How to Move with Ease Series –Week 2

My 5-part series is a “how-to” guide for moving 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.

In this second article for the series, you’ll start exploring what you expect and want for your new home.  Much as you love your home you know it is time to move on and you need to focus on what the next stage of your life will look like and what your new home should be like to support the needs of your new life.

For this home purchase, you want to be MORE methodical and purposeful than when you bought your first home.

That’s why I advise my clients to start thinking about their new house well in advance of starting to look for it, even a year ahead is not too soon.  The more you focus on your current home and lifestyle, how it does and doesn’t work for your and your family, and what you need to transition too, the more prepared you will be and the more successful the search for your new home will be.

 It’s tempting to start going to open houses and searching on-line, but you should focus on two key questions before you even open that home search website.  The clearer you answer these important questions the more successful you search will be and the happier you will be in your new home.

1) “How long do I (we) want to live in this next home?” 

The answer to this question will drive your home search. It will help you determine what your new home “must have”, what would be “nice to have” and more importantly what you are willing to compromise on. 

Think about it … your answer of “how long” determines the answers to EVERYTHING else that follows when it comes to buying your next home. It’s also how you’ll be able to narrow down your criteria list based on this answer.  For example:

• If this is your “forever” home, you may need/want to wait another year to save additional money so you can get all your “must haves”.
• If your kids are young and you are looking for more room but plan to move again before your kids head off to first-grade, your criteria may be different since you are only planning on being in the house 5 years or so. Maybe you buy a smaller home in a great location and compromise on the number of bathrooms or settle for a smaller yard since this is not your forever home.

YOU get to decide how long. Once you do, then the answers to the rest will come more easily … but decide how long FIRST. 

2) What is the #1 driver of my (our) decision to move?”  The answer to this question will impact your “must haves”, there may be things you are willing to compromise on if this is not intended to be your forever home.  See how it follows the first question?!  It can also influence the timing of your move.

Here are some examples:

• If your kids are starting school next year and better schools are driving your decision to move, you will need to move quickly.  You will need to be focused so you don’t let the urgency of the situation force you into a rash decision. Do you really want to compromise on the number of bathrooms, after all those adorable kids you share a bathroom with will grow into teenagers.
• If your kids aren’t school aged for a few years, then you can take this process more slowly, which I recommend.  While it’s important to find the right house, don’t get caught up in perfection or sidetracked by features that were not on your must have or even nice to have list.
• If you are moving for schools, you may have to take on a longer commute or your budget may mean a smaller home that you were planning on. If the primary driving force behind your move is “schools” then you may be ok compromising on the rest for the school district you want.  

“Moving for schools” is just one example of a primary driver for your next move. You may want to move for other reasons, such as having a shorter commute, to be closer to family, a smaller home if you don’t need all the room you have, or to have better neighborhood walkability.

Whatever is driving your desire to move the answer will help you determine what you are willing or not willing to compromise on. No matter what your budget is, buying a home is a balancing act between location, home features and budget. If location and budget are critical, then you will most likely have to compromise on some of those home features.  If home features and budget are driving the bus, then you may need to rethink your location requirements.

Answering the two questions above FIRST — before you ever spend a Sunday at open houses –will make the rest of this process much more effective and successful.

Take as much time as necessary to answer these two questions. If you are making the decision with a partner, then you should both answer these questions individually and then discuss come to an agreement, so you are on the same page well before you start looking.

Picture Your Dream Home

Now that you’ve answered these two first questions and are very clear on your answers, the fun can start!

It’s time to brainstorm. Make sure to include anyone who is going to live in this next home. You want their input on what they would like to have this time and what they really don’t want to deal with ever again. Some things may be cosmetic and easily changed in a new home, but it’s still good to get it all written down somewhere.

Here’s some help with your brainstorming:

What don’t you like about your current home? 

This is beyond your #1 driver for moving (see above). You know what nags at you, right?  Maybe it’s lack of storage, maybe it’s not enough yard space.  These are things that you aren’t moving FOR but want to make sure you aren’t constantly being annoyed about in your next home. 

We also recommend walking around your home and neighborhood with fresh eyes to really see the pros and cons.

Some ideas to get you thinking when looking at your current home:

• Layout do you want a more open layout or a less open layout? Does the flow between rooms work for you? Do you want all the bedrooms on one floor or do you want separation? Do you want single floor living or bedrooms on the second floor?
• Space do you need more closest space, more storage? A bigger kitchen with more counter space? Do you need a garage or a driveway for off street parking? A bigger, or smaller yard? More bathrooms?
• Location do you want a quieter street, walkable conveniences like stores and parks? Is your neighborhood too noisy?  Are you too close or too far away from neighbors?
• Condition and Style Is your home too old? Need too much updating? Too old? Is the style wrong for you? Maybe you prefer a Tudor or a raised ranch or cape cod style home.  Now is the time to focus on these questions so you can eliminate what you don’t like and focus on what will work best for you.

What do you need now that you didn’t before? What about 5 or 10 years from now (or however long you’ve decided you will own this next home)? 

Everyone (and every family) is at different stages of their lives with evolving needs and wants. Now is the time to focus on the next stage and how you want to live in your next home.

Maybe now you need more space for entertaining, a home office, outdoor space to garden, a playroom, more bedrooms and bathrooms, more storage, better schools, a bigger kitchen.  Maybe a space for your teenagers to hang out and have friends over. Maybe you are downsizing, and you need to make sure there are no stairs. 

Whatever YOU decide, make sure you’ve thought through everything that could possibly come up during the time period you plan on living in this next home. 

Also, don’t get caught up in what all your friends or any other family members say. Decide what’s right for you and only your immediate family and make your home-buying choices accordingly.

A word of caution:  No Open Houses!

Note that none of the steps above involve you looking at homes or wasting time going from open house to open house all day on Sunday.  Wouldn’t you rather be brunching?

In fact, I tell clients NOT to look at any homes at this stage of the game.  This is the “thinking stage” of buying a home.

When my clients want to start looking at homes too early in the process, it causes MAJOR problems. 

I know it’s exciting to see homes, but truly, you’ll be doing yourself a disservice and get side-tracked if you start looking at homes too soon.  I’ll let you know when it’s time, but not yet. 

We promise if you follow our steps, looking for a home will be much more fun and rewarding.  So, resist the temptation and just think and talk about the questions above.  That’s all you need to do in this first step. 

It may not feel like you are making progress because you aren’t “doing” anything, but taking time out to think and plan your reasons for a move will make the next three steps so much more enjoyable. 

I would love to hear the answers to your questions and talk more about what you need in your next home. You might be thinking, “is what I want in my next home realistic?” or, “Can I get everything I want if I move?”  There are all great questions and there is only one way to find out!  

Contact me and we can talk through your answers to these questions, and I will be honest with you about what you want and if it’s possible.  If it’s not, I’ll give you a few extra questions to ask so we can get you as close as possible.

Now that you’ve thought more about what you want and need for your next home, it’s time to explore how you’ll pay for it!  It’s easier than you think, so stay tuned to your email inbox for next week’s article The Big Moving Question: How Do You Buy and Sell at the Same Time?