Moving further in or moving further out..WWYD?

So, DH and I live in the eastern burbs of melb...we have 2 DS's and have just sold our unit. Theirs 2 homes of interest, one in Donvale and the other in Croydon North:o. The Donvale home is a cosy 3 bedroom home, decent block to raise 2 kids. Croydon North is a more spacious home with 4 bedrooms and a much bigger block. Possibly a 100K difference between the 2 properties. I know nothing about Croydon North as an area, so anyone living out that way pls feel free to give me the ins and outs of it (why you love the area etc). Problem is, moving to Croydon North will most probably give us a better sized property, but it is a further 15 mins from where we are now. We both work in the Richmond area so it wld mean adding another 15 mins to our commute every day...big deal? I dont know..:think: So, what would you do? Move further in sacraficing size of home but possibly increasing your home loan? Or move further out, bigger home but more commuting? Decisions decisions ....:wall:

What if you work out the extra interest you would pay by having an extra 100,000 on your mortgage?
Does that extra sum of money per week make the 15 minute commute seem worthwhile? (was it 15 mins overall or 15 each way?)

What about schools for the boys? Which area would provide you with the best access to schools?

A house can always be made into a home, but not if you are struggling under the weight of debt, or dreading thought of sending you kids to school.

We live in Chirnside Park, and Miss H goes to a kindy in Croydon North.

We love the area. Lots of trees! You have Chirnside Sopping Centre 5 minz away, with Target, Kmart, Coles and Woolies plus lots of small shops.

Eastlands Shopping centre about 10 minz in the other direction.

Lilydale Lake 10 minutes away which has a awesome playground!

ummm, yeah we like this area lol but we did move from Craigieburn!

Hubby works in the city and catches train from Lilydale. Takes him 50 minz on the train.

Mmmm tricky one - I think you need to weigh up what your lifestyle style is ITMS!! Croydon North is lovely, lots of great schools, sporting facilities, close to shops and Eastlink etc. are easy to get to. As you said you would have the bigger house and land for the kids too!

Having said that, we moved from Burwood East - a bit different but we moved out to Heathmont, which for us was another 10-15 mins commute for DH, doesn't sound like a lot - however he hates it and really wishes we were able to stay closer in. We moved when the kids were younger though and we were relying on my parents a lot and do even now but as they hit school age that won't be as necessary. Increasing your mortgage will probably mean more financial stress as well for you as well as a smaller home. Maybe do the drive at a busy time of day and see how you feel about it, because it can make a difference to how you feel about getting to and from work!! Good luck - hard decision!!

There are great schools and parks in the area, and it's not much further from Donvale, especially with Eastlink. The local Coles is smalI and has limited ranges of food but there is another near the station and also at Chirnside and Eastland. I think it depends on what you prefer being that little bit closer in a smaller house or having the extra space. We decided to be in the area to have plenty of room with three kids. They all have their bedroom and a playroom and hubby has his man den too.

we faced a similar question a few years ago (with anticipated, rather than actual kids!) and we decided further out.

personally, I find that once you're on the train you're on the train - an extra 15 minutes doesn't really make any difference on a day to day basis. and you're more likely to get a seat!

but the difference of having a bigger yard, more space in the house, 4 bedrooms instead of 2 or 3, having it that little bit quieter and darker at night, more parks, etc - those things do make a difference for us on a day to day level.

and there's still good schools out here. ;)

those things were what made our decision for us.

we would have loved to have bought in closer, but we wouldn't have been happy, long term, with the size of the house or land.

Lenny: The extra distance is 15mins each way...sometimes just getting to where I am can consume me with crying whinging kids in the car..at the same time I think, whats an extra 15 minutes (each way) compared to an extra 100K? arghhh..School wise I'm not worried as I know theirs great schools in both areas.

Tanstar I love Heathmont..its my ideal burb only prob is not many ppl seem to sell up! I think your suggestion of testing the drive out after work is a great one...I'd only have to do the commuting 3 x a week but DH has to bear it 5 days...:o

Thanks for all the info on Croydon North too...just a question...is their any parts of Croydon North we should be avoiding? I know every suburb has its good and bad sides I just want to make sure we steer clear of any dodgy parts. Also, from Croydon North how long does it take you to get to Eastlink?

You've prob factored this in, but just thought I'd ask - is it definitely an extra 15 mins? What I mean is, the Donvale house might be further from the childcare centre/school than the Croydon North one so that could make a bit of a difference. A friend of mine (who also works in Richmond) moved from Thornbury to Kilsyth and she reckons because her childcare/school drop offs are much quicker, her actual commuting time is about the same.

I agree with a PP that an extra 15 mins on the train is no biggie (provided you get a seat) but it does seem a hassle when you're in the car especially with whingy kids and if you're stuck in traffic. Would you consider driving to the station and getting the train?

Personally, I would choose somewhere as close to the train station as you can, then you have the option.

I know what you mean Fionas but we actually travel to my inlaws (who live in Thomastown :o) 3 X a week as they look after the boys when I work...so the commuting is more from Croydon North than Donvale in my case. Hubby and I actually car poole together to the inlaws to drop the boys off as we work in the same area so no chance of us using public transport with the kids! It is a really tough decision and I think had we always lived that far out we wouldn't be battering an eyelid about it now. As far as space regarding the house...both homes will be spacious to us coming from our small unit! For those that have 2 kids, do you have a 3 or 4 bedroom home? If you have 3 bedrooms do you wish you had that extra room as a playroom or study etc? How important is that extra room?

Oh I would kill for an extra room!

We are in a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom place, and it feels TINY now that Miss Z is here!

Looking at moving soon, to something bigger!

Okeydokey. I don't know how old your kids are but if they are close to school age, I would still factor in that one day they'll (presumably) be going to a local school so the dropoff won't be so much of an issue.

I have 2 kids and we're in a 4 bedroom house. We wanted a bigger house because DP is a shiftworker and it makes sense for him to sleep separately some of the time. We have a really big open plan kitchen/dining/living area which I've come to loathe because we're always in the same space. If the kids are watching TV, it means I can't listen to the radio. It also means that it's harder to keep tidy/clean as DP and the kids are in there. So, if I was to choose again, I'd like two living areas or a kitchen that's separate but connected to the living area. Yes, we could turn one of the bedrooms into an extra living area but it's not quite the same.

Stay further in would be what I would do, my personal view is that space inside home is overrated and free time is more valuable.

We live in Camberwell in a 2 bed unit with 2 kids, we may move but prob not for another five years or so. For us this location is so convenient and nice we would not move further out but therefore have to put up with limited space, but for us that is easier than longer travel times (look at what you do outside work on weekends etc and see whether diff travel times will affect that too). I recently got us an allotment which is great and makes up for lack of garden etc. I want to be able to walk kids to school, use public transport to get to work etc and be able to cope without the car and can do all that no problem. Lots of people think we are mad, most people seem to move out of area once have more than one child as can't afford bigger round here, but the longer we are here the less likely I think we are to move until DS and DD are too old to share. We often have relatives staying, at moment my brother, or one set of grandparents meaning 4 adults plus 2 kids sometimes - and we manage.

I would list all things that are important to you to continue being able to do, and any new things and work out if easier or more difficult in each place.

I'd also do a test run of the commute before deciding and if its feasible I would go with the bigger house in Croydon North. We are not too far from there (Lilydale) and its a lovely area. We have friends who recently moved to croydon north from essendon and they love it. Writing a pros and cons list for each house might help too! Best of luck and how exciting!!!!!

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Stay further in would be what I would do, my personal view is that space inside home is overrated and free time is more valuable.

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I agree with this. I think as time goes by when you work and have kids your time with the kids becomes more valuable. So having a bigger house to clean and more commuting would take time away from being with the kids.

I would buy the house closer in. I don't know the various pros and cons of those suburbs as I live in the inner west, but for us, we love living close to public transport and the city.

The commute might only be 15 extra minutes one way, but is that with everything running smoothly? Car crash or late train can add more time.

We were prepared to pay the extra money for the house in the spot that we wanted, rather than a cheaper house in a less desirable location.

We have 2 kids and a 3br house - the kids share a bedroom and the 3rd is the toyroom/spare bedroom which works out fantastically. I'm sure they will want their own rooms one day but until then they are more than happy to share.

I personally prefer to be in closer but an extra 15min commute is a big deal for me as I hate commuting with a passion! Also do a trial run in wet weather peak hour conditions to see if it really is only 15min. I have friends who live in Croydon North and they love it but all their family is out that way too. However I regularly see that the commute to the city cna take 1.5hrs or more at least once a week due to traffic/train issues etc.

I'd take Donvale. Definitely.

We're moving out east too. It's what we can afford. In our case, I'm not currently working & DH works at home or travels a lot. So whilst his commute will increase, it wont be every day.

For us, it's a 4-5 year house as it's a unit without much land. We can see us moving further out to get more land, but we're homebodies and want room for kids & dogs & to grow our own food. We both used to be inner city people, but it's not what we're into anymore.

What do you value most? I'd do a list of pros & cons.

I'm another that would stay closer. I like all the city has to offer and having easy access to it is important to our family.

Janie xxx

Thanks everyone for all your tips and advice. I have a bit of homework to do before I make the big decision. If I go by what my drive home with the kids was like today i'd be saying Donvale (my DS started whinging about 5 minutes into our drive :o ...hence why I didnt bother testing the drive out today :doh: ...but I realise its not always going to be a problem as when they start school I wont be driving them all the way to the inlaws. This is meant to be our 'forever' house so I want to make sure we make the right decision. Will keep you posted on the outcome!!