Please help me decide whether to move or not...

[Flllightattendant]

I'll try and keep it short!

Here=

Detached
Largeish garden
No kitchen cupboards etc or flooring, so always looks a mess/building site, stuff everywhere
Very near my parents
Driveway for mum's car (we use every day for school)
Big enough house
A long way from any shops
Quietish but student noise some nights

There=

Terraced
Small courtyard, no lawn
Kitchen much nicer with cupboards
Beautiful atmosphere inside house, old wooden floors/inglenook etc
10 mins walk from parents
No driveway, no parking at all in fact, waiting list for permit (on street)
Bigger house
Right by the shops, for food etc
Right on the main road - so pub/student noise most nights I would imagine.

Both would need the car for school, or a bus.

What do we do?

What would make YOU and YOUR FAMILY happiest??

What about money? Can you afford to move?
And how to manage without kicthen cupboards (am intrigued!!)

Money is on the up, I have been working very hard at it and could afford to move now.

Plus I am maybe going to get DLA soon which means we can afford it fine. It is about 100 more a month than here, but ours is due to go up in the summer anyway.

Do agents raise rent every year? We are with a private landlord atm. so it is always quite cheap comparatively, but he wants to sell and doesn't like fixing things.

I have a smattering of free standing cupboards Dooley, but they don't do the job as well somehow - there are nop worktops either, God I miss worktops! We just have a table! It is a massive kitchen here (16x12) but the floor is bare concrete (yum, attractive) and it always feels messy.

Hi flight,

I think parking's gonna ruin your life 'there' if your dc's are small and you can't unload your shopping etc except miles down the road. Being terraced I feel self conscious over our kids' noise and would like more privacy in the garden. Also it's a pain dragging bikes through the house every time we cycle anywhere as there's no side return. A busy road will give you dust and dirt indoors unless it's double glazed, also maybe litter from passers by etc.

Anyway hth and I'll be watching to see anyone else's thoughts as we contemplate moving to somewhere less convenient but more spacious

yes I agree with curouscat about living in a terrace. I was always paranoid when the baby was screaming at night, when I had to raise my voice at ds, that the neighbours were phoned social services

And we had a little alleyway at the side but i had to take double puhchair out of the back door, leave it in alley whilst I took kids out of the front door and locked up. Was a bit of a 'mare. And hated the feeling of being watched when in the garden in the summer

Karen, that is the rub...I would love it, it is tidy and lovely and elegant, I wouldn't mind losing the garden as I hate being outside if I'm honest - cold in winter and too far from the phone/computer in summer!! (control freak here) so it is either me yelling 'Shut the door!' at ds, or sitting out there with him pretending to enjoy it.
I don't know how much he will need the garden as of now - he is nearly 5. Will he hate not having a lawn? I could fill it with plants, just no lawn.

The main thing worrying me is the possible noise/proximity to public street, it is pretty out of the way here, and the other place is right by a busy road with lots of people going past all the time. I think I might feel vulnerable.

plus nowhere to keep car...hmm. It is not looking good is it?

So lovely inside though...

It is terraced but it doesn't feel like much noise would come through. I have a very quiet baby, which is good, though I do shout at Ds1 Hmm that is a good point.
The patio bit isn't really overlooked I don't think...

Also there seems to be a side passage with a door/gate, for bikes (hadn't thought of bikes!)

It is fully double glazed. Secondary as the windows are old sash...tis Georgian

ooh difficult. Second house sounds much nicer inside (wooden floors, inglenook,AND kitchen cupboards!!). Being terraced wouldnt bother me, specially as being an older house will have thicker walls. Parking situation WOULD bother me though. Sounds a real pain. Does it have to be either /or? Is there nothing else that's a bit more of a compromise (ie some character, kitchen cupboards but somewhere to park too)??

Ooh tough one - some times you can talk yourself into what you think may make you happy...I for one would love to move back to the heart of the city (pre kids) but I know that I would only like it until the summer came and I could not open my door and let the brats children out....

Yes, I just found that thread about living right in town from the other day.

One thing that struck me was that I would not be able to let Ds play outside on his own. There is no safe place to play, the nearest is a park but it is frequented by homeless/drunk people and my friend found syringes there once.

I guess it would have to be temporary if we went there.

There was a great house we nearly got last month, it was walkable to school, up a hill with fields and in a cul de sac - perfect - but someone had 6 months rent in cash, so we lost it.

Very, very hard to get a place round here as we are on Housing benefit and nobody wants us.

I would have been able to let Ds play out alone at that one. He might be fine at this, as it is big inside, but somewhere he could go out alone would be better.

Do people let their 5 year olds out alone? Tbh I would find it hard to trust him yet, to be safe - he doesn't think, and if a stranger offered to show him a machine or electrical item he would just go with them