This is an age old question asked by many a home buyer or seller? When is the best time to move or sell? What should I look for? Let me see if I can help you .
We will start with the Sellers 1st:
Moving:
The cost to move can cost you a pretty penny. Packing supplies, moving trucks or professional movers, driving costs like fuel and tolls all add up. This doesn’t even take into account all the incidental costs that tend to crop up from moving, like that new trash can you’ll need to buy, or replacing all the spices you tossed. There are, of course, ways to cut moving costs, like recruiting friends with trucks and foregoing a moving service altogether.
If your home just happens to be located in a currently trendy neighborhood and your equity has as a result soared, moving just might be the way to go. If you have waited long enough from the Housing Crash you may have your head above water or close to it.
Your Current Home:
The house you’re in now does it suit your needs, both essential and financial? Does the location itself work for you? Does it suit your family? Can you afford your mortgage payments without much difficulty? If so, you probably don’t want to move. There’s no sense in taking on all the extra stress that can come with a large financial transaction (buying and/or selling a home) and moving.
If your home isn’t working for you, whether it’s too big or too small or too expensive or in the wrong place, you’re probably going to want to consider moving.
Rent or Buy Again:
We’re seeing something of a shift in what makes up the American Dream for a lot of people. It used to be that buying a home was a given, a logical part of growing up and was something nearly everyone aspired to do. It’s not so much a given anymore, though.
More and more people are opting to rent instead of buying homes, and it’s happening across the map. From the biggest cities on out to the ‘burbs, renting makes more sense for a lot of people than it did 20 years ago. I believe this is due to so many people living through the 2008 housing and economic crisis, combined with the fact that so many people can’t make ends meet as the middle class shrinks.
Buyers:
- Where do you see myself — ideally?
- Where can you create a meaningful existence for the next ten or twenty years? Would it be a better life, and do you have a concept of what that looks like in my home buying?
- Does it help your decision process if you clear on why I want to move or buy a home?
- Are you clear on what is keeping you where you are, owning or renting at the time?
- What changes might make staying put a more pleasant (or less stressful) alternative to relocation? Or a more affordable one?
- In knowing what you want, have you considered practicalities like job opportunities, demographics, transportation, healthcare facilities (and state-specific Affordable Care Act options), child care, places to worship, safety, shopping, recreation, and cost of living (housing costs due to ownership, maintenance, insurance, taxes, mortgage)?
- If you have five or six “important factors” in your decision-making, what if you can’t find anywhere that fulfills what you are looking for? What if you can find a few places that cover only two or three of my six “important factors?” Is that enough for you and your family?
- Will you be near family or friends? Is this important to you or your family? You may need to think of a support system that you will have in place.
- Do you have to move due to employment?
People move for a variety of reasons, homes that have become too small or too big with the passage of time, better jobs in other states, loved ones waiting for them in other parts of the country, neighborhoods that have become too dangerous for raising a family, or simply attempted escapes from bad memories or troubling experiences. Whatever the reasons are they are the ones that have triggered you to look into buying or selling a home.
The first big question is if the right time has come for you to pack up your things and move to another home. Timing is crucial for a successful and headache-free residential move, so sit down and have an honest conversation with yourself and family should we buy or sell your home right now? Above all consult an experience real estate agent to ask question. Rule of thumb is to consult at least 3 agents and review their listings and reviews.
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