Help struggling to make this life decision.

[RosieLeaLovesTea]

Hi all

Really struggling with a major life decision. Do we move house and take on bigger mortgage to move to a ‘better area with good schools’ ? With a mortgage until we are 65.

Or do we stay where we live now?
We are really fortunate to have inherited some money. It’s enough to pay off the mortgage we have and have a decent amount left over for savings.

Or it’s enough to put 50% deposit on a new house. Detached with garage. It would be in a more rural area. I would need to buy a car. Further away from work. Good schools. But when DCs become teenagers they will need transporting to town to socialise. Bus service not good as rural.

If we stay where we are - we live in semi detached. But we have 4 bedrooms. No garage which would be useful. It’s closer to work and good public transport links which means we only need one car. Also can walk to town in 30 mins. When DCs become teenagers they could be more independent travelling on bus and doing activities.

I feel like because we have options we are at a major crossroads in life.

Interested to hear what you would do?

Honestly? I’d do anything to be mortgage free and have savings. And it sounds like where you are and the house you’re in works well for your needs. Personally, I’d sit tight for now! It doesn’t need to be forever and you’d still have options but maybe just ‘be’ for a bit .

I'd stay in the house and treat yourself be to some nice holidays, and what an amazing situation to be in.

You're 100% right I live semi rural and have spent the last 3-4 years being a taxi for teens, I'd love to be in a town right now.

If in doubt do nothing. If the new home and move is meant to be it will become apparent in time, The desire will become stronger, Just be,,now be still, Things always become clearer in time, I would put any decision any at all on hold and just carry on as you are, You will know in time probably when you are least thinking about things ,what to do,

I'd absolutely stay where you are and use the extra disposable income to improve your quality of life in non-housing related ways (fab holidays etc). You'd also be able to keep saving and help DC out in significant ways (weddings, house deposits) as they grow.

Great position to be in! Enjoy it!

The last thing I'd want is to have to pay a mortgage until I'm 65.

If your house suits your needs, stay put for now.

God I'd stay put for sure.

Being a teen taxi is no joke at all.

Being mortgage free would be the ideal. Put the rest of the money into redoing/renovating I'd needed. Or a holiday if not.

What are your reasons for wanting to move?

The second option for me isn't desirable at all. Id rather be mortgage free before I'm 60! (My plan is 50) you can move later on in life when kids are grown up and be cash buyers!

Use the extra cash to build a garage?
I can’t see any pluses in moving

I’d have no problem with the mortgage part of things, but my mortgage is not large anyway (low cost area rather than I’ve paid off a load!).

But you couldn’t pay me to move rural. I like city living, I like living in a house close to everything. I don’t want to have to ferry the kids about as they get older as my mum did when I was a kid. I also don’t want to have to move when I get elderly because I’m not safe to drive anymore but there’s no public transport to rely on.

We live semi rurally, moved here when there was an hourly bus service that was progressively whittled back and eventually cancelled all together.

We have ferried DS round to Every. Single. Thing. He passed his driving test just before Christmas and I almost wept with relief.

The perks of living rurally meant there was no hanging around in parks or on street corners, so he's grown up bypassing a lot of the angsty teenage rebellion stuff. But remember the driving

Agree with everyone else
I'd do anything to not have a mortgage

I'd stay. Being a taxi service for bored teens is hell on earth. Totally screws your own social life.

You honestly sound like you want to stay where you are. Your negative list for moving is longer than your positive points! I'd stay where you are if I were in your shoes. Mortgage rates are going up. No way would I want to be tied in to a mortgage until I was 65.

Stay where you are. Just from a driving teens point of view.

I am desperately trying to move from rural to town at enormous expense because running my teen into town/school every day (with toddler in tow) for extra curricular and social stuff is too much. Think very carefully. Is there a half way option?

You haven't mentioned one negative thing about where you currently are. We made the move because where we were was full of crime so to stay wasn't really an option for us.

Your list of pros and cons definitely reads as though you'd rather stay, but feel you ought to go for the big house!

The only thing that really seems better about moving might be schools, since you mention that as a pro. But then you don't mention 'school I want to avoid' for your current house. How do the schools compare?

What are the schools actually like where you currently live?

I have no idea why would you move?? Stay!

I'd stay where you are. I have friends who live rurally and spent their DC's teen years in cars. I live in a town and DC cycled or bused most of the time.

Stay put, a million times over.

Stay, be mortgage free with good access to everything, put half your mortgage money into your pension and the other half into a fun things account to enjoy life.

Stay where you are, with bells on!
There are just way too many pluses to ignore.

We did the opposite! Moved to a similarly sized but more expensive house in a small town with better infrastructure as village life was doing my head in and I hated driving everywhere. Also our children were getting old and I had no desire to be a taxi service. We'll be paying the mortgage until I'm 64 but we love our town-house and have no regrets. My children are so much more connected and happier than they would have been in a village.

God for teens to be more independent and for that reason alone I'd never move rurally ... if you like that life save it til kids leave home.