Anyone regretted buying a house that is too big?

lookstraightahead

Sometime it's to do with layout. We rented a 2 bed flat for three of us during lockdown when we were all working / studying from home. But every room was big and came off a central hallway with a porch and an en-suite and a garden. That flat was sold for about 100k more than the same size house with 4 beds down the road. 

TripleH

Our choice is more lifestyle than investment. We need 2 work spaces that are separate from our 'out of work' spaces  for our mental wellbeing. We only have a 4 bed because when buying after 2 failed attempts we focused solely on chain-free purchases and it happens that our home is 4 bed.

We'd have been happy in a 3 bed if one came along at the time. We are a little more cluttered than we like but once we get unpacked, we'll have a big clear out of items we don't need anymore. We have lacked the space to actually see everything we have properly. The extra room is also useful to give our cats the freedom to run around like crazy idiots in safety.

I admit we are likely to downsize in the future.

lady1964

We (2 of us) were living in a 4 bed 2 bath semi in the south and moved north. We intended downsizing but ended up in a bigger house, albeit it only has 3 bedrooms but still 2 bathrooms plus downstairs loo. All of the rooms are bigger than those in our previous house, our garden is smaller but that’s what we wanted. 

All of our 3 bedrooms get regular use and although the house needed quite a bit of updating, once we’d done the main jobs, it real felt like our home and we absolutely love it. The fact that we also ended up with a very decent pot of cash from the sale certainly helped 😀

housebuyer143

lookstraightahead said:

Sometime it's to do with layout. We rented a 2 bed flat for three of us during lockdown when we were all working / studying from home. But every room was big and came off a central hallway with a porch and an en-suite and a garden. That flat was sold for about 100k more than the same size house with 4 beds down the road. 

Yes, that's a big issue here. Layout is lacking because there isn't a kitchen diner, just a separate diner and kitchen and that it turns out is a big want for me. 
The kitchen does need doing so might be a knock through job in a few years to get the layout perfect. 
I hope to grow into it 🤞🤞 

MobileSaver

babyblade41 said:

My previous house had 6 beds & 5 bath/shower room with only 2 of us.
We bought it for the outside space we wanted.

Similar here. After splitting up with my girlfriend I bought an 8 bedroom house as a singleton; the house was/is stunning but like you it was as much about the outside space as the house itself.

Drawingaline

We moved to a bigger house last year. Tbf there was six if us in a three bed end terrace with no parking. Hubby working from home for the forseable future prompted us to forge ahead with the plan to move we have started two weeks before the first lockdown (had mortgage appointment the weekend before lockdown!) 

For us the upheaval with moving meant that we would only do it for a decent amount more space and parking. We struck lucky and now own a five bed townhouse. Hubby has a huge room for his office/hobby room and the two teens have their own room and the two smaller ones still share. (Once the girl goes to uni in September we will shift the rest around a bit) 

It is big, and sometimes I find it too big. But I seem to be the only one. My hubby loves it, and all my kids love being inside, and while it took the younger two longer to accept it (both asd, and struggled massively with the change) ultimately we all prefer the area and love the space.

We have no plans to be here into our 70's and will downsize in the future, may even move right out of the area, but for now, with our current situation it is as perfect as it can be.

Thrugelmir

housebuyer143 said:

Thrugelmir said:

As long as property is viewed as an investment rather than just a home. People will aspire to living in a home far too big for their actual needs. In the past did exactly this myself. Just two people living in a new 4 bed detached. Separate Lounge, Dining Room. Study and Utility room. Large ensuite bathroom with both shower and bath. Rarely used the dining room, one of the bathrooms and two of the bedrooms. We did rattle around. 

Now in later life totally the reverse. As it's the outdoor space we want rather than indoor. A 2 bedroom property will suffice.  Little point in heating excess space and paying rates , ongoing maintenance etc. More than happy to declutter as well. Surprising what you accumulate that you dont actually need. 

We did view it as an investment as well as  our home. We plan to downsize in older age and then be able to buy our smaller house outright and have a good nest egg. 
BUT it does have increased costs and I see myself rattling around it also and potentially losing members of my family in it LMAO! How long did you live in your oversized house if you dont mind me asking? 

15 years. 

housebuyer143

Drawingaline said:

We moved to a bigger house last year. Tbf there was six if us in a three bed end terrace with no parking. Hubby working from home for the forseable future prompted us to forge ahead with the plan to move we have started two weeks before the first lockdown (had mortgage appointment the weekend before lockdown!) 

For us the upheaval with moving meant that we would only do it for a decent amount more space and parking. We struck lucky and now own a five bed townhouse. Hubby has a huge room for his office/hobby room and the two teens have their own room and the two smaller ones still share. (Once the girl goes to uni in September we will shift the rest around a bit) 

It is big, and sometimes I find it too big. But I seem to be the only one. My hubby loves it, and all my kids love being inside, and while it took the younger two longer to accept it (both asd, and struggled massively with the change) ultimately we all prefer the area and love the space.

We have no plans to be here into our 70's and will downsize in the future, may even move right out of the area, but for now, with our current situation it is as perfect as it can be.

Thank you - ASD son here and so far he seems to be okay with it. He apparently loves the extra space LMAO!

Yeah, no way I will be in it in my 70s, but the next door neighbour doesnt seem to have those concerns as she is there alone in the same size house in her 70s. 

I really bought the house for the area, and as there are very few houses in the village, it was the one I bought or a smaller house on a worse estate for £50k cheaper... While I am not sold on the house currently, the area has lived up to expectations and the Drs surgery is 1000x better so thats a win! 

Woolsery

housebuyer143 said:

Drawingaline said:

We moved to a bigger house last year. Tbf there was six if us in a three bed end terrace with no parking. Hubby working from home for the forseable future prompted us to forge ahead with the plan to move we have started two weeks before the first lockdown (had mortgage appointment the weekend before lockdown!) 

For us the upheaval with moving meant that we would only do it for a decent amount more space and parking. We struck lucky and now own a five bed townhouse. Hubby has a huge room for his office/hobby room and the two teens have their own room and the two smaller ones still share. (Once the girl goes to uni in September we will shift the rest around a bit) 

It is big, and sometimes I find it too big. But I seem to be the only one. My hubby loves it, and all my kids love being inside, and while it took the younger two longer to accept it (both asd, and struggled massively with the change) ultimately we all prefer the area and love the space.

We have no plans to be here into our 70's and will downsize in the future, may even move right out of the area, but for now, with our current situation it is as perfect as it can be.

Yeah, no way I will be in it in my 70s, but the next door neighbour doesnt seem to have those concerns as she is there alone in the same size house in her 70s.

Why on earth not? I'm in my 70s and have a 4 bed property + outbuildings and almost 6 acres to play about in. It costs more to run than a semi in town, but we've done that and feel so closed-in when visiting old haunts. We don't spend lavishly on other things, so we cope.

I've a friend of siimilar age who's in a 4/5 bed. She uses one as an office and another as a craft room. She's planning for the future; either when her sister's husband goes off to join the choir invisible or she needs to have assisted living herself, which costs. As she says: "How can you downsize if you haven't upsized first?"

Just because we're in our 70s doesn't mean we're in our dotage. My cousin lives in a croft in the Highlands where he ended up after running off with his secretary in his 40s. Well on the wrong side of 80 now, he still has a a boat and a girlfriend.

warby68

Houses soon shrink once you're in them

Essentially we moved from one 4 bed to another but each and every room in the latter is bigger plus we gained a 2nd ensuite.

Its odd now because my memory of moving in day and the feeling of space and wandering from room to room is almost as if it were a different house to the one we still live in. It no longer feels anywhere near the size it did on Day 1. If anything now we crave a bit more space, not needed just wanted. You really do get used to space very quickly.

I like that saying, you can't downsize if you haven't upsized first. We always had downsizing as our fall back during the riskier business years and stretched a bit to buy this house but after 12 years we've actually just paid the mortgage off and apart from the now colossal bills have got reasonable security. If we had a step change in fortunes I would still move up again. I get itchy feet, 12 years is the longest I've lived anywhere.