Stay where we are and mortgage free early or move in 5-10 years

Oceanic815__

We currently have a home which is lovely, however there are about 3 factors that I was unable to attain (2) and (1) I didn't even consider unfortunately

The drive is small, there is enough private parking for 2 cars, it's not a long drive, it's wide enough and a bit longer than a big SUV. - remedy - add more paving to front garden to create 3 spaces.

The garden is not big (new build). It is 12m by 10m. It is a nice square shape, it is flat and level. It is a private garden with half of it brick wall (7ft). There is only 1 house next to me asI have a corner plot and detached. Remedy - extend boundary to include my side garden, which would give me 3/4feet width and around 45ft length (pending planning permission).

This is the one I am fixated on at the moment. The location is fine, the area is good, schools arent too bad, we are a 2 minute walk from a woodland park, we are quite detached from other estates, our road is quiet, not congested. (Builders remain until 2027) However, we are close to a motorway (some houses are literally adjacent) we are a while road away from it. But I can hear the cars, as in when I am in the garden and a bit louder when out on the front.

Remedy - well there isnt one. Maybe I could plant evergreens in my garden and front garden?

My fenced areas in the garden I could fill in the gaps and maybe get some acoustic or planting on them.

The only other external thing is that they are still building quite a lot of houses closer to the main dual carriageway and that would put a lot of houses in the way of the noise coming to my house. But I dont know how that would help?

Any other ideas?

Summary: I do feel like I am overly fixated at the moment which makes everything worse and I am not focusing on the positives(around 2 weeks ago I was buzzing about the house). We have been in for around 4 months. It is a nice energy efficient detached 4 bed home with big rooms, big bathroom, plenty of storage, nice decent lounge bay window, massive kitchen diner utility and downstairs toilet, nice french doors, block paving, big landing and hallway, corner plot so it feels more private as only 3 houses beside me and a road separating me from the otherssl. Neighbours are nice, it's quiet, right next to a woodland park, still central for commuting, nice integral garage.

We paid £290,000 (north England) and got every appliance included,turfed gardens and full flooring throughout (new build).

I would like everyone's opinion;

Do I suck up the factors, enjoy this home and make a family (just me and my wife, she ain't bothered, she loves it) and overpay my mortgage so that I can be mortgage free at around 52

Or

Do I just see how it goes and maybe check how much the house is worth in about 5 or so years, and if it is affordable, sell this on and buy another house that meets those factors I mentioned which I believe would mean I probably wouldn't be mortgage free until maybe around 57-60

Or

Do I need to forget about it? And just see how I feel in about 6 months?


For context, we are 75%LTV, owe 219000, overpaying by £250 a month, bringing mortgage down 12 years as it stands from 35, we are both 29 years old. 

horsewithnoname

Noise is something some people can get used to, so I’d certainly give it a good shot. There are things as you suggest that can minimise sound, so give it chance? 

If it absolutely makes you miserable and drives you to distraction then I’d say move, some people are more sensitive to noise than others.  But certainly give it a chance before any rash decision. Moving is a pain in the bum. 

After living in the suburbs all my life I find total quiet weird 😁

EssexHebridean

Overpay the mortgage while you think about your next move, whatever! 

dinosaur66

i live in essex but i travel up and down the country / my mother is in north ayrshire and stop off and stay at all the towns A1 / M6 / M74 . i am also a landlord/property investor of many years so always looking at housing .

your house/area sounds nice-i have a property in scotland that i totally love because of woodland on my doorstep /

at 29 to have a 4 bedroom house is very unusual nowdays / the houses being built near you when built ,there ambient noise will partially block motorway noise / i also like the idea of the motorway so close i am guessing you have a junction point allowing you to go north and south very close and get to all the surrounding towns so easily .

houses are compromises/ my brother lived in a indentical property to your current one / his wife loved it but he wanted

more parking /more prestigous house and spent 7 figures on a new house and now has a big mortgage at 57 when he was mortgage free and has to spend  hours every week just to maintain his ornate 1 acre garden and has spent thousands on property maintenece and tells me he is going to downsize again when he retires.

mortgage free i assure you is a huge weight of your back and allows you to take /breaks/not worry about bills /save for retirement / basically takes stress out of life and while i am not sure of your location property likes yours doubles every 15 years 

back garden / i like everything artifical so no maintenece but that me but as you say new builds or anything built 1990 onwards have your size garden or smaller / only thing i would do with a bigger garden is build myself a large 30 to 40 foot workshop/boys room /

car parking if you can leave your front walls/front garden the way it is and just have to move 1 car to let the other one out its a compromise but i have done that for years and would rather do that than spoil the look of the front of my property.

so unless you are going to completely upscale by 300k IMO not worth moving from what you have.

born_again

Given you mention new build. Can you pave over the garden?
As many have restrictions on doing such. May also require panning permission depending on size of area & just what type of paving used.

RelievedSheff

Just give the property time. You have not been there long.

Keep overpaying the mortgage and in 6 or 12 months time have a re-evaluation of what is important to you.

You will probably find that the things you are worrying about now and nine issues further down the line.

youth_leader

I've just bought my friend some wireless Sony headphones in the Black Friday deal at John Lewis, the WH-520. 

Would you consider using them in the garden?  They are very light apparently, not arrived yet.  I've got some for me too as my gardening outside is ruined by an elderly couple a few doors away locking their collie puppy outside all the time, just so cruel.  He barks every time he hears my patio doors squeak. 

Herzlos

Oceanic815__ said:

This is the one I am fixated on at the moment. The location is fine, the area is good, schools arent too bad, we are a 2 minute walk from a woodland park, we are quite detached from other estates, our road is quiet, not congested. (Builders remain until 2027) However, we are close to a motorway (some houses are literally adjacent) we are a while road away from it. But I can hear the cars, as in when I am in the garden and a bit louder when out on the front.

Since this must be the... 5th? post about the house and motorway it certainly seems like it's a big deal to you.

Ultimately it's up to you whether you'll be able to tolerate it or not.

As you said, all you could do is screen it. But how loud is it? Like, you're aware it's there or it's actually interfering with your life?

just me and my wife, she ain't bothered, she loves it) and overpay my mortgage so that I can be mortgage free at around 52

This makes me think it's  not actually that bad, and that you'll stop noticing it soon. It's only been 4 months.

It's also worth noting that unless you live somewhere really remote you'll hear *something*.

As to selling; it'll look pretty bad if you're selling so quickly, and the buyer will know because they'll look up the house price.

12mx10 is a pretty decent sized garden too, especially for a new build. It's double the new build gardens here.

You may as well overpay now so that you're in a better position in 5 years. As long as you have some cash available for the logistics/fees part of moving, any overpayment will mean less borrowing later.

BrilliantButScary

What is actually worrying you?, as I cannot tell from your posts. Do you need the changes to the property that you have spoken about, and can you afford them?
What is the motivation? Do you think it would make you like the property better, or are you trying to 'keep up with the joneses' ?

I would agree with a previous poster that there is nothing better than being mortgage free. It enabled me to go to university and change careers in my 40's. We bought a home, rather than a house and have stayed in it. We both retired at 60, because we could afford to. I am not saying this is the right way, but it was our way.

Everyone has different aspirations, however I would make sure both yourself and your wife have the same goals. Have you discussed your feelings about the house with her?  Are you both thinking about promotions? Have you thought about the costs and availability of childcare? Does one of you have better career prospects than the other?

You are in a good position, you are both in employment and hopefully are both paying into pension schemes, which I presume are defined benefit ones. Life has a habit of throwing things at you, you can plan all you like, you also need some luck along the way.

I wish you the best of luck, whatever you choose to do.