In case you have been sitting on the fence for a while whether or not to move house, you have some research to do to make an informed decision. There are many people who only know that they are not happy at their current home, and simply move hoping for the best. The good news is that you can do a little bit of soul searching and make the most out of your time to think your decision through. Is it time to move on, is it worth the hassle, and what will your family and friends say? Below you will find a list of things to consider before making your mind up.
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Your Stress Levels
If you are stressed out, overworked, and have no time or energy focusing on house hunting, you will have to think about postponing your decision. When there are too many things going on in our lives and we don’t see clearly, it is better not to make important decisions that could impact our life for many years or even decades to come. You have to first see clearly about your current life and then see whether or not it can be improved by moving.
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Is It The Right Time?
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Sometimes we feel the urge to move, but it is simply not the right time. If you have just received a promotion, and have to work extra hard to impress your new boss, you might not want to pile up extra jobs. If you have teenagers, they might rebel and object, and you might want to wait until they are off to college, so you don’t have to put them through the stress. In case they are going to move schools in the next year, you can wait and make the most out of the time available to find the perfect place.
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Your Financial Situation
You have to ask yourself the hard question; can you afford to move house, and does your credit rating tell mortgage companies about your money management. If you are just about making ends meet, and you are unable to save up for a deposit or spend an extra few hundred dollars for the mortgage every month, you are not likely to be accepted for extra finance, so there is no point starting to plan your relocation. However, if you are due a larger bonus that will cover the deposit, moving costs, and legal fees, this might be your perfect opportunity.
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Your Family Links
Before you consider moving to a new town or state, you will need to find out how this will impact your overall happiness in life. You have to think what happens if you need help or you have to look after one of your relatives. Will you be able to commute and put up with the travel? Do you have strong family ties that would suffer if you moved to another part of the country, or even abroad?
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Your Social Life
Apart from our family, our friends play an important role in our lives and have an impact on how we look at things. If you moved far away from your social networks, and had to make new friends, would you be able to cope? Would you miss going out on a Friday night or just inviting some of your colleagues over for lunch or a barbecue at the weekend? Are you a member of a club, local association you would need to break up with if you moved? Taking things out of our lives that make us happy can cause trauma and even mental health problems.
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Schooling
If you have school aged kids, you will have to consider the quality of education before you choose a location. The older they are, the more reluctant they will be to move, and starting a new school as a teenager can be challenging for both kids and parents. You might want to sit down with your children and other family members involved in their upbringing, so you can make an informed decision. If there are good colleges at your chosen location, and your kids have a clear career goal, you might be able to convince them.
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Will Your Lifestyle Improve?
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The ultimate question you should ask yourself before you make a decision whether or not to move house is if your lifestyle will improve. You can start by creating a dream board with your family members to imagine what you want to achieve in a couple of years’ time, and find out whether or not the new location will allow you to do so. For example, if you are looking for a single storey house for sale you might be thinking about getting your parents to move in with you so you can look after them as they get older, without having to commute to visit them.
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Your Family’s Views
You might think that making a decision about moving house is up to you, your partner, and your kids. However, this is not the case. You have to consider how your kids’ and your own relationship with other relatives would be affected. Would you be able to see each other as often as you can now, and could your parents and your partner’s parents take an active role in influencing your kids’ future?
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Employment and Taxation
While you might have thought about the financial side of moving house and the cost of buying a new home, paying for the renovation and relocation, you will also have to assess your future living costs. What happens if you cannot find a job for a while? Could you still pay your mortgage and other costs? How about the taxation in the new country or state you are moving to? Would you be financially better or worse off?
Moving home is not a decision to be taken lightly. You will have to make the most out of your time and your resources, research the potential location, and sit down with your family members to find out whether or not they are on board.
