We are deciding whether to move homes. We currently live in an older neighborhood in Littleton CO (20 years). Some houses are cared for well and some are not (as can be expected at this point). Schools are good and we have updated our home recently so the inside is great. The concern and reason for move is the kids. Would a newer (more affluent) neighborhood be better? Worse in some way? I grew up in a very middle class Chicago suburb and the thought of some of the larger homes seems a bit much. HOWEVER, I do want the best for my kids. Schools are good in both places. Our mortgage would double as well... affordable, but not nearly as comfortable... Has anyone made such a decision recently? For those in CO, we are considering Castle Rock so any feedback on living there or not would also be greatly helpful. Thank you!
Thanks for your candid responses.... and reality check. I think we will stay put until there is a reason to leave... this has been home to the kids since they were babies, and we are attahed - it's HOME. Also, the finanical stress would actually reduce our quality of life as you've all pointed out.
I would not move. It does not sound like there is any real reason to.
You name more reasons not to in just this post alone.
I grew up in Denver, Castle Rock is not that great.
I would not do it.
I whole-heartedly agree with TF Plano.
My sister still lives in the home where her children were born. Her kids are so happy and well-adjusted, and they wouldn't leave their home for anything!
No.
Affluent does not mean better.
Doubling your mortgage is definitely not better for the kids.
It kills your retirement and it's impossible to save up for their college.
If you had gang trouble, drive by shootings and a crack house on your block I could see moving and you'd have great reasons.
No need to move! If your neighborhood isn't unsafe, then having a bigger house and more affluent neighbors are just "extras". I grew up in a solidly middle class neighborhood, but went to school with extremely wealthy children (Jimmy Buffet's daughter was a few years behind me, I babysat for Dennis Potvan, Wayne Huizanga who started Blockbuster and CarMax was an alum... you get the idea). My parents chose to stay in their affordable home so that they could afford prep school for us.
Guess where my friends wanted to hang out? Our house. It wasn't huge. It wasn't fancy. We didn't have a maid and my mother cooked all of our meals, but that's why they wanted to be there. My parents worked very hard to provide for us, but they were PRESENT and used their resources to give us experiences and security rather than a big house with neighbors who were always working to pay the bills.
Stay where you are and put more money away for college and retirement! In a few years when you children are out of the house, you will be happy to have a smaller home (less to clean and maintain) and the extra cash to travel the world!
the neighborhood doesn't make diddly squat difference. it's what goes on in your home that makes their childhood. kids can be miserable in a 'nice' affluent neighborhood full of trophy homes and chemlawns, out on a farm far from the hustle and bustle, or in an inner city ghetto.
why do you want to move? you really don't give any compelling reasons to do so.
khairete
S.
No way I would opt to double my mortgage when that money should and could be used for my retirement and college funds.
It would be a different scenerio if the schools were bad where you are. You describe a nice area but with a little bit of the "wants" not "needs" to move into something more affluent.
If you can double your mortgage, pay extra money for insurance, taxes and upkeep of the home, continue to contribute to retirement and college and live debt free... then I would consider a move but ONLY for justifications that would not be a "keeping up with the Jones's" type justification.
No way!!!
use that extra cash to travel with your kids and have adventures!!! That's what we opted for.
Would you be moving to "keep up with the Joneses" or because you want a better life/commute/space for your family?? What would you gain if it is to keep up? Is it worth it? If it is to keep up, I would not move just for that reason. I would rather stay in my home and use the money not paid to mortgage to give my children experiences, memories and trips that they can treasure.
No way would I move under these circumstances. It sounds like you are just trying to "Keep up with the Jones". We live in the same rental house for 5 years. It is NOT our ideal home, but will not move until we can buy, which now looks like at least another 5+ years. The house is not ideal, its on the small side for the 5 of us, has NO upgrades, things falling apart and the landlord doesn't care...but the kids are tweens and this is HOME to them and we live in a VERY low crime area, great schools and high income area. So when we are able to buy, it will be in this same neighborhood. So no, I would not move to double my mortgage just to live in an "affluent" neighborhood. Good luck.!
You say the neighborhood is 20 years old so is the one I live in in NM. We bought our home new and there have been changes in the owners and a few yards are not kept up but it is a safe environment with good schools and pleasant surroundings. Sound like yours? Our children are grown and moved away but we enjoy where we are and know if we need help our neighbors are there to give a hand.
In this day and age if you have a home that does not put you over the edge and fills the requirements, why move? Going bigger is not always the better.
Besides that your children will be upset because they now have to make new friends in a new school district and you will have to make new friends. Lord knows how many people on here ask about how do I get to know my neighbors.
Will you be able to afford what you do now with a new mortgage comfortably? Will this new mortgage be over 35% of your monthly income (mortgage = principal, interest, tax, insurance) and utitlities and home repairs? Will you be able to save for retirement and college and take a trip now and then without draining your bank account? Do you have an emergency fund? If you answer NO to any of these questions, you cannot afford to move.
Littleton and Castle Rock are not that far apart in distance. I say this because my son lives south of Colorado Springs and I travel around the area. I would save the money and stay put. You have all the things you need now and the neighborhood shoudl stay the way it is for another 20 years.
OPt for less stress rather than more and family strife over moving.
Good luck on your decision.
The other S.
If the schools are comparable in quality and you don't NEED to move (as in you don't need an extra bedroom for a new addition to the family) then why bother? You're much better off continuing where you are. If they've got "friends" poking fun at them for where they live, try to get them to understand that those kids aren't good friends and that a true friend would never do that.
Kids don't care what the size of your house is. As long as there's room for the whole family and your neighborhood is safe... I'd stay. Why double your mortgage just to have a bigger home that you don't really need?
I think the sentence "Our mortgage would double" says a lot in favor of staying put. Unless there is a reason to move, i.e. your neighborhood is becoming dangerous, there are significantly better schools in the other neighborhood, etc., I'd take the money that is the difference between your current mortgage and the new one and bank it for your retirement, or your kids' college, or some memorable travel experience for your family. Bigger and richer is not always better, and moving would be uprooting your kids from the friends and neighborhood they know.
I would not move based on the items you are considering.
A bigger mortgage is always a reason to think before getting into something that might not work out.
It sounds like you're in a good neighborhood, the size of your home fits your family & you like what you've done to the interior.
So based on the things you've said in your post, I would not move at this point. The schools are good in both places, your current mortgage is comfortable & your house sounds great.
Decisions decisions!! Can be crazy! I really have no advice since i'm not from the area, but in making big decisions, myhubby and I always write a pro and con list and see which really outweighs. We also pray about our decision to God (We believe praying to him can help us make decisions). We eventually do what our gut feeling tells us is best. Its so hard to make tough choices!!! Good luck. I grew up in a older neighborhood and loved it. But it really depends on the situation and the people living there. I would be concerned about influence from actual people on the kids more than anything. Anyway, not much i can say, but GOOD LUCK!!
Littleton public schools are very good schools. We live in parker which is the same district as castle rock, which is douglas county school, and they are very good schools too. I grew up going to LPS and I think I turned out all right :) Dont know if you are in Arapahoe high school area, but that HS is. just. awesome! Even here in Parker I see Arapahoe stickes all over peoples cars even though we are a good ways away from there, I think a lot of people open enroll or something. I cannot even tell you how many from my graduation class went on to Ivy league schools (not me!), but a lot of them did. It really prepared every one for college. The transition to college for me was such a breeze because they run the high school a lot like a college.
You definitely do not need to move just to get into a more affluant neighberhood. You are right Littleton is aging, but the area is still very nice, my folks still live there, and most of the schools are very good!
I'd stay where you are, it sounds like you're kind of just bored with your location. Here are my questions: You say schools are good, but do you like them and their environments? Do your kids like them? Why do that to your kids if they're happy? Do you really want to go through the stress of selling a house - staged, always clean, etc ready to vacate in 15 minutes for a showing before you buy a new one? And why do you want to double your mortgage?
