Does the novelty of living in a nice house ever wear off?

[Havanna1]

Before I start, I promise this isn’t a stealth boast, and actually, to a lot of people, our house won’t even be that nice.

We moved 2 years ago to a decent sized house with a big garden in a ‘chocolate box’ rural village. I feel so lucky every day when I drive home to live where we do.

However, I was sitting in the garden just now with a glass of wine, looking at the pretty (field) views, it was so peaceful, silent apart from birdsong and I just felt this overwhelming sense of gratitude.

I get it every time I drive into the drive and after 2 years I’d have thought the novelty would’ve worn off by now. DH said the same, that he feels so happy every time he gets into the drive, when he’s sitting in the back garden etc.

For those that live in pretty much their dream home in their dream location, does the novelty ever wear off? In 10 years time will we be pretty apathetic towards it all?

I worry so much that it’s all going to come crashing down so I’m really trying to enjoy it as I know I might not always feel as fortunate as I do now.

We loved our house in the UK. It was perfect. When we bought in Australia it was in a hurry but me first, and DH later, loved it: great location and plenty of garden.

Oddly, since he he died there have been times when I have hated it, but am over that and back in love with it. As others have noted, I'm so grateful to have been somewhere so comforting during the last year.

@Foolintherain

I adore my castle. It's so big and I love the sound of the peacocks that wander the grounds. The moat is a pita to keep clean though.

Can you stand in next by-election, winnand then claim Moat cleaning on expenses?

I live in a really nice flat, sometimes I’m pinching myself, other times I’m just used to it, and all of the times I’m longing to move somewhere else as I’m bored of where I’m living.

PiL live in a huge house in Cheshire, they seem just used to it as well and comment how it’s ‘nothing much’, comparing themselves to their footballer neighbours houses.

I think it depends on having a grass is greener mindset vs not

I wouldn't say I'm apathetic, but maybe sometimes I start to take it for granted. Then something will happen or I'll read or hear something that will remind me how lucky I am to have a nice home in beautiful surroundings. It's not perfect, and there are things about it I don't always love, but on the whole, it's our own little slice of paradise.

I try not to take things for granted (including modern conveniences, electricity, plumbing, clean water, enough to eat), but it's difficult to maintain 24/7, and that's true for every aspect of my life that I perceive as good or better than average.

Would hate to sound smug.
I really hated the Kirsty and Phil Location Location stuff when it first started where happiness was measured in terms of a utility room and a double garage.
When we were very young my DH and I lived in a couple of pretty dodgy areas but we were madly in love and it didn’t matter.

Now, we live somewhere beautiful but for the most part it’s lovely because we raised our DC here and we have lots of happy memories,
One of my closest friends said she’d be rocking in a darkened room if she had to take on our house and garden so it’s horses for courses, I guess.

Buy everything around you, if you want to hang on to your dream home.

I love our house, we've been here 8 years and when I will walk the dog I make sure I'm on the opposite side of the road when I get back so I get to look at it from a distance, I also have recurring dreams that we've moved out and I'm hugely jealous of the new owners and regret it.

This is a lovely thread. We've just recently moved to a teeny 2 bed 18th century cottage and every morning when I go downstairs and pass by the front window, I look out and can see a line of tiny cottages all just like mine and I feel like I finally belong somewhere. It's pure picture postcard - there is actually a real postcard of that same street scene hanging on my wall which dates back over 150 years with children wearing white pinafores playing outside. The whole house just oozes history and I blinkin love it.
And then as I turn and look at the back garden I cannot believe how lucky we are to have inherited such a beautiful garden. It feels like such an honour to have been able to buy this. This evening me and DH sat in the garden and he said he felt like we have just won the lottery.
We could have bought a detached house 3 times the size for half the money somewhere else but I wouldn't trade my little house for anything.

It's nice to know we aren't alone feeling the love for our homes. We have moved lots of times but finally we have found our place. I do hope that feeling lasts.

Our house is not even slightly posh and it’s not in the best area and it’s a Victorian terrace on a main road with no parking.

But it has a sun trap roof terrace, a pear tree in the garden and wild birds nesting, a sunny garden room, a huge kitchen fabulous for entertaining (when we can) and lovely spacious rooms which we’ve decorated to our own style, I never thought I’d ever own my own home so it’s special to me. Can’t lie, if I won the lotto I’d probably upgrade, but I still often look around me and thank my lucky stars for what we have.

Ahhh, I am so happy other people feel the same and continue to do so many years on!

I know my OP probably sounded smug AF and that’s not how I intended, also to the poster saying I was ‘boasting’ because I mentioned that it’s rural; that’s relevant as to me, I could only be happy somewhere rural. The majority of people hate rural I’m sure, but I love it. We weren’t that rural before we moved here and I’m so glad to get away from the traffic and sound of a million screaming kids/ trampolines/ 100 different BBQ’s. A lot of people would find where we are now boring as hell so it’s horses for courses. Quite a few of my friends I know would hate to live in this village, not enough going on.

Anyway, I think it’s really easy to take things for granted in life and forget your privilege and I can honestly say for the last 2 years I’ve gone to bed and thanked god that we’re here and I wake up every morning and think how lucky I am when I pull back the curtains. I’ve got so much shit going on in other areas of my life, but no matter how bad life gets, atm this house and location still give me a semblance of happiness.

No I still feel it every time I pull in. Absolute gratitude.

Lived in our home for 30 years. Bog standard but even now find myself so happy and grateful.

OP, I’ve never lived anywhere but my house (nearly 40 years) and just yesterday I was staring out the window thinking about how lucky I am to live here. Beautiful views, lovely neighbours. My own driveway , safe for children. Just lovely.

It’s never worn off for me.

I just feel lucky to own our own home really when so many are struggling with insecure rentals or trapped on awful estates.

I've lived in my house for nearly 20 years and I still love it. Even more now that the mortgage is finally paid off.

I bloody love my house. It’s truly a safe place for me.
We bought it 15 years ago and completely ripped it apart and rebuilt it (while still living in it with 2 kids and then the third was born while we were doing a loft conversion!). It’s been a journey of blood sweat and tears, mainly from builder dh, and aside from wanting to redo the bathroom which was a rush job shortly after moving in (it’s still nice) - it’s a lovely family home.
Every time I go on holiday or just away for a few days I can’t wait to get back home to it. We’ve built it perfectly for us. I’m sure others may think it’s crap or not to their tastes or whatever but it’s been an utter blessing this last year especially and I’ve never been more grateful to have had this house as I have done recently.

No has never worn off.

Pandemic made it even more clear.

We always loved this house but about 5 years ago - after 15 years of saving - we did a major renovation/improvement/redecoration. I fecking LOVE it. 4 months into lockdown I emailed our builder/architect and told them how much our house meant to us. Sometimes we sit and say to each other "isn't this lovely" Someone else might not want to be here at all.

My mum and dad's house was way less ... not sure what the word is ... thought about/decorated than ours. But they loved it and my mother would stand at her front door sometimes and say "I love this view and I love this house"

Still love it after 7 years but am selling as I need more space. It doesn't help when estate agents say how nice it is and I'm then a bit emotionally torn about leaving!

I've lived in my house for many years. It's a very ordinary semi, if you drove past you wouldn't particularly notice it. When we moved here I was absolutely enchanted with the house!

Now I take it for granted but I do appreciate the location, the relative quiet and the privacy. However the shine wore off a long time ago.

16 years here and the joy of it still hasn't worn off . It's a bit battered ( 5 kids , 4 dogs , 3 horses , Lots of mud) but it's due for a trim when I retire next year . Many a contented moment have I spent sat on the tractor with a cup of tea watching the horses eat , thinking " this'll do "

I've lived here 21 years. I never saw it as home. And then something happened. My mindset changed.

I redecorated every room myself (yes, I'm boasting), got new flooring, new everything.. It used to be full of sad memories, but now I see it as a symbol of hope. It's not to everyone's taste, but it's to my taste. I've, purposely, given it that retro feel which often takes me back to my childhood. I love it because it symbolises me

I wonder if celebs feel this way. Or just get used to living the dream.

I think it can when you needs change.

What was a wonderful, long back garden when the dc were small and was a real positive when you bought the house can become a drain on your time or resources when the dc leave home and you have to keep it tidy but no-one plays in it.
Ditto the extra bedrooms or bathrooms etc.

Or

You LOVE the fact that first flat you bought was SO perfect for your pre-children life but it wears off a bit when you are trying to wrangle the pram up the stairs with toddler and shopping too.

Or

The wonderfully remote and quiet rural home becomes less attractive once you have to give up driving, and your need for hospital appointments becomes more frequent, etc etc etc

or

That quaint little 2 bedroomed cottage with the low beams becomes les attractive when you have 3 x 6' ds's in the house

etc etc

Novelty? Sure. Delight? Nope.

When I drive into my neighborhood I often feel a sense of calm come over me. It’s my oasis. My house isn’t even really my dream home, it’s one we had to make many compromises on, but it’s still a wonderful place to live.

I think it’s important to try to maintain that sense of appreciation when you reach a place of comfort in your life. If you don’t, you risk forgetting that not everyone gets to experience that same ease. Even when you work hard for what you have, that mental break, that luxury of space, or features, or whatever it is that brought you to your home makes the next days labor that much easier.