Location Location Location
- peoniesandprosecco
- Mar 12, 2017
- 3 min read
No this isn't a blog about my love of Kirstie and Phil, although that would be a smashing read; This is a post about the battle between location and house when buying your first home.
When we were looking for our first home we were very sensible and wrote a list of non-negotiable's (a tip I've got from my heroes Kirstie and Phil) Our’s were as follows:
1. Parking
2. Two bedroom minimum
3. Not too much work to do
4. A good local pub
Yes we had other things we were looking for like a nice kitchen, a decent size living room, some outdoor space … But these weren’t vital.
Once we had these in hand it was time to look at locations. We looked at our top locations and soon realised that if we were to live there we’d have a one bed flat in a run-down building on the outskirts of the town. Not ideal. So we had to widen our search.
Tip – ask around!
If you’re broadening your horizons and are exploring new areas, ask around. Your colleagues, friends and family may know great up and coming areas for you to take a peek at.
Tip – take a drive
If you find a house you fancy on Rightmove go and take a look! Before you make any bookings make sure you drive to the house and see it from the street at various times of the day. Places can differ dramatically from a Saturday morning to a Saturday night. Take a drive one evening midweek to see how noisy the area is, what the parking situation is like at different times of the day. Small struggles which may make or break your happiness in your new place.
Tip – have a brew or a bite to eat
Park up near your potential home and have a stroll into the nearest café/restaurant/pub (important for us!) and have a drink! You really get a good reflection of what your neighbours could be like and what sort of community you’ll be part of.
Tip – shop
Have a drive around and try and find your most local supermarket, petrol station, shopping centre. May not seem important at the time but on a Friday night when you need a bottle of wine and a last minute birthday gift you don’t want to be too far from civilisation!
Tip – outdoor space
Is there a local park or woods for you to walk the dog or kids if that’s a position you’re in? Think to the future, if you don’t need that outdoor space now, will you need it in 5 years’ time? Something to consider.
We did all of these things with every house we looked at. One house we viewed we both liked but there was no local pub or shops nearby. It might seem daft to some people but having the ability to potter down to the pub for Sunday lunch or a drink on a Friday night means a lot to us, especially as we have that luxury now!
At the end of the day the location of your property will determine so much. In one place your budget may give you a four bed detached property with a garden; somewhere else you’ll be lucky to get a one bed flat.
It’s a debate you have to have with yourself, and with your partner if that’s who you’re buying a home with!
When we found our house we didn’t follow all of these tips as I knew the area really well from going to school locally. I knew it had a gorgeous park five minutes’ walk away, it was quiet, it had a beautiful traditional pub 5 minutes’ walk away, Bury town centre was 5 minutes’ drive and we could jump on a bus or tram to Manchester city centre and be there within 45 minutes. As we’ve been here we’ve discovered even more lovely bars and restaurants locally, we really have landed on our feet.
The best piece of advice I can give you is to explore. Really get to know the areas you’re looking in and ask yourself questions about your future there.
Have fun!
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