Wow. You're braver than I am. Is your family on board with a move? I'm intrigued. I'd love to hear what it is you now know you want in a kitchen (other than my fave, Javier Bardem, in a cute apron cooking Beef Wellington).

Don't do it.

Take the money and renovate your current space. Between all the closing costs and moving expenses, maybe that will pay for your reno. You said it yourself you are in a desirable location, and that won't change.

I'm moving due to a job relocation and it is ugly.

Just my opinion.

DH has decided to install an air handling system to pull condensation out of our now highly insulated house, esp the kitchen that is mostly done after 2.5 yrs of chaos. So...he's going to tear into one of our newly redone walls. I'm girding myself mentally for the reappearance of noise, plaster dust, and such as well as the fear that he will hurt the finished oak floor or the ceiling he worked so hard to smooth. AARGH!

Contemplating another kitchen re-do? You're a better sport and/or braver than I am. But he's my DIY DH and I love him and we do need the system. So I will pretend I'm happy and just keep going.

instead of selling your place can you rent it out and buy another one? if not now, can you work towards that in the next few years by saving for another down payment? that would be a better alternative in this market i would think.

Can you afford to move and to renovate to your newly developed tastes?

What don't you like about the current kitchen and what do you want in a new one? I'm with Bee. I'd probably just re-renovate, over moving, unless you actually don't like the neghborhood or want a different house all around.

In this economy, people are staying put (if they can afford to pay the mortgage). The days of buying/selling musical chairs are over at least for a few more years.

Reduce, recycle, reuse, renovate is the new mantra that I am following until things get better.

In general, it costs 10% of the price of your home to move. 5-6% for real estate commission plus 1-3% of closing costs on the new house (appraisal, inspection, title search & insurance, bank fees, etc) plus the cost to move your stuff (even if you DIY it by renting a truck, professional movers can cost much, much more).

Would a new kitchen cost less than 10% of your house price?

We're in a somewhat similar situation. We moved to this house due to a corporate relo & bought the "best of what was available" - which in the end is not a great fit for us. But we're here and it's cheaper to renovate the place than to move - plus there isn't much out there that we won't have to remodel anyways. Might as well do it here, where we have a lot and neighbors we really like. Hindsight is 20/20 but since your kitchen is still pretty new, could you donate the cabinets & such to a Habitat for Humanity ReStore? That would be a nice tax write-off and defray the cost of your new kitchen by a teeny amount.

"there is nothing I can do to the current kitchen to tweak it."

are you sure about that? Have you seen the GW folks work their magic. I agree with most everybody else. Surely you can make some improvements that will make you happier with your existing place. What do your dream changes entail? You may not be able to get exactly that, but may come a little closer.

And if it is just a desire to put all of the new GW knowledge to work by putting a design together and get your creative juices flowing...well, I am all to happy to hand over the reins ;) (on a shoestring budget of course)

farmhousegirl, what part of the country do you live?

Real estate values have dropped significantly in the past four years, and they are still falling which is why people suggest staying put. In my area of the Pacific Northwest, mid-tier homes ($238,273 - $385,378) have lost 33.2% of their value since 2007. I think my area is about average in terms of decline, some areas are worse, some better.

If you are interested in seeing how your area fares, a Trulia guide is helpful in providing pricing statistics. From the link:
Choose your state, then drill down to your closest city
Click on the AVERAGE LISTING PRICE graph, then
Click on the 5-year graph view (upper right corner in graph)

Here is a link that might be useful: Trulia stats

I can understand exactly what you are feeling. I haven't even completed the kitchen I am working on and am thinking what I would do with more space. From my perspective I just enjoy this kitchen planning/design process.

Hi Farmhousegirl,

Have you posted pictures or plans of your house?
Are you staying put and renovating?
Or, are you moving?