-TLDR
We have renovated our house at great expense, but I hate the area, should we go back to the area I love for a much cheaper but much less 'done', significantly smaller house?
We had a lovely little house (mid terrace) where we had both our kids, and then decided to renovate it quite significantly after deciding to either move or drastically improve the house we had at the time. Renovation complete, loved the house.
Then it was Covid. ffs.
Cue both of us suddenly working from home for the first time and feeling so squashed in...this was also a blessing in disguise, as I started earning circa triple what I was able to earn working face to face (self employed). It was a bit mental. But, we had absolutely no room to both WFH.
We then decided to either convert the loft, which was questionable and would have been a squeeze, or move. So, we moved, and the move to here was quite a reluctant one for me. This house (a semi) was the best of just 2 larger houses on the market at that time, and needed a large extension doing to it, plus total renovation- which we completed last year.
We have not moved far, but the area itself is far less desirable, and is a noisy and busy road. At our old house, we had a walkable park, quiet street, walkable train station, little shop, and a lovely lake right outside the door, as well as our local pub. My brother still lives there and when I see him, I feel jealous and desperately wish we lived back there.
Our current house was a humongous renovation job, massive, and basically all of our money over the last 2 years has gone into it. There is minimal work left to do, it's very very nice and done to a very high standard. Large garden with a sauna and a hot tub.
Please help me decide what to do. Please highlight the pros and cons of staying vs moving.
Obvious pros and cons for me:
pros
- we would be back round the lake
- we would knock between £100k and £200k off our £350k mortgage
- one of the houses there for sale now is detached on a quiet cul de sac
- the other is a mid terrace with less space and needs some redecoration/garage conversion but is right on the lake and would make us almost mortgage free (we are 39 and 44)
- I feel I'd be so much happier there
- my husband hates his job and could basically quit work or get a very simple job after decades of hating his current role
cons
- the main con is, any monetary investment from the renovation hasnt fully been recouped yet
- its further from my older DC secondary school, which younger DC will probably go to in a few years. would require a drive and not a walk.
- moving is absolutely shit
- we would have to get rid of a lot of our stuff
- new house would be a lot smaller but still enough space for us 4
location makes no odds to me and DH as we both WFH anyway.
I really do understand that this is very much first world problems and we are very lucky, but I am and have been for a long time felt very uncomfortable and unhappy here and not sure that I ever will. Equally, if we move and I'm still miserable, I'll be fucking furious!
Please can you give me your amazing pearls of wisdom, mumsnetters!!!
YABU stay put
YANBU fucking move