'Sell up, go traveling, just rent a room as a base' - or that was the plan...

[Keyryder]

So I finally decided to take the plunge and sell up (partly because I want to do some traveling). I love my home. But I recognised I was stagnating here.

Was planning on just renting a room somewhere for a while. But oh.my.gosh - one week left to go and I have messaged 35+ people about a room (seen hundreds of adds but many were just for students ect) over the last 2 months and only had 4 responses! 2 didn't suit me (and trust me, I was not being picky haha) and the other 2, i didn't suit them.

So, instead of an adventure, I'm now faced with a horror I never even imagined - moving back home with my parents, at 34 years old. In my childhood hometown, which, I hated and couldn't wait to leave. Adventure? More like a horror story!

Anyway, I just wondered if people thought it might pick up once the students stop looking for rooms? Any words of encouragement to help stop me freaking out that I've fucked my life up, more than welcome xD

I actually agree with this. Money & bricks and mortar aren't everything.

I'm a homeowner, finally, but did a lot of solo backpacking overseas in my 20s and 30s, and lived abroad for a number of years.

Yes, you come home skint but you have made new friends and have great memories for life. It's the best thing I've ever done. I don't regret any of my travels or the money spent on them (tens of thousands, probably).

And what's this about property prices going up while the OP is away? I thought they were coming down with a recession looming, and house prices tipped to fall by up to 30% in the coming years.

Not everyone makes money renting out their home. I'm considering this (to relocate but keep a foot in the London market) and I will only break even, unless I pay off a large chunk of the mortgage to bring down my soon-to-be rocketing repayments. Even if I do that I won't make much profit after paying letting agent fees, service and estate charges on my flat, and insurance, plus repair and maintenance costs. Then there is the fear of tenants not paying rent or trashing your flat.

I have a friend (now in her 80s) who divorced after 40 odd years of marriage, bought a caravan on the coast and lived in it from April to October and then went travelling cheaply to Asia. She doesn't own property and has a modest pension but she is the happiest and healthiest person of her age I know.

Another woman I know (in her 50s) sold her massive flat in an affluent area straight after the Brexit vote and went to live in a shared house instead, and travels more often - she is happy!

You will figure it out, OP. Do come back and tell us about your adventures, won't you?

PS. If I were you I would stash as much of your house sale cash as you can in a high interest account, as savings rates are finally improving.

If you like pets, look at Trusted Housesitters website. We put our stuff in storage, changed address to my in laws and house/pet sat in Australia. You don't get paid but it's free accommodation.