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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

If you own your home, are you hoping to move before your children leave home?

35 replies

propertyNIGHTmareBEFOREXMAS · 21/10/2013 17:56

Am just curious, really.
We sold our last house and moved to a bigger one after getting a BFP (with dc4). We will stay here now until the dc leave home and as far into the future as we can imagine, iykwim.

Are you wanting to move again? If so, why? I would like an attic conversion and a conservatory in the future, so would aim for those rather than move again.

OP posts:
Justforlaughs · 21/10/2013 17:58

I am aiming to move home as soon as DCs start moving out - downsizing to stop them coming back again! Grin
When we moved here, it was a three bed semi with the potential to extend. I can't see why anyone would move out of choice, hassle with schools etc, but sometimes it's a necessity.

Original poster
propertyNIGHTmareBEFOREXMAS · 21/10/2013 17:59

Meant to post in chat! Sorry Thanks

AIBU to be so inattentive Grin?

OP posts:
Justforlaughs · 21/10/2013 18:01

But I wouldn't have seen your post then! Grin I live on this page!

Original poster
propertyNIGHTmareBEFOREXMAS · 21/10/2013 18:01

Agree that I could pay for the conservatory with what moving would cost. Moving is expensive as well as a hard work.

OP posts:
Justforlaughs · 21/10/2013 18:03

I'm still trying to win the conservatory battle. DH doesn't think we need one Confused of course we do!

Original poster
propertyNIGHTmareBEFOREXMAS · 21/10/2013 18:06

Yeah, my husband also dislikes conservatories Grin. Heat loss etc. I fancy one with a tiled roof though. Think they are meant to be usable all year round.
You should pop to chat now and again, Justforlaughs. We will thrill you with our conversations!

OP posts:
Squitten · 21/10/2013 18:15

One of the various reasons that this DC(3) will be our last is so that we can stay in this house if we want to. Now that we're embarking into the school system, I can't see us moving any time soon.

This place can take a LOT of doing up so the general plan is to let them trash it as little kids, slowly do it up and put in a bigger kitchen and then see where we're at. After all the hassle of buying this place, the thought of moving again makes me feel quite ill...

wem · 21/10/2013 18:29

I'd like some more space eventually. We're a 3 bed but the 3rd is a tiny boxroom so dds are sharing atm. They're 5 and 3 so it's fine for now, and it'll be a while before we'll be able to afford to do anything about it.

I'd like to extend rather than move but it seems like a huge disruption.

Original poster
propertyNIGHTmareBEFOREXMAS · 21/10/2013 18:44

Ours is like yours, Squitten. Lots of scope for changes and doing up. That aspect attracted us. I disliked that my last house was at its DIY limit, iykwim and had no scope for any improvement.

Wem, it is a trade off between the disruption of building work and the utter nuisance that the moving process is.

OP posts:
noisytoys · 21/10/2013 20:17

I'm torn between moving and staying. Moving would give us more space but it would add 15 years to our mortgage.

CrapBag · 21/10/2013 20:31

We are in a small 2 bedroom house with a girl and a boy. We really need to move. After the amount of times we have moved and the hassles we have had, I am hoping that our next one will be our last until if we really need to downsize when we are old, but I would like our next potential house to be able to accommodate GC so wouldn't anticipate having to move again.

SirChenjin · 21/10/2013 20:34

Our DCs are 16, 14 and 6 - we would like to move to a bigger house as there are a number of good Universities within commuting distance that they are interested in attending. We figure that they will be living with us for a few years yet, so it would be nice to have a larger property - but house prices are extortionate, so not sure it will happen

pointyfangs · 21/10/2013 20:38

We're not planning on moving - we bought our 3 bedroom (now with converted garage so really 4 beds) with children in mind so have expanded into it, and unless we start having serious mobility issues we're planning on staying - we're in a good location for shops and roads and other facilities.

And if the DDs do ever need to come back home, they'll be welcome as long as they pull their weight financially and domestically and put up with our sci-fi and horror tv watching habits.

Original poster
propertyNIGHTmareBEFOREXMAS · 21/10/2013 20:54

Good point about wanting to keep hold of a family sized house in the future in case your children want to stay at home whilst commuting to uni. That is something we have thought about too.

OP posts:
FriskyHenderson · 21/10/2013 20:55

As much as I fancy selling up and buying a fancy London one bed flat as soon as DC4 hits 18, I reckon we're stuck here for another 20-30 years.

CrapBag · 21/10/2013 20:58

I would never downsize with the idea in mind that my children couldn't come back if they needed to. They will always have somewhere to come back to, unlike many others in my family that I have seen, shocking when you think that its your own children. I would never be like that to mine. Unless they were massive pains in the ass! Grin

lifeinthefastlane1 · 21/10/2013 21:05

I fancy one with a tiled roof though. Think they are meant to be usable all year round. this is not a conservatory but an orangery?, and needs planning, we got a conservatory ,I love it but heat loss is an arse in winter so wish we had orangery instead!!! cost of changing roof is approx 5K do not recommend traditional conservatory!
back to question , my oldest has moved out, now we have a playroom (3 bed semi with loft conversion), we intend to move in about 4 years into another 3 bed semi, purely for school catchment area to better secondary school... lived in this house for 18 yrs ,time for a change now.

TeWiSavesTheDay · 21/10/2013 21:08

Yes, we'd like an extra bedroom at some point.

And maybe change area, have a stint abroad...

Ikeameatballs · 21/10/2013 21:12

I would be happy to stay here until I retire but would then def consider downsizing to an apartment.

CoolStoryBro · 21/10/2013 21:16

DH wants to sell up and move into an apartment in Manhattan when the kids leave home. We will only be in our 40's when all 4 have left home so we shall see.

shewhowines · 21/10/2013 21:17

Yes don't get a conservatory. Too hot in summer and too cold in winter. Astronomical heating bills meant it was virtually unusable in winter. We replaced it at vast expense, with one solid wall, very large windows and a solid roof with skylight. What a waste of money and conservatory.

We have no plans to move. I like the area and neighbours.

JollyScaryGiant · 21/10/2013 21:17

Yes. I want a house exactly the same as ours but in our nearest city so closer to my parents.

AngryFeet · 21/10/2013 21:19

I would like to stay where we are. This is our first house (rented previously) but we did not buy till recently and our children are already in primary school so we based the area on good secondaries that is still within 10-15 min drive of their current school.

We are in a bungalow that we intend to extend outwards to include a large kitchen diner and upwards to take it from a 3 to 4 bed (will put 2 bedrooms and a shower room in the loft for the dc but will lose the box room to stairs). So our room will stay downstairs which means we can stay here if we have mobility issues. We will also use the 4th bedroom as an office. We should end up with around 1500-1600 sq ft which is pretty good and the garden is a good size. We are in the perfect location for local amentities and a good bus service to the local town.

We could move to get the extra space in a few years but the cost of moving may as well be ploughed into extending and at least we don't have to worry about redecorating yet another house!

deepfriedsage · 21/10/2013 21:21

You need one spare room once the children leave, for a returning child or for grandchildren.

Shakey1500 · 21/10/2013 21:27

We've a 4 bed and only one DS (He's 6 and there'll be no more) so no need to move for space etc

We might move before he leaves home (assuming around age 20?!) and downsize to a 2 bed. We'll both be ready (ish) to retire by then and plan to spend April-Oct abroad in sunnier climes and winters in the UK Grin