Help! Where should we move to?

[MamaChris]

we have seen two houses we like, can you help us decide which we should move to? We've been failing to make a decision for a week now, but have to move as my job has moved and I don't want to commute 1.5 hours when my maternity leave finishes in January.

property A is in a village, 3.5 miles from work (I can't drive), better layout, large garden, 50s semi, needs some work.

property B is in the town, 1.5 miles from work, near better shops and parks, small garden, not as good layout, 10 years old, needs no work.

We can probably get A for about 20-30k less than B. Both have the same sq footage, but B is in better condition although only A offers the chance to extend later.

Will we feed isolated in a village after London? We feel that A is the better house but B the better location. We're trying to make a list of pros and cons, can you suggest any headings we might have missed? Thanks!

[saggyhairyarse]

You say you are on maternity leave? Have you other children? Have you looked at schools? Might seem a long way off but will come round quickly!

[LIZS]

Unless you plan to learn to drive very soon B

[MamaChris]

thanks.

ds is first baby.

have been looking at schools, and primary schools pretty similar in each, though more multicultural near B. secondary school much better near A.

B near a surestart children's centre (we have lots of these in London, and I like them), A 3 miles away (from the same centre). That centre is near my work.

at B lots of our existing furniture just won't fit, so we will need to spend on new stuff.

at A, the kids play out in the street (which sounds lovely and safe compared to where we are now).

[LIZS]

but you have to think of the practicalities of getting you to work and baby to nursery (assuming there is a space) or childminder. sounds like B is a short term solution and perhaps A more long term, if you become more independently mobile.Our village has schools, pubs, small village store and PO but no doctor, dentist, bank, supermarket, nursery etc. It which is served by a regular bus service to the local town (with offices, shops, mainline station etc) a similar distance away but every so often they threaten to withdraw it so you cannot even rely on such as solution long term. If you are used to the amenities and convenience of London the village, although ostensibly idyllic, may well be too remote and isolating for your purposes.

[MamaChris]

that's my fear, LIZS. I'm dreading leaving london at all, tbh! But the village does have a health centre (no dentist), PO, playgroup (3-5 yrs, 9-11am) attached to primary school, 6 buses/hr into town (right now), a mainline station (2 trains/hr peak, 1/hr off peak) and an off road cycle path almost the whole way to work (I'm used to cycling further than that to work in London traffic). I think the village will be better schools for ds, a nicer place to grow up, better house, big garden for him to run about in. But potentially isolating for me and a bit, hmm, mono-cultural for want of a better phrase!

The town has the worse house (needs no work but not great layout and not possible to improve to make it more to our liking), more expensive, but nearer work/amenities/supermarket...

I'm going round in circles here!

Where did you live before the village LIZS? If it was a big city, how did you adjust?

[MamaChris]

1 indian, 1 chinese, 4 pubs (one does thai)

[LIZS]

We lived in a smaller town , with mainline station, library , Waitrose(!) etc within walking distance. Modern house with small garden (rather as you describe) in a close. I do miss the convenience but we chose a house on a main thoroughfare and with neighbours(rather than rural), much nearer the kids' school (previously was driving 25 mins each way). We now use two cars though.

[woodstock3]

could you learn to drive (not right now on mat leave but in future?). cos if in the longterm you might be driving i would say village...if not, B. living in the country does tend to mean an awful lot of driving especially when dcs older

[MamaMimi]

Choose whichever you think will work best for your circumstances right now - nothing stopping you making another move in the future if you decide you need to.

[zippitippitoes]

b sounds by fsr the easier option for now

easier to get tow work and a house that is ready to move into

later you can take on more work in renovation once kids are bigger and you have settled in the area and new job and learnt to drive

[MamaChris]

ok. we're still not decided. we're going to go up for a day and see if we can imagine life in the two areas. if we could take the better house and put it in the better location, we'd be sorted. but then fantasy land is always easier than reality