Living close to work - good thing or bad?

[Springforward]

So, we've been househunting for a couple of months, and we have our eye on a property we saw last week. Nice house, nice garden, right for our budget, reasonable schools... so why can't I settle on it?

Because it's only 1.5 miles from where I work!

People of Mumsnet, would this bother you?

Hell no it wouldn't bother me! I'd walk or cycle.

I'd say that was a good thing - 1.5 miles away is not on your doorstep. How far away from work do you live at the moment? Do you like everything else about the house?

I bought a house 1.5 miles from work, it was great, 7 minute commute.

Then I changed job

No a definite advantage to work near home.

I am about 1 mile from work and love it ! If anything goes wrong at home I can be there quickly. The same for being close to where my son goes to school etc.
It really works for me !

Why might it be a bad thing, what kind of work do you do? I would love to live that near to work.

Unless you work as a parole officer or something and want to avoid dodgy clients, then why on Earth not? Petrol prices are only going to go up...

that close would be a bonus for me. but then that depends - does this mean your work is going to be more likely to take advantage of you?

Depends what you do. I deliberately live further from work but some of my clients would be difficult if I lived near them.

Depends what your work is. Estate agent, no.Police, no.Teacher, no.Some other occupations I cant think of right now, no.

Car salesman, prob not.

Sinkingfeeling, it's not quite the end of the town I was hoping for to be honest, but I want us moved in good time to apply for DS' primary school place in window September-mid January and not sure how much longer I can realistically hold out without going nuts!

Not much is coming on to the market around here, and so I don't think I can afford to be massively fussy.

DH loves it.

Good things: nice house, nice garden, OK parking, in a little cul de sac, school playing field up street is open for community use, lake nearby for duck feeding/ walks, approx. 1.5 mile walk to v. nice country pub one way and (admittedly slightly faded) market town with swimming pool/ library etc. 1.5 miles in other direction.

Less good things: sloping driveway (towards garage), high rise flats at end of street (though not visible from house and no trouble, apparently), neighbouring streets are a bit grey.

OK, just clicked that I haven't explained about the living close to work thing.

I'm used to having a bit of a drive between home and work. That means I rarely see my workplace when I'm not there!

I think that's all there is to it. My line of work doesn't tend to make people want to come and find me/ break down door/ kidnap the cat etc., thankfully.

ah, its the old location, location bit for you.
Does DH like the location as well as the house?

amillionyears yes, I think so - certainly he doesn't have the same concerns about the location as I do.

If its just the work thing then I would let it go. We don't live close to work as we are in the kind of jobs where people blow up your cars and target your houses , but if it wern't for that then I wouldn't have a problem. When I had a normal job with normal customers mind you I sold insurance so I'm sure there were plenty who would have liked to track me down, I actually enjoyed driving past work when I wasn't there, it gave me a feeling of freedom IYKWIM!

I'd check out the drainage on the sloping drive way though, that could be an issue.

Thanks oreo for the tip about the driveway, I hadn't thought of that (I was more concerned about not squashing DS between car and garage...).

It has never taken me this long to find a house to buy in the past!