Moving house

[SilverDoublet]

We are currently in a 3/4 bed with converted garage bed room downstairs. One bathroom, one downstairs loo. Small north facing back garden, over looked by houses behind. In a flood plain (but chances are extremely low) . 4 pre-teen kids...
We've been planning a move for more space for the last 3 years or so, and living on a shoestring, saving for it. We got all our finances sorted, sold a small flat we had owned and got ourselves in an excellent position financially. Everything on paper seems like it's worked out perfectly as we've now bought a 5 bed beside the kids school, beside the grandparents, shops and transport and we are about to move.

I can't help feeling like it's all a major f* up though, and we can't possibly be happier there. The new house is much darker inside than our existing house, we hate the decor, the exterior design, and we've just realised how much extra time maintaining the bigger garden is going to take from us.

I feel like selling is and staying where we are. I really am afraid we've made a stupid, expensive mistake we'll regret forever 😭

I'd stay put just for now. Then reconsider in a year or so. I found that the decision to stay in our house made me really think clearer.

The pressure is off and confusion at rest for now.

We kept the moving money and add to it as a safety net. That gives us an opportunity to move if we want.

I would generally chose the right area over the right house. For me, living closer to school and relatives would make my day-to-day life easier and richer. Not living on top of each other would make my kids less irritable and me more relaxed. You can fix the decor over time and I found this awesome website for how to change the curb appeal of a house when we were house hunting. They have so many great ideas which you can steal. (www.backtofrontexteriordesign.com/before-after/)

Don’t panic - it’s the well known panic stage

it will be lighter when you decorate and add your own lighting - make it your own

dedicate large parts of the garden as wildlife havens

yiu hardly see the outside so that doesn’t matter

Get the kids to help with the garden or hire a gardener.

Decorate the worst room and commit to when you'll change the next one.

Think how much cosier dark rooms can be in winter - but you can always put in bigger windows if you must.

You'll be fine when you settle in.

It sounds as if the move will be of big benefit to you and all the family. As PP says, decorate a room at a time and the garden will probably look after itself if is already planted. If not, buy lots of shrubs and perennials when they are on offer and they'll take up loads of space. Get a large mower that will cut the grass quickly.

I bought by the school, shops and grandparents and although it was a doer upper, it made life so much less stressful.

Thanks but we've signed contracts now, so it's happening, but just can't see the good of it any more... Just the massive amount of work, expense and upheaval.... We've stayed put for a few years while prices around us shot up so fast, and kids got bigger and have more stuff, so felt it was now or never. But still freaking out as our own is not sold. We have a bridging loan.

All there is to say now is I wish you happiness in your new home.
Now it's definite and signed you at least have some certainty, no more decisions needed!
I hope you are all going to enjoy the extra space.