Bought a house and honestly hate it!

[IndigoA]

We spent months looking for the perfect house and to be honest we have ended up with quite possibly the worst house we could have found.

I’m so depressed our original house fell through and we bought this to meet stamp duty. We were living away from London at the time so didn’t explore the area and it’s rough and horrible. Miles from a tube and over priced.

The road is horrendous to look at. It’s only redeeming feature is the park next door. Help!!

What are my options?

I’m so devestates at the time of offering I was knee deep in iVF and had too much to thjnk about with that that I didn’t give this house the attention it needed! Now so depressed I can’t sleep.

It's a great area which comes into its own when you have children. There are so many babies born round here, it's absolutely chock full of baby groups, likeminded mums. Being near Lloyd Park and the leisure centre is great. Walthamstow really is a lovely area you probably just need to spend some time getting to know it. That area of Walthamstow is really not rough - it's mostly young families. And the house prices mean those moving in are professionals. The primary schools are absolutely excellent round there. Secondary - well ok if you're Catholic or have a girl but not an issue for a while!

@NewHouseNewMe

Regarding secondary schools, they have Latymer on their doorstep practically - one of London's best schools!

That is a fantastic school, but I believe it’s a grammar and competition for places is fierce. (Could be wrong?)

@IndigoA congratulations on your pregnancy! Can you post a picture or two of the living space? Maybe people will have ideas to cosy it up a bit? X

You are also just about to start meeting local parents as you'll go to birth classes/NCT etc then baby groups. Everything is on your doorstep!

Miles from a tube and over priced slight exaggeration

What @Persipan says x1000. The huge emotional need for everything to be ‘perfect’ with an IVF pregnancy is such a pressure and I found it really took its toll on me. Just something to bear in mind going forward as it may be influencing your feelings abour the house. That aside, huge congratulations and I really hope you find a peaceful solution for the housing situation.

It's such a huge adjustment mentally moving house and then IVF too, tell yourself you have 2 years in this house and you'll reassess then. Until then,enjoy your pregnancy and make the house as nice as possible for your new arrival but don't wear yourself out doing it.

We lived in Walthamstow when DS1 was born, not Chapel End but St James St so a similarly not-so-nice bit. I loved living there. We met lots of nice friends through NCT and there were lots of good groups. One advantage of living in one of the more deprived wards is that there are more services - for instance, when I had trouble breastfeeding, we lived in the catchment where you got free home visits from a lactation consultant, whereas you didn't get that in the richer wards. And there were some amazing free/£1 groups at the Children's Centres, the type you would pay £7/8 for in my current Bedfordshire town. This was 7 years ago so things may have changed somewhat but I'm sure you will find it a great place to have a baby. And the transport links are fab so you can do lots of proper London stuff too - I did the free daytime tours of the big galleries with DS1 in a sling, the kind of thing you never get to do when you are working. Or get the tube/bus to where your friends work and meet them for lunch. You've got the marshes and Epping Forest for lovely green spaces and you have so many amazing options for eating and shopping. I used to love the market - all the little haberdashers, the Caribbean food stalls, the little hole in the wall that only sold fresh naan. We moved out 6 years ago for more space and I still regret it most days.

That is a fantastic school, but I believe it’s a grammar and competition for places is fierce. (Could be wrong?)

You are not wrong! Walthamstow is also in area for the Redbridge grammar schools, which are also competitive, but then I suppose that's why they do well. A lot of the boys here go over to Harris Academy I n Tottenham, but it's fair to say the girls have much better options

We live many miles away, but I think that's more or less where DBIL and DSIL lived for many years (Bromley Road?). They are posher than us and seemed pretty content there, had nice friends etc.

Kitchen and living space open plan is really handy for baby/toddler years. You can keep an eye on them while you tinker about it in the kitchen. I think if you give it a little time and try to look on the bright side you'll be glad.

Oh OP, just saw this thread and really feel for you! I felt EXACTLY the same when we moved in to our house. I was 9 weeks pregnant, we didn't know the area, had no friends, the house suddenly seemed to need way more work than we had thought, and it smelled weird! I sobbed the first night while DH was like .
Anyway 9 years later I love it. It's in a 'gentrifying' area of London and having kids here has really helped us make friends. We met some great couples at NCT and then through the kids school.
I was hormonal and anxious- for good reasons- but I'm glad we stuck it out. Even if you decide in a years time it's not for you, sounds like there are loads of lovely MN-ers in your neighbourhood so you will probably make friends. It will soon feel like home, especially if you make the house your own.
Look on Instagram and Pinterest for ideas on how to arrange rooms. And best of luck with the baby!

I've been in this situation. I would give time. Not saying you will love it but those feelings of depression and disappointment will eventually pass. Maybe say you will stay there 3 years and then sell. Do some small bits to make it nicer but don't spend loads.

I've NC for this as it might be outing but I live the other side of Lloyd Park from you OP with our small child. As others have said, it's a great place to have kids. There is a real sense of community and so many things to do. I'm surprised you find Chapel End rough compared to Homerton, I thought it was pretty quiet and family friendly. I suppose it's a bit 'nothingy' but you do have the bus routes on your doorstep and as PPs have said it's easy to get to Epping Forest and Highams Park, plus you're near some lovey cafes and the renovated town hall square. I hope you'll feel more settled in a few weeks.

I feel EXACTLY the same way OP and spending a fortune on what I first thought was basic renovation. I am unfortunately banking of increased equity from the work ive done to the house and incoming crossrail and hoping to move in 5 years. I know I'm not providing any advice but just know you are not alone!!

On the plus side i've learnt a LOT on what NOT to do in future!

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

Regarding the house-keep calm. The garden and park sound lovely so focus on the positives. Think of it as a learning experience, lots of people have wobbles, moving house is super stressful as is IVF so give yourself a break and don’t beat yourself up about what may or may not be a mistake. You can always move again if it doesn’t work out but for now, enjoy the pregnancy and you’ve had great advice from pp who know the area so try and fill your days with positive experiences which will help you feel differently about things.

IndigoA that's true but only if the buyer needs a mortgage. It's in the mortgage handbook or solicitors. However, if you bought from a developer you can sell as soon as you like and the new purchaser will get a mortgage. I would still give it time - unless you make a wad extra think of conveyancing and legal costs - you are just throwing money away. What about bi-fold doors between the kitchen and living area as a compromise? Even a large screen? And if it's a relatively new build house most ceilings are low unless you are about 6 foot 6 and then i can see your point.

Oh and apparently paint the ceiling the same colour as it makes the ceilings look higher!

@LemonViolet

I’d also advise giving yourself 2 years, decorate properly, do it all nicely, then reconsider. Chapel End isn’t the naicest part of Walthamstow, but prices in the area have gone loopy so you’ll have got much more there than you would closer to the high street.

AND
You should be easy walking distance to Lloyd Park which is really nice

You’ve got the Feel Good leisure centre close by which has a good pool.

10min (max) bus to Walthamstow Central tube (which is then only 20mins tube to central London, the Victoria line is so fast), so you can be in town for theatre, shopping, proper London stuff etc in three quarters of an hour from your door easy. W’stow high street for general shopping & the market, loads of nice restaurants and bars around central & the village, all really
close to you. Empire cinema as well. The buses are 24hrs too, or really it won’t be very far to walk to central. You can probably walk easily to The Bell which is a great pub.

20mins bus ride in the other direction to Chingford and you can be walking in proper ancient woodland at Epping Forest, literally the bus takes you right there.

For getting out of London in the car you’re really convenient for north circular/M11. If you have a car there’s a drive-in cinema 5 minutes from you although they’ve temporarily closed it says they’ll re-open later in the year. Plus you’re super close to things like Costco, massive Tesco, IKEA just down the north circular all super convenient.

Walthamstow is full of yummy mummy things to do, to the point it’s kinda irritating sometimes for those of us that aren’t parents .
If you like yoga I recommend East of Eden studio as a really lovely atmosphere.
Honestly just look beyond the few surrounding roads, you are in a great location overall and have probably got more of your own space, more garden etc because of choosing Chapel End rather than a more superficially visually appealing part of the area.

Make your own home your sanctuary, don’t overthink about your immediate neighbours and look at the wider area as a whole.

Great post

There's such a great emphasis on the 'perfect/dream' home that so many people are setting themselves up for a fall. Unless you have built it yourself there's no such thing.

Why are you suddenly panicking? How long have you been there?