Is this normal or a sign that we are buying the wrong house?

[Confusedhousehunter]

We are in the process of buying a house and I'm beginning to feel the fear! doubts are creeping in and I'm not sure if it's normal anxiety over a big life changing purchase or if it's a sign that it's the wrong house.

The house is in the area we wanted, near the town and the station with the fast train line etc. It does need quite a bit of cosmetic work as it's a bit unloved and neglected. It also has a bit of a rubbish garden. Much smaller than we wanted, and smaller than what we have now. It's quite overlooked by other houses too, though that may improve when the surrounding trees are in leaf. On the upside it has big rooms, a lot bigger than most other houses we saw.

We looked at lots of houses in further out areas that were finished to a nicer standard and that had great gardens. They all had much smaller rooms though and meant a drive to the town.

We chose this house because of the location and room sizes. However I'm starting to feel anxious and question our decision. We went and stood in the garden earlier and it felt really small and overlooked. In reality it's 55 foot so not that tiny. We only have 60 foot where we currently are but it's 35 foot wide too so feels massive. It is overlooked but replacing the waist height fences would help?

Is it normal to feel this way? A result of the stress of buying and dread at the prospect of all the decorating etc?

Sounds like normal fear to me.
I fell in love with the first house we bought - I dream about it! But I think that's rare.

Sounds normal to me too.

You can make that house your own, and sort out fencing or plant hedges for privacy. Presumably you'll also be able to add value if you're savvy with the renovation.

When you're spending so much money, and basically making the decision on one or two 15min visits to said house, completely normal to have a wobble.

Also 55 foot is x10 of my height so it's not that small.

I think it's normal.

And anyway, big gardens are over-rated. They just involve more work. Then for most of the year you can't use them anyway.

I don't even like gardening!
I just see the toddler in our current garden and it has so many possibilities that the new one doesn't. We are rarely out there in reality.

We have definitely bought the worst house in one of the best streets.

Another vote for normal. Same thing happened to me with our current house. Still in it two years later and it's not my dream house but the positives outweigh the negatives.

Location and big rooms are big positives IMO. A small garden can also be a godsend, ours is about 90 x 40 foot and is just impossible to manage. If it's overlooked you can work wonders with high fences, trellises, shrubbery etc. In the winter our garden has a view of the railway line and a huge office block but in the summer you can't see any of it at all.

I think it's natural to feel as you do when you're spending a huge amount of money, I had exactly the same worries about my wedding dress and my first car and they both turned out fine

I agree that its normal. It sounds like you've made a good, thought through decision. But as others have said it is crazy that we make such a big purchase on the basis of a couple of brief visits to a property.

Thanks for all of the reassurance.

It doesn't help that we love our current place. In many ways we don't want to move but we do want to live in a house rather than a flat.

I felt like this before spending lots of money on our extension last year - was worried sick in fact and nearly cancelled. Very glad it's all done and dusted now though and don't regret it even a tiny bit.

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION Worst house on best street definitely to way to go .
Our present house has big rooms and I have been doing a lot of property porn recently as we are think of downsizing and I am surprised just how small the rooms (the bedrooms especially) are in some houses Sounds like a wise decision to me
You can do a lot with a garden with ntlc .

It's normal and I really like the sound of it. We have a small garden and it was the only negative for me, but it's honestly been fine.

It's fine not to have a love affair with your house. Our current house was a 'box ticker' and it was definitely a head over heart thing, but in the 5 years we've lived here I've never seen a house that's a patch on this in our price bracket. Big rooms, adequate garden, great location - sounds like you can be really happy there.

Sounds perfect to me. I think you are just having a wobble.

If you don't use your garden that much now, chances are you won't use the new one that much either!

When we bought our first place I was adamant that I needed outside space (so no flats). We have used our garden probably 10 times in 4 years.

We are also buying the worst house on the best street! (Well, the best street we could afford). Lots of work to do, slightly smaller than current house, but it will be lovely eventually and will definitely increase more in value because of where it is. I too am feeling the fear! But I do remember feeling that moving here too, it's a massive change and you can never be 100% certain making any big decisions, that's why people stay in the same job/house/area. Just keep telling yourself it will be fine, that's what I'm doing.

I don't remember feeling like this about moving to our current place even though it was a big move for us. I've probably just forgotten.

Mind you where we are now didn't need any work. A part of me does wonder if we are silly for leaving. We've got big rooms, private parking and a big private garden. By moving to a house we are losing the parking and only gaining a box room and a dining room. Though it will be nice to own the freehold and not have to deal with neighbours in the same building.

Why are you losing parking? Do you mean it does not have off street parking? That can be a quite a retrograde step after you are used to parking. If it's a busy street it's no fun searching for a space.

The garden - can it be improved? could you get a garden designer to have a look over it and reassure you. I bought a house that was North facing and regretted that decision. I do think a big garden is a lovely idea but can be a nightmare in reality is you don't enjoy gardening.

We have parking at the back but ideally would prefer a drive at the front like we have now.

I didn't like our present house much when we bought it (left a lovely 1930s with bay windows)It was a 1954 'box' . But solidly built . But house prices were rocketing (daily) and it was what we could afford in the right school catchment area. And it's a quiet street. 28 years on it 'works 'well for us . We -gradually-revamped the kitchen, getting rid of two doors, which gave a lot more useable space , added a conservatory to the kitchen and made access to a loo 'off' the garage from the house. And have had new bathroom, complete redecoration etc . I would have loved a bigger garden when the children were small but now it's a manageable size and, although I say it myself, it's beautiful-wasnt too expensive to re-do it gradually, which a really big garden might have been
It 's on a bus route into town and the station, wallking distance if you feel inclined . Row of little shops nearby .
But the day we moved in my heart sank!

PS Friends have lovely house on which they have spent a lot of money . But they are mortgaged to the hilt (in their mid fifties) and will never get back what they have spent because of the houses's location