Not much to add other than we’re in the same boat as you and decided to make the move now. ~ 20% FO and our current mortgage is $1500/ mo. And we traded that for $4300/ mo. It was tough to stomach the idea of that, but we got a new build on some land an hour from work in a nice area. We had outgrown our old house and it was time for a move so we figured now was the time before our kids are school aged.

The prospect of 30+ years commuting isn’t a fun one and moving to base is only a 4.5 hour drive from our hometown. I suppose time will tell if we made the right call, but so far so good. Good luck.