5 lessons I’ve learned (so far) from years of house hunting
(scroll down to see some 'before' pictures of our new house!)
House hunting is not for the faint hearted, is it? For the past four years, I’ve been keeping an eye out for houses (ok, much longer really as I have a bit of a Rightmove habit), and for the last two and a half, we’ve been actively viewing houses. It’s been the slowest progressing move so far, and by far the best house search we’ve ever done—not because it’s been easy, but because, for once, we weren’t in a rush.
Looking back, every house we’ve bought before came with a ticking clock. The first time, I was heavily pregnant, and the house hunt was less about finding a dream home and more about finding anywhere suitable before the baby arrived. We just about made it, the wood floor was being laid a week before my due date but luckily my son arrived fashionably late (16 days past the due date) so it was all done. The second move was rushed as we wanted to get in before our son started school. And when it came to our third move, the deadline was all about senior school applications. There’s nothing quite like the pressure of looming enrolment deadlines to make you compromise on your wishlist.
This time, though, it’s been different. We’ve had the luxury of time, which has made the whole experience feel less stressful and much more intentional. We’ve been able to create a very, very specific wishlist— big sash windows, high ceilings, a good-sized garden, quite road but close to amenities. I’ve scrolled through countless property listings and spent hours imagining life in houses we didn’t even book to view. And when it came to actually seeing houses in person, most of the time it was clear immediately that they weren’t for us. A couple of times I talked myself into liking them more than I actually did, but moving house is such a hassle (not to mention expensive) that I was never going to move anywhere until we found something super amazing.
Over the past two years, we’ve viewed more than 30 houses, and last year, we even tried to buy one. It was a handsome property and we put in a couple of offers hoping to make it happen. When it got sold to someone else, I was disappointed and felt bit bruised from the experience. We put the search on hold as I wasn’t sure I had the energy to keep looking.
But time has a way of healing, doesn’t it? After few months break, I found myself scrolling through Rightmove again, and we went back viewing houses. We treated these as fun days out, enjoyed visiting new places and often went for a lovely lunch too. Our version of a date night really!
Now, as you might have seen here, we’re in the process of buying a completely different house—one that, dare I say it, feels much better suited to us than the one we lost. I’ll share more about that soon, but today I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the journey so far. After all, this house search has taught me plenty—not just about period properties, but also about what we really want and what our non-negotiables are.
With that in mind, here are 5 things I’ve learned (so far) from house hunting for a home.
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