Move or stay put?

[Em1503]

Me and DH moved to a lovely 4 bed detached a year ago. We LOVE the house and I think that actually made us lose sight of everything else when we bought it. We didn't think we'd ever be able to afford a house like this so we didn't properly consider the location. It's a nice location but we've realised it's not for us. It's too far out (10 miles out of town) with nowhere to really walk the dog or take the baby for a walk in the pram. I end up driving into town for everything, sometimes twice a day which seems a waste of petrol but I feel isolated otherwise. If we moved back into town we would have to downsize and buy something that needed doing up. We didn't have DD when we moved (she's only 4 months) so will eventually have to move back to get the schools we want. So our options are:

A - move now and give up our beautiful house but have the benefit of the better location

B - move in 2/3/4 years before DD starts school and make the most of living here, but still have to put up with living so far out.

We'll find it really hard to leave this house and move to something smaller and not as nice, but at the same time if we stay it's like we're in limbo when we'll have to do it eventually anyway.

So, which is the better option? I really can't decide.

I would say move now. Sorry, it's probably not what you want to hear, but location, and ease of being able to get out and about with a baby are such important things. In time, you'll be able to find some nice Toddler Groups to go to (on foot), and make friends locally, and then you're sorted.

On a practical note, I'd also say it's easier to move when you have less stuff, toys etc. Small babies are very portable!

Similar position in that we always knew we’d have to move for schools. The question was the timing of it. I was the same in that I needed to go pretty much everywhere by car – it wasn’t out in the sticks but it was certainly on the edge of surburbia but the house was great. It wasn’t our dream house or dream location though (certainly not in the way yours sounds) so wasn’t desperate to stay. We knew however that our mortgage would double for a similar sized house in the new, preferred location.

We ended up waiting until children were about a year from starting school – we moved in the Christmas as they started school in the Sept. Number 3 arrived just as we moved. I am so happy in the new location. Love it. Love walking with the buggy, just mooching, made lots of effort because I knew we were staying – now have great friends / neighbours / more active social lives. Feel like we’ve put down roots. We are here until the youngest has finished school so the best part of 16/17 years at least. I feel settled. With the benefit of hindsight, we didn’t really make much effort in the old house/location because we always knew we were leaving.

Wish we’d have done it sooner.

The only advice is that you don’t know whats around the corner for the property market – do you know how long it would take you to sell? I also think if you’re going to move, it is generally quite easy to make friends with a new baby. Lots of mums will still be on maternity leave, lots of organised baby activities that kind of force you to chat / meet people. You will get that to a lesser extent when your child starts school, but new babies are a fab ice breaker! Good luck with whatever you decide!

Yeah I am leaning towards moving now, there's just nothing we like for the same price closer to town. I feel like we've been spoilt by this house! As for baby groups etc, that's one of the reasons I do the drive into town so often as that's where all the groups are.

It is really hard when you've had a lovely house, but its one of the shocks I think of parenting - good houses in the catchment of outstanding / well regarded schools come at a massive premium in most places.

The only advantage to staying put for now is that you can make a decision for schools in a couple of years time and buy a house accordingly.

However I really do think the housing market is likely to crash - so the decision is whether to try and sell and buy now whilst it's high or wait and buy and sell post/as it crashes...

I'd move now - it's nice to feel settled.

Have to disagree, I think there are pockets of housing that may crash (I am certainly no expert) but good housing stock around outstanding schools tends to stay relatively stable because (a) people tend to move less (they stay for the duration of the schooling) and (b) demand usually outstrips supply which tends to buck the trend for falling prices. I think in the last dip (2007/2008) my region as a whole had prices falling in some parts by upto about 30%. My LA (which is regarded as the best LEA for education in the country) only fell by about 6% and recovered very quickly. I think depending on your area, the possibility of a "crash" might not be a consideration. Have a look at sale prices in 2006/2007/2008/2008 compared to now and see how or even if it had much of an impact.

Unless you've done some work to this current house aren't you going to loose money if you sell now? Unless you know it has gone up a lot since you bought it you might be better off staying fir a while and move later. At least you do have a car and you could invite people out to you.

If interests rates just go up half a percent next year the property market will grind to a halt in most places

That's another thing, we wouldn't really lose out financially by moving again so soon as we got a good price for this house so would get back what we paid for it, plus we didn't have to pay stamp duty and estate agent fees as part of the deal (it was a new build). I think we're going to view a few houses in the new location and see what we think after that. If only we could pick this house up and plonk it down elsewhere!

I would probably move but think v carefully about catchment areas! Experience within my close family has been that being happy in a location makes up for some loss of space.
we have decided not to move out of town (most expensive place in england outside london) because our 'life' is based here and all my village friends complain abot long commutes and not being able to walk to shops etc.

Start the ball rolling -- do your research on schools and decide where you need to focus your search....taking you dc into baby groups and then going to pre school really will embed and enrich your life.

When you do your school research your priorities might change and if there is a big diff in the schools on offer you will probably think that you would be happy to live in a shoe box to give your dc the best education -- and the trade off - your current lovely house - wont look so shiny.

You say you never thought you could live in such an wonderful house -- just be grateful that you did have the chance to but know that it is location, location, location....