A spanner has been thrown into the works.
As desperate as I am to buy a house -- it seems that right now, it is just not the right move (excuse the pun). Me and my boyfriend are not 100% about buying in Manchester any more because our careers could have us moving somewhere else sooner than expected, so buying just doesn't make sense. Especially when the reason I want to buy a house is so I can knock down walls, expand and re-decorate from top to toe and make a home for us. Not so we are tied down to a mortgage for X amount of years and lose out on job opportunities.
So, because staying where we currently live is JUST. NOT. AN. OPTION. we are moving out towards the end of summer to a rented property in Manchester instead. For fear of sounding ungrateful I'd like to point out that our current rented property is a delight, however spending 3 hours a day commuting is wearing me down. So whilst we are in a position where we can up sticks and move easy enough, I am grabbing the opportunity with both hands.
So, this brings me to a wonderful little dilemma... do we move to an apartment or a house? (a great dilemma to have I know).
The idea of an apartment appeals to me. We are young, free twenty somethings with the idea that living in a modern apartment before we settle down properly needs to be done.
Then on the flip side, we already live in a house and a want a bigger one. And unless this apartment is huge, is seems we are only going to be down-sizing which isn't what we had in mind.
And with this, I put together a list of things we really need to consider, as does anyone before moving. It sounds like a really good idea in theory but what about...
Space: We want 3 bedrooms. And most people look at us like... THREE? WHY? YOU HAVE NO KIDS?... *rolls eyes* AND? Okay so because we don't want kids young. Because the idea of a walk in wardrobe, a super cute office and a games room is WAY more appealing to us means we have to listen to people who still live with their parents yet tell us we are ridiculous... *Yawn*
Seriously though, we currently have 2 decent sized bedrooms in our home but we have people stay over a lot and it would be so nice to have a room just for them. Then one for my office (I work from home regularly) so I can have all my stuff organised properly. The games room might just have to wait...
Noise: Before me and my boyfriend moved in together I lived in a little flat. It was beautiful and I loved it. However, the occasional screaming match between the neighbours above me really drove me crazy. Like no one cares if you spoke to your ex girlfriend, last Tuesday and asked her on a date... except your current girlfriend. Yeah. She's reallll mad.
Joking aside, the thought of moving to an apartment, with the paper thin walls really puts me off. As does the communal washing machine. WHY DO YOU NOT TIME WHEN YOUR CLOTHES WILL BE DONE? WHY? It's been 3 hours, your clothes were done 2 hours ago and they are still there. And no, I am not taking them out for you, especially as it's your 'delicates'. That's gross, GROSS! So why did you feel the need to touch mine? Twice. We saw you. Twice. EW.
Location: Oh this is the biggie. My Uncle Simon gave me some really great advice. "Who cares how nice your house is on the inside if you're too afraid to ever go outside your front door. It's all about location. location. location and don't you forget it." And it's so true. This changed our way of thinking and made us more inclined to spend that bit more each month to live in a better area that we enjoy coming home to, taking longs walks over the weekend and generally feeling safe.
Bad things happen everywhere but a nice area with nice neighbours, good transport links and of course within easy reach of work (goodbye rush hour) can really make you love your home that bit more. Again I would like to point out our current area is great for us. It's quiet (we live in a cul-de-sac) and is easy for transport, you know if I worked nearby (but I don't, obviously. Because that would be too easy).
Expense: We've had to up our renting game moving over to Manchester. Our budget has had to extend up to £250 more than we are paying now. But, we pay this much in petrol as it is. So it makes sense for us, especially as we still want a garden plus an extra bedroom (I'm hoping for an en-suite too but don't want to push my luck) to put the money towards the house instead.
I would highly advise anyone moving out to save up at least a month's worth of bills extra on top of everything else, if not more. Extra things pop up that need paying for when you least expect it and having that extra cash will really take the stress of your finances away. Okay, so not completely away but it will certainly help. It is all great moving out, being independent and enjoying your new home but make it easy on yourself. You deserve to enjoy where you live, wherever that may be.
So, what do you guys think? Apartment or House? It seems like I'm swaying more towards moving into another house, but I could change my mind by tomorrow. Let me know your thoughts!
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