No one likes to move. You have to pack up everything you own and shift all of your heavy furniture (or pay others to do so) to a new location. It can be costly. There can be a lot of adjustments that you have to make. You have to find a new grocery store, your kids might have to go to new schools, you might have to start a new job.
All this change can be worth it, though, if it’s truly time to move on and find a new house. So how do you know if it’s time to find a new house? Here are 4 signs it might be time.
1. Money
Is your budget outgrowing your current house? Or is your current house outgrowing your budget? If it seems like you need to start cutting expenses or you’re really in a place where you can make your paychecks stretch more than you’re used to, you might want to take a look at your budget and see what kind of mortgage payments you could afford.
2. Your Neighborhood Has Gone Downhill
Maybe it was a decent area when you moved in, but that can no longer be said about your neighborhood. Maybe crime has sprung up around the area, and you don’t feel good about letting your kids walk around by themselves. You might want to start looking in different areas.
3. You Rent and You’re Ready to Own
Are you currently renting a room, a house, an apartment, or a condo, and you’re ready to take that next step? Perhaps your place is starting to fall apart, and it’s hard to get your landlord out to fix anything. Perhaps the house is starting to look unattractive, and you’re ready to live somewhere that looks nice. Whatever it is, it may be time to take that next step.
4. You Have a New Job and You Need a Shorter Commute
It doesn’t matter how great your house is, cutting down that commute time can really be valuable. If you have to sit in your car for two hours a day, that’s 520 hours a year. Think of all the things you can do with that time if you shorten your commute.
Making the decision to move to another house doesn’t have to be a huge life altering decision. If you step back and look at it objectively, you might just see that it’s the next logical step to take.