# Accommodation



## ablemable (Aug 14, 2014)

This is my first post,  I'm on a tablet so apologies for any typos! 
I'm thinking of going it alone and plan to have IUI in November.  I am also planing to buy a property in a couple of weeks.  I have seen a really nice (large and central) one bed  flat within walking distace of zone 1,  I have also seen a two bed house for the same price in zone 3 (i can afford both now and also if IUI is successful).  The house will have enough room for a growing child - if I am lucky and treatment works,  but I'm 40 so I'm trying to be realistic about my chances.  I think i may find it sad to rattle around in a house if IUI does not work.  The flat would not work long term but it would enable me to walk to and from work and -  if successful it would mean I could pick up a baby from nursery/childminders without relying on the tube.  But long term i would be in a flat with a growing child.  I just wondered what others have done when planning/preparing to go it alone.  I do not have family to rely on when there are tube problems and would struggle to pay fines for picking up a child late on top of standard childcare fees (mortgage and all other expenses)  but I am also afraid of being in a one bed flat with a teenager.  I just want some advice.  I know it is much harder to get a mortgage once you have children and with stamp duty I will not be able to move again for at least 4 years.  I'm trying to think through the impact of this decision. 
What are the most important things to consider re: accommodation for single women undergoing IUI and IVF.


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## goldbunny (Mar 26, 2012)

can't you just buy the house, be optimistic, and then rent out a room or even the whole house if need be? never buy a property you might outgrow you could get stuck with it and moving is expensive. 
empty rooms can be depressing but so can being in a flat because you've talked yourself out of treatment working. good luck!


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## ablemable (Aug 14, 2014)

Thanks for your reply.  I never thought about renting out out a room or indeed the entire house. I'll give it more thought.
I should just add -  i have not 'talked myself out of the treatment working'  but because of long diagnosed fertility issues I have had scans and consultations (at three London clinics) re the chance of IUI and IVF working. I know that it could work first (second or third) time but the consultants have advised that i may have to undergo numerous rounds (especially as i want to start off with IUI etc. rather than IVF). 
While i am trying to be positive (and have saved to pay for treatment that may be required) i also need to think about how i will be able to get to and from work and about childcare arrangements -  because i do not have family in London -  just good friends scattered all over London also who work and do not have their children. 
But thanks for your response,  it is good to have a different view -  you've given me food for thought.


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## CrazyHorse (May 8, 2014)

If you purchase the flat, you won't need larger accommodation for a number of years (certainly more than 4!) even if treatment succeeds, unless you end up in a serious relationship where you and your new partner decide to live together. You won't have any difficulty renting out a 1-bed flat in Zone 1 if you later want to keep the flat as rental property -- you should be able to use the rental income to offset the cost of the existing mortgage when trying to get a mortgage on a new larger place. Also, I don't think you'll have any difficulty selling a 1-bed flat in Zone 1 in 5 or 10 years' time for at least as much as you're buying it for today, and you can rent for a year if you need to, if the property chain involved in selling one flat at the same time as buying another proves to be too big a headache. If all other things were equal, I'd personally be leaning towards the flat.

Unfortunately, all other things aren't equal. The biggest issue I'd see with respect to qualifying for mortgages in future is not the additional outgoings due to a child, but your age (i.e., number of working years remaining before retirement). If the mortgage amount you need is large enough relative to your income that you require a repayment term of 25 years or more, then you may not be able to qualify for that amount in even a few years' time as the mortgage payments would continue beyond what the lender believes is your expected retirement date (and thus when your current income level would presumably drop). If you need a longer repayment term, then that's probably the most compelling argument I can see for going ahead and buying the larger property now.

It's really frustrating to have yet another area of your life where you get judged based on your age, but it is a real concern with getting a mortgage in this country. DH and I had to consider this when purchasing a property last year and deciding whether to get something we knew we'd definitely want to sell in 5 years, or something where we'd be OK potentially until retirement (assuming our income and expenses stayed flat and we were thus unable to buy a more expensive property with a shorter mortgage term). We decided to go with the latter, even though for various reasons our income is likely to go up and our outgoings to reduce in the next 5 years. It seemed safer to get a place where, even if things don't work out the way we expect, we'll have enough room to raise a child and to have a reasonable enjoyment of our home life in the long term.

Zone 3's really still quite good in terms of predictable commute times, as well. It's not like living out in Hemel Hempstead and having to transfer between the tube and National Rail every day. Also, an option is to place your child in a childcare facility near your work rather than near your home, so that you can get to nursery quickly after work, and any commuting delays will occur after you've already picked your child up. Of course, that means more time on the tube for your child, but that is an option if money for things like late pick-up fees is really tight.


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## Persipan (Feb 22, 2015)

Personally, I would (and, indeed, did) go for two bedrooms over one, but just generally for the greater flexibility than purely because you might conceive. When I bought my flat (which was well before I started IVF, and actually long before I ever even thought of having fertility treatment as a single woman), one of the things I had in mind was that it would be good to have the extra space if I ever went on to have a family; but I was also thinking about how I'd manage if my financial circumstances changed, and having a second bedroom that I could rent out if necessary was a big plus.


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## Blondie71 (Oct 26, 2011)

Be optimistic and buy the house, you could end up with twins like a few of us on here and a 1 bed flat would be a disaster


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## janieliz (Jul 25, 2014)

I would go for 2 bedrooms too, especially if you wanted to rent one out in the short-term. I am just in the process of buying a house and I wish I had done it a bit sooner, being nearly 20 weeks pregnant in a shared house is a bit rubbish!!


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## Me Myself and I (Dec 30, 2012)

Hi
I'm 40 and my lo has just turned one.
I had always been told I was unlikely to conceive! I opted against advice to not go straight for ivf and guess what the result was - yep my lo!😃
I've a small 2bed house and shall be really honest and say it's not big enough! I've been good at not buying lots of toys etc yet still there's not enough space! I'm also getting more aware that as lo grows I feel guilty for the lack of space lo has to toddle around unhindered by furniture etc.
Personally as you obviously intend remaining in London and working after birth (assume successful from one treatment or another), then I'd go for the house and nursery in zones one; long-term you could tweak hours so could feed lo on journey home and miss the busiest times etc. Plus can get to baby if ill?late asap. Worse case re traffic problem you would already have baby to then navigate the traffic issues.
Spare rooms give you options even before treatment to perhaps make a little more money which will come in useful if it takes more money than you initially think.....

Being a solo mummy is by far the best thing I have done. But it can be exhausting; we have just gone through a bad few days with constant screaming and this is hard with no respite. I also think I expect more of myself as a mummy than those who have not gone down this route so think I possibly carry even more mummy guilt than others.
Reason I say is that no family around, working, London frostiness could be a hard place to be and I would think zone three is likely to be more family friendly with more options of building a family friendship support network.
Sorry been long-winded, but definitely go for house with two or more bedrooms. Garden would be good lol. Also if possible I would opt for two downstairs rooms over a third bedroom if I had two choose again.

Good luck


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## janieliz (Jul 25, 2014)

I agree with Me, Myself and I about zone 3. I am from London but don't live there anymore - but work down there a lot and my family are still there. They all live in zone 4 and it is really lovely and very family orientated in the part where they live. I am very envious! I lived up north for a long time but then moved back to London a couple of years ago and then when decided to go down this route I moved back up north so I could afford to buy something and also save for treatment. The London property market is good, you are not going to lose money, get the most you can for your money, I have just bought a two bedroom house and I can't wait to move. I was looking at flats too but in the end I pushed my budget to the max and went for a house. I work all over the north east and so I am slightly worried about nursery and getting back in time but I'll work it out, my mindset is, I can't worry about everything, things tend to work themselves out. If you have separate funds for house and treatment I would get on with buying, mine were kind of lumped together so I put it off and off until amazingly my 3rd round worked and now like I mentioned in my last post, I am nearly 20 weeks pregnant in a shared house which is ok but at age 37 not ideal.   Roll on completion date!!!

x


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## ablemable (Aug 14, 2014)

Thank you all for responding. I had not considered a nursery near work and tweaking my hours to avoid rush hour on the tube.  
The question arose because my colleague mentioned an invoice from her daughters nursery for 80.00 in late fees over a four week period! (and her husband has been able to help pick up their daughter when there have been delays on public transport.)  
I can see from your posts that there are options. 
Once again -  thanks.


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## suitcase of dreams (Oct 7, 2007)

Childminders also tend to be more flexible when it comes to pick up times so that is also something to consider


Personally I'd go for biggest house you can afford - more space always better and if you don't have a child you can always get someone to share with you...


All the best with it
x


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## BroodyChick (Nov 30, 2009)

Wow braxma, you've been thru a lot!
I would say that is very unfortunate and probably quite a unique situation to be in, like all our experiences are unique.
Thankfully we have the NHS in the UK so medical treatments are free, yes you can always be in an unlucky situation and need access to cash but id think a property is a solid, useful asset to have.
Also nowadays it's not easy to get a mortgage as a single mum (or any parent intending to have kids), according to recent articles so its best to lay down your foundation first.

As for me, I own a 2 bed flat in zone 2, cycle to work in zone 1 and nursery is 5 mins away.
I have a baby bike seat, and do airbnb with my spare room.
My son is 15 months and we share a room. Currently I'm renting the spare room to a woman who is available to babysit too, so it's working out well.
Many single mums look for single mum flat shares, so that's another thing to consider. Raising a baby with just one pair of hands is incredibly hard and not intended for the human race by our biology!xx


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## deblovescats (Jun 23, 2012)

I agree about the housing situation! I'm currently in process of buying a house but the mortgage process is discriminatory to single parents. Although I get tax credits which covers  childcare costs as I work part time, and I have a healthy deposit, I was informed that I could have had a mortgage for double what I can now get as mortgage lenders consider childcare costs as outgoing expenses even though it doesn't eat into my salary. I also don't have any loans, debts or overdraft so it is frustrating. I wish I could have got on housing ladder before I had DS but just wasn't feasible at the time. Having DS has made me focus on it as well. I'm looking into options such as shared ownership and help to buy schemes, and my sister who's also single (no child) is thinking of buying in with me, but not moving in with me and staying where she is, but so she has a future chunk of property she owns. Have to weigh it all up.
That said, I don't ever regret having DS. He's made me whole! I adore him. He's so gorgeous and now 14 months old. I'm planning on a cycle to try for no 2 in November, so will have less money but want him to have a sibling if poss.
I agree with broodychick though - I think owning a property is good for security for the future.
Deb


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## BroodyChick (Nov 30, 2009)

Just to drive home my point: I bought my flat when I was 29 and had my son when I was 37!
It would have been a long wait in rented accommodation without being able to afford anything at the end, had I waited.


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## ablemable (Aug 14, 2014)

Thank you all,  I decided to buy the house.


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