It's a midlife crisis, isn't it? :)

[yoikes]

Dh and I are 47...2 school age dc
We live in a nice detached 3 double bedroom house
2 receptions
Conservatory
Downstairs wc
Back garden and off - road parking
We have done a lot to it (mostly not through choice!) and redecorated throughout.
It was built in 1985. Bit boxy.
......
A house/cottage went up for sale last summer...3 beds, log burner, inglenook, farmhouse kitchen, huge garden with veg plot....
WHY do I keep obsessing over it on rightmove!!??
We have a fair amount of equity but it would still mean increasing our current borrowing over a longer term.
Ugh!!
Come on, tell me I'm being a dick :)

What’s the location like? Far from where you are now?

Why not go and have a look.

Veg plots take a lot of tending. Have you got dc?

Go and look at it. It amazes me how different properties are in Real Life compared to on Rightmove.

It might make you out this to bed once or for all or push you to take steps to move.

*put this to bed

yeah , go look and you'll know if its the one or not !

How much sooner could you retire if you stay put?

It's still local...arguably not as good a location as where we are now.

I have done more research! ...it was for sale in 2013 but wss taken off market/didn't sell.

The kitchen and bathrooms need re doing.

I'm being a mid life peri menopausal arse :)

After reading this thread, I wouldn’t.

It would mean basically doubling our borrowing and using all the equity we gave built up...

Our home is lovely.

What's WRONG with me????

How's your pension? Spend some time looking at your retirement planning and see if that puts you off increasing your mortgage and eating up your equity?

Or you might get it for a cheeky price because they want to sell it...

Honestly in your shoes I would definitely go and look...if only to rule it out.

Really???

Oooh

Some houses just pull at your heart strings. Go and look at it - there’s no harm in that.

Thank you all x

Go and look. If it means so much extra mortgage you will only think it worth it if it is perfect. Chances are it isn't as nice in the flesh as on Rightmove and you can move on. If it turns out it is just as amazing and more, you can do the proper thinking and sums

Is it the house or the fantasy lifestyle you imagine yourself living there? Because you could bring that lifestyle into your existing life (to a degree).

I’d consider not buying it and instead going on lots of lovely weekends away to rural idylls that’s you don’t have to maintain!

Go and see it, more than likely it won't be the dream cottage and you will be relived to go back to your lovely home.
Agree with pp about looking at your retirement plans when looking at extending your borrowing.

My first thought is that there has to be a reason it isn’t selling. When we were house hunting I was very wary of properties that had been on the market for months.

We are literally just doing this.moving tomorrow from our mortgage free v lovely house so I can have a garden and the 10 year mortgage that comes with it...and building work.

It is definitely a mid life crisis...but if it doesn’t work out we will sell and try again.

It’s just boredom OP no matter how nice your house is there is always another one that catches your eye, I have really noticed how estate agents pimp up the pictures these days and when you actually view the house the rooms always look small and far less vibrant! If you do like it you just have to decide if the financial implications are worth it, it does sound very lovely, hopefully though you will see a planning site notice for an incinerator next door when you view it!!

Thought I'd update you all and thank you again for your thoughts and advice...

It's currently under offer!

So. Not to be.

And pp make very good points! Dh is io for more weekends away so that's a result :)

X

Good luck cat

You’d be surprised what can happen

Anyway, I hope you find what you’re looking for, even if it takes a while to work out what that is. :)