WWYD?

[MoshiMonstersRUs]

Currently in a quiet cul-de-sac with a small garden. DC's have a bedroom each. They go to secondary school in the next town which they travel to on the bus.

Have the opportunity to buy a lovely character property with more garden than we'd ever know what to do with, but less bedrooms so 2 of the DC's would have to share. It's on a busy road but within walking distance of the DC's school.

WWYD? move house and bank some cash or stay put?

TIA

Is there opportunity to extend the character property?

Downstairs, yes. But probably not upstairs.

As your DCs get older could a downstairs bedroom work for one of them?

Possibly, although realistically it would probably mean 2 sharing long term.

Do you love the house/location/garden?
Would you all be happier being closer to school?
If your DCs are older the busy road may not be such a big deal but walking to school might...

But mainly, again, do you love it and really want to live in it?

If you do then you probably won't mind the negatives and will find ways to work around them. If you don't the slight negatives may become huge problems.

How old are the DCs and how would they feel about sharing? Are any of the bedrooms big enough to put some kind of room divider in to give them a bit more privacy/personal space?

I can see the appeal of being closer to school and presumably closer to friends - that becomes more important the older they get, and might make life easier for you too - less chauffering around. Is it somewhere you'd want to stay once they've all grown up?

I love the house and the garden and love the idea of living there although the road puts me off a little as it's so quiet where we are now. My eldest DC's are mid-late teens. My eldest doesn't want to move as it would mean sharing a room and a further distance to travel to college (another 3 miles). My second DC really wants to move because of friends and travelling to school and being so close to the town. The youngest 2 are pre-teens but want to move. DC3 wants to move closer to his friends while DC4 wants to move for the garden. DC4 would stay at her current school until she goes to secondary school so she would have to be driven to school for the next 2 years.

There is a room big enough for two to share comfortably and we could probably use a screen to divide the room for them. I did think about the youngest sharing with DC2 but DC2 is that bit older and I'm not sure it would work - especially when you throw friends visiting into the mix.

I think it would probably be a long term move but it's hard to know for sure without having lived there.

According to the EA this morning, they are keen to sell and would consider a low offer! Must be a sign! that it's a lemon that nobody else wants

I'm a sucker for character houses and big gardens, so that would swing it for me. Is the road that busy that it would mean problems selling again in the future though? Is the house priced to reflect the busy road?

The house is fairly priced IMO. Especially in light of what the EA said this morning. It's quite a pricey town so if the house were on a quieter road we probably couldn't afford it.

Today I really want to go for it!

Oh sorry - forgot to answer the question about re-selling. If I'm honest, I'm not sure - it has sat on the market a fair while now, but I'm not sure if it's the road putting people off or the work that needs doing to it. It does need a fair bit spent on it to get it up together but DH is in the building trade and would easily sort all the problems out. He reckons we could probably make some money on it just by doing all the remedial work that's needed but that isn't why we're considering it. It would be a long term move - and possibly our forever house (if I can get over the road).