Here’s an interesting exercise. Let’s assume that you were looking to buy a new residence and had, say, about $950,000 to splash on it.
Do you go for Place A:
…or Place B:
Okay, maybe it’s a trick question. While both places are listed for $950k, Place A is in Texas, USA and Place B is in Wales, UK.
Your choice in Comments, with reasons.
Honestly, I’ll take the one in Texas.
Britain is rapidly becoming a third world country. The estate in Wales looks like upkeep would be more than I could manage. The estate also likely comes with Listed status which would hamper me every time I turned around.
…not to mention the fact that the local planning authority would refuse to let you build an internal shooting range or skeet field, and the Welsh are the most officious bunch of pompous nannies you’ll find outside Manhattan.
Mind you, that would also be true of the Dallas house, as the local council might not find favor with letting you do the same, but at least you could understand their position, on a property of less than a third of an acre.
I’d prefer the first house as I have no dependents, insufficient funds to maintain the mansion, and no real need for that much room. That said, I’d prefer that House 1 be on a (rural, Texan…or at least a conservative state) property that matched the location of House 2. I’m not fond of having neighbors within earshot.
No way in hell I would live in England.
Also to note, my current house is probably nicer than that on 10 acres and cost less than 2/3rds of that one. So I wouldn’t move to that part of TX if I was to move to TX.
That choice is easy.
Neither.
Or, “C”, somewhere else.
With $950k in hand there are lots of choices.
For me, solace, by way of lack of people would be key.
I’m going with neither also. The Texas house has no space for a 4 car garage/shop. And the place in Wales looks like that- ‘s the annual upkeep cost not the purchase price. Just from the photos I can see at least that much in roofing repair to all the slate roofing on the main house never mind the 100,000 squares of out- buildings that are likely in worse shape. Add to that what ever the local taxes are , and I’m assuming the staff needs to be paid now and no longer just work for the local Lord just because their ancestors always did.
What he said!
I gotta agree with you. We won’t mention the fact that all of the windows are probably single-pane and leak like sieves. The enormous tall ceilings combined with stone construction and drafty windows and doors means that the place is next-to-impossible to keep warm. That nice ox-roasting fireplace has got to be the least efficient way to heat by burning wood, even assuming that this is still allowed in the UK. You’d need your own oil- or gas-well on the property to be able to afford heating hit.
Just maintaining the grounds has got to be a full-time job for at least a couple of people. Great, now you’ve got live-in staff to take care of. Heck, I’ve got a hard enough time with just one pet.
And all of this ignores the horrific climate, both physical and political, in Wales. Besides which I probably wouldn’t be able to even pronounce the street name in Welsh. We’ll just stay in our modest little house here in TinyTown™ Wyoming where there’s no state income tax.
Rounding up, because taxes and fees and whatnot, they’re both a million bucks. Now obviously, if I’D won the recent powerball jackpot instead of some unworthy swine in Arkansas, I would, in the immortal words of Stephen “Vodkapundit” Green, embrace the healing power of “And”. Summer in Wales, winter in Texas. But if I set so much as a pinky toe on that sceptered isle, they’d arrest me for multiple postings of the meme where PRESIDENT TRUMP (damn, I love saying that) is pointing at a sign that says “Starmer is a wanker”, both on Insty and Twatter. And since that lot is WAY too small for my tastes, I’d rather take the million and get some acreage in a state with no income taxes and put a home similar to the Texas pic.
But since our gracious host hasn’t provided option “C”, and he’s known for being a lovably grouchy stickler for such things, I’d bite the bullet; I’d take the Texas house (PLEASE tell me it’s very, very far from Austin) and hope I have nice neighbors.
Of the two listed, motherfucking Texas every time and twice on Sundays.
I have no desire to live anywhere near a country where I’d be arrested, dragged before a kangaroo court, and thrown in prison for decades simply for posting something on the internet that gave some pearl-clutching panty-wringing limp-dick yo-yo “anxiety,” let alone forbids the ownership of arms and grants illegal invaders more rights and privileges than its own citizens.
Never thought I’d say this, but fuck the UK.
So… how close is Place B to a liquor store?
About six long blocks.
Your wine or whisky merchant will deliver.
Umm… they don’t deliver in the USA?
I currently live in a house about half the size of the one in Texas on a small suburban lot which is nevertheless about fifty percent larger than the Texas property. I like having a yard, even though it does require mowing in the summer and the driveway requires frequent clearing of snow in the winter. While I’m sure there are places in Texas I would consider moving to, this is not one of them.
The property in Wales looks impressive, but I don’t know how to check the actual property description. What part of the large estate pictured in the aerial photo is actually included? What are the conditions of ownership and local zoning rules? Is part of the property meant to be rented out for income? Even if I had the answers to all my questions, there is no way I would ever move to Britain.
As others have said, the UK place probably has a million bucks a year maintenance fee attached. Even with the lotto, I’d have to pass. The Dallas place is the better of the two, and easy to resell for a profit later on. I’d bet the owners of the UK mansion have dropped the price multiple times and are basically willing to give it away to avoid going bankrupt.
Pffft, easy choice. Not even BRITS want to live in Wales!
Of the two, the one in Texas. The one in the UK is hell to maintain, extremely expensive in upkeep, and no doubt a listed monument, making any upgrades (including double glazing in the windows) impossible.
Option 3 –
Architect !
If you have a million to drop on a house/home why not get what YOU want instead of someone else’s choices ?
Stay within budget and don’t crazy – you do not need marble counter tops with
platinum inlays, a mink welcome mat and 10 inch solid mahogany crown molding
throughout the whole house, even the basement and garage !!!
– stay on target !!
Little things that rarely add to the cost can be be surprising. 36 inch doors on all interior doors just in case I have to ‘ride a scooter’ some day ! Wooden blocking on
the upper corners of all windows so that the screws for the curtain rods have
something to bite into instead of just dry wall. Lights where YOU want them.
The list is almost endless.
They’d have to give me the whole island and even then I’d have ‘for sale’ on it withing the hour !!!!!!
Someone’s been doing some “serious” thinking.
More so than the average new home buyer.
(I’m an arky.)
If I am forced between the two, I’m bound for Texas. I can live there and go out to enjoy public parks and a private shooting club that someone else maintains. that gives me more time to pursue my interests. And that’s before considering the local political and social climate.
I think my needs can be whittled down to a gun room and a library. I just hope the Texas property isn’t in a Home Owner’s Association so that I could do some gardening.
Of the two I’d take the one in Wales. But only if I had the funds to convert it – another £1M+
The Texas property looks like a fire’s been through the block.
The Wales property looks ripe for conversion into apartments.
England is not habitable by normal people, so no, even if it was free. You own nothing there, and if you defend it from youths, you go to jail. Texas is too hot in the summer, did boot camp and tech school there, and I have the suburban life already. I’m Kim’s age, so what I really want now is a 4 bay double deep garage/shop. I could see adding a mini kitchen and a bunk space, big screens everywhere with space for lathes, mills, car lifts, and toys, lots of toys. Acreage for a range would be high on the list too, room for a runway sounds good too.