Falling In Love With Your Home

1930s dining room fireplace

It’s now just over three years since we moved into what will hopefully be our forever home. That is unless the lure of The Good Life proves too much and I retire to the countryside with an army of goats and donkeys. I love where we live, a little pocket of tranquillity here in London. For me, this house is definitely one of the great loves of my life and we both feel very lucky to have found it.

It wasn’t always that way though. In fact, when I came to view the house one cold December day in 2013, after we’d seen it online and thought it showed promise and then Pete had seen it and loved it, I was totally underwhelmed. Like the first date when you really wish it was already time to go home. It felt impossible to see past the tiny kitchen, the overgrown garden and to think of all the potential it had. About how we’d never grow out of it and could turn it into a truly show-stopping home.

Thankfully the rest is history but isn’t it crazy that we part with so much money typically after a viewing which often lasts only 15-20 minutes at best? Between us we did see our home three times, Pete having viewed it first when I was at work and then me visiting once during the day and once during a rush hour to get a feel for the area. I chuckle to myself at the thought that people could decide to spend the rest of their lives together after just three short dates but stranger things have happened.

We spent the first year as homeowners feeling a little overwhelmed by what we’d taken on. I’d been renting since I left home (where aside from keeping a place clean, maintenance is someone else’s problem) and Pete had owned a house outside Cambridge which he’d bought even before it was built so had very little to do with his place. In the first year alone we had to damp proof the ground floor after huge damp patches started appearing on the walls, spent a freezing winter with ancient double-glazed windows and every time the washing machine ran a spin cycle it fused the electrics in the kitchen. Not a match made in heaven by any means.

Somehow though love found a way. We’d committed to this home, to restore it to the glory it deserved after decades of neglect by previous owners. And of course you can never know from that first viewing about every little issue that a house may have even if you do the most diligent research which we did. We had a great team too from the estate agents (yes, even there we lucked out) to our financial adviser and conveyancing solicitor, all people who can help make the house purchase process as painless as possible.

As time has gone by we both only love our home more and more. We have so many plans and work hard to bring them to life, never regretting for one second the decision we made to buy this house. Whether you’re thinking of buying your first home or will be planning a move at a future date, The Law House Chiswick conveyancing solicitors have put together a fun infographic with top tips to keep at the front of your mind when having that all-important first date with your future bricks and mortar. You never know, it might just be love at first sight…

Post in collaboration.
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17 Comments

  1. April 18, 2017 / 11:40 pm

    I didn’t know that the statistics were so severe for those who only viewed a house once, or for a short period of time. That certainly is telling. It’s better for the buyer both mentally and financially to view a house for an extended period of time, but it can be frightening to spend too long debating the decision, especially when great houses get snapped up in days.

    • Lins
      Author
      April 30, 2017 / 4:09 pm

      You’re so right Sarah, I’m convinced if we’d dawdled on our place even one day extra we’d have lost it X

  2. April 19, 2017 / 11:47 am

    Love that infographic. Nine months of renovation (so far) and I really hope we don’t regret buying ours when we finally get to move in – in 3 weeks time, eek! #HomeEtc

    • Lins
      Author
      April 19, 2017 / 10:09 pm

      Ahh that’s so exciting!! And you definitely won’t regret it, quite the opposite Xx

  3. April 19, 2017 / 10:12 pm

    It’s looks so beautiful, love your fireplace. I love our house but now we’re staying in it, I’ve had the painters in and want to do the kitchen floors too x

    • Lins
      Author
      April 19, 2017 / 10:18 pm

      Thank you so much! I can imagine that now you must have a few plans you want to tackle, it’s exciting to give your home a fresh look X

  4. mackenzieglanville
    April 20, 2017 / 10:07 am

    I fell in love with our first home just from the outside. We would drive by and see it for sale but knew it was out of our price range. It had a picket fence and veranda and roses in the front garden. We decided to eventually take a look inside and I was hooked, it was old and we had to do some work, but mainly cosmetic. I miss that home terribly. We felt it got to small after 3 kids, but I wish now we had never sold it. We ended up building a massive home that was absolutely stunning, but it just wasn’t right, and now we have downsized as I missed the cosy feel. I do love our home now, but I long for a country cottage someday. #HomeEct

  5. April 20, 2017 / 11:35 am

    It always amazes me how buying a house is probably the bigger expense in anyone’s life and you only have a few minutes to decide.
    For me it was love at first sight with my house and I think it will be my forever one
    #HomeEtc

  6. April 20, 2017 / 1:21 pm

    We both loved our house from the outside and hoped it would come up for sale. Once it did we were half afraid to view it in case we hated it inside. But we didn’t. We love everything about it. You have done such a good job on yours Lins.

  7. April 20, 2017 / 8:46 pm

    When you’ve found the right house you just know don’t you? And it is a bit like dating 🙂 Thanks for hosting #homeetc

  8. April 20, 2017 / 9:34 pm

    Lins, it has taken us 10 years to turn this house into our home…The extension to the kitchen and the back of the house was a long term dream that’s now a reality. I don’t know about you, but having poured so much of ourselves into it, I never want to leave… I’m not someone who likes to flit. I like to nest…Or perhaps, I mean TAKE ROOT! lol! Your home looks like it was worth the effort. Useful infographic too! #HOMEETC

  9. Jess Soothill
    April 24, 2017 / 8:16 pm

    I think it takes so long to feel ‘at home’ – however our new build home does feel really perfect. Even though I never EVER thought a new build would!!

    Thanks for sharing and for being a fab co-host xx

    Jess xx #HomeEtc

    • Lins
      Author
      April 30, 2017 / 4:11 pm

      Ahh it’s so lovely when you can feel that way isn’t it?? I definitely feel that way with this place too, it took the first year of me wondering what on earth we’d taken on but now it feels so peaceful despite everything we have to do!! I’m delighted to be co-hosting, such a fab community Xx

  10. April 25, 2017 / 11:19 pm

    Love the infographic. I fell in love with my home instantly. We saw it that same day again and then made an offer, it was and is perfect. However, 4 years later still renovating!! Yvadney x #BrillBlogPosts

    • Lins
      Author
      April 27, 2017 / 9:04 pm

      Haha I’m so relieved when I hear other people say they’re still renovating, it’s very comforting as I often think I’m the only slow coach on the planet! Thank you so much for stopping by X

  11. April 27, 2017 / 8:40 pm

    Brilliant comparison! We both loved our house when we saw it and we were lucky to get it. 2 years in, nowhere near having it as we want it (lots of building work to be done!) but we both say we’ll never move again.

    • Lins
      Author
      April 27, 2017 / 8:45 pm

      Thanks so much Kate, I’m glad you found it helpful! It’s funny how I think most people when they move in to a new place are so eager to get everything done and of course don’t realise how expensive it will all be – that was certainly the case with us. But in hindsight, taking time is best for us to make sure we get it right. Enjoy your forever home X

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