House purchase

[SunnyApricot]

Hi all, I’m in need of some advice and opinions.

I have been looking to move house for a long time. Husband has a long commute so we wanted to reduce this without adding too much to my commute. We will also need to apply for primary schools this autumn.

We are half way through buying a dream house in a mediocre area. It only knocks a little off dh commute but it doesn’t add to mine and it really is our dream house. The issue is that the local high school is dire. We have a back up plan though - we can hope we get into a feeder primary for an excellent high school further away (50/50 chance based on previous years) or go to church (I went throughout my childhood but stopped going as an adult).

We’re thinking of pulling out of the purchase to get into the definite catchment of a good high school. To do this we’d have to move to another area which would be a nicer area for kids to grow up but it would make my commute difficult. How will we pick up kids from school if we’ve both got difficult commutes? We really want kids to go to a good school though.

If we pull out we really need to do it now as I don’t want to string anyone along any further

sorry for the essay. Thanks for your help

How far along the purchase are you?

You say it's your ideal house but in a mediocre area. How much extra would that house cost in your ideal area?

Schooling can change rapidly. Where I grew up the high school closest to me went from terrible to very good in a few years under a new headteacher.

Don't underestimate a terrible commute. I went from a 15 minute commute to a 20 minute commute when I changed jobs but when there was an accident / delays it took me well over an hour sometimes.

Ultimately it's up to you but things can change over time, especially with schooling. Personally i would go for my ideal house I love every time.

Ive just reread and it says halfway, but thats subjective. If searches etc have been done you're more than halfway as after searches its a matter of weeks

schools change constantly. Literally in a couple of years your fabulous school
will be the dire one. Stick to you dream house

In our area a feeder primary school has no affect on getting offered a place at secondary. All the usual rules apply. You don’t sound that enthusiastic about the location, so I guess it depends how important that is to you. But life with a difficult commute sounds very stressful too. Is it worth hanging on a bit?

Thanks all,

there isn’t really an ideal area as the better areas come with worse commutes. If the house we are buying was in a better area it would be completely unaffordable. The area it’s in isn’t bad it’s just a bit meh and the school is bad.

How old are your children? If it's a while till they go to high school there is just no way of predicting what the local school will be like then. Also no way of being sure of getting into a better school even if you move. I would stick with the house you a buying if I'm honest, it seems like it ticks lots of boxes for you.

How old are your DC? When DD went to local comp it was 'excellent'. Six years later it 'requires improvement'. Same Head. Things can change.

One thing that's worth checking is if there's a local public or school bus that goes close to another school. Obviously things can change, but worth considering.