From The Pumpkin Patch

I have dreamed of writing those words for so many years. We really did it. We bought a house!

It definitely wasn’t easy. It took years of hard work, months of stressing and weeks of packing. But we did it!

And I’m going to tell you all about the process.

Back in July, on the hottest day ever recorded in the UK, we submitted our mortgage application. We were sweating, but not because of the heat!

As two self-employed people with no debt or credit cards to speak of, we were a little apprehensive about the process.

Will any banks even lend to us? Have we been living our lives the wrong way all this time? What if we find out that we can never buy a house?

These were the questions that were running through my mind, but of course all our worries were unfounded.

I’m so happy to say that we are now officially homeowners!

We purchased the most adorable detached cottage built in the 1930s, making it almost 100 years old. I love the history contained within these walls, and can’t stop imagining how all the previous owners throughout the years would have lived their lives.

I came across the listing back in April, shortly after we returned from our trip to America. I thought the house was adorable and quickly booked a viewing, but my husband said it was too small.

We ended up cancelling the viewing and continuing our search, but after a while the house popped up again at a discounted price.

This time my husband was more interested, particularly when he took a closer look at the measurements and realised they were incorrect. The house was actually larger than we thought, plus it had a summer house at the back of the garden which would make the perfect home office.

We fell in love with the house as soon as we visited, and quickly made an offer.

The whole process was extremely long and drawn out, which our friends had warned us about. But this was actually a good thing, as we were able to take advantage of the stamp duty cut which was unexpectedly introduced over the summer.

We did panic a little when the interest rates shot up, but thankfully we had already locked in a very reasonable rate shortly before this happened.

Things were looking a little scary there for a while, but it seems as though we had luck on our side the whole way through.

While I take credit for being the one to push us into buying a house and actually finding the listing, my husband handled the more practical side of our mortgage application as well as the majority of the paperwork.

However, I did learn a few things along the way.

Tips for staying sane throughout the house-buying process

• Use a mortgage broker. They have a vested interest in finding you the best rates and walking you through the entire process.
• Check your credit score and fix any problems. Even something as small as an incorrect address can cause issues, so sites such as Experian and Equifax are invaluable when it comes to cleaning up your credit.
• Don’t believe everything you hear. I was always told that you need a credit card in order to take out the mortgage, but that is definitely not the case.
• There’s no need to panic. I admit, I was in a constant state of near-freakout throughout this entire process. Thankfully my husband was able to stay calm and reasonable, and in the end there was absolutely nothing to worry about.
• Take your time. Finding the right house can be a long process. We searched for months and often found ourselves getting discouraged, but our house eventually came to us.
• Know what you want. Some estate agents were a little dismissive when I gave them our list of requirements (namely, a detached house at a reasonable price!) but we stuck to our guns and eventually found what we were looking for.
• Your first home doesn’t have to be the perfect investment. We bought at the height of the market, so it’s inevitable that our house will temporarily lose some value. But we bought this house to make a home in, and I’m sure the market will pick back up by the time we eventually decide to sell.

Now I have to be honest – I absolutely hated the entire process of buying a house.

From weeding through ugly overpriced listings, dealing with rude estate agents and stressing about getting a mortgage, the entire thing was thoroughly unpleasant.

But it was so, so worth it. Now I’m writing this from our very own home, and it’s still such a surreal feeling.

We are currently working on a few renovations, as we want to get back to the roots of the house while still making it our own.

This involves uncovering the fireplace and unblocking the chimney, removing carpets in favour of new wooden floors and giving everything a fresh lick of paint.

I particularly loved seeing the original floorboards and imagining all the footsteps that have walked across them over the years.

We also discovered a He-Man toy from the 80s underneath the floor as well as an original 1930s light switch that had remained hidden under the boards throughout the decades.

It’s going to look so cosy and beautiful once it’s all done!

I feel so grateful to own our own home, particularly in such a wonderful location. We’re just a short train ride away from central London but with beautiful woodlands and countryside right on our doorstep, within walking distance of our front door.

Now after working hard towards this goal for almost three years, I’m ready to relax and reap the rewards.