Moving in 4 weeks to a new town, new childcare, freaking out

[KindTurtle]

We've been looking to move out the city for over a year now. Nothing much comes up in this little town and when it has it either needs lots of work or goes way over, or both. We've bought a 3 bed newbuild in a really high quality development that was ready soon. It's very spacious and has a great garden. I'm now freaking out and we move in 6 weeks.

We were (are) on the waiting list for a 4 bed but now we have childcare costs looming, I want to cut my hours (which I never really expected wanting to do but really don't want to be away from lo 5 days). The 4 bed wasn't ready for another year and we're so cramped in our little flat. And the money started to look suffocating at 100k more than what we've bought.

I now wish I'd taken literally any other course than this one. That is waited for an older property, waited for a 4 bed, moved to a different town, moved before we had a baby... I don't know if it's nerves or real. I'm starting lo at nursery next week to move him again in just a few weeks. I look at other houses I wish I'd bought, I sit and wonder what ones will come up and really hope I'm not in the new house wishing I'd waited longer for something I loved more! Trouble is they rarely come up and the bidding is high.

Just looking for support really, anyone else had this much doubt before moving? When I look at the pictures of the house I do feel better but I also feel I gave up a lot because we scaled back the budget considerably. It just felt right in these uncertain times, high interest rates, jobs in a struggling industry, wanting to cut hours etc.

I totally underestimated how stressful it'd all be with a baby in tow. We plan to move again for secondary, I am already freaking about selling this house and I'm not even in it yet.

It’s change and change can be challenging.

We’ve moved from. 4 to a 3 bed, because we don’t need a big house now, and I had to give myself a good talking to about being sensible regarding the size. It’s not small- all three bedrooms are doubles, but obviously it’s smaller than before.

Its fine, it’s cheaper to run, the car and house insurance are cheaper and now I’m used to it, there are definitely advantages.

Why the need for a 4 bed house? I think moving is a stressful/anxious time. I am also not sure I understand your purpose of already wanting to move for secondary schools, no wonder you feel stressed as you are planning quite far ahead and you do not know what your situation might be like then (and the schools near the house you are moving to might be fine).

Yes this isn't small either. I feel a lot better thinking of it as I can move again if I don't like it, and my husband is adamant we are staying for "7 to 8 years" which feels forever.

What is it about the house you don't like?
I think if I was already counting down the years I have to live there I would pull out and not continue with the move.

They might be better by then but they haven't changed in many years so I doubt it. We chose this location more for us because of it's proximity to the city, great transport and we both work in town, and it does have a great primary. It was more an intermediate step as we see our wages going up a fair bit but not until we are out the baby stage (especially if we have another). I don't know why I'm worrying about 5 to 8 years down the line already!!

Every single time I’ve moved I’ve felt like that OP. Once I’m in and have made a few memories it’s fine.

@FloralGums how many times have you moved? I think it's because I see friends buying big forever homes and we've gone for more a stepping stone with the plan to do that in a few years. We plan to settle a few towns over again in a few years which is in proximity to an amazing secondary, but felt it was too much money and too much commuting with babies so we picked somewhere that more suited us and our needs just now. It's just realising how hard moving is I don't know if I've massively underestimated this plan. Maybe I'll feel better once this hard bit is out the way and I'm in and spring comes. January is such a gloomy month and packing up our house feels depressing. I do often get quite low in these months as it is.