Time for Moving: How to Find Your New Family Home

Moving house is considered one of the more stressful parts of adult life, and for good reason. First, you have to sell your previous home. Even if you had previously rented, you still have to make sure that your previous residence is ship-shape before you leave. You then have to find and move into your new house. All of this can be made even more difficult if you have children or pets to take care of. So, how can you make this process less stressful for everyone involved?

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1. Set a Budget

First, when it comes to moving, you’ll need to establish a budget so that you don’t risk overstretching yourself when buying a house. The most common way to buy a home is to get a mortgage, which is a loan designed for buying properties. 

Mortgage providers will look into your income, credit score, spending habits, and any money that you have stored up for a deposit before they are willing to lend you money. Remember that a mortgage is like any other loan, but with your new house as equity. This means that if you default on your mortgage, then you will get into greater debt and potentially lose your home.

You can use your budget to help narrow down your choices, as well as to determine whether buying a home is the right financial choice for you and your family. There are plenty of benefits to owning a home, but you should be wary of stretching yourself too thin.

1. Research the Property and the Area

With a budget in mind, you’ll also have a picture of what kind of property you can afford and where you might be open to moving to.  House prices can vary enormously from area to area, but it isn’t always best to jump on the cheapest area you can, if you can afford not to.

Research crime rates, nearby amenities, school ratings, and other things that will affect your life when you live in an area. Once you have some areas in mind, use a realtor site like williampitt.com to find a house that suits your needs. 

Once you have found some houses that you like, don’t stop there. Be sure to visit the property at least once, and preferably a few times, so that you can spot any issues that aren’t obvious in pictures. It may also be an idea to have the property surveyed, so you can avoid major problems in the future.

1. Timing is Everything

Once you’ve found the house of your dreams, it’s time to move. One way to lessen the expense and the stress is to time buying and selling your home as tightly as possible. If you can, try to arrange your house sale within days of moving into your new home, so that you don’t need to juggle two properties.

This isn’t always possible, of course. Sometimes you won’t find a buyer until months after you’ve moved, but this doesn’t have to be a huge burden. An empty house may sell easier, especially if it’s in good condition.