Not really sure what I’m looking for by posting this but interested to hear other experiences I guess.
We’ve had an offer accepted on a house in a south Oxfordshire village, solicitors instructed, searches done, survey booked and working towards completion in December. We’ve been looking for a house for around 9 months and thought we were set on moving out of london after years paying extortionate rent for grotty houses (currently £3.5k a month and we have a damp bathroom and a frequent mouse visitor!). We also have a one year old and the lack of outdoor space over another hot summer and lockdown was the final push to move.
We’ve always struggled with location because we don’t know the surrounding areas of london well, we were drawn to Oxfordshire because I have family there.
Initially we were excited to have found somewhere, but mostly relieved we could stop the rightmove searches. But now we’re a few weeks in, we’re wondering if this is the right house for us.
The housing market seems almost certainly to be inflated right now and heading for a crash within the next 6 months, we’re spending our life savings and that is frankly terrifying!
All of our friends are in London and apart from my family (who I mostly find slightly suffocating) we won’t know anyone. I’m not sure village life is for us, we’re so used to everyone being our age with kids and the local Facebook group I’ve joined doesn’t seem to have many families. The local primary school is tiny (6 pupils per class - undecided on whether thats a good or bad thing), gets good but not excellent results. The house is a semi detached house and the garden isn’t huge. There’s an electricity pole in a field behind that is very unsightly (we think the reason why two neighbouring properties on the development haven’t sold). The commute for my husband will be around an hour and a half. We’re hoping to have another baby next year and I’m worried I’ll feel very isolated in such a rural location with no friends.
Basically we are making more compromises than we thought we’d have to and spending everything we’ve ever saved, taking us back to zero. We’re also doing all of this in the middle of a pandemic and I think our anxiety levels are elevated.
The major issue if we don’t move to this house is we have to continue renting, eroding our deposit further and are no closer to moving forward. The limbo we’re in right now is driving us crazy!
Are these normal first time buyer nerves or more than that? Did anyone else feel this nervous and have regrets/no regrets after moving? Heeelllllpppp!!!