Would you move down to SE?

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Moved up north 2yrs ago, to be close to family. Covid hit and now
missing friends down south.
3 children, one in secondary, they are missing friends as well.

Would you move back? Would you stick it out?

I would stay because these are not normal times. I'm missing my friends and we still live 5 minutes from them but everyone is stuck in atm.

Makes some plans for when lockdown ends to build up your friendship groups and encourage the kids to do the same.

I would worry about the much higher housing costs.

Your DC will almost certainly make more, and new, friends once the schools go back. Presumably, if you moved back down south tomorrow, they wouldn't be able to see their friends other than on Zoom or such like anyway, which they can do from where you are now?

Do you/they get to see your family much? If you moved north to be near them, it seems like a big step to move away from them so soon. Do you/DP have jobs that would easily transfer?

Contact with family up here is limited, and it's not the relationship I planned for us.

House price isn't a huge issue.

We zoom a lot with friends.

We've made a few friends here but like the rest of the country, not been able to meet up.

I feel we've made a mistake in moving..
This pandamic makes me realise how much we've left behind.

When this is over and when everyone is recovering from all kinds of impacts, is North or the SE the best place to be? Jobs? House prices? ...

Quality of life is better up here in many ways but I'm missing my friends.

I live in se and wish I didn’t have to

I have a 2 bed terrace that is around £450k and prices have risen so much that we are priced out of buying 3 beds

The 3 beds in our toad are now selling for £575k

These are nothing special and when I’ve looked at relocating the same houses can be bought for around £130k just 2-3 hours away

Our earnings do not match up with that difference and I wish we could move

What was the pull to leave friends for family in the first place?

I was advised to visit a potential new area on a rainy Tuesday in November before deciding to move. Looks like you've lived through a whole year of rainy Tuesdays and decided you don't like it.

Move, if you can, there's no reason why you should be miserable if you can avoid it.