Which house to buy (Bath: renter, houses, buying)

[accidental meatball]

I have been a renter my whole life and am buying my first house. I am married--no kids yet but would like to start a family soon. I have no idea what's considered most important in a house and what isn't.

I have 2 houses I am deciding between. Both are the same style, just about the same square footage, and almost the same price. They are on the same street as well. But there are a few key differences and I'm not sure which one has the more important features.

House #1
3 Bed
1.5 Bath
1 Car Garage
Central Air
Attic Fan
All new windows
Very large backyard and deck
Newer siding

House #2
3 Bed
2.5 Bath
2 Car Garage
No C/A or attic fan
Almost NO backyard at all--in fact, it's just a patch of grass and a 20 ft. drop off
Older siding and older windows

So I guess my question is....how important is it that House #2 has the extra bathroom and 2 car garage? Is it worth giving up House #1 for those things? Or is the Central Air and the nice backyard something I will value more in the long run?

Thank you for any help you can give me!

[proulxfamily]

As a mother of 3 and current homeowner... #1 house wins by a LONG shot. They aren't even comparable.

Garages are glorified storage. Oh- people have grand ideas about them in the beginning but they all end up as storage.

A half bath can easily be made into a full bath since the plumbing is already there.

Central air
New windows
New siding
Nice backyard
Deck
Not as many toilets to clean

The second house sounds like a total money pit.

[ki0eh]

I definitely agree with #1 - a 20' dropoff isn't a good idea with toddlers. A 1 bath house can get to be a drag but 1.5 bath is doable for most folks, we have 2.5 baths and I don't think we've ever used the showers simultaneously in 7 years here.

[Viralmd]

You can add a bathroom, but you can't add more land...

[accidental meatball]

You guys are all making me feel a lot better.....thank you for the replies so far.

[mgb]

Go with #1: we have 2.5 baths and everyone still waits until someone's out of the shower because of the water pressure. We have a 2car garage, all 4 of us have cars, everybody parks in the driveway and on the street so they don't get 'blocked in'. #1 wins by a mile

[Rumblebelly]

I agree with the other posters. #1 wins by a long shot unless it's in a much worse condition than #2. A deal can fall apart quickly after the inspection and you realize it's a money pit.

[Nancy-NJ-NY-ME?]

I'll chime in and agree with the others -- House #1! Newer windows, siding, better yard and central a/c can't compete w/ #2's additional garage space and bathroom.

[VA Yankee]

I agree that #1 is better. As a family of 4 we survived on 1.5 bath for 10 years. Even now we only have 1 full & 2 1/2's and were fine. The level lot, a/c and other newer features all trump the 2nd full bath. Besides this is your 1st house and there's always the chance you will move up later in life. Best of luck on it!

[ss58yy]

Based only on your description, I'd pick #1. With a larger lot, maybe you could add on a bath and garage later (depending on restrictions, etc.).