Moving from a nice two bed to a four bed semi detached

[ashley17leigh]

Hi ,

We currently live in Balham South West London - been here for five years ! Our toddler is 15 months old and space is starting to become an issue !

I absolutely love Balham it's very nappy valley , great links , great shops , great hip and trendy vibe, great schools and nurseries .

We have a place in morden that's been on rent - but as we need more space and price wise we would not be able to afford a four bed in balham with a decent size garden like we can in morden. The dilemma i have is as great as having more space and a garden i don't like the morden area . it's not up and coming - the high street doesn't even deserve a mention ! yes i'm a location snob
Does anyone know if morden has any good nurseries or schools ?
Im only contemplating this possible move if my toddler will still have access to a good nursery or school ! But worried we will miss out on the balham life which we will we're loving before covid happened !
Husband would prefer more space and a garden and isn't fused on area - but he has said once ten house goes back k on rent we can't move in ever again .
We could spend some of our savings to do the house up but we can't unfortunately change the area !
So small nice flat in great area or bigger space in a house plus garden in not so great area (however the road itself is a nice road ) ?!
please let me know your thoughts 😃
Thank you

Why not look at a different area? You don't have to go to Morden.

There are other places around that are up and coming - stretham for example, or Sydenham/ Penge way.

Is there no possibility of selling both properties and then buying a bigger place somewhere you do like? And why can you never move in to the place in Morden if you rent it out again? I think you probably need to do some more spending time in the area, maybe book to look around a few schools and nurseries, then you’ll get a feel for the area. I am sure there are some nice parts of Morden (I have been to the parks which are very nice) but it’s never going to be Balham. Have you considered selling the place in Morden and moving a bit further out of London to a smaller town?

I’m confused. Do you have 2 houses, a 2 bed and a rental? Why not just sell both and combine funds?

Do you have 2 houses? Is your DH saying you can't move back to Balham if you move out?

I would start off by decluttering your current house and really thinking about how much space you need and will need in the future. Are you thinking of having more children? If not, remember the large baby items like prams and playpens aren't forever.

Can you go into the loft of your current house?

Then you have to think about what is more important going forward, the location or the space? Do families tend to move out of the area when their children are young? Or do they stay? I live in a lovely area of a city with great transport links, great amenities and lovely vibe. But it is expensive and space is at a premium. My oldest is at primary school and most people I met when mine were babies have moved further out for more space, starting when their first were toddlers. I've stayed as I love it, but I'm one of the few. I've had to compromise on the house and garden, it has been worth it. You need to work out what is most important for you. Do you want to bring up your family in Balham, but with less space? Or is the space more important?

Consider that both Balham and Morden is in the South of Northern Line, why not choose a middle ground (decent house in decent place) like Colliers Wood?

but he has said once ten house goes back k on rent we can't move in ever again

I don’t really understand this-can you clarify? Do you own two properties-one flat and one house? What exactly is your husband saying here and why?

Why don't you move and try it and rent out the Balham flat?
Then decided in 12 months what to do eg sell both to buy closer to Balham