@kimrossie On the flip side, I'm a SAHM to 3 also in a house B situation and you could not PAY ME to choose house A. Would it be nice to walk? Sure. But NOTHING beats being able to open the back door and just let the kids go, knowing they're safe while I wash dishes and look at them out the window or sit on the porch and enjoy a coffee, etc. it's paradise.
Town is a short drive. It's no big deal at all to just pack the kids and wagon up and drive to town or one of the walking paths just a few minutes up the road. And 6 minutes from your ideal neighborhood?? It absolutely would be a no brainer for me, especially if choosing house A means having to live in a space that's being renovated.
@starlightviolet199 I know it seems so silly but at one point we lived a 15 minute drive from our friends who had also just had babies, and we never saw them now that we could live down the street from so many of our friend couples, it would just make play dates easier. And as a SAHM, I’d love easy access to friends that doesn’t involve loading up a car of kiddos for either party
@kimrossie Just an FYI I had the same situation and our friend ended up moving in our neighborhood. We still barely saw them even thought I originally thought we'd be like the show Friends having brunch at eachothers place all the time lol.
@brucepjr True! We like the location of house A better, which is why it’s become a tough decision. If we could pick up house B and put it in neighborhood A, we would lol
@kimrossie House B. I live in a neighborhood like A in a fixer upper and we’re happy with it. The walkability is great and I love that neighborhood kids play in the streets and walk to school. But the difference is that our house is 1800 sq ft (plus unfinished basement for storage) and we only want 2 kids, so it’s a comfortable size for us. Walking to the playground is great, but if you had an acre you could have space for a really nice play structure in your own yard.
Also, it’s stressful owning a home that needs constant repairs and updates, and we ran out of money for home projects faster than expected so we are now saving up to do one project at a time and that means living with a horribly dated kitchen and creepy old damp basement until we can afford bigger remodeling projects. Remodeling while living in a home with kids is also not ideal. It’s hard to find time for DIY and hiring out is very expensive when basically everything needs to be updated. If you go with house A, do the updates you want before moving in if at all possible.
I would also consider holding out for an option C if you’re not in love with these homes. A bigger home in neighborhood A sounds like your ideal scenario.
@gladysrivera Thanks for the response! Our good friends down the street from House A are building an addition with a 2 year old and a 8 month pregnant mama…and she is so stressed lol. Doesn’t seem fun but would be inevitable, as House A would eventually require a second story to be added and we can’t afford that for several years, so living in a remodel would be unavoidable for house A I’m afraid.
Option C would be a bigger house in neighborhood A, but tragically, bigger houses in this neighborhood run $1,000,000 to $1,500,000. We can’t afford that regardless, but with these interest rates? No way lol. House B would be at the very top of our budget, and it’s far cheaper than a bigger/more ideal house in neighborhood A.
@kimrossie Totally get it, our area is similar… hence the fixer upper lol. The difference is I don’t think we could get a huge house on an acre anywhere within an hour or two of here for under a million, and as it is my husband has a long commute so moving farther away is out of the cards for us. For only being 6 mins away from your ideal location I think option B sounds pretty ideal. That said, it’s a totally personal choice and I don’t think you can go wrong. It sounds like both homes could work for you, so it’s really a matter of your lifestyle preferences. Living near friends is great, but so is having the big house and yard everyone wants to come visit.
@kimrossie Sounds to me like you all could be approved for a lot bigger loan (considering you said house B was more expensive by about 300-400k). Consider asking your banker/loan broker about a construction loan. This will give you the money to do the needed updates now.
@kimrossie I'll give a minority vote for house A for the long term: Reason being if you're having a larger family the kids being able to walk to their friends (or even the few years that you're walking them there) is going to free up so much time (and replace it with exercise). My oldest is almost 7 and being able to walk to her friends' houses is a definite plus. When older she can walk to the grocery store and school solo.
Personally I have a "small" house (1,000 square ft) with a small yard but it fits 7 chickens a trampoline and a jungle gym. I like that neighbor kids drop by to play and it doesn't require much from me or their moms.
@idromos247 I feel exactly the same. We’re in 1000 square feet with two kids (decent sized yard). We actually are thinking about moving for more space, but only if we can stay in our neighborhood. The benefits of walkability are enormous. Don’t discount them.
@idromos247 I feel the same! It really depends what your priorities are. For me they would be my community over land and space. It’s also what you’re used to - I grew up in a small apartment so I’m comfortable with smaller. My best friend lives on the other side of the country but I dream of being able to walk to her house with the baby in the carrier, and my toddler knowing the way there. OP, I’d say take a look at what matters the most to you.
@kimrossie We are days away from getting keys to our new house, so I am thoroughly acquainted with this song and dance.
We were torn between 2 houses, both had pros and cons. After lots of debate, we went for house B. We lost it to a higher bidder and I'm very glad we did. Because 2 weeks later our house C appeared on the market and it was much better fit for our family, in the right kind of neighborhood, in the right school district. And that's the house we get keys for in 5 days.
It sounds like A is not the right fit for your family.
It sounds like B is not the right fit for your family.
@kimrossie I feel like everyone saying B, has never lived in A. I lived in a neighborhood like A, it was incredible. It was a front yard neighborhood, we didn't need backyards because ALL the kids played in the front yards. I now live in neighborhood B, (had to relocate for my husband's job), we have a GIANT backyard and walking distance to the elementary school. It's okay, we miss the community and neighbor vibe and being able to walk everywhere. Do you have to decide now? Can you wait for more options in A or is this your only way into the neighborhood?
now that we could live down the street from so many of our friend couples, it would just make play dates easier. And as a SAHM, I’d love easy access to friends that doesn’t involve loading up a car of kiddos for either party