To sell or not to sell ?

I'm in a quandry now.

Had the house valued today and it increased in value very nicely thank you very much.

If we sold it for what the estate agent thinks we should get for it then we have some good options ...

1. We could buy a small 3 bed semi on a 1970's estate close to here on a minimal mortgage, so minimal that I could probably give up work altogether and run the business part time from home just doing the odd mail order thing. It sounds nice but I'm talking a small house here and friends would point and laugh and comment on how the mighty had fallen - no they wouldn't really but they'd think it, but fuck them, I'd be the one retired at 50 and enjoying my freedom from the rat race.

2. We could buy a 1960's 3 bed bungalow close to here in a nice location and have a small mortgage, probably wouldn't be able to pack in the business as it is now but at any time in the near future I could sell the business and easily get rid of the mortgage or keep working and certainly pay it off before I'm 60, and more importantly have money to spare between then and now - I like the idea of this option, it opens up the opportunity to buy a "holiday home" in Northumberland to spend the three and four day weekends - I haven't told my co-director brother yet but I'm going to start taking lots of these extended weekends from now on.

3. We could buy a 1980's 3 bed house on a smart estate close to here and have the same mortgage and options as (2) above.

I'm feeling good about this, options 2 and 3 above are ticking all the right boxes and setting me on the path to taking life a bit more easy over the next ten years, I've taken a lot of shit over the last 22 years in business and I'm getting mightily sick of it, its time to find out what else life has to offer and shaking off the bulk of this mortgage is the starting point. Neither me or Suzanne are emotionally tied to this house, its bricks and mortar and has money locked up in it, I think its time to release that money and release myself a little from the financial need to work like a fucking demon until I'm 67 which is what I'd have to do if we stop here.