Moving to cheaper house that needs work

[Hopscotch88]

I moved house 3 years ago and hated it from day 1. The house itself is nice, but it has no parking and steps at the front and in 2 layers in the garden. I had a drive before that and just didn’t realise how much impact it would have.
I had hoped we could stay here for a few years and then move up the ladder when we could afford it.
Ive since developed a health condition that makes mobility more of an issue and it’s likely this will get worse not better and that I may end up remaining part time in work rather than going full time when my kids start school.

A house has come up for sale that is cheaper than what I think we could sell ours for, it has a drive, a garage and a flat garden. It’s similar in size to our current house but is detached and some in the street have extended. It’s also in a slightly better location. I think it’s cheaper because it needs a lot of modernising and because my current house has period features and this is an 80s estate house without the same charm.

it feels to me like there could be a lot of pros to this move but my husband is quite against the idea of moving sideways or even backwards to a cheaper house. He’s worried this is a poor financial decision in the long run and that we would end up moving again in a few years.

would be nice to hear anyone else’s thoughts!

Unless you’re able to do a lot of the work yourself, buying a doer upper in this climate is madness in my opinion - tradespeople command any price they like, and that’s if you can even get them to turn up x

Decorating is fine but new kitchen/bathroom could be very expensive.

If you are happy to live with dates but serviceable kitchen & bathroom then why not.

@Gettingonabitnow @RandomMess it’s just dated, definitely serviceable but not to my taste. Would be the plan to update it all eventually but not urgently. Definitely not planning to do it up quick/cheap to sell on.

It's detached
Should be better insulated & therefore cheaper to heat
No steps, driveway & you have mobility issues.

Get a good survey done and I think it's worth serious consideration.

Sounds like a bit of a no-brainer tbh. Accessibility, Parking, Detached.

No-one died because their kitchen was out of date.

How are you going to remove it yourself if you have a health condition that’s getting worse ?

Or how will you pay for someone else to renovate it when you only work PT and dont think you will be well enough to work FT?

@J0CASTA do you mean renovate? My health varies so I can do things on my good days and my husband is perfectly capable of getting plenty done. I thought it was clear from my OP that we can more than afford this house, we just expected that I would double my income by going full time and could take a much bigger mortgage in the future. I appreciate that many part time workers are low income, but I’m not.

my husband is quite against the idea of moving sideways or even backwards to a cheaper house.
Call it a 'bargain' instead of 'cheap' and he may change his view.
Location always wins. And you should sort out accessibility before it becomes a pressing problem.

Perhaps he hasn't accepted that an upward move may not happen due to your health?

You have hated your current house from day 1, it has no parking, and has an unlevel garden. New house is detached, better location, level garden, has its own driveway and parking and is cheaper. Sounds like the new house is going up the property ladder not sideways or down! I would definitely move.

I would reframe it for your DH.

An upward move isn't just about moving up to a house that's more expensive/bigger. An upward house is also about moving upwards to a house that has more desirable features - ie/accessible, detached, better location.

Once it's done up, it probably won't be cheaper than your current house (I'm assuming). A fixer-upper is a house that you can add value to especially if you're fairly hands on (as you say you are).

I would move. There's no joy in living in a house that you don't love. And for context, we've just bought a fixer-upper. It's in a dreadful state now cosmetically but it will be lovely when it's all done and has a wonderful garden and a spacious corner plot. I'm so excited about the possibilities that it holds.