To cut a long story short, by Monday at the latest, I have to choose one of the following 3 options.

I have stayed awake late at night, and woken early in the mornings and thought about it all day at work, written endless lists of pros and cons, and none of this has got me any closer to making a decision. It just seems impossible.

Can anyone help please? I'm getting really desperate now!

OPTION 1.
Stay in Adelaide. I have a block of land here that I thought I had sold but the sale has fallen through. I could probably sell it again without too much delay but if I keep it, then since I own it outright (no mortgage) I could stay in Adelaide and take advantage of the $21000 first home grant, plus an extra $4000 grant from the SA government, and build a house on it very cheaply. However I would then have to commit to living in it for a minimum of a year after it's built.
MAIN POSITIVES = Cheap house, could have it paid off in 5 or 6 years.
MAIN NEGATIVES = Commits me to living in Adelaide AT LEAST 12 months AFTER it's built, and prevents me moving to UK and prevents me accepting a job in Queensland. Also I would want to look for another job in Adelaide because the one I have now is becoming unbearable and I can't see myself there much longer.

OPTION 2.
Accept the job I've been offered in Queensland.It's a good job on 30% more money than I'm on now.
MAIN POSITIVES = I would love the Queensland lifestyle, I would probably like the job and the money would be very good. The company I would be working for has branches in UK so after a year or so a transfer to UK might be possible.
MAIN NEGATIVES = I know nobody in Queensland so might be lonely and isolated for quite some time. Not sure I could see myself living there permanently. Prevents me moving to UK for at least a year or so.

OPTION 3.
Reject the job offer, sell the land, and move to UK asap.
MAIN POSITIVES = Ensures I get to spend some precious time with my elderly grandparents while I still can (they're in their late 80s). If I miss that opportunity I will never have it again. I would also love to be able to spend some time with my other relatives and friends in UK, and to explore my country and visit lots of places and enjoy all the fun things there are to do in UK, and be able to say "I'm home" and mean it!
MAIN NEGATIVES = No job to go to there. Would miss the opportunity to own a house and have it fully paid off within a few years. Lifestyle not as good in some ways as here.

So it's a direct choice between my grandparents, a house, or a good job and great lifestyle in Queensland.

Talk about impossible decisions. I don't think they come much more difficult than this!

I'm going insane so if anyone can help, please do!!!

i guess a lot of it comes down to money .....do you have enough savings so you can afford to live back in the UK and support yourself?

If I sell the land, I will have about $100,000 to go back with. I consider that enough to get me started quite comfortably.

yep that would be a start as you say however one can't dip into ones capital for too long...that's for a rainy day. what about the job situation for you over there?

I guess for me reading between the lines I'd say go visit your grandparents but take option 2...that is the only one with the job offer, non of the remaining two options have any guarantees.

Backagen,

You still haven't made the decision then!

Tough one.

Ok. Just to throw another option in the pot - which is probably not going to help.

Sell the land. Take half and go back to the UK for 6 months. See your grandparents, do some touring, see friends etc.

Come back with the other half of the money, move to Queensland and find another job, put a deposit down on a house.

Bits of all options thrown together.

how much would you make if you built the house, stayed for a year and then sold it ?????I know money does not buy happiness,but it sure is a better start

Number 3.

I'd say it depends on further details about #1:

As Lobbylou asked, how much extra would you make by building and selling a house? If it's an extra 20k, that's a big differene from an extra 100k ...

Do you have to live in the house for a year, or simply continue to own it for a year? If the latter, couldn't you rent it out for a year while you pursue Options 2 or 3, then sell it?

Also, how much total time are we talking about with Option 1? How long would it take to build the house?

I think if Option 1 wouldn't take more than 24-36 months, will yield a pot of cash, and especially if you can rent it out, it might be worth biting the bullet for a while in order to set yourself up for future long-term choices ... plus if you know you'll be making a stash of cash, you could spend some of it in advance by taking a couple of holidays to the UK during that time ...

Whenever I'm faced with tough decisions, I try to remind myself at least I'm lucky to have a choice ... Good luck with making your decision

The way you have described your options I get the impression that you sub-consciously have picked option 3.

Good luck with whatever you do decide.

omg option 3...duhh, one major drawback...no job and there is a recession on!!

Yeah but he'd have the money from the land to get by on till he finds one.
He could go stay with the grandparents and live on tea and bacon butties

yep for sure, spend a little however i'm one not to dig into my savings and the UK aint cheap.

Yes, I agree. Number three seems to be the one he wants to choose. Good luck in whatever you think is right for you, though

There's an old trick.

If #2 was suddenly snatched away. No job in Queensland. What's your immediate gut feeling? Sick, or relief that it's not tempting you?

If some regulation (heritage right, ecology, whatever) said you couldn't build on that land. Have to keep it or sell it. What's the gut feeling?

I can't come up with a reason you can't go back to the UK that doesn't have all kinds of other issues, but you get the idea.

Okay, what if some bizarre twist had the Oz government on your doorstep saying you have to sell up and get out. They'll give you fair price for your land etc. Apart from pissed off at them, what's your reaction?

Bev

Adelaide and Queensland will still be there in 2 years, your grandparents will not - keep the land if it makes you feel better as it is always easier to sell land than a house (no personal taste factors as it is vacant land) down the track.