Which house would you choose?

[momtolgd]

House #1: Brick cape cod home, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living room, kitchen, basement, 1/4 acre shaded lot, detached 1 car garage, south side of the city with population 40,000, 1795 square feet, built in 1946, recently remodeled, near large park, 6 minutes from Hubby's work.

House #2: 2 story vinyl sided home, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen, basement, laundry room, smaller lot but has a yard (no trees though), 3 bay barn, small village with population of 800, 1820 square feet, built in 1926, near a park, 23 minutes from Hubby's work.

We haven't looked at either house yet, this is going off of info in the listings. #1 is brick with a shaded lot, but close to the city. #2 is in a village (which we like) but is a bit older and doesn't have the shaded lot. I guess my poll is for which is more important to you...a bit nicer house or a nicer location? The price difference is that the brick one is 6000 more.

[Free Indeed]

House # 2

[cherryblossom]

nt

[JennifersLost]

I like being closer to the "big city", LOL. Sounds like you'd have plenty of space, anyway.

[j.griff]

I would have to see the houses and visit the neighborhoods to decide, I like the convenience of being close to dh's work and being close to shopping and such. But I like the idea of a nice quiet place to live too. Just because it's a village doesn't mean it's necessarily a nice place, KWIM? Either one could have atrocious neighbors or some other problem. I'd scope them both, LOL.

[readwithem]

#1 Short commute trumps all in my book :)

[Tonia]

#1 Short commute trumps all in my book :)

I agree short commute and trees and recently remodeled. All pluses for me.

[MaryM]

Brick over vinyl is a biggie for me plus being closer "in" could save gas money and generate access to more activities.

Mary

[Happy]

Yep, I'm going with brick and a close commute. Think of the gas and TIME saved. Option #1 for me.

Plus, as a homeschooler, I find that larger towns/cities offer more in the way of classes, activities, and acceptance, or at least tolerance.

[Daisy]

Your idea of city (40K) and mine (300K where I live) are very, very different. I'd choose #1 and think I was in a village. LOL.:p

[MelodyInTx]

House 1 hands down.
Larger lot with trees,
Newer,
Remodeled and
Shorter commute.

[Claire]

I voted for the brick home near the "city". It would be much easier to socialize with other families (you have more families to choose from!), plus it would offer more opportunities for the children as they get older -- to be nearer activities, and again to have more children to choose from for socializing. Plus, 1/4-acre isn't a big lot to me so going to a smaller lot with no trees would definitely be a negative. I also don't like vinyl siding.

[8FillTheHeart]

I would choose the house with trees, but I can't even begin to tell you how many houses I thought I would love until we got there and I rejected immediately. Definitely too hard to tell from the MLS descriptions. They don't disclose the road going right behind the property, the industry near by, the huge power lines that go near the house, etc, etc.

Location you can't change. Floor plan you can't change. Decorating and updating appliances are fixable.

[Cathy in IL]

I voted for the one near the city, but I bet my opinion is colored by the fact that I live right in Chicago. A population of 40,000 actually sounds small to me. I like having different kinds of people and a variety of activities easily accessible.