We live in your stereotypical seaside town. Golden sands, a bustling Promenade, fish & chips on tap, plenty of unsuspecting dogs for John to chase across the sand...
I grew up in a similar town. In fact, you can see the very town where I grew up by simply looking along the coast of our current location. I feel at peace here. I feel like I'm home.
But there's no denying that space is limited. Currently we've in a beautiful two bedroom flat, perfect for all our needs. I'm even confident we'll be OK come November with an extra little body. But what about in future? Will we always be happy in just a flat? Will our kids mind sharing a room & a garden? Particularly in a house we don't even own? I think I'd be ignorant to say yes. As families grow, so does their world. Cue the dilemma of accommodation vs. location.
I love our little town. I see my kids going to school here, I picture Saturday morning football practice just along the road, summer holidays playing on the shore... But when will accommodation overtake location in the living stakes? The issue arises due to our town being filled with flats and £200,000+ houses, and little else housing in between. Don't get me wrong, flats are great but when it comes to family, houses are better. And as much as I may dream of one day owning one of the beautiful Victorian Terraces that are just a stones throw from the beach, if I'm being brutally honest with myself, the chances of this happening (without a miraculous lottery win) are slim.
Given the fact that my dream home will no doubt remain just that - a dream, I find myself faced with two choices. 1. Leaving our picturesque seaside town for a different location that'd have houses within our budget. Or 2. Stay where we are and live on top of one another for the foreseeable future. As far as I'm concerned, there's no dilemma. Home is more than bricks & water. Home is where I see my kids growing up, home is where we're a family. I'm already home.
And why on earth would I want to give up such a beautiful location for the sake of an extra bathroom? Hmm, lets see if I still hold that view come teenage years...
It might just be because i'm on my phone but none of the pictures are showing up! We're having a similar dilemma at the moment. All the cheaper houses are in the middle of nowhere, or the huge newly redone 3 bedroom houses with huge beautiful gardens are over 60s only. What 60 year old needs a huge 3 bedroom house, makes zero sense! Tom wants a garden but we can't afford to do anything other than rent atm which would mean paying £200-300 more a month for a tiny house with one less bedroom just for the sake of having a garden, is it really worth it?
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