January 2021 has got to be the longest month in the history of time, and with the combination of a (third!) national lockdown, freezing cold weather and dull, dark days, it’s easy to feel fed up and disheartened.
As a result, my casual hobby of occasionally ‘window shopping’ for new houses on RightMove has turned into an obsession. I’ve been checking the app for new houses for sale in my area at least three times a day, and on more than one occasion I’ve found myself lingering over the ‘call’ button to book a viewing.
I’ll start by saying we purchased this house back in September 2018, and other than wishing I could add on a huge garden, I absolutely love this property and everything about it – the style, the location, my neighbours, etc. We know this won’t be our forever home but for now, it’s the perfect step onto the ladder and it’s where we plan to stay for the next three to five years whilst we get our finances in order and save for when the time comes to house-hunt for our next property.
With the above in mind, added to the fact that we probably definitely can’t afford to move – plus the thought of another renovation project any time soon sends chills up my spine – I’ve fallen into a very dangerous habit – obsessively scrolling RightMove. Help!
When I asked on my Instagram poll if anyone else has been doing the same, over 90% of you said yes – some people aren’t yet in a position to buy but keep checking up and feeling sad when their dream homes come and go, others have literally just moved into a new property but can’t help but take a look on what’s become available since, and I think it sounds like a lot of us have got into the habit of wondering ‘what if?’.
As I scrolled through the various different properties at various different price points (and wondered if, technically, there was any way we could drum up half a million pounds – spoiler, there isn’t), I found myself feeling frustrated and fed up with my own home. I browsed houses with beautiful, big green gardens and felt depressed at the thought of my small, stone back yard. I looked at the properties with space for huge bathrooms with free-standing bathtubs and rolled my eyes at the thought of my compact bathroom, with a slimline bathtub that’s not even wide enough to fit your average bath tray.
Whilst in the midst of a midnight browse, I thought back to this time two years ago when we’d not long moved in, and I dreamt of the days we could enjoy relaxing in a finished home – when I wouldn’t be surrounded by bare plaster, half-furnished rooms and takeaway boxes from where the kitchen wasn’t. Now, here we are in our almost completed renovation and I’m already wishing my life away planning on my next move, it doesn’t make sense!
Granted, it’s been hard spending the best part of a year at home – the house has become our place to relax, our home restaurant and bar, a cinema, a gym, a home-office and much more as we’ve been forced to stay inside. Like most of us, I’m getting sick of the sight of the same four walls 24/7 but ultimately I’m very lucky to have a home that I love so much, so I’ve decided over the next few weeks I’m going to attempt to channel this energy into completing small, easy and budget-friendly upgrades around the house to have me falling back in love with the place again. For example, this weekend we added in new shelves to the kitchen, completed some snagging jobs like adding architrave to the new doors and even invested in a brand new shower curtain – the little things really do make all the difference!
Has anyone else been feeling the same? How are you combating lockdown fatigue and a slight RightMove addiction?
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