What would make a move worthwhile for you?

[Clarehandaust]

I’m weighing up a lot of options at the moment. We lost out on a house in a street that we really liked before buying this one.
This house has been a lot more work than I anticipated and we’ve spent more on it than I planned but that’s okay because I’ve enjoyed living here and it was better than the alternative.
A house in that street has popped up again.
It has an extra bedroom, but actually the reality of it is because it has a downstairs bathroom, It’s about even.
The big big difference in the house that I’m looking at rather than the one we currently live in.
Is the garden.
I never really realised how much I appreciate having outdoor space, Privacy and room for my animals.

But is it actually worth all the upheaval for a almost same again House just with a better garden?
I strongly suspect this is a question. Only I can answer but I would welcome other people’s thoughts please.

Oh gosh yes. I couldn’t stand to be overlooked personally so it would be a big reason I’d want to move.

But the downstairs bathroom I wouldn’t like 🤷‍♀️

Downstairs bathroom could be moved upstairs, but then I’m really not gaining any bedrooms 😂
arghhhh

I have lived with a downstairs bathroom for 30 years because I didn't want to lose a bedroom and because of the garden. You will get used to it.

I was thinking that, and if I could squeeze an upstairs toilet in as I kind of en suit that would work

I think I’d want the private garden more than being bothered about the bathroom, as it can be moved as you say and it actually might not be that bad to live with.

Our garden is completely private (detached house) and the one thing I say to dh is that il never go back to an overlooked garden/attached house. I think that’s the non-negotiable for me along with the area. Other things can be changed/adapted to.

What is the stamp duty situation? Depending on where in the country you are it could be next to nothing or 10-20k. That would inform my decision - can you "upgrade" your outside space to make it more livable/to your taste with the money you would be giving away? Or are you near to any green space/parks instead? What do you want to do in your garden that you cannot do currently? (And can you make it happen with fencing/planting large bushes etc if you want more privacy?)

Maybe try and move and if it doesn’t work then stay where you are for the time being. The house may sell before you can sell yours. It’s not a move now or never decision I don’t think.

Hi OP.
From reading your post I feel you have been hankering after that particular road, and now a house is available. It’s the street not this property that is important to you. You are, as you say, happy where you are.

From my perspective, if you are thinking of moving, it’s got to be so much better than ‘equal to’ to justify the moving costs. Why not start viewing other properties in other roads and slightly different town/villages(not sure where you are but i certain you can still keep your network in place). View (in person not online) other properties, and the one that has come up, and take a view on what actually works for you.

also make a list of ‘nice to have’ , ‘must have/deal breaker’ and ‘don’t want’ to help you define what’s for you. The list may change the more properties you view.
By the fact you are asking I think you know the one that has come up isn’t ’the one’ you are just so tempted by the street.

How much better is the garden? If your existing garden is tiny/overlooked on all 3 sides, and the new one is massive and completely private, then it might be worth it. But not if the new garden is just a bit bigger/only overlooked by one property. That’s assuming everything else in the house is completely equal (apart from the bathroom/extra bedroom thing). If you’ve spent a lot on your house, was it on decor or things like new windows, wiring, kitchen, boiler etc? And if so, would you need to start again with some of those things in the new house?

I wouldn't move for that. It's so expensive. Can you keep waiting for a house with a better bedroom and garden situation (or just make peace with staying where you are)?

As someone who is having to now install a downstairs bathroom due to unexpected mobility problems, I'd definitely make the move if it feels good

I didn't realise how much I would need that downstairs bathroom

It would be 150% better garden the one that I’m in at the moment is overlooked on three sides. There’s no privacy whatsoever.
Next Door is an arsehole. I’m sorry but she is. She won’t do any improve improvements to her property which makes mine look rubbish.
Think overgrown garden damaged brickwork etc
I don’t exactly regret buying this one because there wasn’t a lot else on the market in our price range at the time
in terms of costs I would be looking at £1500 in stamp duty so buttons really
Obviously, I wouldn’t get back what I paid for this house. I don’t think in terms of the money I’ve spent.
But equally, I would only be paying another 20,000 for the other house
Of course it would’ve been better to have done that in the first place, but it just wasn’t optional available at the time

We're in a similar situation @Clarehandaust. We bought our current house (a three bed semi-detached Georgian cottage) in 2024, having lost out on a four bed link detached Georgian cottage just around the corner. I didn't like this one from the get go but DH persuaded me to go for it.

Both needed loads of work (ours hadn't been touched since around 1970, the other had been let out for decades), but the larger one had a nicer feel and is in a far better position, overlooking a pretty square.

I said to DH I'd only agree to buying this place on the understanding that when we'd finished the (mostly DIY) renovations, we'd look at moving to something more like the other cottage.

Ours is not quite finished, but now my preferred cottage has come back onto the market, having had a bit of work done (much of which hasn't improved it - inappropriate damp-proofing, original chimney removal, cheap bathrooms installed, awful shiny grey carpets fitted...plus they've left the manky old kitchen in place). If ours was finished I'd still buy the other one - but DH now wants to stay here 🙄

The cottages are all different and that's the only one I'd want to buy/sell up for in our area, but I'm still thinking we'll sell if something suitable outside the area comes up when we're ready. I just need to persuade DH. However, having done several major renovations, I don't want another huge project like this one was!

Where we are fortunate, is that our garden is totally private - it's not overlooked by any surrounding houses - which I agree is so important (we came from 0.5 acre in a cheaper location to a courtyard!) and our walls are very thick so on our attached side we hear nothing.

For me, any new house would need to be - a bit larger, have a bigger garden, in a prettier location (we're in the same conservation area as the cottage we missed out on, but less nice street), have more original features, preferably detached (as our previous few houses were).

However, in your case, I'm not sure that moving to somewhere where the only real advantage was a non-overlooked garden would be sufficient to persuade me.....

No brainer, move for the garden. There is so much pleasure to be had from a nice garden, ours is good but overlooked and I dislike that bit of it a lot.
If you can afford the move and you're aware of the cons then go for it. FWIW we nearly didn't look at a property with a downstairs bathroom. We bought it in the end and so glad we did, you get used to to it. :) For all the talk of 'how much' what does it matter if you're viewing it as a long term move, it's your home more than your investment. :)

It is true what you say about home versus investment, however, if I wanted to move house in my area I would be looking at paying upwards of 150k in stamp duty alone just to get things that many take as given such as off road parking, a utility room, slightly bigger garden and 4 bedrooms not from a loft conversion. This is in zone 6 in SW London, so yes, as much as I would love those things, I can also spend what I would have spent on stamp duty to make changes to my current house. It would be years of "enjoyment" to make moving make financial sense, and I would be paying a higher mortgage for longer (plus be down around 200k in savings [that I dont have] to pay for taxes) which wouldnt be that enjoyable.

In the OPs situation, it sounds like she is in a much cheaper area so she can move without thinking too deeply about the numbers and costs involved. However that said, as someone else has pointed out, is it the street you want rather than the actual house? If so, can you register with local agents, discuss your situation as they will likely have more properties later in the month? You may need to show that you are serious about selling your place though too.

Also neighbours change. For all you know your neighbours in the next house might be worse, just in a non obvious way.

I know what you mean but with my neighbours it’s quite an unusual situation in that because it’s a mid terrace. I’m more affected by her than I would be in this different house because it’s an end terrace at least that way I’ve only got a cope with one set of potential arseholes.
I am very much talking myself into a viewing at this stage.
There’s a few little ducks that need to lineup before I could definitely move but it seems positive.
And I think people are right the 20 grand isn’t much to spend for having a nice garden

How much will it cost to move plus any extra cost of house?
I love a decent garden!
I grew up with a downstairs bathroom and tbh they are a pita but you get used to it and its common in victorian terrace houses.
You are right its a question that onky you can answer!
If it was going to be a long term home and I would be happier there and could afford it then id go for it.
If its short term only then you may lose money with moving costs etc so may not be worth it.

I think we would be in that house for at least 20 years, Probably longer and that’s why I suppose I really want to get this right because I really can’t face doing this again.
Costs wise to go for a bigger house with parking nice garden, Upstairs bathroom etc. I’d be looking at a jump of about 60-80 grand.
Which is not insurmountable it is doable but it’ll just take me a bit longer to save it up.
This one all in I think would cost me 25 to move
It definitely doesn’t tick every box and sits in the middle of what I would want versus what I have.
But if I did make the move, I wouldn’t go for the next rung up the ladder. I would just stay at the halfway point.
If that makes sense ?

I'm only going to say this once cos it's a chance I can't miss out on. "What price happiness"?

There's (nearly) always going to be a compromise or two to be made when buying a house, it's down to you to decide. :)

If its still not perfect and the next move up isnt insurmountable but would require a bit more saving (or 35k -55k more than than the half move up!) Then I think Id hold off and try and do the cheaper end of a whole move up.
Probably a heart over head decision really!
How much happier would a better garden make you? How much would downstairs bathroom inconvenience you?
Do you need a third bedroom? Or rather have 2 beds and an upstairs bathroom?

For us the stamp duty mean that the cost of moving is very high (we have a house in London) so we bought this place planning to stay until dcs have finished education. You don't mention dcs and schools but that would also be a factor for us - moving schools or having to travel further would be a negative. Personally I hated moving house and found it stressful so wouldn't want to do it any more often than absolutely necessary.

For us a garden isn't hugely important, our dcs tend to be out visiting places in the day and don't play in it after dark, so it only gets used sometimes in the summer. We never sit in it or eat there so we'd never benefit from a bigger garden. But obviously it's important to you for different reasons.