Things to Think About
When Looking For a New Home
Photo by Saviesa Home: https://www.pexels.com/photo/kitchen-island-2089698/
Looking for a new home is exciting. It’s a new start, a new chapter of your life and in a lot of cases, it will be an upgrade on what you currently have. Maybe you will be moving from a flat to a house, the size of the apartment is bigger, or you are getting a garden, which you don’t currently have – whatever your reasons to move, by being prepared, you will find the right place.
In order to find the right place, there are a few things to think about before you sign on the dotted line for one of the new Terrapin apartments. You should consider the location, the longevity of the place you want to live, what there is to do for fun around the area, and the time it will take for you to commute to work (this is very important).
To help get you started and point you in the right direction, we have put together a brief guide on things to think about when looking for a new home. Keep on reading to discover different thoughts that you should be having before settling on a decision.
The longevity of the place you want to live in?
A good place to start is the longevity of the place you want to live in. Are you planning on moving for a short period of time, or do you want to be in your new place for a long time? If it’s short, then you can be more flexible. If you are planning on staying awhile, then you want to think about your future plans and how this property will fit them. Do you want kids? Are you going to want a pet? Or are you going to be working in the same area for a long time, or want to relocate in the future?
What is the crime rate?
It’s so important that you do your research on the crime rate of the area you want to live in. If you are relocating to a new area, then a lot of it’s going to be new, so you want to make sure you are going to feel safe when walking around and exploring. Online, there are various guides which you can look into, which will report and issues that have come up in the areas you are planning on moving to. You can also use social media to see what people are thinking, as well as ask locals, when walking around.
What fun things are there to do?
When you explore the local area, what leisure facilities does it have that you may be interested in? Does it have a leisure centre for you to go to the gym and look after your health & fitness? Does it have a cinema nearby? Are there any restaurants in the town centre, and what’s the nightlife like? There are all the things you should think about. The last thing you want to do is move to a new area and feel bored as you find it too quiet.
How long will the commute be to work?
A big factor that you should take into account is how long the commute will be to work. You will be driving or getting public transport to work five days a week, so you want to make sure this journey is as simple and easy as it can be. Do you have to change trains or buses, or is the route direct? How frequently does public transport turn up? From a driving point of view, what’s the traffic like and how easy are the roads to drive? When looking up traffic, make sure you factor in rush hour.
What is the upkeep on the property like?
Are you moving to a new build or a property that you think will need a lot of care over the years? Neither answer is wrong, but if you are moving to a property that is old, then make sure you have a plan for any maintenance that is going to need to be carried out in the next couple of years. Older properties tend to need more TLC, which means you should budget for it, so the costs don’t come as a surprise.
What are the neighbors like?
The people who live next to you can make or break the feeling of happiness that you have for the place you live. Always do your research on your neighbours to ensure they are easy people to get along with and that they aren’t going to cause you any trouble down the line. Ask the current people who are living in the property you are interested in their opinion about their neighbours, and don’t be afraid to knock on the neighbour’s door to introduce yourself and get to know them, before you commit to moving next door to them. If you have a name for them, looking them up on social media can help you form an opinion. If they are part of Facebook groups, this can show you the type of content they are posting.
As you can see, there are various things you should be thinking about. With a little more research, you’ll find a plethora of additional things to think about on top of what we have mentioned. The best thing you can do is be as prepared as possible and make sure you do as much research as you can. The sooner you start looking and putting a plan together, the less stressful moving will be, and hopefully, you will have more time to find the right property for you, instead of feeling like you have to move in a rush.
