Moving House!
Two of the most stressful words in the english language for me.
When I was renting I moved every couple of years, mainly because landlords wanted to take full advantage of the ever-increasing value of their homes and sell them on for a decent profit.
It was a relief when we finally managed to buy our house, almost 14 years ago, but it wasn’t all plain sailing.
Our first choice house fell through thanks to the legal team taking far too long at getting the paperwork sorted and once we had found the second choice house and got all the paperwork sorted and exchanged, we found ourselves moving home just two weeks before our wedding – another of the most stressful times in someone’s life.
It has now reached the stage where we really want to move house, as we have outgrown where we currently live, however, there is still part of me that cannot face the thought of moving house again.
5 real reasons why you don’t want to move home
1. It means I have to decorate
If you want to sell your home, you need to make it look its best. This can mean giving it a lick of paint, new flooring or just generally de-cluttering. It is widely accepted that we have to spend a bit of money on the house to make it more saleable and get the best price you can for it.
2. Opening your home to strangers
Keeping your home constantly sparkling is no easy task, especially when you have small people or teenagers living at home.
Then there is the fact that you are actually letting strangers into your home, who will probably look in every single nook and cranny, criticize the decor and even talk loudly about what they would do to make your house into their home.
Do you stay in, or go out and let the estate agent do his/her job…….tricky!!
2. The legal side
Dealing with estate agents, solicitors and never-ending paperwork can feel like an uphill battle, especially when they seem to keep demanding the same information, or asking for more money.
3. Affordability
You have arranged your mortgage, made a good profit on your house sale, but then there are the added extra’s. Deposit, stamp duty, valuation fee, surveyors fee, legal fees, estate agent fees, even an electronic transfer fee, it all keeps adding up. My daughter has just bought her first home and even I was shocked by how many extra charges they seem to add on these days and it cost them a good deal more to move than was initially expected.
4. The emotional strain
Leaving a home, especially one where you have lived for many years can be an emotional experience. Perhaps it was where you gave birth or raised your growing family, or perhaps you just like the familiarity, routine and order that you have created – the change can feel too much.