Would you move house for a bigger garden?

[lapiscine]

We live in a large terraced house with all the space we could ever need for two kids. Only negative is slightly small garden but it's usually cold/wet most of the year anyway!

I have a wealthy parent who is determined that we should be living in a big detached house with big garden for kids to run around in and has offered us a large sum of money. Parent says this is my inheritance so I may as well have it now when I need it but we don't really NEED to move. And I really love our house. But am I being selfish and should I think of the children and their big garden...

Yes, definitely

Yes, would definitely move for a big garden but wouldn’t just do it for the kids. I think you need to love looking after that big garden too.

Absolutely

If you're happy with your situation, it doesn't make sense to move. Do your children get a lot of time outside to run around?

We're thinking of moving to somewhere with a bigger garden but it's because we'd like to have a big playground, pool, grow veg and fruit and still have enough lawn for a marquee. It'd be fun for the whole family. Still not sure if we'll move as it's £££ extra and we already have a big house with a very decent garden.

No harm in looking around but if .you love your house that much then you need to make sure you fall in love with both the garden and house of the new place, near in mind you spend the majority of time in the house not the garden.

Yes, definitely.

We moved mostly for a bigger garden, but ended up with a bigger house as well. It’s made us so much happier, happier than we expected. There’s a lovely sense of space and far less angst than when we had the DC trying to play football in a tiny garden.

Hell yeah.

No, only move if you want to. If you are happy and the children are happy where you are, don't move just to please your relative.

I wouldn’t move if you are happy with your location and bigger garden means changing it.
Also bigger garden is better but quality of the house always comes first. You will spend much more time in the house that in the garden.

than not that

You would be silly not to see what the increased budget would get you. Make an informed decision, including taking into account whether the ‘gift’ would be held over you in the future.

Our old house was a 3 bed terrace with a small garden and I loved it. Many people told me we needed something bigger but I was genuinely happy there. We've moved because we have 3 dc, if we had 2 we would have stayed and paid off our mortgage early. It's really hard when others are telling you you need something you don't think you do.

I wouldn’t move for a bigger garden. I hate gardening with a passion and can barely manage my modest garden. Kids do not care about having a big garden as long as they have somewhere outside to play.
If you want to upsize then the extra money is great but I wouldn’t move just for the sake of a bigger garden. You decide what is best for your family and your parents opinion although well meant is irrelevant.

“Slightly small” and “small” are different concepts, for starters. Which is it?

No harm in looking, but I wouldn’t move unless the new location or other features of the house would be an improvement too.

It would also depend on whether now is a good time to buy and sell in your area.

If you do inherit in future would it make more sense to spend the money on paying off your mortgage, setting your own kids up with a house deposit or to start a business, helping with childcare or helping with your pension.

If something like that, explain that while the offer is really kind, you are prioritising something else, rather than a garden.