I want to move… but the thought of moving is so daunting.
We moved out of the city to have a yard, to have a bit more space, to have less noise and to have our own place. We moved so far out of the city because it was the cheapest option, cheaper even than renting. But rents have gone up, home prices have gone up and we are still a one income family with 4 kids instead of 1.
I have long wanted to move back to BC where I was raised, but Simon’s stable job is hard to leave behind when there is a family to take care of. After SMUG (the Summer Montreal Unschooling Gathering) I realized that we were really missing out on a community. The people I love to be around, that share the same interests, whose children are my children’s friends are all far away. Though I try to get out to Montreal often, it is often not often enough and I feel that my kids are really missing out on having a community and having those friends on a regular basis.
So, we have been thinking abour selling the house and moving back to Montreal. Even if it means renting again and no longer having a place of our very own. So after the work is done in the house we will be thinking about putting it up for sale. It makes my palms sweat thinking about it though… Selling a house with a family of six living in it, packing boxes, downsizing when we have little space as it is.
I do think that it would be worth it… won’t it?
Have you moved? Have you went from owning to renting? Have you downsized with a big family? I would love to hear stories, opinions and have suggestions…
Moving isn’t generally pleasant.
You could get your name on the waiting list of a few coops. It’s not owning and it’s not renting and it often comes with a built in community. The waiting lists aren’t necessarily years long either, especially if you’re not looking for a subsidized unit.
Good luck making a choice!
@ Malva:
I was actually very interested in a co-op, I have the list and would need to send letters out but I would love to figure out how to know which co-ops have larger apartment. With the co-op guidelines, there can only be 2 kids per room and it can’t be boy/girl so we need a 4 brm which seems not co-ops have (or so I’m told)…
The list I got is well, just a list… I really need to google some of the adresses and see them…
But, yes, I would definitely love to get in a co-op!!
I second the co-op idea, although it’s true that it might be hard to find a co-op that can accomodate a large family. I live in a 12-unit co-op in Montreal but none of the apartments here are big enough for families with more than 2 kids. We have one child now and another on the way, and to be honest, having to move out of this awesome housing situation is one reason I’m not sure we’ll have a third (there are other reasons, too, of course). I’m wondering if there are any co-ops in Montreal that are comprised of townhouses…? Maybe the FECHIMM could answer that question?
As much as I sometimes wish we had a backyard, mostly I love city living with my family. Friends are close by and there are lots of parks and libraries that we visit regularly.
Good luck with your big decisions!
Since I had the list in hand I decided to use google map and find co-ops… I think I found 3 great possibilities. I wrote out a letter and I just sent it to a friend so that she could look it over (she is also in a co-op)… I will send them out this week…
Very big decisions but I think that as hard as it will be, it will be worth it.
Co-ops are great. I lived in a co-op when my oldest was small and it was perfect for us since we just moved to a new city.
As for the actual moving part, yeah that’s not fun regardless of if you have 1 child or 6. We moved this past September (we’re a family of 4) and while we didn’t downsize so much in square footage (maybe a few hundred not much though) we did downsize alot in terms of material posessions. It was liberating! I started packing before I even had a place to move to so that there’d be no rushing and I wanted as little stress as possible. I made keep, donate, sell and trash piles to start and then packed away little by little until eventually it was all done.
I encourage you to go the coop route, also because it’s more affordable. And I hear that they do give priorities to families. A friend of mine (family of 4) just moved into one this summer in Outremont, after waiting less than a year.
On MDC, I have read about families of 6 or even 8 that fit into homes of 1000 sq ft or less. Much has to do with being vigilant about clutter and the layout of the house. So downsizing can be done!
Would love to see more of you if and when you do get over here from Sorel Tracy!
We moved last year, after 3 kids, many animals and 10 years on the Plateau. For us, the proximity of neighbors had become an irritant, not to mention the exorbitant price of rents. We found our dream house in the close suburbs, 10 km from the apartment we rented. My husband goes to work by bike, our quality of life has greatly improved, we now own, I kept the network I had in Montreal and I made a new one in my new neighborhood! It truly was the best moove of our life!
When I moved I created pros and cons on the move. I used a whiteboard and Expo Markers to start the list. This allowed me to see if the move was worth it! Good luck.