I'll try to keep this succinct!
We are in the process of a sale and purchase. Our purchase has gone to court for a force of sale order (acrimonious divorcing couple, could take weeks or could take months to complete, although the forced sale is very likely to be granted). We don't want to lose our buyer (an investor) as I've found the selling process, surveys etc very stressful. So we have today told our buyer that we will move into rented in order that we can complete the sale in 2-3 weeks and it all be over.
We are a family of 5 in a 2 up, 2 down mid-terrace. We have managed for 6 years but this last year has been hard, as our DD's have got older (and bigger) and because well, lockdowns! We have applied to rent a 4 bed house, albeit 4 miles away from schools/work, and are viewing it on Saturday.
Our buyer has come back to us and offered to rent our home back to us with a flexible contract meaning we can give a month's notice once we are either able to complete our purchase or find an alternative property. Our home can be a pressure cooker of stress at times, but financially it would be £400 a month cheaper than the 4 bed, we'd have minimal travel costs and no need for after school club for youngest DD. BUT it's Just. So. Small. It's also worth noting that there is a lot of work that needs doing roof/chimney-wise. Buyer knows about it as it was all on the survey but it is a big source of stress/worry for me, particularly in stormy weather, although I may not find it so stressful once financial responsibility is removed!
Should we accept the buyer's offer and hope we can move within a few months? Or, go for the bigger house because there is a chance that we may be renting for 12+ months and it's better to be comfortable even if it's a more expensive and less flexible option?
Gah, I hate adulting!