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AIBU?

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Original poster

To accept we will never move home due to the prices

109 replies

LioKa · 02/07/2025 21:23

DH and I purchased our first home 5 years ago - very much a starter home, quite compact and always intended to be our first step on the ladder.

Yes, it has increased in value, but looking at what would be the natural next step in terms of property size - prices are just bonkers and we’d be taking on a much bigger Mortgage which would not leave much room for luxuries such as holidays.

We are both in decent jobs but realistically our earnings can only increase by so much in the best future. Likewise no help from family not that we’d ever expect it.

Has anyone else ‘accepted their lot’ in terms of moving and tried to come to terms with the fact it’s just not affordable?

OP posts:
BeeryZ · 02/07/2025 21:33

it’s not great. We needed to the space so went for the bigger mortgage knowing we would need to cut back on the expensive holidays. We figure that when the kids leave home we can downsize / move to a cheaper area and resume the long haul holidays if we want.

We have found the market is really stagnant. You need to be earning a really decent wage to afford a bigger house now and even then it’s almost
unaffordable. It takes months to move in our area where the house prices are sky high. Houses go
on the market, drop their price but still don’t sell. People take them off and remarket again after 12 months.

There might be another crash soon if this continues.

EggandStress · 02/07/2025 21:32

Do you need a bigger house? I don’t think it’s a given. If your house houses you and your family, why spend money on going bigger? Because it’s the ‘done thing’. I’d rather spend my money on holidays and enjoying life than sitting in a big house unable to afford anything else.

IwasDueANameChange · 02/07/2025 21:32

Do you have any options eg:

  • wait a bit longer/pay mortgage down a bit
  • move to a cheaper area
  • buy something that needs a load of work and do as much as possible yourself
Original poster
LioKa · 02/07/2025 21:31

19ptrialprice · 02/07/2025 21:26

What are your reasons for moving? Bigger house for kids?

Yeah - essentially that. We have limited living space, small bedrooms and a lack of storage throughout the house. Limited extension potential too and I don’t think we’d necessarily see a return on that investment when selling.

OP posts:
LlynTegid · 02/07/2025 21:28

Acknowledging that holidays are a luxury is something I agree with the OP on. Not that many people seem to see it that way, hence the usual complaining about holiday prices.

Autumn1990 · 02/07/2025 21:28

It’s a choice between holidays /clothes/ meals out etc or bigger house.

MidnightPatrol · 02/07/2025 21:28

I have been thinking about this a lot recently too OP, and I also think we will be staying in our ‘starter home’.

I’m in London and the cost increase for a marginally larger home plus stamp duty… it just doesn’t make sense. At a push you could do it once but… it would be a year of earnings on stamp duty alone.

Plus with higher interest rates, the thought of a larger mortgage isn’t that attractive - or possible, frankly. How many years of my life / much of my income do I want to spend on just having the kind of house I’d like? It could be an extra £1-2k a month and… life is too short surely?

19ptrialprice · 02/07/2025 21:26

What are your reasons for moving? Bigger house for kids?

After800Years · 02/07/2025 21:26

Well it is affordable but it comes at a price? I.e holidays.

Don’t most people have to make sacrifices?

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