To move or not to move- wwyd?

[MrsVidic]

Hi, I have been wondering about moving for a while and could do with some opinions.

We live in a house dp semi inherited (mortgage to buy family out which is paid off in 6 yrs). It's a 4 bed on a fab estate- the estate was built in the 70's so spacious- annual fees for exclusive residents bar, swimming pool, tennis, park, squash and pre school.
Our house is a mews and has a garden (paved stone) and balcony on bedroom.

Now I do like the house but to be honest I'm getting itchy feet because;
Due to extension we are at the top of our price bracket for this house so any work we do won't add value
We will need a new kitchen and bathroom soon
I don't like being able to hear our neighbours ( they are nice though)
Want a bigger garden
Currently my Dp has a long commute - 1 hour each way
Schools are good though
We are about to have dd 2 (38+5) and we want 3 or 4 .
My question is this- is it better to move earlier and pay off the mortgage quicker, is it worth moving for these reasons? We also have to cash in 18k worth of shares in the next year which could see us virtually mortgage free- this could help us move?

[Gonzo33]

It sounds like you have made your mind up that you want to move but you just want someone to say it is a good idea before you take the plunge. What does your OH say about wanting to move. You sound as though you are in a good area which you recognise as one.

The only reason I would move in your circumstances is because of the long commute to work - although I'd be tempted to change jobs instead!

Technically the 18k from shares could be used for a new bathroom and kitchen instead of moving.

However, if you really want to move then do it. It is yours and your families life, you have to do what is right for you all.

[lalalonglegs]

If you've got young children which will (presumably) compromise your earning ability, I would stay put. It sounds a lovely set-up and, if your partner is semi-retired, the commute can't be too much of a hassle - it can't be something he's doing every day. With a park and all those sports facilities, do you really need a big garden too?

[kitsmummy]

If you can afford it and you all want to do it, then move. I don't think I'd do it for the commute though, an hour is really not a long commute is it?

[Itsjustafleshwound]

I suppose the thing to do is to see what sort of bang you get for your bucks.

We are in a situation now where we were looking to move, but the sort of prices and hidden fees just made us realise that the house we have is good enough and we have done extensions on it - not to add value (we will be lucky if we get back what we have paid) but for longevity.

Could it also be the pregnancy hormones ???

[MrsVidic]

probably the hormones have a large part in this!

[kbaby]

We were in a similar position. We bought our house the the prices were fairly low so our mortgage now is relatively good. However even though our downstairs is a good size due to extensions our upstairs isn't. We looked around at houses but to get a house with the same size downstairs and good sized 3 bedrooms we will need to increase our mortgage by 100k. After speaking with Dh we've decided to stay put and spend 30k on an upstairs extension instead. For us I couldn't see any house that I wanted enough to increase my mortgage payments for and compromise our holidays etc for.

Maybe you have to look at whats about by you and decide if your happy to have a mortgage for a longer period for it .

[bibbitybobbityhat]

I moved for the sake of having a proper garden and not a courtyard when my second child was 7 months old and have never regretted it for a moment. Even though we had done our previous house up and this one still needs a huge amount of work doing to it.