Can’t sleep over house descisions!

[thegreenlight]

Have been awake since silly o’clock worrying about making the right descision on our house. We currently live in a small (box room, small bedrooms no garage) 3 bed and saw the house of our dreams on Sunday. It’s a 4 bed new build with double garage looking out over disused rail line and balancing pond in a very quiet cul de sac. We have had our house valued and it’s being photographed today to go on market (moving fast as don’t want to miss out on house). We are really so so happy in current house but ds5 and ds18m are only little and we have literally no room to extend (have a lovely kitchen dining living room that’s already extended and the attic is too low to convert). We LOVE the area as we are right opposite a park and it’s a very quiet street. New house is double our lowish mortgage but still only 25% income after tax. Another consideration is that if we leave moving now, the fields behind us are earmarked for deveopment I. The bear future which could drastically change the feel and the area. What do we do? I sobbed when the estate agent left as I love our house so much and don’t want to make a mistake!

*in the near future! I don’t know where the bear came from! Obviously tired!

It's hard isn't it. We just viewed a lovely house last night which I would love to buy. But it means moving from town to a village. Would be better schools I think. We are happy where we are but the school is not so good.

Get your house on the market. Use it as an excuse to have a clear out and fix any small diy jobs. Wait and see if an offer comes in.

Only then do you need to decide, and I think it'll be an easier decision if you have a real offer in front of you.

I’d move tbh

You want a bigger house, you all need more space = get a bigger house.
Look forward not back. Good luck

It sounds like a good move for you, and a great location (but what's a balancing pond?). I can understand how attached you are to your present house, but I reckon within a few years you will be desperate for more space.

It is an amazing house - more than we ever dreamed we would be able to have. DH is a big 6”3’ rugby player so can’t imagine the boys being that big in this house! DH is happy to move now but has been very reisitant (I don’t feel like he looks at the future tbh) so feel like the whole decision is on me. What if I make the wrong choice and ruin everything! (Slightly dramatic but sleep deprived!)

Balancing pond is I think a thing estates have to collect run off from what used to be fields and is now housing. It’s just a large pond in a valley type thing - but it’s water so even developers can’t build on it!

I think you will always feel sad to leave the house you had your babies due to memories, and ofcourse it’s not a bad house to be happy to get out of- just you’re ready for more.
We moved from a 3bed semi to current one which is 4 bed but more than double the size of the last one, garden drive better road better- you don’t regret it!

Good luck trying to sell your house. Nothing at all is selling in our area due to uncertainty over Brexit etc....

Thanks the greenlight, sounds nice!

Could almost have written your post! Our beautiful modern apartment went on the market yesterday 😫😫😫. We want to stay in the same area and do need a bit more space and ideally a garden for DD. A house has come up across the street - small garden, room to extend etc. a refurb job but could be great in the end. But but but..... my beautiful apartment!!!

Market here is insane - being promoted as the new commuter town as 50 mins by train direct to Euston. House prices are silly and my current road is one of the best regarded in the town (4 beds go for £480000+) houses go within the week but thank you for your concern. Thank you so much for all the posts that were actually about what I asked - you have all made me feel more confident in my descision

And if you really do want to move quickly (pun intended) price your house accordingly! Estate agents will say yes put it on the market for £160,000 - and then you'll just sit there for weeks and weeks and finally someone might make an offer but it won't be for £160k because the market won't tolerate £160k. When I did that the first time I tried to sell I just spent weeks waiting around and had frankly a lot of timewasters. The next time I put it on at offer over £145,000 and it was sold within the fortnight. You'll need to balance, for you, the need to get as much as possible against the need to move quickly. When an EA says 'put it on the market for £XXX', say ok that's the best price we'd like to get but what do you think it will actually sell for, realistically? Then do some of your own research on Zoopla and if there are similar houses, see what they sold for to give you some more reality as at the end of the day, your house is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it - there are many, many, many sellers who have their houses on the market for up to a year (or more) because either the asking price is just too steep or it's too steep and that's also because there are other/better/nicer houses on for that price and that property doesn't match up.

Round near us - smallish town in the Midlands, I'm seeing many many for sale and sold estate agent boards - activity round here hasn't dropped off to the extent that nothing is selling.

Having said all that it sounds like moving now is a dang good time to do it. Can you buy off-plan to save some money? Can you get them to tempt you with free something or another so that you can sign on the dotted line (sometimes they do free carpeting or other inducements).

Good luck OP! How exciting!

Do it! You need the space, you’ve found a lovely house in a good location and you need the space. Moving house is sooo traumatic and of course you love the house you’re in but you can make the next one equally as homely and lovely. One word of warning - if and when you move you might feel what they call “buyers remorse” where you walk into your new home and know you’ve made a ghastly mistake and you cry for days! This is not unusual apparently - happened to me - but after a while you settle in and it’s all fine! Good luck!

you always iss your home/homes you have made memories in.its part of you and has been part of everything you've done for so long.but you wouldn't have mentioned your "dream" home or be thinking of this new place I don't think if you didn't in ur gut know it was the right thing to do.when you have made the choice don't look back with what ifs.let the new house become your own.its only ever hard when you look back.
there will be ups and downs in the new place but that too is what will make it ur own.
try not to worry. take the process a day and part at a time.

You need the space and if there is going to be building work behind you then it isn’t going to be the same.

Make new memories in your new house.

If you need the space the go for it but having worked in the developer/new build sector I wouldn't touch a new build house with a barge pole unless it was built by a smaller developer, nothing by persimmon, barrat, Taylor wimpey etc

My friend is living in a house on the same estate by the same developer and has been there 4 years x she’s recommended them - I think it’s William Davis (cue horror stories!) but it really is so lovely and not like a new build at all - lovely and airy with lots of character. I can’t thank everyone enough for all the support. I feel much much better!