Just found this group and thought I would see if anyone here had similar experiences, suggestions, views, thoughts, or other wisdom.

Life at the moment is pretty pants. I own my own property which has doubled nearly in value since I bought it in 2014, but its in an area which is no longer relevant to me, has come to represent everything I hate about life & which is mentally & emotionally draining due to the fact that the area in itself is a source of anxiety & stress for me. I've planned to leave since 2018 but kept putting it off, despite having an area I'd like to move to in mind, and actively having looked at houses there. I wont remortgage here because I want to get out - so the mortgage has shot up by £500 in the last few months.

I can't afford to buy there now but could JUST about afford to rent. Being in the new area would remove the stress/anxiety caused by where I own at the moment, and stop me traveling across the country to feel better for the day every other week, saving me a fortune in fuel.

Back in 2018 I was earning 6 figures a year as a contractor, a business which seems to have gone to hell, and which I cannot seem to get back into. Between times I have been freelancing doing technical work but the work has now all but dried up, I also had a significant cushion (£30k) of savings to rely on when things were slow, plus I was doing some teaching on the side, but I havent been able to do that since last summer due to an injury.

I put the house on the market at the back end of last year but it has not had one viewing to date, even after dropping the price by 10 grand. This week I got in touch with the house buying companies who make you a below market value offer on the property and was offered £40,000 less than it is currently on the market for. At this point I"m seriously considering this option!

I can't afford to buy there, but renting is an option. My wider plan is to rent for 2-3 years, wait for property prices to sort themselves out (I think they'll drop, massively) & then look at buying again. Using that 2-3 years to get my head on an even keel by being in a place I love, surrounded by scenery, sights, sounds and smells which speak to me & hopefully then I'll feel better, more productive, and more positive about finding and generating work - I could go back out teaching again too because there is a lot more of that kind of work there.

My problem:-

I keep feeling like selling up & renting is a bad move & like I'm doing the wrong thing. Despite the fact that nothing makes me happier than being in the area I want to move to. I feel like I"ll be putting the dog & I into an uncertain position for the rest of our lives. He is 10 & I dont want to lose him in however many years, only for that not to be a house I keep. He is my absolute world.

BUT - If I stay here I will burn a fortune in fuel for days going back where I want to be, I'll bawl my eyes out constantly because I"m here putting up with noisy nightmare neighbours, and I'll run out of money in the next 4 months. I'll get trapped. I'll never live where I want to & the world will fall in on me.

If I sell up for the £40k less figure, I get £115000, call it £100k after I move & pay a few things off, I can rent for a few years on that & still retain enough for a deposit to buy somewhere, even if I have to live on it for a while, right?

It seems obvious what to do for the best when I see it written here, but I keep having the jitters & whilst I know the only person who can make the decision, ultimately, is me, my anxiety & everything else is clouding my judgment . I'm medicated with Fluoxetine to cope with life in general which has been, to say the least, traumatic. I have never been happy in this area.

Anyones views very welcome, I know from reading & plucking up the courage to commit all this to writing, that you all have been through a lot & some like minded advice would be very much appreciated.

Thank you x