How to Decide if It Is Time to Move Home or Not

Moving home is a big decision, it can affect every aspect of your life, as well as impact upon your family and friends.

It is not just the physical move that is daunting for many people, the emotional upheaval and stress of a home move are equally important to consider.

So, how do you decide to move home or not?

The more thoroughly you consider whether a home move, or staying put, is the right thing to do, the happier you will be with your decision.

Whilst everyone’s personal circumstances are different, there are some basic questions that you should be asking yourself before deciding to move or stay.

The old favourite, the Pros and Cons list, making a list of reasons not to move home, and good reasons to move home, is a great tool to help you reach a decision if you can’t decide whether to move or not.

Here are a few pointers to help you create your own Pros and Cons list, and also things to consider before making such a life-changing choice.

You may also like to read: Can Moving Home Make You Happier? Moving home can seem like the answer to attaining the happiness that you seek. But is that always the case? In this guide, we seek to answer whether moving home really will make you happier or whether you will just take your unhappiness with you.

Why Do I Want to Move Home?

Do you have to move, is there a real need for you to move, or is it a wish, a nice thing to happen rather than a must happen?

It could be the arrival of another child, or change of job, bad neighbours, or a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live in your favourite part of the country, the reasons are endless.

If you can identify exactly what has put this idea in your head then you can justify or reject the idea.

Here are a few questions you might like to ask yourself:

• Am I running away from problems and will that solve them?
• Will moving home make me happier? Why?
• Will moving home give me a life I cannot have in my current home?
• What opportunities will a new home give me that my current home won’t?
• Do I want or need to be closer to family?
• Do I want or need to be further away from family?
• Is my current home too big or too small?
• Is my home a money pit I cannot afford?
• Do I want to move for financial reasons?

You may also like to read: What is the Fear of Moving Home and How to Overcome it. It is the unknown that people fear when moving home. Whether they are doing the right thing, and whether things will work out for the better or not. In this guide, we identify what most people’s fears are about moving home and how you can overcome those fears.

Is Moving Home a Good Idea?

It may or may not be a good idea, you need to examine exactly how it will affect you, and most importantly, if financially it makes sense.

Sometimes you find the most perfect home, in the perfect location, you have no dependents to worry about, and your workplace is flexible, but the timing financially may not be right.

Or financially you may have no worries, but what about your aging parents who may need assistance in the not-too-distant future, or your kids are at a great school and it would be unwise to interrupt their education at this time.

There are so many things to consider before you can answer whether moving to a new home is a good idea.

Here are a few things you might like to consider to help you decide, but I am sure you have many more questions to ask yourself.

• Can you afford to move now? Make a home moving budget, there are many things that you need to factor into that budget, but remember to also factor in your ongoing costs.
• You may just be able to afford the deposit, rent, or mortgage on a bigger property now, but what about long-term maintenance, increased utility costs, maybe a longer commute, and even cleaning products that may cost you more each week.
• Would your finances be so stretched that you would have very little left to live on?
• If your move is to another part of the country how would you cope without friends or family around you?
• How would a move affect your job or kids’ schooling?
• Are you emotionally in a good place? Can you cope with the stress of organising a home move and then relocating?
• Do you need a garden or is it a wish-list item?
• Is your current home too big for you, by downsizing you could save yourself some money. Often when children have left the family home you find yourself in a home with lots of empty space that just takes money and time to keep in good condition.
• Is your current home too small or are you just not making the best use of the available space?
• What are the alternatives to not moving home?

When asking yourself if moving home is a good idea, consider whether you have the energy and commitment to make the home move work.

Moving to a new area takes time and energy, to make new friends, create a social circle, learn about the new area, to make the best of the opportunities your new home and neighbourhood may present to you. Do you have that commitment and desire to make it work?

You may also like to read: How to Deal With Emotional Overload When Moving Home. Moving home is emotional on every level and many find it hard to cope with those emotions. In this guide, we identify what emotional overload is and offer some strategies to help you overcome those emotions.

Should I Move to a New House? Is it Worth It?

There is no denying that moving home can be stressful as well as hard work. What is the payback for that?

It may be that you have lived for a long time in your current home or neighbourhood. And that could be the problem, the area has changed, you have changed and the area or home no longer meets your needs.

You have outgrown your home, or your home is just not suitable for your lifestyle now.

Often over many years, villages become small towns, or towns merge with the city to become one. Things change, and often not for the better.

Moving home can give you a new lease of life, and can reinvigorate you, indeed, moving home is often an opportunity to reinvent yourself and make positive changes.

So is moving home worth all the expense, aggravation, upset, and upheaval? If the positives outweigh the negatives then yes.

The actual home moving process is a blink of an eye compared with the years of happiness you have ahead of you.

No pain, no gain as they say.

You may also like to read: What are the Health Benefits of Moving Home? Of all the pros and cons you list about moving home, the health benefits of moving have probably not crossed your mind. In this guide, we look at the surprising health benefits that can be had from moving home.

How to Know When It Is Time to Move Home

There are times in your life when it is time to move on. But how do you know when it is time to move home?

It is hard to quantify that feeling, that need, but often life’s events steer you towards making a decision that you may not have otherwise made.

The break-up of a long-term relationship, bereavement, or just feeling stale and a bit too comfortable with your life, can all be catalysts for a home move.

No matter how much love, money, sweat, and tears you have lavished on a home, sometimes moving is the only way to kick-start your life again.

And no amount of lists is going to trump that gut feeling, the excitement that moving home will make so many positive changes to your life that it overrides every other consideration.

 Often you will just know it is time to move home.

Equally, there are those who will make a level-headed, rather than a heart and soul-driven, decision.

All your pieces are in place, everything just seems to point to making that home move, financially it makes sense, there is nothing to stop you from moving home, and on paper, the decision to move home makes good sense.

However, often if there are so many obstacles in your way, it is the universe’s way of telling you that now is not the time to move.

When it is time to move home, you will know.

You may also like to read: Moving Home After a Life-Changing Event. Often, after a life-changing event, we may consider moving somewhere else. In this guide, we look at some of those life-changing events and ask whether moving home is the right reaction or if you should bide your time for now.

The Alternatives to Moving Home

We all know that moving home can be stressful and expensive. And if you really cannot afford to move or just cannot face the prospect of moving home, what are your alternatives?

Let’s look at some common reasons for wanting to move home and what you could do that could resolve that need and enable you to stay put.

Of course, these ideas will not suit everyone, but they are pointers to help you explore different ways to live in your home, use the available space, and look at your current home from a different perspective.

#1 Your Home is Too Big

Often after the kids have moved out, or you find yourself living alone, your current home is just too big for your needs.

• You could consider renting out any spare bedrooms you have to lodgers.
• Many people are working from home now, could you rent out a part of the house for office space?
• Use spare rooms to start doing that hobby you always wanted to do but never had the time or space for.
• Does it make sense for the adult children to move back into the home so that you have a multi-generational home?

You may also like to read: How to Downsize Your Home Effectively. In this guide, we examine why people want to downsize their homes and what the pros and cons of doing so are.

#2 You Have Outgrown Your Home

Many of us fill our homes with useless and unused things that we really do not need. Equally, you may need an extra bedroom for a new baby for example.

Here are some things to consider if your home is just not big enough.

• Declutter your home to free up much-needed space. This is a great idea anyway, we all hoard way too many things. Your home will seem bigger and brighter after it is decluttered and if you do decide to move, then your relocation costs will be cheaper if you have fewer things to move.
• Is the furniture just too big for the available space? There are plenty of space-saving furniture and storage options these days. Create a floor plan to see just how much space you could free up by rearranging or replacing your furniture.
• Is there a loft you could convert into a bedroom or could you extend the house to give you the extra space you need? Many people convert garages into living space which is a fairly cheap and easy way to add space to your home.
• Is the home too small or it just feels too small? Redecorating in light or neutral colours, adding mirrors and additional lighting are all ways to give the appearance of a more spacious and airy home.
• Move things into a storage unit to help free up valuable space, then if you do need those items in the future, or they are valuable family antiques, for example, they are easily accessible.

You may also like to read: The Epic Guide to Decluttering Your Home. Decluttering your home can free up a surprising amount of room and will definietly make life easier. In this guide, we share tips on how to declutter every room of the home. We also look at how to emotionally detach yourself from your possessions to make the decluttering process even easier.

#3 You Cannot Afford the Upkeep of Your Current Home

Big homes equal a lot of cleaning and maintenance, which costs a lot of money.

Consider getting lodgers or asking adult children if they would like to house share with you. This is increasingly common and makes a lot of sense.

Many people will add an annex and create a multi-generational home.

It is great for the grand-children, and as you get older, gives you the reassurance of company and assistance should you need it.

You may alsolike to read: Multi-Generational Homes – All You Need to Know. This guide is esential reading if you are thinking of multigenerational living. From the advantages and disadvantages, practical tips for everyday living, to how to plan the layout of a multigenerational home, this guide is invaluable.

#4 Bad Neighbours

This can be a tricky one. Even if you move home, you may find the new neighbours just as bad, or even worse.

• Is noise the problem? Could you sound proof your home? White noise machines are usually very effective where noise is a problem.
• Are they abusive or threatening? Then it is time to get the authorities involved.
• Have you tried talking to them to resolve the issue? Often a quiet word is all it takes, they may not even know they are disturbing you.
• If they live in rented accommodation it may just be a short term problem and speaking to the landlord may get them evicted or at least result in their lease not being renewed.

You may like to read: Should You Move Because of Bad Neighbours? Having bad neighbours is one of the most common reasons for wanting to move home. In this guide, we share some practical tips on how to cope with bad neighbours and ask whether moving home is the only solution.

#5 You Want a Garden

This is becoming more and more a priority for home movers.

But there are things to consider if you have never had a garden before, and there are alternatives to having a garden if you want to stay put in your current home.

• Gardens are a lot of hard work and take enormous amounts of time to keep tidy. Not to mention the expensive tools you will need to buy to maintain it.
• If you want to grow vegetables could you get an allotment? Not only will this give you some nice fresh produce but will give the family an interesting hobby.
• Is it possible to start a community garden?
• Window boxes and planters can produce a surprising amount of vegetables, herbs, and flowers if that is what you want a garden for.
• How often would you realistically use the garden? The weather in the UK is unpredictable at best.
• Consider why you want a garden. What are you going to use it for? Entertaining? Could you put a sunroom on your current home, or knock through the kitchen/diner to make an entertaining area, you are likely to get year-round use out of that.
• You want the kids to spend more time in the fresh air? How about joining local sports clubs or youth clubs? Go camping, get a dog so that you have to go for a walk daily, join the National Trust which will give you access to dozens of huge outdoor spaces. Consider different ways to spend your leisure time so that you do things outside the home.

You may like to read: The Pros and Cons of Moving to a Home With a Garden. In this guide, we look at the practicalities of having a garden and how it can impact your life both positively and negatively.

#6 Build Up or Out

This can often solve the problem of not enough living space in your current home, but this is not without risk, inconvenience, and stress, not to mention that it can be extremely expensive.

• You need to consider if there is a ceiling to the value of the homes in your area. If you extend your home it will be expensive, and in the long term you may not get that money back when it comes to selling.
• Having building work carried out is dirty, dusty, and inconvenient. Your life will be disrupted, you may not have water or electricity for days. Could you cope living in those conditions?
• What happens if you spend all this money to extend only for the neighbourhood to go down in value?
• Plan your finances carefully. There are not just the building works itself to pay for, which can work out at around £1,900 per square meter plus VAT for a single storey extension rising to £2,500 plus VAT for a two storey extension, there are planning permission fees, surveys, architect fees, and building regulation checks to factor in.

You may also like to read: How to Move Out During Home Renovations. In this guide, we ask whether it is best to live amongst the upheaval of a home renovation or it is better to move out whilst the work is being done.

We hope this article has helped you make a more sound decision about moving home or staying put.

In our home moving blog you will find many guides to moving to every part of the UK as well as lots of useful tips to help you save money on your home move.

The most common reason for not moving home is the stress and cost that comes with relocating.

Hiring a full-service removal company will help alleviate most of the stress that comes with packing and moving. And often you will find that these removal companies offer great value for money when you consider how hard it is to move home yourself.

You can find some great deals from pre-vetted removal companies by completing this easy quote form.

And remember whatever decision you have arrived at is the right decision for today and your present circumstances.

But things change, and who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Good luck, and if you have decided to move home, come back and let us know in the comments below how you made that decision and how it worked out for you.