The problem with moving is that it can be difficult to decide where to move to! But what about finding a great option? Well, no matter where you choose, there’s always the niggling feeling that you could be missing out on a better opportunity.
It’s not always easy to make that final decision and get started. But once you do make that decision, you can avoid looking back, pondering any further, or regretting and just go for it.
This is, of course, much easier said than done. Even helpful real estate services that have expertise in specific areas, such as MGP Property, know how difficult this decision can be. For that reason, we have collated a helpful list that can help you more easily decide between moving opportunities. With that in mind, here are six things to consider.
1. What Lifestyle Is Right For You and How Could That Change?
The lifestyle you assume is most appropriate for yourself and your family is always going to be an essential element, and in some cases, opting for a house that isn’t perfect but facilitates your lifestyle is a potential outcome.
If you’re happy with your current living situation, you can use that as a yardstick to measure what changes you wish to make, and how you’d like your life to look in a new environment. Maybe you’re looking to settle down and start a family with your partner, and this means living in an area with better schools or somewhere less urban. Maybe you’ve opted to settle in a rural community with harder work and potential inconvenience, but ultimately peace that you might not get in the city.
It’s also wise to think about how your lifestyle preferences may evolve over time. Maybe you plan to start a business in the next five years, and for that reason, you need to be connected to areas with good commercial opportunities. This can help you make your decision, or at least set the parameters for your search.
2. Can You Invest in and Develop the Property Over Time?
We tend to see homes as what they look like now, but it’s important to look beyond that current state and consider the real potential for growth and development, especially when your excellent design mind is applied to the space.
For example, is your property in a desirable location that actually lets you renovate or extend, or are there limitations based on preserving the local area? If so, that’s not always a bad thing, because it might prevent other unexpected new builds from popping up near your land and devaluing your property.
Or, perhaps the neighborhood is up-and-coming, and investing in the property could offer substantial returns in the future if you come to sell. A house is not just a home, but an investment opportunity on top of that.
3. Full-Family Professional Growth Opportunities
It’s not just where we want to live that’s important, but how we’d like to work. To use a primitive example, if you have experience working in the fishing and seafood industry, odds are setting up your new household within a relatively short travel distance to the coast could be a good idea.
But on a wider scale, evaluating the local and mid-distance job market is a great idea. For example, are there industries or companies that seem well-connected to your desired career path? The North of England is encountering a media resurgence for example, and your home-buying power will certainly be much more pronounced than in London.
Don’t forget to think about educational or professional options for your children, too. A rural environment can be wonderful for them to grow up in, but what about the job market there, do they have the chance to get a first role to build confidence and earn money? If you have teenagers just starting in life, that might be a wise option to go for. You don’t need to live in Silicon Valley or an area rife with specific opportunities to pick a good location, but perhaps this could be the deciding factor between two nice households in two locations you’re considering. Unfortunately, we have to pay for that house, after all!
Photo by Kindel Media
4. General Quality of Life
This is less tangible than objective markers like commute time, sure, but quality of life isn’t necessarily a bad parameter to think within. You can have all the economic opportunity in the world, but if you’re deeply unhappy living where you do (such as in an area with a high crime rate), that could be a real problem.
For example, does the area’s infrastructure, including healthcare facilities, recreational places, and public transportation suit your needs? Does the community you’re hoping to move to have a sense of belonging and offer opportunities for neighbors to get involved? This is often why people love moving to rural communities – in these smaller environments settling into village life and connecting to a community can feel raw and natural, and beat the anonymity of city and suburban life.
Such factors can genuinely impact your daily experiences and overall satisfaction with your living situation, so don’t think yourself crazy if you opt for the lesser, more expensive house if only to secure a better daily living experience.
5. House Price Indexes
For most of us, our houses will be the most expensive asset we own. For that reason it’s more than just an “investment opportunity,” but the bedrock of our financial wellbeing. This asset could even serve as collateral if you need a loan to launch a business, for example.
House price indexes can be hard to judge, but in general, if they’ve been accruing value over recent years, then that’s a good sign the area is being invested in and there’s competition for new spaces.
This means that when you come to sell, you could potentially climb higher on the property ladder and benefit as a result. More and move families are moving into more comfortable yet simple apartments to get their foot in the door regarding ownership, and that can be a wise strategy to think about too.
House price indexes might not seem so exciting, especially because they don’t particular affect our daily lifestyle for a while. But it could help you make the decision between a good house now, or a fix-me-upper in a much better area with huge local investment, even if that will take some work to get resolved.
6. Schools and Catchment Areas
In many countries, where you live will determine if you have a right to a local school placement for your children. That doesn’t mean you’re automatically locked out of other schools, it just means some areas are given high priority thanks to proximity.
For this reason, many people move to new areas because the opportunities for their children’s schooling are better. That doesn’t mean you have to go private of course (there, it’s money and perhaps grades that determine entry), but there are better and worse state schools (not to be confused with public schools in the UK, which are private), to send your child to.
It’s not just about the quality of education, but what academic lifestyle the school offers. You can read reports online based on independent reviews, and that might help you decide on one house over another.
With this advice, we hope you can avoid struggling to decide between more than one moving opportunity, or at least feel empowered to make a decision.
The problem with moving is that it can be difficult to decide where to move to! But what about finding a great option? Well, no matter where you choose, there’s always the niggling feeling that you could be missing out on a better opportunity.
It’s not always easy to make that final decision and get started. But once you do make that decision, you can avoid looking back, pondering any further, or regretting and just go for it.
This is, of course, much easier said than done. Even helpful real estate services that have expertise in specific areas, such as MGP Property, know how difficult this decision can be. For that reason, we have collated a helpful list that can help you more easily decide between moving opportunities. With that in mind, here are six things to consider.
1. What Lifestyle Is Right For You and How Could That Change?
The lifestyle you assume is most appropriate for yourself and your family is always going to be an essential element, and in some cases, opting for a house that isn’t perfect but facilitates your lifestyle is a potential outcome.
If you’re happy with your current living situation, you can use that as a yardstick to measure what changes you wish to make, and how you’d like your life to look in a new environment. Maybe you’re looking to settle down and start a family with your partner, and this means living in an area with better schools or somewhere less urban. Maybe you’ve opted to settle in a rural community with harder work and potential inconvenience, but ultimately peace that you might not get in the city.
It’s also wise to think about how your lifestyle preferences may evolve over time. Maybe you plan to start a business in the next five years, and for that reason, you need to be connected to areas with good commercial opportunities. This can help you make your decision, or at least set the parameters for your search.
2. Can You Invest in and Develop the Property Over Time?
We tend to see homes as what they look like now, but it’s important to look beyond that current state and consider the real potential for growth and development, especially when your excellent design mind is applied to the space.
For example, is your property in a desirable location that actually lets you renovate or extend, or are there limitations based on preserving the local area? If so, that’s not always a bad thing, because it might prevent other unexpected new builds from popping up near your land and devaluing your property.
Or, perhaps the neighborhood is up-and-coming, and investing in the property could offer substantial returns in the future if you come to sell. A house is not just a home, but an investment opportunity on top of that.
3. Full-Family Professional Growth Opportunities
It’s not just where we want to live that’s important, but how we’d like to work. To use a primitive example, if you have experience working in the fishing and seafood industry, odds are setting up your new household within a relatively short travel distance to the coast could be a good idea.
But on a wider scale, evaluating the local and mid-distance job market is a great idea. For example, are there industries or companies that seem well-connected to your desired career path? The North of England is encountering a media resurgence for example, and your home-buying power will certainly be much more pronounced than in London.
Don’t forget to think about educational or professional options for your children, too. A rural environment can be wonderful for them to grow up in, but what about the job market there, do they have the chance to get a first role to build confidence and earn money? If you have teenagers just starting in life, that might be a wise option to go for. You don’t need to live in Silicon Valley or an area rife with specific opportunities to pick a good location, but perhaps this could be the deciding factor between two nice households in two locations you’re considering. Unfortunately, we have to pay for that house, after all!
4. General Quality of Life
This is less tangible than objective markers like commute time, sure, but quality of life isn’t necessarily a bad parameter to think within. You can have all the economic opportunity in the world, but if you’re deeply unhappy living where you do (such as in an area with a high crime rate), that could be a real problem.
For example, does the area’s infrastructure, including healthcare facilities, recreational places, and public transportation suit your needs? Does the community you’re hoping to move to have a sense of belonging and offer opportunities for neighbors to get involved? This is often why people love moving to rural communities – in these smaller environments settling into village life and connecting to a community can feel raw and natural, and beat the anonymity of city and suburban life.
Such factors can genuinely impact your daily experiences and overall satisfaction with your living situation, so don’t think yourself crazy if you opt for the lesser, more expensive house if only to secure a better daily living experience.
5. House Price Indexes
For most of us, our houses will be the most expensive asset we own. For that reason it’s more than just an “investment opportunity,” but the bedrock of our financial wellbeing. This asset could even serve as collateral if you need a loan to launch a business, for example.
House price indexes can be hard to judge, but in general, if they’ve been accruing value over recent years, then that’s a good sign the area is being invested in and there’s competition for new spaces.
This means that when you come to sell, you could potentially climb higher on the property ladder and benefit as a result. More and move families are moving into more comfortable yet simple apartments to get their foot in the door regarding ownership, and that can be a wise strategy to think about too.
House price indexes might not seem so exciting, especially because they don’t particular affect our daily lifestyle for a while. But it could help you make the decision between a good house now, or a fix-me-upper in a much better area with huge local investment, even if that will take some work to get resolved.
6. Schools and Catchment Areas
In many countries, where you live will determine if you have a right to a local school placement for your children. That doesn’t mean you’re automatically locked out of other schools, it just means some areas are given high priority thanks to proximity.
For this reason, many people move to new areas because the opportunities for their children’s schooling are better. That doesn’t mean you have to go private of course (there, it’s money and perhaps grades that determine entry), but there are better and worse state schools (not to be confused with public schools in the UK, which are private), to send your child to.
It’s not just about the quality of education, but what academic lifestyle the school offers. You can read reports online based on independent reviews, and that might help you decide on one house over another.
With this advice, we hope you can avoid struggling to decide between more than one moving opportunity, or at least feel empowered to make a decision.
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