Buying Our First House -- Which of These Two would YOU Buy? (Creve Coeur: real estate)

[lightscamerainaction]

Hi everyone!
We are stuck in a house-hunting stalemate and need some insights from people who are more experienced with buying/selling real estates.

We are young professionals in our late 20s looking to buy our first house. We like old houses (stained glass window, etc). My fiance in particular detests what he calls "50s houses" so we are ruling out Creve Coeur and West County. We have been looking in Richmond Heights/Brentwood/Glendale area for a house with a two car garage and had alot of trouble finding good options.

Alas, we are down to two options:
House # 1:
- $190K Glendale home (so great school district) that's very well maintained and within walking distance from a great elementary school.
- Cons?
a. One house away from the busy Sappington road (road noises)
b. Only has two bedrooms (instead of three, which we had wanted so each person has his/her own "hobby" room in addition to the master bedroom)

House # 2:
- $215K Richmond Heights home (not as great school district) in a very nice neighborhood full of bigger and older houses. We like that it's close to 40 and 170 so essentially in the middle of everything.
- Cons?
a. The second bathroom in the house is located in the unfinished basement
b. The kitchen is open (connected to the dining room without walls) but is very small (very very limited counterspace. It has less counter space than our rental apartment).

We don't want kids anytime soon, but we have to think school districts for resale considerations. Both houses have been on the market for a pretty long time, which makes me even more leery (as newbies, maybe we are not seeing what's really unattractive about them). If you are us, which house would you buy and why?

[stlcitygirl]

House #2, I love Richmond Heights! Plus, the Maplewood School District is very much on the way up. I work with a woman that raves about it.

[flynavyj]

If you're not really worried about school districts, i'd bet on Richmond Heights. The district in Glendale is awesome for kids, but I don't think Richmond Heights really turns people off, it's still considered a decent district (just not on the lines of Clayton, Ladue, Rockwood, etc).

Based on your descriptions I think i found both homes, and from the looks of them, i like the Richmond Heights home better. When it comes to "sell-ability" I'd put as much weight on the number of bedrooms as I would on the school district. A 2 Bd home is going to appeal to a more limited number of individuals, even if it has a full basement...if you can get a 3 Bd I think i'd rather go that route instead of a 2 Bd home, especially if both are in great neighborhoods.

My vote goes towards Richmond Heights. Good luck

[glamatomic]

I personally would also go for House #2. I've always liked Richmond Heights, plus, being near a busy road as in house #1 may deter some buyers when you want to resell. As you're not planning on kids yet, it doesn't really matter what school district you're in right now. My preference is always for more bedrooms too (convenience when you have family / friends staying, plus you can make another bedroom into an office / library / room of your choice).

So, yet another vote for House #2

[wustu87]

You probably shouldn't listen to me since I am a bit biased (I live in Richmond Heights) although I am not in the MRH district. But I will agree with everyone else and pick house #2. In terms of resale, I still think the Richmond Heights location and the third bedroom probably trumps the Glendale schools (which is a big positive for them.) I do like the Glendale area too, but in general but for resale the Richmond Heights area is hard to beat. And as stlcitygirl says the MRH schools are actually pretty good (and an improving, progressive and "up and coming" district), it is just that they are bordered by even more desirable districts (Clayton, Brentwood).

And we have always had houses with a bathroom in the basement and I love them! I like to think of them as "private thinking rooms"!

[lightscamerainaction]

Whoa! You guys are awesome! Such fast and detailed responses!
We are also leaning towards house 2. I did forget to mention house 2 has an ancient boiler in the basement that has asbestos wrapped all around it (yikes) so if that boiler ever breaks we will have to get special help to remove it. :\
Oh well, no house is ever perfect, isn't it?

@wustu87, LOL on the "private thinking rooms"

[Curmudgeon]

Based upon our experience(s), I would buy whatever house is situated where you want to be and has the amenities you want now since children may or may not be in your future. If it needs some work, welcome to the wonderful world of the money pit called home ownership!

[duncan2002]

I am biased since we live in glendale.
We moved to glendale when we are in our 20s much you like and then just moved to our second house in glendale.
it is a fabulous neighborhood. Everyone is very friendly. People are always out walking, running, biking, playing with kids etc. There are a lot of young professionals and young families. While all the housing is expensive, it is still pretty diverse from a lot of 2 bedroom bungalows to million dollar homes all mixed in within a very small area.

The schools would generally be considered much better in glendale (kirkwood district) which is important unless you plan to make another move or unless you plan to do private schools.

[7gkids]

Originally Posted by lightscamerainaction

Whoa! You guys are awesome! Such fast and detailed responses!
We are also leaning towards house 2. I did forget to mention house 2 has an ancient boiler in the basement that has asbestos wrapped all around it (yikes) so if that boiler ever breaks we will have to get special help to remove it. :\
Oh well, no house is ever perfect, isn't it?

@wustu87, LOL on the "private thinking rooms"

I was leaning toward house #2 until you said this. I would check to see how much and abatement company would charge to remove the asbestos before I bought this home.

[aragx6]

Any possibility of adding a 3rd bedroom in the basement of the Glendale house? I think a 2BR is a harder sell in Glendale than it would be in Richmond Heights simply because it is so family friendly of an area. Maplewood-Richmond Heights school district is not on par with some of its neighboring districts, as you know, but I'm inclined to agree with stlcitygirl that the schools are improving, which might well make it a smart investment move on your part. Even if the schools stay where they are quality-wise, I wouldn't have major concerns with resale there. It's a pretty desirable area.

Becuase the house has been on the market so long, maybe you could convince the seller to replace the boiler and handle the asbestos mitigation before you close? It certainly seems to be worth a shot!