Unsettled in new house

[Tzimi]

Hello, I moved house about 2 months ago, and I just can't seem to settle down in my new place! I moved for financial reasons, and because we had some new neighbours recently who were very noisy. I've got more space here, which is what I wanted, and it's quieter. The house does need a fair amount of work, but it's nothing I havn't tackled before. I've already made some improvements (new boiler, new shed) and have others planned or in progress (new windows, kitchen & bathroom). Yesterday, I felt a bit better & I started work on my bathroom, but today I feel horrendous, and I've hardly done anything. I don't know what I'm going to do if I can't motivate myself! I can't even sell the house in this unfinished condition. Somehow, I need to find the motivation to carry on with the improvements. I havn't even unpacked all my things yet, and there are boxes piled up all over the place. Any ideas on how I might motivate myself to get on with everything I need to do? Help!

@TeaLibrary I think you're right, I need to get the house to a state where I can re-market it. It's a slow process though..

It sounds like it will be worth it once you can sell it on and then buy somewhere else. Have you any thoughts about where you want to settle

I'm finding what you both say relatable! I moved in a month ago and only got to view once beforehand, due to COVID and distance. So the house looked in good condition, until I saw it with no furniture in. Most of the stuff that needs doing is cosmetic, but had an electrician in for two days sorting out various odds and sods. It's quite obvs that the previous owners did no maintenance at all, they sat here for several years waiting for the value to go up. I missed one thing that needed doing, which I'm annoyed with myself about, but others were definitely covered up. Fortunately I deliberately budgeted to have money over for new flooring etc. Wanted it all sorted by Christmas but no chance. End of January if I'm lucky!

@FangsForTheMemory It's amazing what you can overlook when you're viewing, isn't it? I didn't spot the leaky gutters, even though looking at them now, it's obvious that the sections have separated. I didn't spot the old & leaky double glazing, or the state of the boiler, or the eccentric plumbing. Same as you, previous owners did no maintenance at all- this is so alien to me, I always fix things as soon as I can. If nothing else, it stops them from getting any worse. Despite all that, I still think this house has potential- but it's going to need some work & spending to reach that potential! I'm also hoping that I'll get most of it done by the end of January...

@TeaLibrary Not sure, not even sure I want to 'settle' anywhere!

@TeaLibrary But I'm originally from the London area, so I'd quite like to go back to the South-East.

@FangsForTheMemory So are you planning to move again once you've sorted out the issues in your house?

Maybe a change of area needed. Perhaps further North? Are there any family that you would like to live closer to?

@TeaLibrary Further North? I was really thinking further South! I have some relatives here in Yorkshire, but so far they havn't got back to me, which is a bit disappointing. I'm sending them all Christmas cards though, so hopefully they may get in touch once they have my contact details. I do have some friends in the South, so that might be an idea. I also have family in Ireland & Greece, so that may be an option (if I still can)...

Ah sorry didn't realise you were in Yorkshire. Beautiful place to live. OK thinking about further down South what about somewhere closer to Cornwall. Ireland is beautiful and you could get a lot for your money

@tzimi not immediately. I like the house and the area is fab.

@FangsForTheMemory Ah, that's good, I'm glad you've sorted out the problems.

@TeaLibrary I was thinking I'd quite like to go back to Surrey, as I lived there for many years both with my family and later just myself. It is pretty expensive though. Ireland is also an option, as my brother lives there with his family. It's also a beautiful country. I'd disagree about it being cheap though- Dublin, in particular, is very expensive! But it gets less expensive as you head out of Dublin towards the Western counties. I don't really want to stay here, as the problems with this house have soured the experience a bit. But I do have to stay for at least a few months, as I have to get it in a sellable state, and also I have a few other things to sort out locally before I can move. Maybe things will look up in the new year, who knows?

@TeaLibrary I'm feeling quite unhappy today, really overwhelmed with all the work I've got to do...

Oh bless you Tzimi. I think you have to look at making Christmas as comfortable for yourself as possible. Make sure the bedroom / bathroom / kitchen and lounge are habitable and in the New Year really try to have a look at what definitely needs to be done to make the house saleable enough to repay any outstanding mortgage. It would help to reframe your thinking if you look purely at the house as a stepping stone in your future plans. Maybe start looking at the Surrey area to see if anything catches your eye.

@TeaLibrary Thanks, that's good advice. Of course, I could sell the house right now with one of those companies which buys houses for cash, but I wouldn't get full market value. I certainly need to finish the bathroom, and I probably need to concentrate on that over the weekend. The problem with Surrey is it's much more expensive than this area, so I'd probably have to rent something at least for now. I did register with some agencies in Ireland, and I had a couple of telephone job interviews, but nothing concrete. So there are options, but none of them look easy...

@TeaLibrary The other problem is that I've got far too much stuff, and this is one of the reasons I wanted to move to a bigger place. I've already got rid of quite a few things, but there's still more. So I'd need a reasonably sized property to move to.

@TeaLibrary I got all the old tiles removed yesterday & primed the walls. Today I fill in the holes with plaster & smooth the walls, & hopefully I can then tile around the bath area... That's what's keeping me going, getting this place in a decent condition so I can sell & move somewhere (hopefully) more suitable..