To move because dh inherited property?

[bowmejen3]

So I'm born and bred in Hackney. Met my husband here who is originally from south Manchester in one of the largest council estates In Europe apparently.

We've been married 10 years and have two children. (4 and 2 months)

We rent privately and was looking forward to getting on the shared ownership scheme this year! 4 year old settled in nursery waiting for reception etc! However DH has been very stressed and with rising living costs. We have not got much to spare each month after saving for our deposit.

Now here is my aibu.
Dh father recently died and left his house (ex council but bought) to dh. It has no mortgage left.

Dh thinks this is the best thing ever as we could move there (3 bed semi detached, big garden, driveway, extra room for washing etc)
Be mortgage free, near his family and have essentially more disposable income to enjoy life, holidays, other ventures etc.

I know I know it sounds perfect on paper... but I always envisioned raising my children in London but dh claims we are actually being selfish because potentially they will never be able to afford to live near us in the future and we may only ever own 25 percent of a flat!
And the area he is from has not got a great reputation...

I believe he could sell the house for around £240,000 (from Rightmove) and put it down for a deposit on a house in London!

Dh thinks I'm being ridiculous to want to not be mortgage free just for the sake of "London" and being snobby towards his childhood area? (Which I'm not)

Aibu?

Echoing what others have said.

I'd hate to have brought DS in Hackney or somewhere where gangs/knife crime are rife.

Sell the house in Manc, put the money into a 3 bed in a nicer area, win win.

What is it you like about London? Is it city life, job prospects and opportunities. Manchester is one of the biggest cities outside London in the UK. I'd argue that you would have most of what you could have in London in Manchester for a fraction of the price.

I agree with what others have said and sell the house, but move to somewhere nicer near Manchester. Realistically, what kind of property would 250k get you in London? Quarter of a house? You would be halfway towards a spacious four bedroom property in the nicer areas of Manchester and its commuter belts.

I have lived in the North West my whole life, not Manchester. So I am biased.

I lived and worked in Hackney and loved it! Got married and 2 children rented a grotty flat. Like your dh my dh inherited some money we were both working for the NHS. Made the decision to move out of London, better life for DC'S. Best thing we ever did.

Those on team dh obvs don't know Wythenshawe

There has to a third option though - £200k+ (do houses in W really go for that ) is a very good deposit to buy and own all of - London/Essex border maybe?

I wouldn't move to a shitty part of Manchester no. I wouldn't move up there full stop - born and bred Londoner and though I live in Surrey now I wouldn't move that far, free house or not.

I think your husband is right, tbh. Your child being settled in nursery doesn't trump the benefits of moving. That said, what keeps you in London? Have you family nearby? Job that you don't want to leave?
You needn't live in that specific house, but selling it would put a huge amount towards a deposit if you moved, and still provide a decent deposit even in London.

Don't underestimate how helpful it can be to live near family when your kids are small!

I would move to the house for a year while you get settled in new jobs and then sell it and move to a nicer part of Manchester.

I thought Wythenshawe but a house worth 240k, surely not?!

I think you have an opportunity here for a real life-changer. A mortgage-free home or even enough to buy somewhere else outright in a cheaper area if you didn't want that exact home v a deposit on a house in London with London prices.

What would your life look like with no mortgage to pay? How much would that give you to enjoy life, save for your children, etc? How does that compare to London?

Personally I would never live in London as I think house prices there are a scam, but you are not me!

I wouldn’t live in Wythenshaw, but I would sell the house and move elsewhere in Manchester. There are much nicer places nearby

I'm on your side tbh - lived in Manchester for a while and much prefer London! And I'm not from the UK.

Is there some way to compromise? Even live in Manchester a while and save money then move back down?

I would want to use it as a deposit in London, I would never move to Manchester

I would sell the house and use the money to move to another part of Manchester where you could either have a teeny mortgage or be mortgage free. Compare that to what you could afford in London and work out whether it would be a better life balance.

Manchester is a huge city, loads of job opportunities and places to visit and things to do for all ages. At least think about it. London isn't the be all and end all.

I've lived in Manchester & London. I love London but no way would i want to bring children up there. I'd move back to Manchester in a heartbeat.

Manchester doesn't appeal to me personally. As others have suggested, it seems sensible to compromise by selling it and moving to a third location. London flat prices are ridiculous. Having a garden is huge for the kids, allows them to have a dog, and so on.

@Lime37

Tbh I would pick Manchester any day over London.

Same here.

You couldn't pay me to live in London. I'd sell the Manchester house and get a small mortgage for a house in a nicer area around Manchester. Much nicer place to bring up children

I'm with you. I moved to London at 18 and have never wanted to leave. Both my children were brought up in London and loved their childhoods. They both now live very near me in London (rent) and are happy. I would not move out of London ever!

Sorry but London is a great place to raise children I have to disagree with people saying differently

However I think you would be crazy to not take the house and be mortgage free!!
I can't think of anything more freeing

Or just sell and then plan what to do about where you live. Transport links to Manchester are sure to mean you could live near to Manchester without living in it if you wanted.

It's easy to leave London.

Not so easy to come back.

I'm another one who would vote Manchester over London too! Get so much more for your money OP.

And Manchester is amazing as well imo.

How lovely for DH that he got left the house!

Sell the house and pick somewhere else in London or Manchester and get a new house.

The people who say move to the house clearly have no knowledge of Wythenshaw, maybe they can buy the house from you since they think it's such a great idea 🤣

As someone who is mortgage free I am with your dh @bowmejen3. It gives us A LOT of freedom and I am not freaking out at rising costs right now because I can absorb the costs easily.

If all things were equal I wouldn't leave London for Manchester, London is awesome. But they aren't equal, you'd be mortgage-free in Manchester, that's a lot of stress removed from your life. If jobs aren't an issue, try moving for a while to see what it's like, you can always move back to London since you're only renting at the moment.

Ooh that’s a tricky one. I can see his point but I don’t think I’d like to move away from everything I’ve (and my kids) have known.

Wythenshawe is massive. I've lived in Baguley & it was fine. Love Manchester & I think it better than London to raise children. I'd probably sell the house & but somewhere a little nicer though. You could get a very decent house with that or using it as deposit.