Wanting to ask for experiences/advice/thoughts on moving. We've got three children aged 7, 4 and 1. We live in a gorgeous rural village. We've got plenty of family and friends here and kids are happy at school although I have definitely got issues with who they have to be friends with (not much choice and really naughty kids). Our little terrace is getting a bit small for us and so we've decided to look for a bigger house.
The second house we've viewed got us excited and we're now rushing to put our house on the market or borrow some money of in-laws if it looked like someone else might make an offer and be in a better position. What was yesterday massive excitement about this house is now big doubts. This house is a massive 4 bedroom semi-detached barn with a huge garden, greenhouse, sheds, an acre large paddock, massive drive etc. I could have ponies and hens and live a life I've always dreamed of. Kids are excited and so is husband.
BUT it is isolated and suddenly I'm not sure about the house. It's only a few minutes drive from our village but there's no neighbours apart from an elderly couple in the barn attached to it. Kids would have no friends nearby and would have to wait until they can safely cycle on the narrow country lanes before they could go and see their friends. Same with going to school and dance/football classes. They could cycle and it would only take them maybe 15 minutes but it would be years before they'd be ready to do that. Also both me and my daughter are mega sociable. We thrive of having loads of friends. Would we be miserable there even though we'd both love to be surrounded by nature and animals.
Also the house seems maybe a bit boring. Rooms are massive, there's lots of big windows everywhere with gorgeous views but the layout is a bit boring. Just rectangular rooms next to each other. I'm thinking I'd maybe like something a bit more quirky or open plan. We'd have a really big mortgage so don't want to make the wrong decision. It's such a gorgeous house and I don't know whether we'd find something like this again with the large gardens, paddocks etc.
Should I take the risk and leap? Or sell our house first and maybe rent until we find something in one of the villages around here that we like where we'd be part of the village life and kids might have more friends? But what if there'll never be anything as good? We might find lovely houses but without land to keep animals.