To move house for a drive way?

Hi OP, I’m in a similar situation and it’s causing me a lot of anxiety.
In my case, though, the actual root cause is that I have a fear of committing to something and then realising that I’ve made a mistake. Rationally, I’m aware that having to park on the street is just a minor inconvenience (as my partner puts it); 9 times out of 10 there’s space outside and when there isn’t we need to park round the corner and move the car (which we rarely use) as soon as there’s a space, normally within an hour or so.
However my anxious brain will always be looking for reasons to worry.
Is there a chance that your concerns may be about something else (e.g. inability to control the situation, fear of the unknown, etc)? Sorry if I’ve got the wrong end of the stick here.

Parking was a number one concern in every place I've bought. I just couldn't deal with the stress of finding on-street parking for myself and also the hassle of where any guests would park (and how that would affect our neighbours). I think this is a perfectly good reason to want to move.

We did. We moved for that very reason. We were swamped by commuters every day and could never park when we got home. We now have plenty of space and it’s bliss

She is being irrational! She’s talking about having a fear of leaving the house in case she loses the space. What’s the point of even having a car if you are afraid to move it? That is irrational behaviour.

We have a drive, when we were first looking in this area we couldn't afford a house with one but then I got a promotion mid search and we could. I wouldn't have moved to a worse area for a drive though, then there will be lots of other compromises.

I live on the edge of a county town, terraced houses, one way street so parking only on one side. I have an allocated disabled bay and a blue badge.

I'm like you! I'm becoming ever more isolated because I daren't move my car because, as soon as I do, someone else parks in the space. Not a badge holder, just anyone. It's a white painted bay so it's a 'courtesy' space.

I'm contemplating getting rid of my car because I'm too anxious to use it and not be able to park when I get back. So ridiculous! I'm also looking on Right Move at places I can afford that has parking/a driveway. But I can't afford to move, either!

What utter rubbish and incredibly rude to label someone "incredibly irrational" just because you don't agree with their concerns! 🙄

Anyway, OP could the compromise be to stay in the area but find a house with a front, or rear, garden that you could convert into parking? Even as the kids get older traipsing up and down the road with sports gear, bikes, holiday stuff etc. is such a pain.

I understand, Friday afternoon was stressful and I used to get DC early from nursery as spaces on street filled. Lugging shopping, baby etc in the rain, dark was a hassle. We moved

It was a factor in why I moved.
Very busy street, 3 kids under 2 and a husband who worked abroad.

Having one baby in a sling and 2 in a buggy doing multiple trips up and down the street just to bring in the groceries was stressful and not fun.

For us it was a game changer getting a driveway when we moved a few years ago.

I did it in reverse with my first house! I had a semi detached with a drive and moved to a terraced house without! I did that to get from a slightly dodgy town to a lovely village, and it had a view. But it was just me so no juggling small children and shopping. The point is though, you would need to pay more than your current house is worth otherwise you'll have to compromise in other areas you might not want to, to get the drive.

Oh well you’re clearly too clever for me, want to explain then why your point about how the majority of London deals without one matters if the majority of people on this thread saying they need one (presumably OP also) are not in London?

YANBU having your own drive is great, I would not consider a property without one. I would definitely move to get a drive, much more convenient and less hassle.

Well that’s because, yes I know this is hard to believe, but not everyone lives in London…

Good sarcasm but sadly you haven't been able to grasp my point.

@MissHoneyPenny it's a difficult one to call. We had a house with no driveway or space to create one and parking on the street. We rarely got parked outside the house. We lived in a prime street/area. We moved to a lesser area but a house with a huge driveway, enough for 3 or 4 cars. The driveway was the deal breaker for us. But I missed the nicer street/area. Then we moved to a bigger house, same area as the house with the big driveway, but with a smaller driveway, only just enough for 2 cars, if that. I miss the bigger driveway tbh, but looking back now I don't like the house, and prefer the house we have now.

Well that’s because, yes I know this is hard to believe, but not everyone lives in London…

Picking up without a parking space is fine - it’s collecting late at night - walking to car and then and then picking up before having to find another space to park and walk back in the dark again.

Even things like, say you get your young DC in the car and suddenly you remember you forgot something, it's so much easier to be able to nip inside and retrieve it. If you're parked down the road, you may have to get the kids back out and back to the house then back to the car and strapped back in. Such a pain

Your children will not be small forever, I am with your DH on this. Also thinking how much of your money would be spent on stamp duty, the spivs and chancers called estate agents, and other removal expenses.

Threads like this make you realise how incredibly and wonderfully diverse Mumsnet is. I doubt 10% of all the 8 million people living in London have a drive, let alone a drive for 2 or 3 cars! And yet some people genuinely feel they can't function without them?

Hop on Street View and take a tour round Eton Square or similar streets with literally the most expensive properties in the whole of the UK and see how many drives there are.

It’s not unreasonable to want a driveway as with small kids it’s a pain if you can’t park close to your house. Our last house had a huge driveway but the house was too small for us and we couldn’t extend. We had to compromise to no driveway in this house to get the extra bedrooms/bigger rooms we needed. We do have a parking space and garage but our kids are grown up so doesn’t cause any issue but I wouldn’t have liked it with trying to get kids in and out of the car

Team DH here. In the last 35 years I've had a car and no driveway and really don't care. I can sometimes park on my street but not always, and the space outside my house is sometimes free and sometimes not. My kids are grown up now but it didn't bother me when they were small either.

However, I do appreciate the fact that the street is wide enough to double park while loading and unloading shopping or luggage.

Actually, a bonus is that most neighbours don't have parking either, and quite often when walking from house to car I bump into one of them and have a chat, so I find it sociable.

You wouldn't be picking up your own children from a party at your house though!

I agree with previous posters. Moving from terraced housing with parking issues to a house with generous driveway has absolutely been life-changing.
I can now nip in and out as often as required with all the drop offs and pick ups family life necessitates. We never used to be able to pop out and collect a pizza or Chinese take away at will. I can pick my eldest up from the station and return her without the walk to/from the car defeating the purpose.
We/ our stuff don’t/ doesn’t get soaked when it’s raining. We don’t need to wear our coats just to get in the car if it’s cold.

To those talking about when your children get older it’s no longer such an issue surely haven’t thought about those same older children need picking up late from parties?

We don't have a driveway, I would 100% move to a house with one if we could afford it. Unfortunately our budget was so tight we had to sacrifice it, it is a royal pain in the arse