Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4

Original poster

AIBU to want to keep my house?

92 replies

NotJustACigar · 09/06/2019 12:18

DH and I will be moving abroad next year for his job - his employer will provide housing. We will be gone for 3 years and when we come back we'll get another assignment in Britain but again DH's employer will provide housing.

So we don't really need our house for the forseeable future but I'm struggling with the idea of selling it because I love my house. I personally have put a ton of time and effort renovating it and have finally got it just how I want it to be. And I love the location, the neighbours, etc.

DH wants to sell because we don't need it and because it's not the kind of house that most people would want to rent as it's quite large (5 beds). He also thinks renting would be a hassle.

I want to keep it not just because I love it but because it keeps us on the housing ladder. I also gives us a place to keep our savings and to save more - over the next 3 years we would pay off the mortgage instead of keeping the money in the bank. And I think due to Brexit house prices are depressed now but will hopefully rise in the medium term. So I see keeping the house as a good investment.

So who IBU, me or DH?

OP posts:

Knittedfairies · 09/06/2019 13:36

Unanimous then!

alwayslearning789 · 09/06/2019 13:38

Absolutely keep the house.

It is an investment that will keep on giving as the years roll by and gives you a sort of insurance policy if the overseas job does not work out - it's always good to have a Plan B.

I hope you and your husband realise that you are in a very fortunate position.

HazelBite · 09/06/2019 13:38

If you sell what are you going to live in when you retire?

Alsohuman · 09/06/2019 13:42

What everyone else has said. You’re buggered if you sell and house prices double in the next ten years.

IGottaSeeJane · 09/06/2019 13:43

Keep it. Financially, from what you say it's the sensible option plus there's the sentimental attachment. Renting isn't a hassle with a good agent (they'll charge you, obviously, but a good one is worth the money).

loubielou31 · 09/06/2019 13:46

Be prepared that when you return you will probably want to redecorate, recarpet etc. Even the best tennants won't take care of a house the same way you will, and also it's easy to forget how much wear tear actually occurs in a few years.

SusieOwl4 · 09/06/2019 13:47

out of interest what area are you in? there is a company that leases houses for 3 years and redecorates before they hand it back . they are in south west

LadyRannaldini · 09/06/2019 13:53

Don't get out of the housing market, rent it out, a decent agent will deal with the hassle. We made the mistake of selling when we went abroad and have regretted it ever since. Your OH at some point may change employer, the employer's circumstances may change, he will retire, he may even, heaven forbid, die, all of which will mean you'll need the money in the house, even if you then sell it and buy elsewhere.

Jellycat1 · 09/06/2019 13:59

If you sell and buy something else immediately - ie 2 flats or something then fine but otherwise your DH is being extremely short sighted and sounds a bit financially naive. We rent out a five bed house. It's no more stressful than renting a smaller house in my view. You can always try it and if you don't like the stress you can pay the agent to manage it for you. It would still be a better return on your investment than sod all interest from the bank and watching the value of the capital being eroded over time.

caughtinanet · 09/06/2019 13:59

Your DH is bonkers, no way should you sell. You never see unanimous answers on here, what's wrong with him that he doesn't get it

stanski · 09/06/2019 14:01

Don't sell!! Keep it. Anything could happen. At least that's a constant there and like you say pay off the mortgage with the saving you'll make. Much better than in the bank.

GnomeDePlume · 09/06/2019 14:05

Adding to the voices saying dont sell.

We sold for a similar move and bitterly regretted it. Moved back to the UK with not much notice and rejoined the housing market just as it was peaking.

user1480880826 · 09/06/2019 14:08

Don’t sell! Plenty of people rent large family houses and you don’t know that you won’t need it again. If everything falls through with your husbands job you will need somewhere to live. Don’t lose your foot on the housing ladder.

Charley50 · 09/06/2019 14:36

Absolutely rent it out!

LizB62A · 09/06/2019 14:43

Definitely rent it out - anything can happen with your husband's job

lastqueenofscotland · 09/06/2019 15:14

With the changes to section 21 rules I would NOT rent it out. You may get back to find you can’t get rid of your tenants

Purpleartichoke · 09/06/2019 15:24

Renting out a house is a huge risk. Even the best tenants will not care for it exactly as you would. Rental income is not guaranteed. Selling the house with tenants in place will also be harder and you may not get as much in the sale.

If it were just 3 years, renting might make sense. Since this is longer, I would sell.

BrightYellowPostItNotes · 09/06/2019 15:30

Renting out a house is a huge risk. Even the best tenants will not care for it exactly as you would.

I really want to tell you to piss off but on this site I’m not allowed to.

RickJames · 09/06/2019 15:37

Don't sell!! Money in the bank is risky these days and an almost paid for, big house is like having a pile of gold bars.

Rent it out through a proactive agent. We rent out our old house and although it's a pain sometimes (we don't have an agent) it's an asset.

Like a PP said - you are supporting him and giving up your current life so I think it should be up to you.

SeaToSki · 09/06/2019 15:38

If you can cover the costs of running it with the rental income, its a no brainer. The cost of selling and buying a new houses is substantial when you include estate agent fees, stamp duty, moving costs and for you, probably, furniture storage. Staying on the housing ladder also minimises your risk that the housing market moves substantially faster stock market and since you will definitely want a house to live in when you return to the UK, hedging against this risk is more important than speculating that the stock market will do better than housing prices.

RickJames · 09/06/2019 15:41

Yes @brightyellow. Our tenant keeps our place (her home) immaculate. Probably nicer than i would. Renters aren't generally drug addled yobs! They want a nice home too. Especially in the higher bracket family home sector.

Alsohuman · 09/06/2019 15:43

Renting is a lot less of a risk than discovering you couldn’t afford to buy it or its equivalent again a few years down the line. We could never afford to buy ours now.

dreygrey · 09/06/2019 15:47

Keep it. If you split up then you have a place to come home to.

lifebegins50 · 09/06/2019 15:50

I sold a house for an interim move and figuring put where to safely store the capital is a big headache.. more so than hassle from renting.

I would say though that you are unlikely to feel the same about the house when you return..it will no longer have been your home so likely to be happy to let it go.

Make sure you have valid insurances and mortgage permission but otherwise it can be low risk compared to selling.

Alsohuman · 09/06/2019 15:53

Oh Lord, the eternal optimist has turned up. Not every marriage is doomed!

Flip

1 2 3 4

Swipe left for the next trending thread