House Move Issue

Presently living in Co Kildare, husband only seven miles from work. We have three children at college in Dublin and I am a housewife. Our house is an a wonderful location and detached and my very fit elderly mother lives an another large detached house in same town. She would love to move to Dublin so we have been doing a lot of thinking.

Do you think it would be madness trying to sell two houses in present time. Just thought it would be a good idea as children love Dublin and we are paying a fortune for rented accommodation for them. If we moved we would want a house large enough to accommodate the five of us, my mother and two very large dogs. Any ideas or are we mad ? One son UCD, daughter Trinity and a son DCU.

Are you sure your children would want to move back in with Mammy and Daddy at their age? They'd be pretty unique college kids if they actually want to move back home...

Could your husband handle a pretty onerous commute twice daily (albeit going against the prevailing traffic)? What about wear and tear on your car - would he need a newer/better/bigger car? All of a sudden he'd be adding, what, two additional hours to his workday - could he deal with that?

Where would you move to in Dublin? You'd be leaving a lifetime's friends, neighbours, community and moving to a totally new environment.

Are you prepared for the fact that you will get far less house for your money than you currently enjoy? Could you handle leaving cheek by jowl with strangers given that you're used to the space and privacy you currently have? What about your dogs?

Just some ideas that came into my head - you should give this one a lot of thought. To quote the TV show - there may be no going back.

Its a hard decision to make as not a good time for selling and also the fact your husband is so near his place of work. What does he think? You sound like you love where you live so its not a decision quickly taken. Looking at the other side of it with children in college it would as you say save a lot of money but they won't always be in college and maybe not eventually even in Dublin when they finish. Personally I could'nt do it but then I'm further down the country.

hi flahers2.. just wondering if you've talked to the children about this? even if they are happy to move into a family home in Dublin, they may not be still living there in a couple of years if they are already college age (early twenties I assume). Can you see yourself based in Dublin in 5-10 years time without the children living at home? I am not saying it is their decision, but I think you would be mad to make such a move for temporary benefits

Another option might be.. to sell one house (if necessary/possible) and buy one in Dublin for the children to live together for now.. and then you can decide later where to base yourself

that said, I believe there is good value at the high end of the market in Dublin.. you would need to sell at least one of the houses in Kildare before you start looking IMHO.. maybe get some valuations?

Thanks for all info. Family would have no problem as they have lots of friends in Dublin and we have quite a few married friends there as well along with some of my husbands family. As I am an only child the issue of family is not there for me and there are a lot of cousins from my late dad's side living in South Dublin.

Of course we would be leaving other friend's and neighbours and a great home but will probably nhave to move out of here eventually as my extremely fit very elderly mam will eventually come to live with us and our house would not really be suitable for her. Not rushing anthing at present, just a thought.

It might be worth considering now with the market the way it is. You probably won't get fantastic prices for both your properties but you shouldn't have a problem getting good value for money in Dublin now. If your mother will be moving in eventually it would be better now than later as she will adjust more easily now than later.The issue of the kids staying you during their college days may not be a big deal but you might find it hard to get them out afterwards!

If your mother wants to move to Dublin at her time in life - let her.

I think she's mad to even consider it.

I think you'd be made to pander to her.

She has social networks and family support structures where she is.

Unless there is a pressing reason for you to move you have to make the best decision for your own family, not an aged relative.

Your life is now about launching your kids on their chosen careers.

Above all, you must cut your cloth according to your measure and realise that house prices may fall still further later this year with the earliest sign of any recovery probably next spring.

BTW have you had The Discussion with your husband about your Mum coming to stay?

As others have said, do your children feel that they would like to come live with you if you should move to Dublin? It might be that the house you need is in a location which is not very convenient for them - intra-Dublin transportation links aren't fantastic in places.

Secondly you can fairly reliably predict how long they will be in college - if their ages are staggered as in most families, then the rent bill will start to drop as the oldest leaves college and (with every hope) get themselves a job where they pay their own way. Within a few years, you might find yourself with a big house and no children to put in it.

Thirdly and assuming that your mother would like to live independently for as long as she can, the point at which she needs to come to live with you is impossible to predict. Hopefully she (and all of us) will be sound in mind and body to always live independently.

It just seems a bit illogical to move away from the attractive lifestyle you have at the moment, at a time when the buying and selling houses is in a state of high uncertainty, without a pressing need. Strikes me as well that selling your (similar sounding) houses in the same town at the same time may reduce the potential to maximise sale prices. With fewer buyers around and less money to spend, might you find yourselves competing for what business is out there?

Has your mother indicated that she would like to move regardless of what you decide? She might find renting in Dublin to try it out first is a better option as it gives her a get-out clause in case she finds that its not what she thought it would be. She could also rent her own house out in the meantime to minimise the cost.

What part of Dublin were you thinking of? Your fit elderly mother would still have to get a bus or Dart into town. Is it the theatre she likes or just generally is she a city person? A lot of people think oh Dublin would be great, but in reality you are living in a suburb somewhere, where you still have to travel.
From Kildare most of Dublin is accessible for things like theatre, shops, dinners out and socialising. If you and your husband and your mother are currently not frequentling Dublin city a lot of your time, then chances are you won't if you are actually living there either!
Sounds like what you are really saying is you want everyone to live together again in one big happy family home, isn't it? And you are trying to find a way to achieve that goal.