If You Had to Choose: Perfect Home or Perfect Yard/Neighborhood?

[Souschef]

We found the place that is perfect for us. It is a+55 mobile home park, and we are on a cul-de-sac.
Our 1400 sq ft home was brand new, but over the years we have upgraded it. New appliances. refinished kitchen cabinets, manufactured wood decking.
It is an ideal venue to "age in place".

[ExFlyBoy5]

We will be dealing with your exact problem soon when we relocate to "fly over country." I will be happy to leave the hustle and bustle of the metro Atlanta area, but we have an almost perfect house in an almost perfect neighborhood...and that will be tough to replicate.

Where we are moving, large and expansive lots are easily had but at a cost of lack of neighborhood amenities or even decent internet availability. Yes, there are neighborhoods (with 5+ acres) that are closer to the amenities of larger towns/smaller cities, but almost all of them have HOA restrictions that are well...just too damn restrictive. There is no way I am granting an HOA an easement for the entire plot of land...no way, no how.

So, not sure what we will do in the end. It's very likey that this will be our last home purchase, so there are a lot of "gotta have's" which will make it even tougher. Lucky for us though, we are going to be able to rent a decent house from SIL that we can use as home base while we figure out what we are going to do...which will probably mean a custom build home...which, oye...

[Ronstar]

Neighborhood > house. I can change the house to my liking.

[Aslowdodge]

Neighborhood. That establishes home values. Location location location.You can change a house over time as budget allows but you are mostly stuck with the neighborhood.

[Midpack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R If I had to choose..... then I wouldn't move quite yet. I'd keep looking until I could find the perfect home with the perfect yard in the perfect neighborhood at a price that I could afford. My present house that I call my Dream Home is like that. None of us are getting any younger. This may be your last chance to buy the home you really wanted all of your life, with the perfect yard, in the perfect neighborhood. Are you sure you want a modern house? Sometimes you can get an older house (on the established, convenient tree lined street like mine), that has been renovated to provide it with most or all modern features and conveniences. My advice would be to keep looking! That perfect house/yard in the perfect neighborhood has just got to be out there waiting for you. It takes time to find just the right one.

We've been looking for 7 years. We're not going to get the house we want, in an established neighborhood, at a price we're willing to afford. Just "settling" for the house we want will cost us double (purchase & ongoing expenses) what we've lived in for 25 years. We're not willing to pony up triple or quadruple to have it all...and that's what it would cost reno or not.

The suburb we're leaning toward has most of what we want within 10-15 miles, and almost everything within 25 miles or so. After 25 years living 50+ miles outside Chicago, most amenities will be considerably more convenient.

And we've lived with a disgusting neighbor on one side for almost 10 years, they don't take care of the house and they don't take care of their yard at all - they mow about every 4 weeks and they've never fertilized, weeded or anything. They let weeds grow into volunteer trees at the foundation of their house 10-15 feet tall...

[Midpack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by harley I don't think Midpack is having to choose between a beautiful, genteel neighborhood and a ghetto with a great house. It's perfect house in a less than perfect neighborhood vs. significantly less perfect house in a really nice looking neighborhood. Based on those options, I agree with his choice to go with the house.

Basically true. It's between a perfect house in a suburb 15 miles from the city OR or a small, completely outdated house with no garage in a beautiful established neighborhood.

Crappy neighbors can pop up anywhere, so not a factor we can control. We had a great neighbor where we are, until they sold and the Clampetts (as I call them) moved in next door.

[Midpack]

I have read and appreciate all the replies, many interesting comments as usual, thanks. And believe me I can argue neighborhood>house as easily as house>neighborhood. But we have to make a choice.

[haha]

Neighborhood. This can mean many things, depending on how the home hunter defines a good neighborhood. My girlfriend's neighborhood is way more upscale than mine, but to me it is a bit boring. It is never boring here, though not many Sunset Magazine homes either.

She is more likely to visit me here, than I am to visit her at her place, just because there is more street activity here.

One of my touchstones is "do people leave reasonably attractive junk along the sidewalk divider? And if yes, does it disappear fairly promptly?"

I have never lived in a real slum, and never would. I have worked in slums, in the Midwest and in LA, and they truly suck.

Looking back, I realize that every urban neighborhood that I have lived in was undergoing a rapid and disrupting metamorphosis. Every one of them. Thus there was always some tension, as those about to be pushed out have ways to make the incoming pushers uncomfortable at best.

Ha

[tb001]

It’s been interesting to read the replies. FWIW, I posted this question a few months ago on another forum I frequent and the replies were very evenly split. We currently live in an area where there are great restaurants and shopping within a mile of us, so it’s going to be a pretty big lifestyle adjustment.

[aja8888]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack I have read an appreciate all the replies, thanks. And believe me I can argue neighborhood>house as easily as house>neighborhood. But we have to make a choice.

Seeing this thread was just for fun like you stated in the first post, have you considered leaving the Chicago area and maybe the state if Illinois? There seems to be an exodus of residents from that area due to impending additional taxation. There's a good thread on Tennessee that may interest you if you can leave the area.

[6miths]

Yes no real way to control for individual neighbors. I would go with neighborhood as well. Houses and landscape can be altered. I feel your pain Midpack on the 'Clampetts' next door. This would really frost me. I am lucky to have had pretty good to great neighbors for the last 20 years. When we moved in there was a group home next door - in a large, historic but under-maintained home but it burned down and the land was bequeathed to a church who built a nice new building which is well removed from me on a 3.5 acre lot. In my experience, churches are good neighbors but over the years I have done a fair bit of tree planting and weed and feeding on their lot (with their permission). Otherwise they have been great. So in the end, I would pick neighborhood and be looking for somewhere with well maintained homes and nice yards. And no derelict cars and whatnot in the driveways (or backyards!)

[Midpack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aja8888 Seeing this thread was just for fun like you stated in the first post, have you considered leaving the Chicago area and maybe the state if Illinois? There seems to be an exodus of residents from that area due to impending additional taxation. There's a good thread on Tennessee that may interest you if you can leave the area.

Oh we are, about 750 miles SE...

[Major Tom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobbieB You can always reno the house at your leisure.

How do you reno a house? Install a few slots? Hire a cocktail waitress?

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack I have read and appreciate all the replies, many interesting comments as usual, thanks. And believe me I can argue neighborhood>house as easily as house>neighborhood. But we have to make a choice.

I think your choice is fine, and you asked.. Nobody is telling you what to do. We're just discussing for fun. ER.org is the home of loud online introverts.

Having seen some of the new houses around here, I think you'll be fine. I like a lot of what I see in the current crop and constantly think of possibly doing the remodel on our house. We have 2 car garage though. I agree house with no garage is a show stopper.

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Major Tom How do you reno a house? Install a few slots? Hire a cocktail waitress?

And add a Keno board in lieu of the big screen TV.

[aja8888]

Next time we buy a house, I'm going to measure the internal dimensions of the garage and see if my truck will fit inside with the garage door down!! If not, we look elsewhere!

[ExFlyBoy5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aja8888 Next time we buy a house, I'm going to measure the internal dimensions of the garage and see if my truck will fit inside with the garage door down!! If not, we look elsewhere!

Quite important in my opinion. I think that is 1/2 the reason our cars look almost new even after 10 years. Our current home was built in 1978 and you can park two full size cars in it and open ALL the doors ALL THE WAY without touching the other car or wall. That's what a garage should look like!

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aja8888 Next time we buy a house, I'm going to measure the internal dimensions of the garage and see if my truck will fit inside with the garage door down!! If not, we look elsewhere!

Stupid garage stories:
- As a kid in the 60s, a retired doctor lived next door. He had The Car. It was some early-mid 60s Caddy with huge wings and bullet tail lights. That car was LONG. He actually chipped out the bricks in the back to make it fit! I just remember thinking how cool that car was.

- My dad was so resourceful. It is sad to remember him in his last years with a failing memory. Anyway, when he was working, he rented the unused neighbor's garage for his work vehicle, a full size van. Because manual doors kind of sag back down on the track when you open them, you can never really open them 100%. So, he had a 8ft 2x4. He'd open the door and prop that under to force the door to full open. Only then could he get the van in.

Meanwhile, one of my siblings bought a new house around 2000. The garage can park 3 of ANYTHING. HUGE openings. Really nice.

[RobbieB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack Oh we are, about 750 miles SE...

So you discarded the "go south" plan to stay in Chicago?

[iloveyoga]

You made me think. I did consider moving, but I could not replicate my yard or neighborhood at a price we could afford. Neither of us want to get a big job again! So we stayed put and we are doing a large backyard reno. Where we live is safe, quiet, and close to the family I need to be close to. Also very convenient to the type of shopping and eating out that we do.

Our house is nice, but 26 years old and it would be great to have all that comes with a new house. Like the OP said, both are not in the budget.