...to move from a big house in the 'burbs to a small flt in the city?

[CockneySparra]

Has anyone else ever made this 'back to front' type of move?

I grew up in small flats in inner London, but we made the move to a 4 bed semi in the suburbs some years ago.

I miss living more centrally, though. DH does too. Would we be crazy to sell up - which would mean losing an extra bedroom, probably the garden, definitely a lot of the space in the house and the driveway etc - to move back 'into London'?

Anyone else done this.

We currently live in way up on the London/Herts borders, btw, but are thinking of moving to Kensal Rise/Queens Park or even Maida Vale if we can find something we can afford.

My husband walks to work from where we live in not as central as Splodge but about a mile away... (I work from home so my commute even shorter but doesn't involve any frothy coffee consumption opportunities).
Here's an interesting bit from an article by Sathnam Sanghera. If you can't be bothered to read it, it says it's always better to have small house/short commute than long commute/large house. (Not saying it's not good to live in country. Though I grew up there and am never going back. But this about commuting times. And so agree with that weird NCT madness about everyone having to move out of london for the sake of the children when they hit 5. Great thing is that it eliminates all the neurotic types by secondary school).

Anyway here's the article bit:

A Dutch psychologist called Ap Dijksterhuis, who has shown that human beings often succumb to something called a ?weighting mistake? when shopping for real estate.

Apparently, when given two housing options, a three-bedroom apartment located in the middle of a city that would give you a ten-minute commute, and a five-bedroom mansion in the suburbs that would result in a 45-minute commute, most people eventually choose the large house, reasoning that a third bathroom or extra bedroom will prove very useful for visitors, whereas driving two hours each day is really not that bad.

But, as Dijksterhuis points out, as it's easier to consider quantifiable facts, such as an extra room, than future emotions, such as how you'll feel when you're stuck in a rush-hour traffic jam.

So the reasoning is warped: ?The additional bathroom is a completely superfluous asset for at least 362 or 363 days each year, whereas a long commute does become a burden after a while.? In other words, house-hunting inspires people to make mad decisions even at the best of times.

good article! i did the reverse..moved to London borough but kept job two counties away which is a 120 mile round trip in car!(and facing Heathrow traffic etc) once i quit that i fully intend to find a job i can reach on foot or short bus ride! Oyster cards are the best. I'll save 1000s a yr when give up the car

Sounds exactly right Polly

Also no one in the 'burbs or countryside seems to have noticed that some of the most important factors that made these areas so desirable to live in have practically disappeared:

Local shops - fancy a car ride to Tescos for that community spirit?

Plenty of excerise - Nah, we need to jump in the car to find the nearest place we can have a walk in

Good safe environment for the kids - Sorry, mortality amongst non urban teens is higher because more kids in non urban environments die from road traffic accidents, far more than die from knife crime

Very interesting article. I wonder what the perfect formula is? At what point does the 'dream' home start to overcome the stress/inconvenience of living far from work? Does it ever? Perhaps not if you have to manage a long commute every day.

As our work habits begin to change of course all this will change again. The increase in people only going in to an office a couple of times a week and working remotely the rest of the time, or working for themselves, may positively influence the regrowth of local communities that have lost their spirit.

(Can you tell I'm working from home, bored and trying to distract myself?)

This has got me thinking again how pleased I am we didn't compromise and leave London when we started panicking about house size/schools. We live in what some would describe as one of the less desirable parts of London. Yet, all within a 10 minute walk of our front door we have:

• 2 lovely and huge commons to roam about in/go running/play with DD/play tennis
• One of the biggest Lidos in the country for hot sunny days
• An athletics track and club
• Two good gyms
• A different coffee shop for every day of the week
• Ditto delis
• Nice local pub that serves a wonderful roast, good wine and is welcoming to tots
• A range of different food shops and restaurants to choose from representing a vast number of cultures from Indian to Polish, Jamaican, Japanese, West African, Pakistani, you name it
• Copious well run baby and toddler groups to choose from
• Odeon cinema 5 min walk, or trendy independent cinema a 10 min bus ride away
• Plus the usual high street shops and conveniences and a well stocked library
• Buses every 30 seconds into town running 24hrs a day
• An ice rink

-Three train stations

And within a 15 min drive or bus ride we have:

• Yet more commons!
• City zoos at Battersea and Vauxhall
• Michelin starred dining at Chez Bruce

There are so many young families round here I would never feel out of place or worried about my toddler misbehaving, or BFing baby in public.

I love south London. It is a diverse, interesting, busy and tolerant place. And the centre of town is easily accessible for work/entertainment purposes. It's not perfect, but I'm very happy to be here with small children.

Ooooh, you are making me very nostalgic and jealous Splodge (worked in Doughty Street and John Street for years) and I love the Brunswick Centre.

yeh Crazycatlady same here, food shops..range is amazing. so cheap too! have become addicted to indian burfi. Also a new sushi place ,£3 for 22 pieces!!!
I like the anonymous bit sometime too. Where my parents live, it's all curtain twitching, everyone commenting on everyone else's business and sticking their oar in. can be myself here , dress how want etc. no one bats an eyelid.

Also a new sushi place ,£3 for 22 pieces!!!

oh, tell me the name, please?????

the sushi place..New Malden in Surrey. will probably get flamed for that as NM is considered to be 'burbs?? but my last home was a Herts village so i guess what is now London to me is 'burbs to others! I dont live in NM btw but near. I should say..London borough..cant claim to live in central London but can see St Pauls on the horizon if that counts!!

Thanks - I think I know that one. The Surrey part of Greater London is def widely accepted as London IMO - infact, that is the reason why I would feel comfortable moving to those parts

yanbu

we wont move now, but I can understand reasoning, used to live shepherds bush and I still miss it

why not try willesden green/kilburn and be more central and get more space

crazycat I am jalous now

I love the vast number of independent shops here in London - just round the corner from us is a local fishmonger, two bakeries, two butchers, at least 10 grocery stores and at least three independent coffee shops. The fresh veg is definitely cheaper than in our local Sainsbury's and Tesco's. And of course there are endless food choices from across the globe. Independents still seem to be thriving in London.

We are currently in a large house in a very rural area, with long commutes. We are planning to move to a small house/flat in the centre of a major city (not in UK). Our reasons to move to city rather than equally large house in country side again are:

• more choice in schools (primary and secondary)
• more friends nearby for dd to play with
• easy access to museums, parks, restaurants, playgrounds, etc.
• much easier to meet up with friends during day/evenings/weekend
• many more activities to do for dd and for us

All in all, we think that the lack of space will be compensated for by a much better social life for dd and us. We have also calculated that in all likelihood it will turn out cheaper and of course no longer wasting all this time with daily commuting. We are not to worried about not having a garden as there will be many parks and playgrounds nearby.

I would move in a heartbeat - am v. jealous.