Moving to a more expensive area

Crazy_Diamond

Feeling a bit sad today. We recently moved house as my OH got a new job which was involving a 2 hour commute however it meant moving to an area where house prices were almost double our previous area.

I am really missing our old house, despite tripling our mortgage we still couldn't afford anything nearly as nice and I can't stop looking at the old photos wishing I was still there.

I don't know what I am expecting to get from this post really, I just wondered if anyone else is in the same situation and whether you eventually got used to your new house and even started to like it. I know it probably sounds really OTT but I feel like I am almost in mourning for our old home. Luckily the new mortgage is still affordable but we were doing so well paying the old one off and it is so annoying to have more debt for a house I like less. Rant over and thanks for reading.

phoebe1989seb

Really sorry to hear that Crazy Diamond I can sympathise as back in 2007 we experienced something similar, although in our case we moved from an amazing house in an expensive area, to one half the size in an awful area (didn't realise it was awful till it was too late) initially to enable DH to give up a stressful job and for us to be mortgage-free.

After only a matter of days in our new home I realised we had done the wrong thing - the house was gorgeous (a real chocolate-box type period detached bursting with character features) but compared to our previous house, which had been intended as our 'forever' home, it just didn't match up. We thought that given time we would get used to it and settle in the new area, but not only were we 150 miles from our old city, but the new area was just horrible

Hopefully in your case, as you have moved to a *better* area, you won't have issues with feeling the area itself is bad - just this awful feeling of missing your old home. In time I would hope this will pass and as you start to settle into the new area and make friends etc things will feel so much better. We were unfortunate in that the people in our new area were all so much older and we had absolutely nothing in common with them.

Even after three years (and throwing tens of thousands at the house to make it perfect) we hated living there with a vengeance. Last year we finally sold up and escaped from the area we had grown to hate even more in that time. Unfortunately even though we were still able to buy mortgage-free, we were no longer able to afford to buy the kind of house we had sold in 2007 and as DH had been out of the workplace that he'd been in previously, we couldn't hope to get a huge mortgage again, so we moved to another new area - thankfully this one is lovely and we are much happier now. Having said that, only yesterday I shed a tear when I came across some pics taken on the day we moved from my beloved home in 2007.......

Our DS and his best friend have said one day they'll buy our old house back as it was the scene of many teenage parties and even DH (who really loves it here) says he'd move back to our old house tomorrow were it possible

Sorry I've not been much help, but just wanted to let you know you're not the only one to have feelings like this about your former home.......hopefully you're just having a bit of a wobble and once you've started to put your stamp on the place and make it feel like 'home' you'll feel differently

Hope it all works out for you

Phoebe x

hazyjo

Oh I feel so sad for you... I miss my last house like mad. Although mainly I think I was grieving for a cat who liked to think he lived at mine (couldn't take him with me as he had a home somewhere), and for the life I had there.

Put your own stamp on it. That's all I can say really. New paint and 'stuff' about the place do make a difference.

Also, try and work out what you don't like. My sofa faces away from the windows and I've realised I don't like sitting in a room with no window to look out of. It's on the first floor (townhouse) and think that makes a difference too - I do like to have a window in my vision. Have been sitting in another smaller sofa so the window (and balcony door) are to my right. You might find it's niggly things like that. Try the bed on another wall or something for example (if possible).

I've also worked out that all of my houses/flats have had their front doors on the left. I remember viewing a house once with its door on the right and it took me years to work out why I didn't choose that house over the one I ended up buying. The lounge felt odd - like I wouldn't have ever settled, and that the sofa should be on the wall where the fireplace was... was a lovely house, but something just didn't connect. Nearly bought it too lol - decided last minute to go for the other one though! Was far 'nicer' than the one I bought, but my heart was with the other one.

Really hope you settle in soon and love it...

Jx

Phil_rich

This is exaclty like us, we moved to a more expensive area, sold our house we loved and are now stuck in rented paying more than our previous mortgage. We should not have stepped 'off the ladder' as I am now classed as self employed we cannot get back on, if only we had bought a new house straight away the mortgage problem would not have arose.

I feel your pain.

Good luck.
Phil

nakiwala123

I feel sad on your behalf and I hope that feeling is only temporary. This is what I fear most when I get to buy! I moved from East London (the not so nice part) to surrey to reduce my commute to work and also move in with BF who was moving from Tonbridge. While he was happy to move far away from his parents, it broke my heart to be so far away from my mum and brother. Surrey is not that bad but it's the hankering for my east end roots. I know my (future kids) will grow up in cleaner, less crime environment but there is always the fear that you have made wrong decision.

We are renting which probably is an easier situation to deal with, we can move at end of contract if we are not happy. But when we get to buy it will have to be a carefully considered area or it will end up being a very expensive mistake.

I advise you not to overthink things and just live in the area you are in and try to enjoy what's on offer. You moved there at the time because it was the right decision; sometimes you don't have much choice in these things. In my situation it could have been a 2.75hr commute one-way to work or move and reduce to 30mins and use the rest of that time to explore my local area and spend quality time with BF. You might also make friends in the the new area and realise that it's not too bad.

Good luck in whatever decision you make and please don't feel you are on your own.

cattie

I too feel sad on your behalf. A couple of houses ago I moved to somewhere that within 3 months I knew I wasn't going to be as happy as my previous home. I'd moved from a very small courtyard development and kept looking on rightmove in case any of my neighbours put their place up for sale & give me a chance to move back there.

This never happened and I stayed in the new house for 5yrs. Tried to settle, but as lovely as everyone thought it was, it just never felt like home. I then moved to my current house which felt right as soon as I walked through the door.

Give your new house and chance and if you don't start to feel warm and settled about it, at some point in the future, think of looking for something else where you feel you can be happy.