Hate my new house, how soon can I move?

[Toosoon12345]

Post divorce I rented for a year and then got desperate to buy. I wanted a haven when I could recover and look forward to making my own.

I very nearly bought a new build but they weren’t due for completion for almost a year. I then got talked into buying a 3 bed Victorian end of terrace by my adult children.
Viewed it several times in the glorious warm Spring we had and must admit didnt scratch too far below surface.

Moved in July 2025 and soon as weather turned felt I’d made a huge mistake.

The house is freezing, even with CH and wood burner. My heating bills are huge.
There is virtually zero insulation and although I’m looking into getting a grant that’s not quick.
Sash windows at front all need replacing. Cheap flimsy ones were out in years ago and all rotten.
2 of the bedrooms are in the roof space and I isn’t actually a proper room - it’s more of a huge mezzanine and needs work to box it off.
There is some damp in the front lobby which concerns me as there is no obvious cause.

All expensive stressful work and I feel so overwhelmed especially doing it in my own with a very limited spare time or budget.
really regretting my decision and seriously considering just sticking it back on market and buying a modern house. Just feel so stupid

Give it time OP. This feeling of being overwhelmed is completely normal. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

I live in a cold Victorian property, properly thermal lined curtains have made a huge difference. Rooms are warmer by 2 degrees just from the curtains. I’ve also put thermal curtains over the door from the kitchen into the utility, this has made the kitchen much warmer. I wear sheep skin slippers, thermal leggings, have blankets and hot water bottles. We’ve just got used to keeping ourselves warmer when indoors.

Just sell it now and get on with yourife. I've had a couple of Victorian projects and you've really got to want to do it. They can be absolute money pits and yours sounds like there's quite a lot of obvious work, let alone all those hidden costs which crop up. I'm not sure I could go back to one to be honest.

That said, this winter has been especially cold.

Don’t kick yourself. I made a similar mistake. Just put on market in the spring.

Your log burner sounds nice and cosy. Bring a duvet downstairs to snuggle under on your couch. Heated blankets are also lovely.

You don’t need to go for a new build to get a better heated home. Our house was built in 1975 and is much warmer than a Victorian terrace. We have triple glazing and loft insulation which obviously helps, as do the cats.

We did similar, moved in May 2024 and was back up April 2025

Moved for area, but the house wasn’t big enough for us and the layout just didn’t work. Again, felt stupid for being swayed by location rather than house

We sold easily, although we did get a lot of questions about why we were selling so soon and people assumed something was wrong with the house. In our case there genuinely wasn’t, we just hated it and it didn’t work for us - so be prepared for those questions

We absolutely love the house we moved into, and are so happy we didn’t stick it out in a house we hated for longer

Sounds like a nightmare and I would arrange to sell as soon as I could. I know some people don't mind wearing layers and sitting around under blankets but I would not do it ! I want to feel comfortable in my own home and being cold is not comfortable .

Hi OP. I too have bought a Victorian after divorce, haven’t even moved in yet as still making it habitable (young kids). I don’t have a great feeling about it either, and I think part of it is that these old houses come with such a history feeling, ‘baggage’ almost, that feels cumbersome just as you are trying to have a fresh start. All my friends are excited about details of the house’s past life and I don’t want them— it’s like I want it to make a fresh start with me.

I would chalk it up to experience OP you have made a mistake that has made you cold, miserable and poor! Life is way too short to be huddled under blankets with hot water bottles wearing thermal leggings and putting plastic on your windows and worrying about paying extortionate heating bills to still be freezing cold! It will soon be Easter which is a good time to put a house on the market, get your house presented nicely at start looking for that newer property that you wanted in the first place, onwards and upwards.

This

you can do whatever you want to do, op ❤️

You weren't naive, you were gullible. You wanted a quick fix and the kids thought the fastest move was the best. They didn't realize about the Victorian house myth. I think life's too short to be messing for months and months with windows and boilers and such. Pass all those problems on to the next mug !

Hi Op i also bought a Victorian Terrace after my divorce and i love it.
Bills are cheap and mine never gets too cold as ive got the insulation from the houses either side of me.

I wouldn’t rush into buying a new build either and would look at some of the options listed here like lagging the loft. Me and DP’s have had to do similar things to our houses (Victorian cottage and Victorian terrace).

I doubt anyone would judge you if you sell so soon either though, that’s just life sometimes. Agree with what pp said about new builds being in the middle of nowhere compared to Victorian terrace, make a list of pros and cons for both. Be mindful if you sell now you will most likely lose money on the sale, are you prepared for that? And how easily would this house sell with no new boiler and other required items?

Finally i worked for conveyancing solicitors. It’s expensive and time consuming to go through all this again and moving. The solicitors won’t care, they’re all about the money. Same with estate agents. Think also of how long it may take to sell this house and buy a new property.

If you still feel the same way by the summer, then consider moving. Things can always seem worse given the lack of sunshine we have had for the last month.

Why did you buy a 3 bedroom if your kids are grown up anyway? Sell it now.

They are at uni. One is away but the other lives here

Part exchange usually involves a limit on the value of your current property, against the value of what you buy from the developer. No more than 70% of the value is quite a common percentage. And you don’t get full market value. Having said that, we got 85% market value after 6 months on the market, and we were upsizing so it worked well for us.