Why do people move and for how much?

AnnaBeth

Apologies if this sort of thread is already out there, feel free to direct me to it if that's the case.

DH and I are considering moving from a 4 bed terrace to a 4 bed detached. Mortgage increase would be 100k. We currently live in a small town in a nice area with perfect neighbours except one side of our shared wall! Loud music at night however may have stopped after letter through letterbox.

The house we are looking at is in a village very near to mum and dad. it has a bigger garden than current house, it has its 4th bedroom downstairs that would be converted into a study, currently our smallest bedroom is a study. It has an odd WC leading to a garage internal door. We currently don't have room for a tumble dryer or dishwasher without serious moving around and wouldn't be able to have both in any case.

The financial stretch is affordable but I want to understand the motivation behind this sort of move as you can tell i'm undecided .....

Bossworld

With the greatest of respect, I'm not sure we can tell you why you want to move?

If the benefits for you (seemingly more space for a starter) outweigh the negatives (cost) then it's probably worth considering.

Also if you've put a letter through the letterbox, you may have to declare that as part of a dispute? Someone else will hopefully be able to clarify that point.

csgohan4

Bossworld wrote: »

With the greatest of respect, I'm not sure we can tell you why you want to move?

If the benefits for you (seemingly more space for a starter) outweigh the negatives (cost) then it's probably worth considering.

Also if you've put a letter through the letterbox, you may have to declare that as part of a dispute? Someone else will hopefully be able to clarify that point.

I thought only official complaints must be declared, I.e. Police, council

PasturesNew

You need to make a written list of for/against. Write each item on separate bits of paper then spread them out on the table and move them about so you can contrast/compare.

Why people move is different in every case.

Why did you think it a good idea in the first place?
Does the house fix that issue?
In moving, have you compromised on something that'll niggle you?

warehouse

From what you've written I'm finding it hard to present a case NOT to move.

Davesnave

If you complain to a neighbour in person or via a letter through the letterbox and the problem stops, it's resolved. Nothing to declare.

The reasons why people move are legion, and there's always a risk, no matter how much someone pays, that they end up less happy in a new property. It's difficult imagining what day to day living will be like in a new house, as one set of irritations can easily be replaced by others.

For a while, we sold-up and and rented a large, detached house in a highly respected cul de sac, which we couldn't have afforded, considering work it required. It was valued around £100k more than our old place. On paper, and by reputation, it was a 'better' place to live.

However, far from being a step up, it was noisier and less private than our semi-dee, and the relationships in the street among the residents were almost non-existent. It was not what we'd have called a happy place to live.

That experience taught us that there's more to house purchase than a good address and 4 walls of your own!

MistyZ

Sometimes people move to give themselves a shake-up. It's an expensive kick up the backside though.

Ithaca

Last year we added £200k onto our mortgage (£150k to £350k) and moved from a 2-bed terrace in the town centre into a 4-bed detached on the outskirts of our town. We miss our old neighbours and the easy walk into town, but having the extra space has transformed our lives for the better.

Having room in the garage for a tumble-dryer is brilliant especially in the winter (no more damp drying racks all over the place), not hearing neighbours through the walls (as well as not worrying about our kids making too much noise inside) has made a bigger difference than I thought. Our garden is three times the size, we have a massive loft to store things in (Xmas decorations etc), I can chuck the bikes in the garage and forget about them rather than spending 15 mins clearing space in the shed for them. We feel like we have space to breathe and just don't feel as cramped as we were before.

Financially it's been a huge hit, but for us it's been 100% worth it so far.

Cakeguts

A 3 bed house with a room downstairs called a bedroom is a 3 bed house with an extra living room downstairs. A 3 bed detached house will be cheaper than a 4 bed house in the same area. I would suggest that you make sure that you are not paying the price for a 4 bed house when what you are actually buying is only a 3 bed. Not everyone is fooled by extra living rooms/studies being called bedrooms.

mrpickled

You will never find the perfect house regardless of price. Needs some serious consideration.

pjcox2005

I think the key is working out what the opportunity cost is rather than simply saying £100k?


Is that having to work for 5 more years.. if so are you happy that's worth it to live in a bigger place.


Or is it just that you'd have to cut back slightly on how much you spend on holiday which would be a much more marginal impact etc