Advice and suggestions welcome for the final stage

[Magicnestdream]

Hi everyone,
End of 2023 my husband and I decided to separate initiated by me. We filed for divorce 2024 and that was completed last year in May.
Mid 2024 we put the house on the market, with the view we'd sell family home and both buy new homes to start over in. Funny I was worried this may happen too quickly but been the opposite.

The market had been slow so end of last year we took off the market for Christmas.
To add in this time we have remained living together although in separate rooms as it is amicable separation and didn't want to incur extra costs for renting / knee jerk moving out for the sake of it. We also didn't share our news until start of 2025 when things were much finalised on divorce front.
However we're both keen to move on and my ex husband can now afford to buy me out of our family home due to change in circumstances.This was never my first choice but means we can move on and I am grateful I'm in a position to buy my own place. He's also fully supportive of maintenance etc and this hasn't been an issue.
However after things taking so long and us in limbo for pretty much 2 years, all of a sudden I've found a new house and with my ex doing a remortgage in parallel I could exchange in 6 weeks and move in 8 weeks!
Suddenly going into panic mode whether I can do this, is it all too soon etc.
I've moved before on my own but pre children I have 13 year old daughter) so have to consider her as well rather than just me.
My ex has been great and offered to help with move, and I can use some furniture from current house and bits that dont fit we can buy again which he will help with. I'm effectively downsizing for from a 4 bed house to 3 so practical considerations as well
But all feels overwhelming suddenly doing this on my own and after so long of working towards this. This divorce also follows breast cancer in 2022 so it's been a tough few years.
This new home gives me the new start I've been waiting for and in a lovely area close to where we are now with minimal disruption for my daughter but panicking about everything and not sure why.
I've done my numbers over and over and mortgage is in place. My deposit comes from my ex husband from my share of equity in current home when he remortgages.

Just welcome any advise from someone who's been through this, practical advise or other.
Especially with a teenager. How to keep things as normal as possible for her. She will see my ex each week and stay in what was family home a couple of nights. (Which I feel sad about them I our family home without me)
We renovated every inch of current home and whilst new house is a new build seems suddenly a lot for me to think about and not sure why.
Maybe because it's the last piece of the jigsaw I've waited for so long for. Not sure but any input welcome of encouragement or practicalities.
I'm lucky as if the new house goes to plan I should get keys start of march but given my ex will still be in current house I can move things over a couple of weeks rather than on one mad day / wkend. So I have lots to be grateful for just feeling overwhelmed!
To add my family haven't been overly supportive, not in a negative way but just don't ask about things etc and friends the same so feel a lot of this is all on me...and feels huge.
My ex is supportive but this doesn't affect him as much as he remains in what is his home and has been for a while. He is taking on a bigger mortgage to enable us to move on but still feel a bit aggrieved about this as although it's amicable split, it was lack of support on mental load which is why we separated.

OP, it’s a big change. If you and ex have done up your old house between you, you must feel as though you’re leaving a part of yourself behind. My ex bought me out of the family home, and like you, I was in a position to buy somewhere else, which then became my home, but of course there are regrets - for the loss of your home, for the failure of your relationship. You will get over it, and your DD will come to terms with her parents being apart. What most teens are afraid of is change, so you need to assure her that her parents are both still there for her and both still love her - she might be worried about upsetting you: you have to let her know that there is no problem as far as you’re concerned about her seeing her father. Also, involve her with the new house - let her choose her bedroom and choose what she wants to go in it/ how to decorate it etc. It’s a big change for you and your DD, but you will get through it, and this will be your next chapter. And don’t feel aggrieved about your ex - you’re lucky the split is amicable, but he no longer even has to think about mental load as far as you’re concerned because you’re completely separate. Good luck!

I was the one to move out (with a younger child). I echo PP; involve your child in the new place especially in organising & decorating their room. Mine was very keen to be involved & surprised me with some v good & sweet ideas on things I would not thought he would have noticed and it felt like a real team effort / joint project / adventure.
I also have found it much better being in a new place and making new memories. When I have to (rarely) pick up from the old house it feels like the past and full of bad memories.
I took lots of photos & printed more up & put them up first to make it feel it was our home. Also made sure I took sentimental things where possible. I’ve slowly furnished it as I worked out what I wanted.
My move also happened quite fast in the end and it was daunting. I searched online for “house move checklists” and sort of amalgamated a couple of the ones I found and then just tried to tick off one or two things each day.
I packed a moving day box with tea bags, mugs, teaspoons, biscuits (for me and also family who helped me move) & a bottle of prosecco along with a screwdriver, hammer & packing tape so I had the essentials for the day.
I packed a suitcase with things id need the first night (toothbrush, change of clothes etc; almost packed as if I was going away for the weekend) plus bedding and had that ready to just put in my room so I was all set for my first night.
I asked the seller if there was a street WhatsApp group and I joined before I moved so I met the neighbours over WhatsApp before I moved but also it was invaluable in the first week when I needed a handyman & to know where to buy lightbulbs & that kind of thing.
Hope this is useful and good luck!

Thankyou both appreciate you taking time to reply and really useful ideas and suggestions.

We are lucky as my ex and I will be fairly close (around a mile apart) so my daughter can see him still regularly. We don't have a set routine yet as he travels a bit for work but because I'm part time I can be more flexible.

I have included my daughter in the house hunting process and she's seen a few houses with me. She has seen the new house albeit a while back when we were in early stages so have arranged to take her back to look around just her and me.
We already gave her plans of the room and she was excited to use an app to help design a 3d layout. And although the new room is a bit smaller she's excited over getting a bigger vanity and fitted wardrobes! I said we would do her room first too. I'm worried about some logistics of having things in 2houses like school books etc but sure we will work it out.
She's also excited about an IKEA trip!
So it's all positive that she's excited I think post cancer and due to my age I'm more anxious than before and overthink.

The WhatsApp group is a great idea, I actually met the potential neighbours at my last visit and they seemed lovely. And the sort of neighbours you'd want to have so excited for that as my current neighbours haven't always been so nice !

Thanks again for your thoughts I will start pulling some lists together. Think it's a big deal as our current house has been refurbished completely so going back to a blank canvas feels huge, along with one income rather than two.