Any advice please for anxious first time buyer

[lilyruin]

We are in the incredibly fortunate position of being bought a house by my mother, so we don't need a mortgage.
However I suffer from extreme depression and anxiety, and so I wondered if anyone had any advice for a nervous first time buyer, who knows nothing about house buying other than what she has learnt from excessive Location, Location, Location binge watching.
My husband is from a small Kenyan village, with elephants and giraffes walking past a regular event, and so knows nothing either. We have 2 very young children, one of which is just turning 4, and is just about aware about what moving means, and has a lot of questions.
So advice needed about looking for a house (which is causing me sleepless nights, and making me extra anxious), the buying process, and actually moving and settling in with a baby and 4 year old.
Much thanks.

I am a nervous and anxious potential downsizer, am scared of selling and buying! (I kept house after divorce 2 years ago, am in early 60s and starting to need the cash)

Kirsty and Phil's book for house buyers seems good, I just bought it on Kindle.

knowledge is indeed power. May I suggest your local library as a first stop, for books such as that mentioned.

also reallymoving.com to help you find the professionals you need, plus lots of good advice. (No, I don't work for them, just found it a useful site!)

rule no 1: location, location, location. You can do anything to a house except move it!

As the poster said above, location is the key. Maybe have a look at the local schools and see what they are like?

Also read the Kirstie and Phil book and think it's great. We went to look around the school in a couple of locations and went for the one we loved. Then took it from there.

Once you've got a location make contact with all the estate agents in that area and explain what you're looking for. They'll tell you about stuff before it goes on Rightmove and Zoopla. We wouldn't have heard about the place we're buying otherwise - the vendors dropped by 30k to within our budget so we got alerted by the agent, saw it next day, offered the next, accepted the next! If we'd waited any longer it would have been gone. Maybe take a hard-nosed and nosy friend with you when you view houses to ask questions and poke around if you don't feel comfortable doing it.

Use a solicitor that has been recommended to you by a friend - or at least one that you think will hold your hand and keep you well informed.

We got a full buildings survey to have more confidence in the place we were buying - but unlike Phil and Kirstie advise we did it after offering the fixed asking price.

If the vendor is home when you do the viewing be lovely to them and nice about their house while you're there. We know that our vendor liked us and wanted us to have the house and I think that's helped us keep things friendly and smooth (so far!).

And if you start getting stressed just chill out on Houzz.co.uk looking at pretty rooms. Good luck.

Plus if you don't need a mortgage estate agents and people selling houses will want to be your best friend because you'll be a great buyer