Since I can’t (and probably shouldn’t) sell it right now, the thought occurs to me that I could save a fortune in housing and commuting costs by simply moving into my parents’ vacant house and putting mine back on the market–maybe a bit more aggressively.
The pros, of course, would be all the money I’d save on the mortgage once my own house was sold, and the fact that I’d no longer be commuting sixty miles a day. I’d save $150/month in gas alone. I could keep my house perpetually “staged” and ready to show on a moment’s notice. And I’d have that extra hour a day; that would be nice.
But there are cons as well. I don’t particularly like my parents’ house. I like my house much better, even if it is too big and in the wrong city. In fact, my love for it has been rekindled somewhat lately. My parents’ house is kind of awkward, needs a lot of work (can you say “deferred maintenance”?), and comes with a tremendous yard–a whole extra vacant lot next door, even. Frankly, all the memories associated with it over the past year or two sort of depress me. I’d feel I was giving up some of my privacy since my aunt lives next door. I’m also not sure if there would be any legal issues although that seems unlikely.
Of course, I could pay someone to deal with the yard (I already do that) and to do the repairs. I’m not really all that concerned about my aunt or my privacy (I rarely throw orgies these days) and it wouldn’t be permanent anyway. I have to take care of the house either way. The idea here would be to live in it until my mom needs the sale proceeds for her continuing care…or dies. At that point, I’d sell it and use all the money I’d saved on a place I liked better.
It’s not something I have to decide immediately but it is one of many things on my mind his week.
Given that it’s doubtless still full of furniture at this point, what you could do is try staying in your parents’ old place for a week or two and see how it goes. If you end up really liking the 2 hours you save each day, then you’ve pretty much determined it’s worth living there, especially since it will feel more like your place once you unload your parents’ old furniture and move yours in.
Great idea by David B., a few test runs can’t hurt.
I can absolutely see feeling like yes, it is absolutely practical and logical to move into the vacant house in the town where you work. But as someone whose mood and even identity is highly influenced by my house/setting/environment, I also see how staying in the house that YOU purchased and you decorated with your stuff and you organized and you made all your own after trying circumstances is a very strong pull. Huge.
I will say, just speaking from my husband’s experience, he likes life a lot more with a shorter commute. We only had a couple of weeks in our new place this Fall before the clocks rolled back, so just last night he said it will be so nice when he can be home by 5:45pm and it will be light out and he can go for a swim. But then again, deferred maintenance and memories are tough. It’s in these situations where I usually sit down and write up a pros and cons list.
Hopefully circumstances will continue that you don’t get pressured to decide quickly. Thinking of you! xo
Hey David,
I do hope you have gone ahead and redeeded your parent’s house to your name. If, by any chance,the time comes when funds run out or long term care insurance isn’t enough any more, the feds can’t take away the house when/if you need to apply for medicaid. The laws are really tricky and I’m so thankful I convinced my sister and brother to retain an elder care attorney as soon as I moved back in 04. If you would like to chat, give me a call, and maybe I can help.