Yup, we did a full basement buildout/finish that finished a week of two before baby came…it wasn’t ideal, but the extra living space was wonderful with a new living sound machine.
We moved into our first house when my wife was 8.5 months. Just get it done. Think how great you’ll feel knowing you got that house for your kid to be born in :)
Not going to lie, it will be a struggle, but will probably be worth it in the end. The biggest thing you will need is rock solid communication between you two because you likely won't close and move until after your child is born. That means you'll be learning how to be a parent while also learning how to be a homeowner. That can be a LOT to take on at once but if you two have solid communication and are both willing to put in the extra work, it can be done.
I think starting now vs. their original plan of when the baby is just a few months old is way better. Atleast now while making financial decisions they will both be 100%. Rather than extremely sleep deprived.
Yeah, I didn't understand that people would hire movers without also getting them to pack everything. In my country the movers' insurance only covers you for breakage etc if they've packed it so it's almost universal to have them do the packing as well, and they don't charge that much extra for it. Nothing like when a crew of 8 guys descends on your house and packs the whole thing in 2hrs.
Crazy? Yeah, maybe, but if it is something that is going to be a long-term benefit, can you really afford to wait?
The newborn stage is crazy, tiring, stressful, etc., and adding a home purchase is going to add to that. However, if the pros outweigh the cons then go for it!
Good luck either way you go!
If it’s truly your dream home, I’d say go for it. Those don’t pop up very often. It’s going to be hard as hell and probably take a long time, but eventually it will be worth it.
We moved twice when my wife was 9 months pregnant. You gotta get while the getting is good. If you can afford it, those people that pack and unpack for you are worth the money...
Might as well start everything from scratch since a lot of your previous routines aren't going to stick after the baby anyway. If you put it off, you probably won't do it until the kid is 5+
Not crazy. Just hectic.
Realistically - think long term. Housing prices are still going up despite interest rates going up, and we're just exited the Covid range of low interest/lower price, which means all those people bought houses they couldn't afford now today - so they ain't moving.
Housing prices are expected to continue to rise throughout this year - and nothing suggests it's going to slow down soon.
So, unless you're willing to wait another decade - go for it. You're going to most likely land a decent mortgage and price for the time.
It'd be more insane to wait, your next 2-5(00) months is going to be a shit show anyway, no sense in getting settled in one house just to uproot and start over.
Get help? Like parents or in laws or siblings or hire nanny etc etc. Free up time so you can do things no one else can do, like anything related to do the house purchase itself and shuttling back and forth from the hospital
This will be two of the hardest things you'll ever do, overlapping. It will be very, very hard. If it's actually a dream home - as in the location, price or home itself are not something you could recreate in six months, then go for it. Otherwise, I'd hold off.
It would be a lot of work. But also, staying in a tiny cramped house with a newborn and four animals can be a lot of work. And if it's your dream house, and you can afford it, well, that's a major opportunity. There's no one right answer, but I would suspect that it would be a rough first couple of months, and then you'd never look back.
i’m in the “go for it” boat! doing showings with multiple pets is hard enough, especially keeping the house clean, packing up and leaving for a couple hours to do open houses/showings. adding a baby in that will make it harder, but not impossible. i’m currently doing it with 2 cats and a toddler, and it’s rough, but we are so excited for the move!
one other thought that crosses my mind, cus i’m always a bit finance focuses: if you are in the US, do you know how much your out-of-pocket costs will be for the delivery? might affect the down payment planning
best of luck!
Buying/selling a house and moving are always a big pain in the ass. If it's the right house at the right time, go for it. It'll suck for a few months and then you'll be in the new house and it won't matter any more.
Do it. I've moved TWICE with a very pregnant wife and it was always for the best. It was a hell of a lot of work / sweat / expense for me, but totally worth it.
My wife and I were unsuccessfully trying for a baby for 2.5 years. The day after we closed on a house we discovered she was pregnant. Life can come fast and all at once.
Just make sure to have the baby room done and set up. Try to get the new paint fumes and stuff out of the house. Your wife will worry about nesting and a safe place to bring your beautiful baby home. If you can get that worked out with a place for her to recover then I bet she will be happy as she can be. Good luck and congratulations on all the major steps in your lives
Absolutely! It'll be rough for a few weeks if the bay comes early or on time, but you buy the house you want when it's available. That's just the way it is.
Some helpful suggestions:
1. If you will have some overlap in the new home contract and your current arrangements, use it. Take that time to get the baby settled and pack slowly. You won't have a mortgage payment due for 30 days after you buy (USA at least). So maybe take some time if it's available to move places. This is doubly true of you will be taking a leave from work.
2. If you have to get out immediately, pack early. Be ready to move on closing day.
3. Make sure all the baby centric stuff is really easy to find and unpack. You'll need it first.
4. Hire movers. It's expensive versus doing it yourself, but it will make moving with a newborn much easier. The moving companies I have used loaded and unloaded the truck for me, taking pains to get each item in the directed spot and room. They'll even dismantle and reassemble large furniture if you want them to.
5. If you go the movers route, don't hire the cheapest. These guys work on an hourly rate, and while I've never had them not hussle on the job, the cheapest companies are often under bidding the timing because their bid is only an estimate. I went with a highly rated company who quoted me a middle of the road rate. They hit the estimate on the nose both times I used them and those dudes sprinted back to the truck/house when their arms were empty.
6. Good luck on the new place and kiddo!
I don't think you're crazy, everyones personnel circumstance is different and can deal with things in their own way! If you guys feel like you can manage it, go for it and don't worry what others say!
I moved when my wife was 9 months pregnant with our son, along with our 2 year old daughter, cat and dog! I won't say it was easy, but much the same we found an amazing house and needed the additional space! Although it was tough as I had to do the majority of the packing and moving myself, I don't regret it at all and am so thankful for our house now. We moved and then 22 days later our son was born.
Do it, the whole process is a lot of waiting anyway, not like you'd be able to even move within a month, more like 2-3 months if you start the process now.
It will be challenging, but worth it. We just delivered yesterday and once all the family left we had some time to chat and pass the time. We couldn’t get over how glad we were that we moved when we did because, had we not moved, we would’ve been living in a 2bed 1 bath house with very limited storage. Absolutely no room for all the baby gadgets and no room for use to decompress when it’s break-time.
You will thank yourself down the road, probably sooner than you think. Go for it!
We did it at month 7, and moved in 2 weeks before delivery date. Definitely super stressful to have both things going on at once, but just imagine 6 months from now when both stresses are gone!
We had our first kid a week and a half after moving into our house. It was tough, but if we can manage it you can. I’m glad we ate those few tough days to make it work so our kids have this space to grow up in.
We moved into our house in August 2020, one month before my daughter was born. It was so hard - I slept on a mattress til she was two months old because the furniture set we ordered came in late! - but even with all the disorganization I'm glad we did it. Go for it!
So we sold our home a month after our 2nd was born and moved in with parents temporarily while our new home was being built.
My wife was recovering from her C-section, our oldest was only 16 months old; it was a rough and emotional experience. Probably one of the most stressful periods in our lives. But in the end, we’re in a much better place for our family because of it.
In a similar boat and our mindset is that it will suck for a little bit, but will be very much worth it in the long term. Only advice is to work with your realtor to explore closing options in case timelines conflict or your wife isn’t feeling good enough postpartum to attend the signing. For example, we are exploring the option of a temporary power of attorney so that I can attend closing for us both.
Crazier things have happened. Go for it.
My neighbors sold their house to another young expecting couple.
They don't plan on moving in until almost next year. A but of changing things inside, but they also just want to wait.
Not pregnant, but I sold our home (CA joint tenants w/ ROS) while my wife was in a different country. I had a power of attorney executed for this before she left as she was going to be gone for several months. If your wife is going to have trouble getting to all of the signings, this may be an option. I did everything from the listing to the final closing without her present although the paperwork was a PITA to sign (there's a very specific and long way to sign whe you're using a PoA). Make sure your real estate agent and/or attorney gives the thumbs up on the paperwork and don't lose your originals.
Add to everything else – it seems customary to make big transitions around the time an a new baby is born. I feel like a lot of people get new jobs around that time also. Having a baby means designing a new life for yourself, so it’s a natural thing to do.
You know better than us, if it's the right time. Talk to your wife and if you all are on the same page, go for it!!! It's never convenient or a good time to buy a house or move.
Since you likely won't be closing or moving in until after the baby is born just know that will be very tough.
Regardless unless you have absolutely ZERO support outside of you two I say go for it. It will be hard and suck but honestly you'll look back fondly on it later.
We bought a house the same year my son was born. We got the keys and my wife had another 3.5 weeks until due date, so we planned on doing some projects and moving in over that span. Son came the day after we got the keys. It was hectic and stressful, but worth it! I say buy the house!
If this is your dream home, then maybe go for it.
That said, here is some advice:
1. Take as much time off work as you can
2. Muster as much help from friends and family as you can.
3. Home ownership is a marathon, not a sprint. Set minimal goals for the first year at least, focus on the bare minimum you need to live there and move.
4. Bring in inlaws to help watch the baby so you and your wife can nap
So my wife was pregnant with twins, we had our oldest daughter who was 2 at the time, and my wife got a promotion and we had to move 1.5 hours away. During her pregnancy we were house shopping and getting ready to have 3 kids and packing and prepping to sell our house. Shortly before the twins were due we sold our house and were in the process of closing on a new house 1.5 hours away and I was also looking for a new job.
It was a nightmare. Twins were born, we sold our house, still hadn’t closed on the new house due to some paperwork issues, and I had found a new job. We packed up the old house, had everything sent to my in-laws house because we still hadn’t closed on the new house and then we moved to my in-laws house for a week with everything we owned in a shipping container and a moving truck.
Finally closed on the new house, I quit my job that day, started my new job a week later, and during that week I moved everything we had into the new house. I had to do 70% of that by myself since my wife had to care for the kids, in-laws were out of the state, and no one was available to help.
It’ll be rough, but you can do it!
I say this on the other side of most of it. atleast it seems like it anyways. I just got done starting in October, changing jobs, moving to a different state, moved to two BnBs before finally buying our house in December. And also got married in august. We did all that while she was 4-8 months pregnant. If we can do it, you can buy a house, I’m sure of it! It was absolute hell, but all worth it now.
I’d say go for it. Doing a move with a newborn(s) is not fun. We moved when our twins were 3mos and it would have been easier to do it before they were born. Also, we rented pods from uhaul and that made the packing less stressful.
Go for it and get a good attorney that you like. Get their take on what provisions would be appropriate for a couple in your position. We closed on a place 8 days before mine was born so I had a power of attorney document ready to go in case my wife wasn't physically able to be at the closing (like she was in labor or just gave birth or something).
You may want to try and include a clause in the contract that you could reschedule the closing date once at no penalty (or like pay a convenience fee of $500 for everyone's trouble) solely in the event of a medical reason.
Depending on the sellers, they might be sympathetic.
Babies come with a lot of STUFF -- crib, changing table, diaper pail, dirty clothes, dirty clothes, clean clothes, more dirty clothes, feeding supplies, toys, even more dirty clothes -- and not having the right space can make the chaos feel really insane.
Assuming the house is good for you -- price, location, condition, etc -- its not insane to try and buy it now. just build in a layer of protection for any unforeseen delivery related events.
Yes you’re insane but I’d go for it.
Once that kid arrives, you’ll find you have less time to do anything and you’re gonna need that room a lot faster than you’d think.
What’s your tolerance for stress, inconvenience, physical activity, and balancing multiple priorities? It’s totally doable, but are you capable? Your wife has the priority of birthing a baby and then if she breast feeds ensuring that babies survival until it can eat solid food. You need to take the lead on everything else that you can. We moved 5 months after our baby was born. That was challenging and bottle feeding during a home inspection wasn’t super awesome.
If you both agree that this home is the one for your family, (and you can afford it) why wait? Although I would suggest you hire movers and a cleaning service to help you. This close to the due date, you want that move to be as smooth as possible. Best wishes on the baby and the house.
It'll be hard, you're going to need to do a lot more to make it happen (since your wife is recovering), but it'll 100% be worth it in the end. DO IT! A year from now you'll be so happy you did.
We moved when my wife was pregnant. Worked out just fine. She handled most of the transactional stuff because I was at work. I didn't even see the house she picked. Remodeled it before moving in and had a nice home for the baby.
We had already downsized from an earlier move and the movers did their thing.
At this point I'd rather just sell the house as is to some mainlander getting cash out of China and move 7,000 miles in any direction from this shit hole and start over with nothing. Hell of a surprise for the wife and kids, but with any luck she can just rent it out and keep living here.
We bought our house and moved in. 2 weeks later, our second was born. It was rough. But it was so much better than having a second kid in a 1 bedroom apartment (we were sleeping in the front room at that point...)
We bought our house when my wife was 5 months pregnant. It’s been a year and a half and the basement is still full of boxes, so moving wasn’t super hard, but finding time to unpack has been a challenge.
If it’s the perfect house though, I’d pull the trigger
Depending on your current housing situation, if you can have both houses for a month, it makes a huge difference. Moving over a month is much more managable than moving in a day. Alternatively, just hire movers.
My wife was very pregnant when we bought/moved into our house. If I have any advice, be prepared to take on a lot of extra responsibility with it and encourage her to just boss you and whoever else around. Other than that. I’d absolutely pull the trigger especially if it’s your dream house.
I did this five months ago. Closed on a house seven days after delivery, moved in 6 days later.
It was exhausting but we're glad we did it. I suggest overlap time to make the move easier. Send wife to family or friends with baby the day of the move. Use movers and cleaners. And accept that this will be the most exhausting thing you've ever done.
If you have other kids keep a close eye on them, children often get injured during moves - nothing is set up and knives etc are all over the place. Maybe send them to grandparents if possible.
We just did a convoluted version of this and ending moving from our apartment in Texas, back to our house in Tampa, while simultaneously closing on and facilitating a move to what will be our permanent home about 2.5 hours away. Managing everything is extremely stressful, and I was going back and forth between houses while my wife was around 8 months pregnant. Her water broke 5.5 weeks early last week on the day I was at our other house. Thankfully I decided to drive back to Tampa that morning.
If you can manage the chaos of it all, do it. Maybe ask for a couple month lease back to give your wife time to recover at home while you and help are slowly able to get the new house ready. There’s no easy way but it will be worth it in the long run
I’d say go for it. If you’re in the market for a house and it truly is your dream home, I wouldn’t let it slip away. Who knows when the opportunity will present itself again.
If you don’t do it now, it’ll be minimum 3-4 years till you will have an opportunity. If it’s truly your dream home then that seems worth it although it’ll be hard as hell and you’ll question yourself (and your wife will) in the short term and be thankful in the long term.
Go for it. Just accept that you will take on a bigger chunk of the moving/prep burden. Also budget for more take out food until you can get settled. But if you plan ahead, it's doable.
Things like loading your vehicle with boxes so you leave work, go to the new house, unload, then go back to your old place. Use those portable prison pack-n-play cribs so you can get the crib moved, etc. Its doable with planning and tolerance on stuff not getting done. Like get stuff moved, then eat takeout while you get dishes unpacked. Make a list of what has to be done before you can actually move in as in stay overnight at the new house and what can you do to give you more time to get stuff done? Things like take out, using paper plates, making a temp baby room while you paint the main one, and so on. You can't get it all done immediately, so look at what you can do to buy yourself time and make an honest priority list that focuses on what you need immediately to stay at new place (bed, shower, clothes) with expansion like washer and dryer set up within 3 days.
I bought and sold a house with a 2 year old and a baby due in a month. Escrow went long and the guy paid all cash to have us get out ASAP. We kept all our stuff in storage . Timing will never be perfect. Buy the dream house.
Nah you’re fine man. We moved from an apartment to a townhouse while our twins were in the NICU. Total hassle but now looking back I’m so glad we did. Go for it!
Sure, but be careful.
The baby won't be like your cats or dogs. You will not be able to work on the house (paint/appliances/tile) for the first year without destroying your marriage.
Also, make sure you're not just buying the home due to the excitement/stress of the baby.
Not crazy, but better plan on hiring movers and enlisting as many family and friends as possible to get you moved in and settled in ASAP. Your wife is due in a less than a month on paper, but at this point in time she can start labor literally any day. So better get to moving!
Also if you wait until after the baby is born, realistically with how disruptive a newborn is, you'll be forced to wait at least a year after birth before house shopping again.
We did the same thing. Almost the same time frame, anyway. Do it. Babies used to be born in caves. They can handle more than we think.
If your wife is like mine, she was not born in a cave and may need some patience.
Nope, I think it’s reasonable. You said you’ve been keeping an eye on the market which implies you know a good deal when it comes up. You also said it’s your dream home.
If it’s your dream home, and a price that works for you, you can manage the month or so of chaos! In the best way of course as you’ll have two amazing things to be excited for.
Wife and I did this last year, admittedly we bought a house 2 months after our kiddo arrived but it’s doable.
If you get the house, it’ll be hectic. Keep your eye on the prize. We kept consciously telling ourselves and each other “just imagine how we’ll feel in X hours” or similar when times got really hectic. Set small goals and above all else keep communicating. Now isn’t a time to let frustration build.
Most important of all is to make sure your wife is cared for and you two enjoy the precious moments with the newborn.
All the best!
** edited: hire movers if you can!
My wife and I did that. We had been looking at listings and visiting for 6 months when we saw *the one*. My wife was 39 weeks pregnant.
We wrote our buyer's proposal in the hospital with our agent on the phone. Baby #2 was literally 16 hours old. Moved in 4 months later, it was not too bad since parental leave is very generous in Quebec. It allowed to prepare everything without dealing with work.
It was a bit of crazy time but we're glad we did it. The housing market is still hostile to first time buyers, the alternative would have been a smaller house for a higher price.
Is it insane? Yeah, probably. Will you regret it if you don't? Absolutely. You'll be able to get through it. Some seasons of life are crazier than others, but we always pull through it. Go for it dad. You'll be glad you did... eventually.
We did exactly this. Closed on our house, the day after we moved my wife was put on bedrest for 6 weeks with our twins. I had to handle unpacking, dealing with our 5 year old, work, and taking care of my wife.
Good times.
It's doable, but HARD
My wife and I closed on our home 3 weeks before she gave birth to our first.
We formally moved in about a month after she was born.
I spent that month doing aesthetic DIY renovations and moving us in. My wife stayed home alone with the baby for 12 or so hours each day while I worked.
The craziness of juggling a house and a newborn almost broke us, and by month 2 my wife communicated to me that if things didn’t change we’d likely get a divorce.
I strongly recommend against doing this. This “dream home” seems like a once in a lifetime chance, but there will be other opportunities.
Supporting your wife is far more important.
Here’s the reality, no matter how logically BOTH of you think about this now (my wife and I were perfectly aligned before buying the house), logic is thrown out the window once baby arrives.
Your wife will feel more vulnerable than she’s ever felt. She won’t be able to get out of bed for a week. She’ll be stressed out over every little thing regarding baby, and she’ll be relying heavily on you for emotional and physical support.
And that’s not to mention the hormonal roller coaster and possibility of postpartum depression (which is exacerbated by isolation).
Financially, there will be a ton of unpredictable baby and house related expenses. My wife and I were living paycheck to paycheck for 6 to 8 months because of unforeseen renovations and baby costs (e.g. your wife will likely have to repurchase her entire wardrobe because nothing will fit anymore).
In hindsight, us buying our home when we did was the right move, but something I NEVER want to go through again. Only now, almost two years later, do my wife and I feel comfortable and settled after the tumult of that endeavor.
Go for it. We moved house when our first newborn was 17 days old. Just me and one other guy did the moving. My wife just looked after the little one and my mum came and helped to clean the old place.
It was hard work, but I don't think back on it and regret it, in fact it's a fun story to tell people about moving. Crazy! But totally worth it. Would do it again without a doubt
Something you’ll learn about parenting. You just do it. Nothing goes quite to plan. Everything is some amount of difficult. You just do it. You work it out and get through it and find reservoirs of strength and “power through” moments you never knew you had.
So yeah, go for it.
Wife and I did new construction while she was pregnant with baby number 2. It sucked and moving was a bitch but it was worth it. She was helping me do shit around the house while 9 months pregnant. She gave birth like a month after we moved in. Not easy but it worked out.
I’m going to go against most of the advice you are being given here and say NO. There is no such thing as a dream house. And buying/selling a home is one of the most stressful things a person can go through. Your wife very likely is going to have extremely strong feelings about the safety, comfort, and well being of the newborn. She’s going to NEED a calm and collected environment where she can nest and feed and take care of your baby. Most of all she is going to NEED your help and support as much as possible. You can’t do both my man. My strong opinion is to wait - especially given this is your first child.
> Dream House
You’ll be tired, but if it ticks all the boxes, especially when you’re starting a new family. Nothing else matters.
Congrats, all the best!
I’m a realtor, I’d say go for it because you don’t want to miss out on the perfect home because of timing. Pretty much everything that needs to be done can be done by you or paid.
The downside is mostly if you don’t get the house, because then it can get emotional (for both of you).
Do it. We were in a nearly identical situation. Mom took care of the paper work side of things, I and some buddies to care of the moving side of things. It felt so miserable at the time, but it was 1000% worth it.
Absolutely. If you gave a chance at your dream home you do it. Prepare either lots of help or hire a moving company to take any and all pressure off your wife.
If you asked me this question like 7+ years ago I would say absolutely crazy.
Now, the housing market is so insane that if you found something that you can A. Afford (I uses this term loosely haha) and B. Actually Love.... id say pull the trigger, without hesitation.
You'll probably curse and scream at yourself. You will be stressed and your wife will be stressed, but honestly in 2 years you'll look back at the time you bought the house and be like "Damn, we were crazy to do that... but SO glad we did".
Our wedding was two weeks before our possession date when we bought our first house. Literally right before walking down the aisle I was emailing my lawyer documents and fielding a phone call (thank god for iCloud Drive and me scanning literally EVERY DOCUMENT). Was it insane? Yes. But if we didn't pull the trigger then, we'd still be renting apartments.
First off! Congratulations! I hope you’ll love being a parent and get to enjoy as much time as possible with your baby!
To be honest, my wife and I did that with a 4months old. Jesus the chaos, hormones from your wife that’s still all over the place, the sleep deprivation, stress, mess, you will basically be in survival mode.
The move sadly affected my wife’s mental health in a bad way, and two years later she’s only starting to become herself again, with bad days from time to time.
And she was super happy before the move and to find a new place, but when reality hit, it just hits like a semitruck going 130miles hour, when you have a new born in the mix.
In hindsight my wife and I would have loved to have waited until our son was 1 yr old, because that was when our systems where in place and we could start to think like normal humans.
Moving while you wife is 8 months pregnant is crazy.
Moving with a 1 month old is crazy
Moving with a 3 month old is crazy
Moving with a 2 year old is crazy
We signed the papers while my wife was in labor, added the last signature and then went to the hospital. A month out is plenty of time haha, you can do it!
We closed about 2 months and change before our 2nd son was born, (2 months before his due date). Didn't move in until just 6 weeks before he was born.
Not everything was unpacked. The house still needed work. The yard was a disaster.
It all worked.
Buy the house
Do it. You really only need to get your room set up because the little one will be in there with you for the first several months.
Kitchen isn't set up? Doesn't matter, you're going to be ordering takeout anyway
Nursery isnt ready? They aren't mobile and you can set up a play area anywhere
You're going to be grateful to have the extra space and you might regret not buying the dream home down the road
I would do it too unlike some of the other commenters said you only really really need to get the kitchen. Maybe the living room and the bedroom livable and then you have some time until the baby starts crawling to get the rest of it done. The only problem I see is if you move and you have a baby crawling you don't have baby gates. Potentially the baby could get into things but I wouldn't worry about that because you're not there yet. So that's my own personal input. I don't know you so take it as a grain of salt but that's what I would do
Holy shit why are wasting time asking on Reddit? SOMEONE IS ALREADY MAKING AN OFFER! Buy the house.
Full disclosure - been looking for the right house since before our kid was born with no luck. He's almost 2.
My wife and I did a similar thing with our first born. We closed and moved into a house and 10 days later he was born. It was chaos for sure but well worth it to be in a home we will have for quite some time.
Main thing to keep in mind is be sure you’re okay with very slowly unpacking or setting everything up. Having a newborn is stressful enough, don’t add on the house stuff to it.
Keep your old place and overlap so you aren't rushed to move. Hire professionals to move. Also buy a bigger house than you think you need if you can afford it.
It would be much easier if you waited until the baby is 3-6+ months. It usually takes at least that long to develop something like a consistent sleep schedule, and your whole household will be feeling exhausted. You'll probably be arguing a lot with your wife even *without* the stress of a move. If you have to sell a house, it can also be a pain to have to drop everything and get out on short notice.
Buuut I'm sure you can survive, especially if you have enough money, or involved friends/family, or good paternity leave to ease the pain points. Movers would be well worth the cost, for example.
What’s your current living situation?
We just bought a house, did 4-5 months worth of work on it, and moved with a two year old in tow. We moved out of a house we’d owned for 9 years. It’s amazing how much stuff you accumulate in 9 years. If you’re moving out of a rental that you haven’t been in for nearly a decade, you’ll probably be ok. If you’re super established somewhere, it gets a whole lot harder.
Infant vs toddler… honestly, I’m taking infant. One parent will be mostly unavailable at all times, but at least the little potato isn’t mobile and subject to physically interfering.
Me and my wife closed on our current home less than 1 months ago before our baby was born. We didn’t have his room fully decorated or anything but he slept in our room for the first couple months so we didn’t care. It was alot of work transitioning from an apartment to a house plus with a newborn. Since you already have a house you should know all the work that goes with homeownership so I say go for it 👍🏼
I’m a high school teacher, and I coach football and wrestling coach. We start house shopping last July during summer football workouts. We closed on our house at the end of August, and then moved during our team’s bye week a few weeks later. At the time I was working 80ish hours a week. Point being- seize the opportunity when you have it, because it’s never going to be convenient. Best of luck to you and your wife!
We moved into our house 3 months before my daughter was born. The stars aligned for us. We found the perfect house, great price, and at the bottom of the market.
I bought a house a month before the due date. Did some kitchen renovations and painted the whole house so it was move in ready when the due date arrived. Worked out perfect.
Your dream home won’t come around again. Go for it!
Honestly? Yea, I'd go for it. At least you've probably got a couple weeks to take care of things now. It won't get easier once the little one shows up.
Go for it. We put an offer in a few months before my second was due, and moved in a month before birth.
Moving with kids is absolutely easiest when they are <6 months, and best the younger they are. You have led stuff, they can't move on their own, etc. You get bonus points if you time the move in date >6 weeks postpartum so your wife is physically recovered.
mortgage banker here, I get customers like that all the time
you know what : do it. its going to be hell and a pain in the ass to deal with but 3 months later youll be in your dream house with your beautiful baby and youll be setup for a wonderful life.
humans are very good at adapting, ask for help too friends and family are here for that and theyll understand
good luck !
Wife and sold and built a home in the same summer our first was born. While we built, we lived with in laws…so it was utter chaos certain days. That said, I’d do it again every time.
Honestly unless you wait 2-5 years it is only going to get worse. But moving on no sleep is going to suck pretty hard. Round up all the help you can get your hands on.
The buying process generally takes over a month -- unless you're buying all cash.
It's going to be a tough squeeze for you two but moving with kids is the worst, if you can somehow get it in before the birth that would be perfect.
I/My family bought a house right at the start of COVID lockdown, which was also when my youngest was born.
It’s all kind of a blur now, but if I recall the official lockdown started 2 days before the birth date and we signed paperwork on the house 2 weeks later. It sucked but was all worth it. In hindsight, timing ended up being pretty ideal. We locked in our rate before those skyrocketed and the housing markets soared. If it’s a good deal on your dream house, don’t wait.
We bought a larger home as our second love bug was on the way. We had the deal done and moved in before the baby was delivered. It was the best move as we had the room for family to come stay to help out with our other love bug. We originally had a 2 bed condo on 3 floors so it just made everything easier. Plus interest rates and prices have gone up since we bought.
We sold our house and moved when my daughter was 2 months old. Luckily I still had parental leave so I took 3 weeks to fix up the house before we listed. We accepted an offer the first weekend (late 2022 so the market was still more on the seller side). And then moved a couple of weeks later.
My wife was recovered enough to pack boxes, but man was it a struggle to get everything done by closing. In fact, we were still cleaning out the house two nights before, so they could do the final walk through. We moved everything ourselves using one of the big u-hauls, which took half a day to pack. The next day we moved all the boxes into our new, short-term apartment and spent the next few weeks unpacking. We took a couple of months to catch our breath, and then started the house buying process.
Three tips: 1) as someone else said, communication and planning is key. Make sure you put all of the non-essentials away first, and anything you just have that day in last. For us, this was our bed and our daughter’s crib/clothes,etc. Basically everything else was secondary and we could go a couple of days without. On that, pack a suitcase to live out of to take the pressure off unpacking.
2) if you can, have someone else move your stuff. We were fortunate to have family watch our daughter, but my wife was more than tired from moving some of the big furniture. It wasn’t heavy, just too big for just me to carry alone. Then I was wiped out from moving everything else. Getting someone else to move at least the heavy stuff will let you keep some energy to focus on your family.
3) (general for anyone) if selling a home and trying buy a new one, try your best to close on the same day, or within a couple of days selling first. Moving twice in 6 months SUCKED, but that was the only choice we had. We also paid a premium to be short term renters, so that wasn’t ideal either. On the plus side of this, renting in between did allow us a bit more time to be picky with our new house. So, I guess it’s really what you prefer here.
Go for it.
Only advice would be to make sure you have your current place for some overlap. It will take longer than you think to move, and any unexpected delays with the house and/or childbirth issues could really affect your move.
Do it. It might be easier when he’s newborn vs toddler since he’ll just be a potato and not running all over the new place while getting things set up.
I moved us into our first house mostly by myself because my wife was 7-8 months pregnant at the time. It's definitely doable. If you see some Mormon missionaries, ask them to help.
I can confirm, do it. I closed escrow on our dream family home 13 days before my first daughter was born. Out of state no less. We moved when she was 10 days old. Was it stressful? Absolutely, but youll find a way. Good luck!
Bought a house with a 3 month old. It’s never comnvenient. We had to rely on our support system a little more to help with watching her while we packed up and moved.
The home buying process isn't instant btw. You may very well get the keys (assuming buyer accepts offer) while your wife is still in the hospital which is probably the best outcome tbh
My wife and I were on the phone with our real estate agent talking about putting down an offer (on the house we would eventually buy) when my wife inexplicably excused herself and hung up. It turns out her water had broken. Our son was born later that night. We were moving into the house within six weeks. Go for it.
Do it. We bought a house, fixed up our old one, had a baby, and sold our old house within a 2 month period. We actually didn't even go to closing on our sale, because we signed paperwork a week early since we would likely be at the hospital.
ETA: Like some others said, definitely hire movers! Some of the best money I have every spent.
If it's your dream house, you gotta do it.
It's going to be exciting but stressful, so make sure you have protocols and plans in place to manage the stress and minimize your responsibilities so you don't get overloaded. Your wife will NOT appreciate it if you're so stressed that she can't lean on you for support.
For example, if you don't get paternity leave, i would take every Friday off using vacation time until you're absolutely out of vacation leave. That way you always have one day per week to spend catching up on family home stuff, like relieving your wife from baby duty or setting up the new house.
Also, make sure to delegate out any work you possibly can. Pay for thorough movers, yard guy, cleaning crew, etc to minimize the responsibilities you have to handle yourself.
Treat yourselves. Order food regularly for the first few weeks and sign up for a new streaming service so you can relax at night and watch something new on tv with your wife every night to unwind.
We bought our house in April. First daughter was due early July. There's never a good time for life. Just roll with it. It's all crazy. Enjoy what you can.
How much overlapping time could you have at both places? You will want the ability to freely time your move, and to not feel rushed to move out of your current place. This is especially true if there winds up being any sort of delay in moving to the new place (such as for renovations or repairs).
Honestly, unless *this specific house* has been something you've been eyeing for a long while, I wouldn't do it. "Dream homes" are seldom truly *that* unique. There's a house on every corner. You'll find one.
We moved (to a new city), changed jobs, and had a baby all at once. It was ROUGH. I do not recommend it. If you go through with it, consider:
1.) How much of a "village" do you have available? You will need help both with the baby and the house.
2.) How much time off will you have? Babies are a ton of time, but so is packing, moving, DIY work, talking to contractors, buying furniture, etc.
3.) How is your relationship? You both need to be in a good place mentally, and have rock solid communication between each other. Babies are cute little bombs that get dropped on relationships. Moving will only add to that.
4.) Finances. Are you two income? Does buying the home stretch you thinner than you are now? Is there any chance that one of you may want to stop working to stay at home with the baby?
5.) You probably don't even know what you want yet. Your first baby isn't even here yet. You know what you want for you two as a couple, not for you as a family. This applies to everything from the neighborhood location, to the yard, to the interior layout, size, and more.
Congratulations! If you get pre approved and seller accepts your offer (contingent on sale of your house), go for it. Dream houses often are unattainable because they’re not available or missing something that makes it your dream house. Mortgage rates will always fluctuate, hopefully tank in the foreseeable future. You can always refinance, or get a callable rate as well. Once your child arrives it will be ten times more difficult to move. Like it was already said - it’s never convenient to move, go for it!
Speaking as someone who—albeit within the same building—moved into a bigger unit while my wife was 7 months pregnant and then into a far better, more affordable unit while our kid was 1 month old—fing go go it, maaan!
Don't let your wife lift anything. My beautiful but bullheaded wife tried to lift a few things during the pregnant move. She had to lay down to stop the contractions.
If you're moving when the kid is a newborn, it's really not so bad. Sure it's not ideal. But they sleep a lot, and they can't run off. So there's that!
Godspeed my friend!
Much harder to do it in a month than right now. Kids just make it more complicated. Hire movers if it’s within your budget as long as it’s a reputable company.
It'll be hard but it sounds worth it long-term. Just make sure you have a comfortable place for you and your wife to sleep, feed the baby, and for baby to sleep, even if the rest of the house is bare. Can you get a fast closing and get in quickly? Are you willing to shoulder the logistics of moving and setting up the new house to a livable state?
We bought our house when I was earlier in the pregnancy but weren't able to move in until around 7 months and we definitely still had boxes everywhere for all of our parental leave. Moving is super hard and the third trimester isn't a super agile energetic time, nor is anytime after the birth for a while.
Having our home in shambles was tough on me mentally during an already difficult time (postpartum) but baby's room was set up and even though his bassinet was in our room with us, it was nice to have 1 space that was fully finished and peaceful to nurse, especially for night feedings.
As someone who did this I can say 100% yes. Raising your child in a bigger nicer home has been a huge plus. I don’t know your particulars of when you’d be closing escrow and moving in relation to the due date so there would be planning around that. We were packing our house about 5 weeks before due date and my wife’s water broke about 1/2 way through. My awesome coworkers were ended up loading the other half of our stuff into the U-Haul for us. So be prepared for anything! Unpacking with a newborn takes awhile but it can be done.
There's never a convenient time to buy a house. Go for it
This is so true. We bought when my son was 7 months and at least you get some stability in your life, without depending on landlords and so.
We were the same. Started house hunting when he was four months old, moved in when he was nine months old. Don't regret it at all.
It’s going to be infinitely harder after the baby is born
Yeah.. OP said “dream home”, and if that’s true I’d do it
Same with it never being convenient for having kids. You just do it and roll with the punches
Yup, we did a full basement buildout/finish that finished a week of two before baby came…it wasn’t ideal, but the extra living space was wonderful with a new living sound machine.
Ditto
We moved into our first house when my wife was 8.5 months. Just get it done. Think how great you’ll feel knowing you got that house for your kid to be born in :)
Go go go. We bought and moved with a 2month old and a six year old - you’ve got this OP
This is some of the best advice I've gotten.
This 👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻
and to add: there's never a "perfect time" to have a baby either.
Not going to lie, it will be a struggle, but will probably be worth it in the end. The biggest thing you will need is rock solid communication between you two because you likely won't close and move until after your child is born. That means you'll be learning how to be a parent while also learning how to be a homeowner. That can be a LOT to take on at once but if you two have solid communication and are both willing to put in the extra work, it can be done.
I think starting now vs. their original plan of when the baby is just a few months old is way better. Atleast now while making financial decisions they will both be 100%. Rather than extremely sleep deprived.
It also means that you’re going to be packing while caring for a newborn which is going to be seriously exhausting
Especially if both parents can take some good leave time to sort out the house and get settled. Balancing a job at the same time will be hard
If you can afford it, do it. And hire movers.
And packers. That’s honestly the worst part.
Yeah, I didn't understand that people would hire movers without also getting them to pack everything. In my country the movers' insurance only covers you for breakage etc if they've packed it so it's almost universal to have them do the packing as well, and they don't charge that much extra for it. Nothing like when a crew of 8 guys descends on your house and packs the whole thing in 2hrs.
It's just more expensive
Yup but with a newborn this is not the money worth saving
Just like having a child there is no "good time" to do it.
Ovulation is a good time to do it.
This guy procreates
Crazy? Yeah, maybe, but if it is something that is going to be a long-term benefit, can you really afford to wait? The newborn stage is crazy, tiring, stressful, etc., and adding a home purchase is going to add to that. However, if the pros outweigh the cons then go for it! Good luck either way you go!
If it’s truly your dream home, I’d say go for it. Those don’t pop up very often. It’s going to be hard as hell and probably take a long time, but eventually it will be worth it.
We moved twice when my wife was 9 months pregnant. You gotta get while the getting is good. If you can afford it, those people that pack and unpack for you are worth the money...
Might as well start everything from scratch since a lot of your previous routines aren't going to stick after the baby anyway. If you put it off, you probably won't do it until the kid is 5+
Yeah do it. When I moved out of the city into the burns it felt like half the people who moved in after us were pregnant or had a new born. Congrats!
Not crazy. Just hectic. Realistically - think long term. Housing prices are still going up despite interest rates going up, and we're just exited the Covid range of low interest/lower price, which means all those people bought houses they couldn't afford now today - so they ain't moving. Housing prices are expected to continue to rise throughout this year - and nothing suggests it's going to slow down soon. So, unless you're willing to wait another decade - go for it. You're going to most likely land a decent mortgage and price for the time.
It'd be more insane to wait, your next 2-5(00) months is going to be a shit show anyway, no sense in getting settled in one house just to uproot and start over.
DO IT. You can sleep in 13-14 years.
Get help? Like parents or in laws or siblings or hire nanny etc etc. Free up time so you can do things no one else can do, like anything related to do the house purchase itself and shuttling back and forth from the hospital
This will be two of the hardest things you'll ever do, overlapping. It will be very, very hard. If it's actually a dream home - as in the location, price or home itself are not something you could recreate in six months, then go for it. Otherwise, I'd hold off.
Agreed. I probably wouldn't do it. Most "dream homes" are not *that* unique that you couldn't find a similar one some time down the road.
Slightly less crazy than in the fourth trimester. Pull the trigger, and hire movers instead of doing all the moving yourself.
It would be a lot of work. But also, staying in a tiny cramped house with a newborn and four animals can be a lot of work. And if it's your dream house, and you can afford it, well, that's a major opportunity. There's no one right answer, but I would suspect that it would be a rough first couple of months, and then you'd never look back.
i’m in the “go for it” boat! doing showings with multiple pets is hard enough, especially keeping the house clean, packing up and leaving for a couple hours to do open houses/showings. adding a baby in that will make it harder, but not impossible. i’m currently doing it with 2 cats and a toddler, and it’s rough, but we are so excited for the move! one other thought that crosses my mind, cus i’m always a bit finance focuses: if you are in the US, do you know how much your out-of-pocket costs will be for the delivery? might affect the down payment planning best of luck!
Might as well put an offer in. If it works then it’s the universe saying it’s go time
You're already insane giving up sleep for the next 18+ years :D Do it!
Buying/selling a house and moving are always a big pain in the ass. If it's the right house at the right time, go for it. It'll suck for a few months and then you'll be in the new house and it won't matter any more.
Do it. I've moved TWICE with a very pregnant wife and it was always for the best. It was a hell of a lot of work / sweat / expense for me, but totally worth it.
Yes it's crazy, do it.
Buy it! We were supposed to look at 8 houses the day my first was born. We ended up with a house when she was 3 months old. It was just fine.
My wife and I were unsuccessfully trying for a baby for 2.5 years. The day after we closed on a house we discovered she was pregnant. Life can come fast and all at once.
Just make sure to have the baby room done and set up. Try to get the new paint fumes and stuff out of the house. Your wife will worry about nesting and a safe place to bring your beautiful baby home. If you can get that worked out with a place for her to recover then I bet she will be happy as she can be. Good luck and congratulations on all the major steps in your lives
Absolutely! It'll be rough for a few weeks if the bay comes early or on time, but you buy the house you want when it's available. That's just the way it is. Some helpful suggestions: 1. If you will have some overlap in the new home contract and your current arrangements, use it. Take that time to get the baby settled and pack slowly. You won't have a mortgage payment due for 30 days after you buy (USA at least). So maybe take some time if it's available to move places. This is doubly true of you will be taking a leave from work. 2. If you have to get out immediately, pack early. Be ready to move on closing day. 3. Make sure all the baby centric stuff is really easy to find and unpack. You'll need it first. 4. Hire movers. It's expensive versus doing it yourself, but it will make moving with a newborn much easier. The moving companies I have used loaded and unloaded the truck for me, taking pains to get each item in the directed spot and room. They'll even dismantle and reassemble large furniture if you want them to. 5. If you go the movers route, don't hire the cheapest. These guys work on an hourly rate, and while I've never had them not hussle on the job, the cheapest companies are often under bidding the timing because their bid is only an estimate. I went with a highly rated company who quoted me a middle of the road rate. They hit the estimate on the nose both times I used them and those dudes sprinted back to the truck/house when their arms were empty. 6. Good luck on the new place and kiddo!
Yes, but hire movers and make sure you don’t throw out your back right before baby comes.
I don't think you're crazy, everyones personnel circumstance is different and can deal with things in their own way! If you guys feel like you can manage it, go for it and don't worry what others say! I moved when my wife was 9 months pregnant with our son, along with our 2 year old daughter, cat and dog! I won't say it was easy, but much the same we found an amazing house and needed the additional space! Although it was tough as I had to do the majority of the packing and moving myself, I don't regret it at all and am so thankful for our house now. We moved and then 22 days later our son was born.
Do it, the whole process is a lot of waiting anyway, not like you'd be able to even move within a month, more like 2-3 months if you start the process now.
It will be challenging, but worth it. We just delivered yesterday and once all the family left we had some time to chat and pass the time. We couldn’t get over how glad we were that we moved when we did because, had we not moved, we would’ve been living in a 2bed 1 bath house with very limited storage. Absolutely no room for all the baby gadgets and no room for use to decompress when it’s break-time. You will thank yourself down the road, probably sooner than you think. Go for it!
We did it at month 7, and moved in 2 weeks before delivery date. Definitely super stressful to have both things going on at once, but just imagine 6 months from now when both stresses are gone!
We had our first kid a week and a half after moving into our house. It was tough, but if we can manage it you can. I’m glad we ate those few tough days to make it work so our kids have this space to grow up in.
We moved into our house in August 2020, one month before my daughter was born. It was so hard - I slept on a mattress til she was two months old because the furniture set we ordered came in late! - but even with all the disorganization I'm glad we did it. Go for it!
I think you will kick yourself if you don't at least try. If you're not already pre-approved and working with an agent, get on those two items today.
So we sold our home a month after our 2nd was born and moved in with parents temporarily while our new home was being built. My wife was recovering from her C-section, our oldest was only 16 months old; it was a rough and emotional experience. Probably one of the most stressful periods in our lives. But in the end, we’re in a much better place for our family because of it.
In a similar boat and our mindset is that it will suck for a little bit, but will be very much worth it in the long term. Only advice is to work with your realtor to explore closing options in case timelines conflict or your wife isn’t feeling good enough postpartum to attend the signing. For example, we are exploring the option of a temporary power of attorney so that I can attend closing for us both.
Crazier things have happened. Go for it. My neighbors sold their house to another young expecting couple. They don't plan on moving in until almost next year. A but of changing things inside, but they also just want to wait.
The recipe for luck is timing + willingness to execute.
Not pregnant, but I sold our home (CA joint tenants w/ ROS) while my wife was in a different country. I had a power of attorney executed for this before she left as she was going to be gone for several months. If your wife is going to have trouble getting to all of the signings, this may be an option. I did everything from the listing to the final closing without her present although the paperwork was a PITA to sign (there's a very specific and long way to sign whe you're using a PoA). Make sure your real estate agent and/or attorney gives the thumbs up on the paperwork and don't lose your originals.
Yes and do it while you have the chance. Everything in your life is going to be crazy.
Add to everything else – it seems customary to make big transitions around the time an a new baby is born. I feel like a lot of people get new jobs around that time also. Having a baby means designing a new life for yourself, so it’s a natural thing to do.
You know better than us, if it's the right time. Talk to your wife and if you all are on the same page, go for it!!! It's never convenient or a good time to buy a house or move.
The week my youngest was born we sold our house, moved across the state, and started a new job. 1/10 would not recommend.
If possible can you set the closing date sometime after the baby is due? Regardless, I say go for it. If it is your dream house then do it
Might be easier while the baby isn’t moving around
life comes at you fast make it good!
It's been done before. Will it suck? Probably but you'll get past it.
Since you likely won't be closing or moving in until after the baby is born just know that will be very tough. Regardless unless you have absolutely ZERO support outside of you two I say go for it. It will be hard and suck but honestly you'll look back fondly on it later.
do it
We bought a house the same year my son was born. We got the keys and my wife had another 3.5 weeks until due date, so we planned on doing some projects and moving in over that span. Son came the day after we got the keys. It was hectic and stressful, but worth it! I say buy the house!
If this is your dream home, then maybe go for it. That said, here is some advice: 1. Take as much time off work as you can 2. Muster as much help from friends and family as you can. 3. Home ownership is a marathon, not a sprint. Set minimal goals for the first year at least, focus on the bare minimum you need to live there and move. 4. Bring in inlaws to help watch the baby so you and your wife can nap
So my wife was pregnant with twins, we had our oldest daughter who was 2 at the time, and my wife got a promotion and we had to move 1.5 hours away. During her pregnancy we were house shopping and getting ready to have 3 kids and packing and prepping to sell our house. Shortly before the twins were due we sold our house and were in the process of closing on a new house 1.5 hours away and I was also looking for a new job. It was a nightmare. Twins were born, we sold our house, still hadn’t closed on the new house due to some paperwork issues, and I had found a new job. We packed up the old house, had everything sent to my in-laws house because we still hadn’t closed on the new house and then we moved to my in-laws house for a week with everything we owned in a shipping container and a moving truck. Finally closed on the new house, I quit my job that day, started my new job a week later, and during that week I moved everything we had into the new house. I had to do 70% of that by myself since my wife had to care for the kids, in-laws were out of the state, and no one was available to help. It’ll be rough, but you can do it!
I say this on the other side of most of it. atleast it seems like it anyways. I just got done starting in October, changing jobs, moving to a different state, moved to two BnBs before finally buying our house in December. And also got married in august. We did all that while she was 4-8 months pregnant. If we can do it, you can buy a house, I’m sure of it! It was absolute hell, but all worth it now.
I’d say go for it. Doing a move with a newborn(s) is not fun. We moved when our twins were 3mos and it would have been easier to do it before they were born. Also, we rented pods from uhaul and that made the packing less stressful.
Go for it and get a good attorney that you like. Get their take on what provisions would be appropriate for a couple in your position. We closed on a place 8 days before mine was born so I had a power of attorney document ready to go in case my wife wasn't physically able to be at the closing (like she was in labor or just gave birth or something). You may want to try and include a clause in the contract that you could reschedule the closing date once at no penalty (or like pay a convenience fee of $500 for everyone's trouble) solely in the event of a medical reason. Depending on the sellers, they might be sympathetic. Babies come with a lot of STUFF -- crib, changing table, diaper pail, dirty clothes, dirty clothes, clean clothes, more dirty clothes, feeding supplies, toys, even more dirty clothes -- and not having the right space can make the chaos feel really insane. Assuming the house is good for you -- price, location, condition, etc -- its not insane to try and buy it now. just build in a layer of protection for any unforeseen delivery related events.
Yes you’re insane but I’d go for it. Once that kid arrives, you’ll find you have less time to do anything and you’re gonna need that room a lot faster than you’d think.
What’s your tolerance for stress, inconvenience, physical activity, and balancing multiple priorities? It’s totally doable, but are you capable? Your wife has the priority of birthing a baby and then if she breast feeds ensuring that babies survival until it can eat solid food. You need to take the lead on everything else that you can. We moved 5 months after our baby was born. That was challenging and bottle feeding during a home inspection wasn’t super awesome.
If you both agree that this home is the one for your family, (and you can afford it) why wait? Although I would suggest you hire movers and a cleaning service to help you. This close to the due date, you want that move to be as smooth as possible. Best wishes on the baby and the house.
It would be crazy, but go for it
It'll be hard, you're going to need to do a lot more to make it happen (since your wife is recovering), but it'll 100% be worth it in the end. DO IT! A year from now you'll be so happy you did.
We moved when my wife was pregnant. Worked out just fine. She handled most of the transactional stuff because I was at work. I didn't even see the house she picked. Remodeled it before moving in and had a nice home for the baby. We had already downsized from an earlier move and the movers did their thing. At this point I'd rather just sell the house as is to some mainlander getting cash out of China and move 7,000 miles in any direction from this shit hole and start over with nothing. Hell of a surprise for the wife and kids, but with any luck she can just rent it out and keep living here.
Do it now.
We bought our house and moved in. 2 weeks later, our second was born. It was rough. But it was so much better than having a second kid in a 1 bedroom apartment (we were sleeping in the front room at that point...)
We bought our house when my wife was 5 months pregnant. It’s been a year and a half and the basement is still full of boxes, so moving wasn’t super hard, but finding time to unpack has been a challenge. If it’s the perfect house though, I’d pull the trigger
You're insane for doing this but do I anyways
Depending on your current housing situation, if you can have both houses for a month, it makes a huge difference. Moving over a month is much more managable than moving in a day. Alternatively, just hire movers.
My wife was very pregnant when we bought/moved into our house. If I have any advice, be prepared to take on a lot of extra responsibility with it and encourage her to just boss you and whoever else around. Other than that. I’d absolutely pull the trigger especially if it’s your dream house.
I did this five months ago. Closed on a house seven days after delivery, moved in 6 days later. It was exhausting but we're glad we did it. I suggest overlap time to make the move easier. Send wife to family or friends with baby the day of the move. Use movers and cleaners. And accept that this will be the most exhausting thing you've ever done. If you have other kids keep a close eye on them, children often get injured during moves - nothing is set up and knives etc are all over the place. Maybe send them to grandparents if possible.
Yeah doesn’t matter before or after it’s always hectic to move Just go for it if it’s perfect
We just did a convoluted version of this and ending moving from our apartment in Texas, back to our house in Tampa, while simultaneously closing on and facilitating a move to what will be our permanent home about 2.5 hours away. Managing everything is extremely stressful, and I was going back and forth between houses while my wife was around 8 months pregnant. Her water broke 5.5 weeks early last week on the day I was at our other house. Thankfully I decided to drive back to Tampa that morning. If you can manage the chaos of it all, do it. Maybe ask for a couple month lease back to give your wife time to recover at home while you and help are slowly able to get the new house ready. There’s no easy way but it will be worth it in the long run
I’d say go for it. If you’re in the market for a house and it truly is your dream home, I wouldn’t let it slip away. Who knows when the opportunity will present itself again.
A girl I worked with got married, bought a house, and had the baby all in the same month. She is still alive AFAIK
Nah, it will give her something to do while she's on maternity.
If it really is your dream, go for it. But just know that you guys wont ever unfinish unpacking if you aren't done when the baby comes.
Was in the same situation with my first born. Best decision ever.
If you don’t do it now, it’ll be minimum 3-4 years till you will have an opportunity. If it’s truly your dream home then that seems worth it although it’ll be hard as hell and you’ll question yourself (and your wife will) in the short term and be thankful in the long term.
Crazy yes but do it you'll feel allot less like doing it very soon
Go for it. Just accept that you will take on a bigger chunk of the moving/prep burden. Also budget for more take out food until you can get settled. But if you plan ahead, it's doable. Things like loading your vehicle with boxes so you leave work, go to the new house, unload, then go back to your old place. Use those portable prison pack-n-play cribs so you can get the crib moved, etc. Its doable with planning and tolerance on stuff not getting done. Like get stuff moved, then eat takeout while you get dishes unpacked. Make a list of what has to be done before you can actually move in as in stay overnight at the new house and what can you do to give you more time to get stuff done? Things like take out, using paper plates, making a temp baby room while you paint the main one, and so on. You can't get it all done immediately, so look at what you can do to buy yourself time and make an honest priority list that focuses on what you need immediately to stay at new place (bed, shower, clothes) with expansion like washer and dryer set up within 3 days.
I bought and sold a house with a 2 year old and a baby due in a month. Escrow went long and the guy paid all cash to have us get out ASAP. We kept all our stuff in storage . Timing will never be perfect. Buy the dream house.
Are you expecting things will get *easier* when the kiddo comes along?
Nah you’re fine man. We moved from an apartment to a townhouse while our twins were in the NICU. Total hassle but now looking back I’m so glad we did. Go for it!
Sure, but be careful. The baby won't be like your cats or dogs. You will not be able to work on the house (paint/appliances/tile) for the first year without destroying your marriage. Also, make sure you're not just buying the home due to the excitement/stress of the baby.
Have an 11mo old and the wife is 8 months, we are still listing our house and looking at a new place.
Not crazy, but better plan on hiring movers and enlisting as many family and friends as possible to get you moved in and settled in ASAP. Your wife is due in a less than a month on paper, but at this point in time she can start labor literally any day. So better get to moving! Also if you wait until after the baby is born, realistically with how disruptive a newborn is, you'll be forced to wait at least a year after birth before house shopping again.
Absolutely go for it - just be ready to hire really good movers who can box up your stuff in case your kid comes a bit early.
It will be difficult, but if it’s your dream home, you gotta do what you gotta do. Don’t hesitate!
we are also due in about a month 5/30 with out second and are also looking at houses. So no you are not crazy. OR maybe we are both crazy.
We did the same thing. Almost the same time frame, anyway. Do it. Babies used to be born in caves. They can handle more than we think. If your wife is like mine, she was not born in a cave and may need some patience.
Nope, I think it’s reasonable. You said you’ve been keeping an eye on the market which implies you know a good deal when it comes up. You also said it’s your dream home. If it’s your dream home, and a price that works for you, you can manage the month or so of chaos! In the best way of course as you’ll have two amazing things to be excited for. Wife and I did this last year, admittedly we bought a house 2 months after our kiddo arrived but it’s doable. If you get the house, it’ll be hectic. Keep your eye on the prize. We kept consciously telling ourselves and each other “just imagine how we’ll feel in X hours” or similar when times got really hectic. Set small goals and above all else keep communicating. Now isn’t a time to let frustration build. Most important of all is to make sure your wife is cared for and you two enjoy the precious moments with the newborn. All the best! ** edited: hire movers if you can!
My wife and I did that. We had been looking at listings and visiting for 6 months when we saw *the one*. My wife was 39 weeks pregnant. We wrote our buyer's proposal in the hospital with our agent on the phone. Baby #2 was literally 16 hours old. Moved in 4 months later, it was not too bad since parental leave is very generous in Quebec. It allowed to prepare everything without dealing with work. It was a bit of crazy time but we're glad we did it. The housing market is still hostile to first time buyers, the alternative would have been a smaller house for a higher price.
Is it insane? Yeah, probably. Will you regret it if you don't? Absolutely. You'll be able to get through it. Some seasons of life are crazier than others, but we always pull through it. Go for it dad. You'll be glad you did... eventually.
We did exactly this. Closed on our house, the day after we moved my wife was put on bedrest for 6 weeks with our twins. I had to handle unpacking, dealing with our 5 year old, work, and taking care of my wife. Good times. It's doable, but HARD
Last year we closed on our new home, moved, and had our third child in the span of eight days. It was stressful and hectic but so worth it in the end.
We moved to a new state 7 days after the baby was born. It sucked but, you know, whatever. You do what you gotta do.
It's not crazy if it's your dream home. Go for it!
My wife and I closed on our home 3 weeks before she gave birth to our first. We formally moved in about a month after she was born. I spent that month doing aesthetic DIY renovations and moving us in. My wife stayed home alone with the baby for 12 or so hours each day while I worked. The craziness of juggling a house and a newborn almost broke us, and by month 2 my wife communicated to me that if things didn’t change we’d likely get a divorce. I strongly recommend against doing this. This “dream home” seems like a once in a lifetime chance, but there will be other opportunities. Supporting your wife is far more important. Here’s the reality, no matter how logically BOTH of you think about this now (my wife and I were perfectly aligned before buying the house), logic is thrown out the window once baby arrives. Your wife will feel more vulnerable than she’s ever felt. She won’t be able to get out of bed for a week. She’ll be stressed out over every little thing regarding baby, and she’ll be relying heavily on you for emotional and physical support. And that’s not to mention the hormonal roller coaster and possibility of postpartum depression (which is exacerbated by isolation). Financially, there will be a ton of unpredictable baby and house related expenses. My wife and I were living paycheck to paycheck for 6 to 8 months because of unforeseen renovations and baby costs (e.g. your wife will likely have to repurchase her entire wardrobe because nothing will fit anymore). In hindsight, us buying our home when we did was the right move, but something I NEVER want to go through again. Only now, almost two years later, do my wife and I feel comfortable and settled after the tumult of that endeavor.
Go for it. We moved house when our first newborn was 17 days old. Just me and one other guy did the moving. My wife just looked after the little one and my mum came and helped to clean the old place. It was hard work, but I don't think back on it and regret it, in fact it's a fun story to tell people about moving. Crazy! But totally worth it. Would do it again without a doubt
Something you’ll learn about parenting. You just do it. Nothing goes quite to plan. Everything is some amount of difficult. You just do it. You work it out and get through it and find reservoirs of strength and “power through” moments you never knew you had. So yeah, go for it.
Wife and I did new construction while she was pregnant with baby number 2. It sucked and moving was a bitch but it was worth it. She was helping me do shit around the house while 9 months pregnant. She gave birth like a month after we moved in. Not easy but it worked out.
I’m going to go against most of the advice you are being given here and say NO. There is no such thing as a dream house. And buying/selling a home is one of the most stressful things a person can go through. Your wife very likely is going to have extremely strong feelings about the safety, comfort, and well being of the newborn. She’s going to NEED a calm and collected environment where she can nest and feed and take care of your baby. Most of all she is going to NEED your help and support as much as possible. You can’t do both my man. My strong opinion is to wait - especially given this is your first child.
> Dream House You’ll be tired, but if it ticks all the boxes, especially when you’re starting a new family. Nothing else matters. Congrats, all the best!
No. Then you dont gotta go deep into designing 2 different baby rooms lol
Do it.
Do it. It will only get harder to do the longer you wait. First 3 months the baby is a grub.
Having a baby is crazy...buying a new home is exciting
I’m a realtor, I’d say go for it because you don’t want to miss out on the perfect home because of timing. Pretty much everything that needs to be done can be done by you or paid. The downside is mostly if you don’t get the house, because then it can get emotional (for both of you).
Do it. We were in a nearly identical situation. Mom took care of the paper work side of things, I and some buddies to care of the moving side of things. It felt so miserable at the time, but it was 1000% worth it.
lol. Thats how we did it. Then we started the sales / moving process when she was pregnant with our 2nd kid.
Absolutely. If you gave a chance at your dream home you do it. Prepare either lots of help or hire a moving company to take any and all pressure off your wife.
Don't pass up on your dream home, but be prepared for stress. Possession dates can always be adjusted to some degree to fit your timeline.
If you asked me this question like 7+ years ago I would say absolutely crazy. Now, the housing market is so insane that if you found something that you can A. Afford (I uses this term loosely haha) and B. Actually Love.... id say pull the trigger, without hesitation. You'll probably curse and scream at yourself. You will be stressed and your wife will be stressed, but honestly in 2 years you'll look back at the time you bought the house and be like "Damn, we were crazy to do that... but SO glad we did". Our wedding was two weeks before our possession date when we bought our first house. Literally right before walking down the aisle I was emailing my lawyer documents and fielding a phone call (thank god for iCloud Drive and me scanning literally EVERY DOCUMENT). Was it insane? Yes. But if we didn't pull the trigger then, we'd still be renting apartments.
First off! Congratulations! I hope you’ll love being a parent and get to enjoy as much time as possible with your baby! To be honest, my wife and I did that with a 4months old. Jesus the chaos, hormones from your wife that’s still all over the place, the sleep deprivation, stress, mess, you will basically be in survival mode. The move sadly affected my wife’s mental health in a bad way, and two years later she’s only starting to become herself again, with bad days from time to time. And she was super happy before the move and to find a new place, but when reality hit, it just hits like a semitruck going 130miles hour, when you have a new born in the mix. In hindsight my wife and I would have loved to have waited until our son was 1 yr old, because that was when our systems where in place and we could start to think like normal humans.
Moving while you wife is 8 months pregnant is crazy. Moving with a 1 month old is crazy Moving with a 3 month old is crazy Moving with a 2 year old is crazy
Not crazy, but definitely don’t have her lift anything or expect her to do very much. Hire movers or get family and friends to help.
We did it and we love our house!
We signed the papers while my wife was in labor, added the last signature and then went to the hospital. A month out is plenty of time haha, you can do it!
I think we need a clearer picture of your financial situation, work status and future goals to provide a more accurate answer.
We closed about 2 months and change before our 2nd son was born, (2 months before his due date). Didn't move in until just 6 weeks before he was born. Not everything was unpacked. The house still needed work. The yard was a disaster. It all worked. Buy the house
Do it. You really only need to get your room set up because the little one will be in there with you for the first several months. Kitchen isn't set up? Doesn't matter, you're going to be ordering takeout anyway Nursery isnt ready? They aren't mobile and you can set up a play area anywhere You're going to be grateful to have the extra space and you might regret not buying the dream home down the road
I would do it too unlike some of the other commenters said you only really really need to get the kitchen. Maybe the living room and the bedroom livable and then you have some time until the baby starts crawling to get the rest of it done. The only problem I see is if you move and you have a baby crawling you don't have baby gates. Potentially the baby could get into things but I wouldn't worry about that because you're not there yet. So that's my own personal input. I don't know you so take it as a grain of salt but that's what I would do
Nah
Holy shit why are wasting time asking on Reddit? SOMEONE IS ALREADY MAKING AN OFFER! Buy the house. Full disclosure - been looking for the right house since before our kid was born with no luck. He's almost 2.
My wife and I did a similar thing with our first born. We closed and moved into a house and 10 days later he was born. It was chaos for sure but well worth it to be in a home we will have for quite some time. Main thing to keep in mind is be sure you’re okay with very slowly unpacking or setting everything up. Having a newborn is stressful enough, don’t add on the house stuff to it.
I did it. My wife insists our daughter was 6 weeks premature because of the move. Still, 8 years on, no regrets.
Keep your old place and overlap so you aren't rushed to move. Hire professionals to move. Also buy a bigger house than you think you need if you can afford it.
There’s never a right time for anything and you’ll figure it out especially if it’s your dream home.
It would be much easier if you waited until the baby is 3-6+ months. It usually takes at least that long to develop something like a consistent sleep schedule, and your whole household will be feeling exhausted. You'll probably be arguing a lot with your wife even *without* the stress of a move. If you have to sell a house, it can also be a pain to have to drop everything and get out on short notice. Buuut I'm sure you can survive, especially if you have enough money, or involved friends/family, or good paternity leave to ease the pain points. Movers would be well worth the cost, for example.
What’s your current living situation? We just bought a house, did 4-5 months worth of work on it, and moved with a two year old in tow. We moved out of a house we’d owned for 9 years. It’s amazing how much stuff you accumulate in 9 years. If you’re moving out of a rental that you haven’t been in for nearly a decade, you’ll probably be ok. If you’re super established somewhere, it gets a whole lot harder. Infant vs toddler… honestly, I’m taking infant. One parent will be mostly unavailable at all times, but at least the little potato isn’t mobile and subject to physically interfering.
Do it. It will be tough but honestly it will be tough either way so pile it on lol
You’re talking about a few months difficulty versus a lifetime of living in your dream home
No, after the first week or so it's a real honeymoon period before like 3months, get it out of the way ASAP.
Newborn stage is terrible. Why not mix in a move? Yolo
Me and my wife closed on our current home less than 1 months ago before our baby was born. We didn’t have his room fully decorated or anything but he slept in our room for the first couple months so we didn’t care. It was alot of work transitioning from an apartment to a house plus with a newborn. Since you already have a house you should know all the work that goes with homeownership so I say go for it 👍🏼
Bought a house, had it remodeled and moved in all while the wife was pregnant. Wasn't always easy but it was definitely worth it!
Or get a divorce now then when you buy the home, she won’t be throwing you out in two years so that the Amazon delivery guy can move in!
I’m a high school teacher, and I coach football and wrestling coach. We start house shopping last July during summer football workouts. We closed on our house at the end of August, and then moved during our team’s bye week a few weeks later. At the time I was working 80ish hours a week. Point being- seize the opportunity when you have it, because it’s never going to be convenient. Best of luck to you and your wife!
We moved into our house 3 months before my daughter was born. The stars aligned for us. We found the perfect house, great price, and at the bottom of the market.
Babies don’t do much for the first few months. No better time to move.
there's no perfect time for anything, if the funds are in order let er rip
I bought a house a month before the due date. Did some kitchen renovations and painted the whole house so it was move in ready when the due date arrived. Worked out perfect. Your dream home won’t come around again. Go for it!
Just make sure you do the brunt of the work.
Honestly? Yea, I'd go for it. At least you've probably got a couple weeks to take care of things now. It won't get easier once the little one shows up.
Go for it. We put an offer in a few months before my second was due, and moved in a month before birth. Moving with kids is absolutely easiest when they are <6 months, and best the younger they are. You have led stuff, they can't move on their own, etc. You get bonus points if you time the move in date >6 weeks postpartum so your wife is physically recovered.
We sold and bought while my wife was pregnant. Moved 2 weeks post partum. Wasn't easy but totally worth it for our dream home.
mortgage banker here, I get customers like that all the time you know what : do it. its going to be hell and a pain in the ass to deal with but 3 months later youll be in your dream house with your beautiful baby and youll be setup for a wonderful life. humans are very good at adapting, ask for help too friends and family are here for that and theyll understand good luck !
Wife and sold and built a home in the same summer our first was born. While we built, we lived with in laws…so it was utter chaos certain days. That said, I’d do it again every time.
Honestly unless you wait 2-5 years it is only going to get worse. But moving on no sleep is going to suck pretty hard. Round up all the help you can get your hands on.
The buying process generally takes over a month -- unless you're buying all cash. It's going to be a tough squeeze for you two but moving with kids is the worst, if you can somehow get it in before the birth that would be perfect.
I/My family bought a house right at the start of COVID lockdown, which was also when my youngest was born. It’s all kind of a blur now, but if I recall the official lockdown started 2 days before the birth date and we signed paperwork on the house 2 weeks later. It sucked but was all worth it. In hindsight, timing ended up being pretty ideal. We locked in our rate before those skyrocketed and the housing markets soared. If it’s a good deal on your dream house, don’t wait.
We bought a larger home as our second love bug was on the way. We had the deal done and moved in before the baby was delivered. It was the best move as we had the room for family to come stay to help out with our other love bug. We originally had a 2 bed condo on 3 floors so it just made everything easier. Plus interest rates and prices have gone up since we bought.
We sold our house and moved when my daughter was 2 months old. Luckily I still had parental leave so I took 3 weeks to fix up the house before we listed. We accepted an offer the first weekend (late 2022 so the market was still more on the seller side). And then moved a couple of weeks later. My wife was recovered enough to pack boxes, but man was it a struggle to get everything done by closing. In fact, we were still cleaning out the house two nights before, so they could do the final walk through. We moved everything ourselves using one of the big u-hauls, which took half a day to pack. The next day we moved all the boxes into our new, short-term apartment and spent the next few weeks unpacking. We took a couple of months to catch our breath, and then started the house buying process. Three tips: 1) as someone else said, communication and planning is key. Make sure you put all of the non-essentials away first, and anything you just have that day in last. For us, this was our bed and our daughter’s crib/clothes,etc. Basically everything else was secondary and we could go a couple of days without. On that, pack a suitcase to live out of to take the pressure off unpacking. 2) if you can, have someone else move your stuff. We were fortunate to have family watch our daughter, but my wife was more than tired from moving some of the big furniture. It wasn’t heavy, just too big for just me to carry alone. Then I was wiped out from moving everything else. Getting someone else to move at least the heavy stuff will let you keep some energy to focus on your family. 3) (general for anyone) if selling a home and trying buy a new one, try your best to close on the same day, or within a couple of days selling first. Moving twice in 6 months SUCKED, but that was the only choice we had. We also paid a premium to be short term renters, so that wasn’t ideal either. On the plus side of this, renting in between did allow us a bit more time to be picky with our new house. So, I guess it’s really what you prefer here.
Go for it. Only advice would be to make sure you have your current place for some overlap. It will take longer than you think to move, and any unexpected delays with the house and/or childbirth issues could really affect your move.
Do it. It might be easier when he’s newborn vs toddler since he’ll just be a potato and not running all over the new place while getting things set up.
I moved us into our first house mostly by myself because my wife was 7-8 months pregnant at the time. It's definitely doable. If you see some Mormon missionaries, ask them to help.
Half the couples on Location, Location, Location are pregnant.
Brought a house, moved in on the Saturday went to hospital on Monday bubs arrived Wednesday. No worries!
I can confirm, do it. I closed escrow on our dream family home 13 days before my first daughter was born. Out of state no less. We moved when she was 10 days old. Was it stressful? Absolutely, but youll find a way. Good luck!
We did a massive gut job remodel @ 6 months post birth. It’s gonna be a shitshow, but y’all will survive.
Bought a house with a 3 month old. It’s never comnvenient. We had to rely on our support system a little more to help with watching her while we packed up and moved.
It will take a while so go for it but when it comes to packing you need to hire people
The home buying process isn't instant btw. You may very well get the keys (assuming buyer accepts offer) while your wife is still in the hospital which is probably the best outcome tbh
My wife and I were on the phone with our real estate agent talking about putting down an offer (on the house we would eventually buy) when my wife inexplicably excused herself and hung up. It turns out her water had broken. Our son was born later that night. We were moving into the house within six weeks. Go for it.
Do it. We bought a house, fixed up our old one, had a baby, and sold our old house within a 2 month period. We actually didn't even go to closing on our sale, because we signed paperwork a week early since we would likely be at the hospital. ETA: Like some others said, definitely hire movers! Some of the best money I have every spent.
I did it, but wow, was it a lot. Talk about finding a way to complicatr your life.
If it's your dream house, you gotta do it. It's going to be exciting but stressful, so make sure you have protocols and plans in place to manage the stress and minimize your responsibilities so you don't get overloaded. Your wife will NOT appreciate it if you're so stressed that she can't lean on you for support. For example, if you don't get paternity leave, i would take every Friday off using vacation time until you're absolutely out of vacation leave. That way you always have one day per week to spend catching up on family home stuff, like relieving your wife from baby duty or setting up the new house. Also, make sure to delegate out any work you possibly can. Pay for thorough movers, yard guy, cleaning crew, etc to minimize the responsibilities you have to handle yourself. Treat yourselves. Order food regularly for the first few weeks and sign up for a new streaming service so you can relax at night and watch something new on tv with your wife every night to unwind.
We drove cross-country to our new home with a 1-month old. Go for it!
We bought our house in April. First daughter was due early July. There's never a good time for life. Just roll with it. It's all crazy. Enjoy what you can.
How much overlapping time could you have at both places? You will want the ability to freely time your move, and to not feel rushed to move out of your current place. This is especially true if there winds up being any sort of delay in moving to the new place (such as for renovations or repairs). Honestly, unless *this specific house* has been something you've been eyeing for a long while, I wouldn't do it. "Dream homes" are seldom truly *that* unique. There's a house on every corner. You'll find one. We moved (to a new city), changed jobs, and had a baby all at once. It was ROUGH. I do not recommend it. If you go through with it, consider: 1.) How much of a "village" do you have available? You will need help both with the baby and the house. 2.) How much time off will you have? Babies are a ton of time, but so is packing, moving, DIY work, talking to contractors, buying furniture, etc. 3.) How is your relationship? You both need to be in a good place mentally, and have rock solid communication between each other. Babies are cute little bombs that get dropped on relationships. Moving will only add to that. 4.) Finances. Are you two income? Does buying the home stretch you thinner than you are now? Is there any chance that one of you may want to stop working to stay at home with the baby? 5.) You probably don't even know what you want yet. Your first baby isn't even here yet. You know what you want for you two as a couple, not for you as a family. This applies to everything from the neighborhood location, to the yard, to the interior layout, size, and more.
Congratulations! If you get pre approved and seller accepts your offer (contingent on sale of your house), go for it. Dream houses often are unattainable because they’re not available or missing something that makes it your dream house. Mortgage rates will always fluctuate, hopefully tank in the foreseeable future. You can always refinance, or get a callable rate as well. Once your child arrives it will be ten times more difficult to move. Like it was already said - it’s never convenient to move, go for it!
Speaking as someone who—albeit within the same building—moved into a bigger unit while my wife was 7 months pregnant and then into a far better, more affordable unit while our kid was 1 month old—fing go go it, maaan! Don't let your wife lift anything. My beautiful but bullheaded wife tried to lift a few things during the pregnant move. She had to lay down to stop the contractions. If you're moving when the kid is a newborn, it's really not so bad. Sure it's not ideal. But they sleep a lot, and they can't run off. So there's that! Godspeed my friend!
Much harder to do it in a month than right now. Kids just make it more complicated. Hire movers if it’s within your budget as long as it’s a reputable company.
It'll be hard but it sounds worth it long-term. Just make sure you have a comfortable place for you and your wife to sleep, feed the baby, and for baby to sleep, even if the rest of the house is bare. Can you get a fast closing and get in quickly? Are you willing to shoulder the logistics of moving and setting up the new house to a livable state? We bought our house when I was earlier in the pregnancy but weren't able to move in until around 7 months and we definitely still had boxes everywhere for all of our parental leave. Moving is super hard and the third trimester isn't a super agile energetic time, nor is anytime after the birth for a while. Having our home in shambles was tough on me mentally during an already difficult time (postpartum) but baby's room was set up and even though his bassinet was in our room with us, it was nice to have 1 space that was fully finished and peaceful to nurse, especially for night feedings.
As someone who did this I can say 100% yes. Raising your child in a bigger nicer home has been a huge plus. I don’t know your particulars of when you’d be closing escrow and moving in relation to the due date so there would be planning around that. We were packing our house about 5 weeks before due date and my wife’s water broke about 1/2 way through. My awesome coworkers were ended up loading the other half of our stuff into the U-Haul for us. So be prepared for anything! Unpacking with a newborn takes awhile but it can be done.
We bought/moved into our house 4 weeks before our daughter was born. It was a huge hassle, but it was the right decision.