Should I Stay or Should I Go?

How to Move Up with Ease Series

If you’re anything like me, you love your first home but eventually you realize there comes a point when it’s time to move on. Life changes and so do our needs and wants in a home.

When you are ready for a new home but also have one to sell or rent-out, the stakes are much higher. It gets to be a lot. BELIEVE ME.

This time around, you’ve got more to think about, plan, and “get right” than when you bought your first home.

My 5-part weekly series is a “how-to” guide for moving up to your next home with as little stress as possible.   

Whether it’s your first time moving up or you’ve done it before, this series is a great resource.

First up, how do you decide if you should move or stay in your current home?

The Clash said it best in their hit song, ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go’ and that might be what you are feeling now that you’ve been in your home for a while, but how to know what the best decision is—should you stay or should you go?

Your cozy home now feels cramped. Your hip neighborhood now feels noisy. Your job and commute have now changed. Your oldest kid starts high school next year. Your youngest could use a room of their own to take naps. There are so many reasons and they’re personal to each family.

You change. Life changes.  And so do your needs and wants.

Moving is obviously a hard decision, both financially and personally, so I always go to pen and paper and write a pros and cons list. I guess I’m old fashioned that way, but seeing it spelled out in front of me is the difference maker.

Here’s what to consider before you start packing:

$$$ Money First $$$

• Equity in your home. If you have owned your home for five or more years, then you likely have substantial equity. This is when your investment pays off and you can use this equity toward the purchase of your next home! Yahoo!
• Financial Outlook. Your employment is steady, your income is improving, and your entire financial situation looks good now and down the road. This means three things: 1) You will get approved for a mortgage;  2) you can afford higher mortgage payments; and 3) you can own a more expensive, larger home.
• Healthy Housing Market. If the market is stable or flourishing, than it’s a good time to sell your current home and buy a new one. Homes priced right will move and that’s good if you’re a seller. The longer I’m in the biz, I’m finding that this is extremely subjective. My biggest tip though, is if it’s the right time for your family, it’s the right time. Does that make sense? Trying to wait until interest rates come down (they may or may not) could actually lose you a lot of money. Historically speaking, if you waited to buy a house at any point in the last 15 years, you lost money. Sorry to say it.

Your Needs & Wants

• Location, Location, Location.  When you bought your current home, it probably felt like the perfect location for you, but maybe not now. So many variables go into what makes a good neighborhood for you and your family at this specific time.

It might not be a kid-friendly neighborhood and you want a better school district, or you changed jobs and now spend more time in the car, or maybe the neighborhood itself has changed. Maybe your quiet street is now too busy. Perhaps you want a stronger community feel or a more walkable neighborhood. Or you want a larger yard and more space between neighbors. I know my neighborhood looks substantially different now than it did when we moved in years ago. It definitely happens.

It all comes down to what you want now and where you picture yourself living. Is there a neighborhood that you find yourself randomly driving to on occasion? Believe it or not, I have heard several people tell me that’s how they found their home. They just accidently stumbled upon it multiple times. Almost like it was fate. I would say to look at it as if you’re going to plan to stay at your next home at least five years, and even write out the big changes that will inevitably come while you’re envisioning this new area.

• Can’t or Won’t Remodel.  You love HGTV and can just imagine your home remodeled and updated with larger rooms, a more modern kitchen and higher end floors, but you realize it’s only a fixer upper dream. Your yard is too small for an addition, you’re not zoned for it, or you just can’t live through the mess or cost. Plus, you generally don’t ever want to be the nicest house on the block. Moving can provide you with more sanity, more room, and you can ditch the rearranging of the floor plan. Plus, think of how far that money could go towards a nice down payment rather than changing everything in the current space.
• Space Invaders. You want to increase your home’s size since your family is growing OR you want to downsize since your kids are gone. Whatever the direction, you’ve realized the size and space of your home doesn’t work for you and your family anymore. That’s hard to change.

You want space for toys (yours and theirs!) and to say good-bye to cluttered, cramped rooms.  Or, you don’t need 4 bedrooms anymore and want a more manageable home and yard. Space needs can change dramatically in a short period of time so plan accordingly for down the road.

• Green Acres. Homeowners either love big yards or hate them. Have you figured out what you like? Yard space can be a wonderful addition to your home — for entertaining friends, for kids, for dogs, for gardening, for just getting some fresh air. Even a small patio or deck or even a nearby park may be what you are looking for next.

If you don’t want to mow every Saturday or don’t have enough privacy between you and your neighbor’s yard, and it’s nagging you. Every. Single. Day … then it’s time to move.

• Life Changes You.  Where you live affects your life and vice versa … your life will affect where you should live. If you’re a growing family, a newly single mom, or empty nesters, you want a home that reflects you and your new needs.

Sometimes you can anticipate upcoming life changes that will happen in the next few years. It’s good to be prepared and perhaps plan an earlier move, especially if the housing market is good and rates are low. Timing can make or break the affordability of certain homes.

As always, I love to hear from you and help you in any way I can.  Contact me if you’d like to talk more specifically about your plans and whether it’s best to stay or go.  I’ll always be honest with you and never just try to sell you another home. After all, it is your home and not just another house. That means something. Sometimes the home you already have is good enough with some tweaks and maybe my list of vendors, contractors and fixer-uppers, can help you stay put!  

Next up in my series for week two is a must-read, or should we say a must-answer! What Move-Up Buyers Need to First Ask Themselves provides the questions that can lead you to your next home purchase.