To move or not to move...WWYD?

[champagneplanet]

Been having an argument with ourselves for a while now as to whether we should stay where we are or move on, this is the background...

Currently in our first home, been here 11 years, gutted the house and did it up before we moved in. 3 bed semi, me, DH and DD. Mortgage is very easily manageable, both work full time, could cover it with one wage if anything was to happen. We are happy here, neighbours are great, school is good, very close to both sets of GPs for childcare.

The problem is we can't extend without it becoming ridiculously expensive (we have the shared drain and it would need to be moved to the back of the garden which is built on a slope). If we were to extend I doubt we'd ever get the money back if we ever did sell.

Looking around the houses that are for sale that we would think about living in would mean doubling the mortgage but we would have to compromise on upstairs space (would be happy to do for move downstairs space) but have one shared driveway (at the moment we have a run in at the front for two cars). Moving would mean big compromises for not much more space.

So we're in a bit of a quandary. We talk about extending, then say we're going to move while we can afford it but the crux of the matter is we're happy here. Can anyone offer any insight/experiences?

Location, location, location. You like the area you live in. you could move to an equally nice area, but find that you just don't have such great neighbours.

If there's a way to do a utility & conservatory on the back that could make your living space a lot more flexible without having to move the drains.

And if you're not planning to move for years, then it doesn't really matter whether you get your money back. Think of it as cheaper than having to pay to go out every weekend because you don't have enough space. Add up how much, over 10 years, soft play, coffees, a trip to town/cinema etc would cost if you doubled how often you go. Having a nice house to stay home in, with neighbours the kids can play with, can be a very cheap and fun alternative.

Thanks all, we really are happy here, I just need to reorganise the space and look into the possibility of extending.

As you have all pointed it the costs associated with moving are more than just extra mortgage, I'll keep that in the forefront of my mind!