Tuesday 3 September 2013

Viewings, Valuations and an Empty House

Today my two daughters returned to school, for Meggie now 14 a step up into year 10 and the serious start of her GCSE coursework years.  For Abigail, 11, her first proper day at the "Big School" into year 7.  I was so proud of both my girls this morning.  Proud of Abigail because I know although her tummy had lots of butterflies and she was so anxious about finding everything and coming home on the bus she got straight out of the car and headed off to find her friends.  Proud of Meggie because she was giving her sister lots of advice and encouragement and when they got out of the car the words "come on squirt"  were I think a big help.  Here they are in their new shirts looking very smart.
 
I had to swear not to put this on Facebook!  Well it isnt really, only in my blog. 
 
 
When Abigail was 5 and she started going to the village school we moved from our house in Burnham on Sea, out to the village of Berrow.  Now we are thinking of moving back into the town.  This house is lovely, in a lovely spot, close to the beach, nice garden, enough room but we are out of the way and you do need a car.  So today I have been to view a couple of town properties.  I never realised just how many little back streets and terraces there were in the town.  I saw one very lovely, large, old Victorian terrace house with lots of room, a smaller garden and a really cute attic room with a ladder up to it, not great for me to climb up and down but as its off one of the bedrooms I can just see the girls loving it for a den.  Then I went to see a "cottage" property tucked away at the back of a couple of rows of houses, beautifully renovated, BUT, the garden is overlooked by about five other houses and the closest I could park is about 30 yards away in the street that the pathway leads off from for the house.  I can just see having to not only fight for a parking space but offloading shopping and hauling it up the pathway to the cottage.  Upstairs there were two bedrooms and a lovely little bathroom under the eaves, downstairs an open plan lounge and kitchen and thats it.  A small porch but no other rooms. no workroom, no workspace.  Not big enough for all of us, just me yes but I have to consider the girls as well.
 
Do you know I drove home thinking how lovely my current house is and asking myself why do I really want to move?  My unsociable neighbour is one reason, he who bangs on walls violently if he feels the girls make too much noise.  Yet he who swears, shouts, screams and bangs doors in there when it suits him and are we expected to complain, no obviously we aren't.
 
Living right along the main road with the endless holiday traffic and fumes and noise is another, yet walk a few yards up that road and you are on the golf course and on the way to the most beautiful beach. 
 
We would be better off financially with a smaller mortgage and town properties are cheaper than out here in the village.  But then moving will be expensive but would release some equity from the property. 
 
I have a lot of thinking to do.  I have 3 agents coming out to value my property this week and will sit down then and decide which is the best way forward.

1 comment:

  1. You also have to consider how much time do you spend driving the girls around, and could they get to some of their activities/visit friends if they lived in town? Because of the catchment area of our rural secondary school, there is a 30 minute drive to drop my boys at a friend's house.
    Mind you I wouldn't really want to live in town again, but as we get older .....

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