To move near family or not??

[Peppaagain]

We are trying to decide where to buy our next house. My family is about an hours drive away at the moment, so we see them every 3-4 weeks for family get togethers and occasionally my mum will come to babysit. I'd love to be a bit closer to them (not on the doorstep though) so that the kids could spend more time with their cousins, we could socialise more with my sisters and brothers (without always thinking about the drive home!) and we could have more of a support network. The problem is they don't live in the nicest areas (fairly high crime etc) and where we live now is lovely (if not just a bit too expensive for our budget). I am wrecking my brain trying to decide to we prioritise more proximity to family or better quality of life and which will my kids and us value more in the long run..... Anyone been here and made a decision either way????

Bump

For me I would move nearer to them. In fact DP and I have pretty much decided that we are going to try and do that (try because the housing market is shocking where we are and we have lost so much on this house a move will not be easy to finance).

If you don't want to be on the doorstep there must be some nice areas near enough by surely?

I would do some research, where we are now, if you asked me 5 years ago if I would live here I would have given you a flat no. But there has been massive regeneration near by and there area is really nice now. It has excellent schools, a lovely atmosphere and is quiet and trouble free. Its still considered to be a bit sketchy though. So do explore your options.

I would start by looking at good schools at an approximate distance that you would like to be. When you find some look at the catchment areas and start looking into those villages/towns.

Having family close by is very important to me. I enjoy the company of mine, not to mention the support and free childcare. I also think that the more people on hand to love my DD the better!