Accept okay house under budget, or wait for better one?

[Nodwyddaedafedd]

I cannot see the wood for the trees and am struggling with perspective.
We are in rented accommodation having moved across the country. We partially moved for my job which has led to my husband now not having a job but looking. We also moved back because the pressure from his parents became unbearable. There's backstory but suffice to say it's in the realms of stately homes thread.
We have offered on a house. It's the first to come up that ticks the boxes. It's fine. It's been done up - not to our tastes but nothing needs doing right now. To be big enough it will need a garden office and extension.
It's well below budget and there would be no pressure.
I don't actually like it - I mean sure I could grow to like it. But it doesn't sing to me.
Do we pull out and pray that something else comes along? We've been looking for 6 months since our house sold and nothing is coming on - or what is is out of budget and will take a while to come down if it ever does. There's supposed to be a glut at Easter but will it ever materialise?
Or just give up and accept and make the best of it.
I've looked at the market here over the past few years. Everything is either like this - under budget, not great but will do. Or right at the top of the budget. Nothing is really priced in between. (And theres a good 200k between them).

It's very first world problem so please understand I do know how lucky I am but I'm tired and alone and have very few in real life to ask so please be kind.
In short: accept nice ok house and have more money and move now. Hold out for the one and have less money.

If the area is right and you can do work which means you can live there for 10 years, I would carry on with it OP. We have been in our current house which was similar, a bit small and needed updating, not the dream, for 9 years now. We did some rennovation and added a conservatory and it’s been a lovely
home in the end.

I've really appreciated everyone's comments. I don't have my parents anymore and boy do I miss them when I need to make big decisions. I've had lots of arguments with partner over it and still not really made a decision. Interestingly there's no new houses come on and I thought this was supposed to be the busiest week! There's a couple that didn't sell last year come back on for their original prices. (Ie dropped, still didn't sell, come back on higher). Going to wing it till after Easter and then I think have to bite the bullet one way or another. We can't live in limbo forever and at least then we know if we continue we'll only be 8 weeks till completion.
Mil - at least 50% of moving closer is because of her behaviour and the care burden. Whilst I absolutely do not want her to live with us I also know that realistically my partner is never going to NC and therefore nothing can be ruled out (see already moving back). I'm reasonably ok and resigned but perhaps having a small house does give an excuse (also perhaps that's why mil doesn't like it!!)

Tricky situation OP, sorry. I can vouch for smaller houses being fantastic though, as long as they are solidly built!

I wouldn’t buy something you actively don’t like, especially if you’re already feeling a bit unsettled.

“Houses that don’t sing” can be fine if they tick everything else and you feel neutral about them, but if your gut is already saying meh, that feeling doesn’t usually improve once you’re living there.

That said you’ve been looking 6 months and you’re in rented, so I get the pressure.

If it helps, I’d frame it like this:

-Would you be happy enough there for 3–5 years?
-Or would you feel like you compromised every time you walked through the door?

If it’s the second, I’d wait.

Also worth remembering, being under budget is a big advantage, but only if you actually like what you’re buying. Otherwise you’re just paying less for something you don’t want.

Feels like this might be a “hold your nerve a bit longer” situation, even though it’s tiring.

The talk is all about inflation and interest rate rises now, the OP should pause for a while.

After much consideration we have decided to pull out. Typing out here feels more real and might help me to stick with decision. The sellers lied about something fairly major initially and their correspondence was rude. It took a while to get to the bottom of. We got over it but it's definitely affected how I view the house (attitude of 'you better be grateful we are selling this house to you, no you don't deserve to ask any questions) and after a further rude correspondence it thinks it makes it feel like this is tainted. It's ridiculous. I know it's ridiculous but I can't shake it. On paper it should be great - it ticks all the boxes in a way I know another wont - at least at that price. What happens if we don't find another house ? Are the estate agents going to blacklist us? Are we being massively unrealistic? ( Except we know houses do come up, just not often!)
Please give me strength.

Well done @Nodwyddaedafedd
Now put your fingers in your ears for a week and don't think about it.
Consider it to be a cheating ex.
Immerse yourself in something that brings you pleasure.
Another house will come along.

That house just wasn't for you, OP.

The right house will come along. I hope it's soon! - and worth the wait!

A sensible EA won't blacklist you. We pulled out of a purchase because the vendor wouldn't agree to split the cost of an expensive roof repair. We bought through the same EA (and agent) 12 months later.

Don't do it. You don't want to live in a house you don't like. End of.