more room for get togethers, parties,kids can "play in the woods" and have lots of animals)

  What would you do and why?

kujayhawkgirl

Smaller, new house in the city. My biggest thing with the other option is the older house -- there is likely much more up-keep to think about (e.g., foundation, HVAC, roof, etc.). Also, while I would love land, I think 15 acres is way too much for my taste. This is also all coming from a woman who is moving to a smaller, brand new house in a few months. So maybe I'm a bit biased.

stardust317

We would pick the house on the farm. We will be looking for something with more land when we move.

anasazi17

We bought an old (1900's) farm house on about 5 acres.  I LOVE living here but there are some cons to this option for sure.  Our house is much older than your 1978 house, but we did have to gut almost the whole house (not complete).  I'm sure there would be plenty of stuff to do to a 1970's house.  Here are some other things to consider:

Cons:

-Do all 15 acres need to be mowed?  That's a lot of work and you'll need a mower ($$$$).

-The kids won't have neighbor kids to run around with. 

-You will more than likely have to drive a distance to do anything.

Pros:

-It is so peaceful, safe and a great place for your kids to grow and explore.  Depending on your area/land you could have animals to help teach your kids some valuable life lessons. (coming from a 10 year 4-H member)

-You can do what ever you want, when ever you want with out neighbors complaining.  You can even pee off your front porch...DH's favorite part of our house

-It may take more time, but a bigger older house could be amazing in a few years!!

I'd move to the country.   

 

missyishere

City home will be easier to maintain with stores and such easily accessible.  City home will also come with less safety, traffic, and higher expenses.

Farm home will allow for freedom, peace and quiet, and more space.  Farm home living can feel seclusive, may have to travel further to get basic needs, and more things to maintain. 

I have kind of a compromise of the two: I live in a rural area but inside city limits.  We have a medium sized home close to grocery shopping and schools, and it's a very safe area with a big back yard for kids to play.

Nita2603

Country. But I am biased as someone who grew up in the country.

I'd love the freedom, no neighbors and the space for kids and pets.

If you plan to sell in a few years, though, a city home is probably easier to resell.

cantalopes24

Woodsie:

I would never get a house that old because of potential for needing costly and time consuming repairs or renos. So I would vote city for sure, even though I'm not a city girl.

I don't mind the country as long as it's not too far from things to do. I live an hour from the city and it blows, big time. Boring and isolated, an difficult to get things done because we have to drive so far to do anything. We will be moving closer within the next couple of years.

This except we don't live that far from the city. Neighbors are a huge help when you have kids. If you have an emergency, your kid misses the bus, you need them to get out of the house there are usually kids outside they can play with. Not to mention the time and expense of renovating and maintaining would take too much away from our current lifestyle so its just not something I'm interested in. We can drive the kids to places for them to do farm type activities and there are plenty of parks for them to run around in. We're in the suburbs but also like 10 to 15 minute drive to Baltimore, same to Annapolis and other smaller cities. 45 minutes from DC.

jeannkerricotober09

1978 is not old! Your talking about a house, not a coffee maker! My house was built in the 1800s and is much more sturdy than anything built recently. Personally, I would never buy a new house. I think there is a far greater danger for problems in a newer home, than an older one. Things were built differently but 1978 is not old. I would buy the larger home.

cantalopes24

jeannkerricotober09:

1978 is not old! Your talking about a house, not a coffee maker! My house was built in the 1800s and is much more sturdy than anything built recently. Personally, I would never buy a new house. I think there is a far greater danger for problems in a newer home, than an older one. Things were built differently but 1978 is not old. I would buy the larger home.

I'm not sure about everywhere but building regulations where I live were not strict in 1978 and a lot of houses in that age range have half azzed homeowner done reno's and fixes so electrical is often messed up, corners aren't square, ceiling heights aren't consistent, insulation sucks, AC units and roofs need to be replaced. I would move into a house built in 1800 before I would one built in 1978.

BeesMomma00

I am a city girl, so I wouldn't know what to do with 15 acres.    For me, the decision would lie heavily in convenience.  I live in a sunurban neighborhood just at the city limits and still miss being only 5 min from grocery stores, etc.  There is no walking where I am, only driving.  Being on a farm, I'm sure, would compound that feeling of seclusion for me to a point where I might go mad.

Think about a few years from now...  Carting your LO around to this and that event/activity.  What makes most sense for you?

pennysuedog

Large house in the country!!!!!!!!

babes12

large house.

pennysuedog

Hiring a private house inspector which usually cost around 400.00 dollars can let you buy an older home with confidence. 

My brother is one of these inspectors.  Basically he can tell you all of the problems and he gives a ball park estimate for the cost to fix things.  You can negotiate with the owners to fix, or take money off the property.  

My brother is very successful and more than not finds something in most homes.   This saves the buyer a lot of money (newer homes included) and lets them know about the costly expenses in the future.

I can also say that my 1970's home is well constructed.  They used higher quality wood for the studs along with other building materials.  I also appreciate having a bigger lot than some of the new developments I have seen.  I like looking out the window and not seeing into my neighbors house.