Are You Ready for Your Forever Home?

They say that home is where the heart is, which makes a lot of sense, especially for new buyers. The sense of achievement when buying a home for the first time can be overwhelming. Trivial (yet oddly satisfying) things like buying a new set of curtains and getting excited about upgrading your hoover are all apart of the journey—but in time, our needs change.

Positive memories of the early days when you first fell in love with your new home begin to fade, and are soon replaced with contempt. What was once big enough for the two of you, is no longer able to accommodate your growing family with quite the same level of charm. But, how do you know when it’s time to make the jump and finally move on to your forever home?

You’ve outgrown your current home

Again, as your family grows, so too will your need for extra space—and rapidly at that. You’d like to think that your first child shouldn’t take up too much space, but then once the little ball of screaming love and smelly nappies arrives, you soon find yourself drowning in ‘stuff.’

Before you know it, you’ve little room to move, let alone breathe. Which is why it is important, when these feelings start to take over, that you consider the next step in your journey.

Buying your forever home is just as much about anticipating enough space, as it is what local amenities you’ll need (i.e., schools and public transport). Thus, you should take your time when exploring a new location to begin the next chapter of your lives.

You’re a full-fledged homeowner and ready for a new challenge

Your first home is the ‘basic training,’ of adulthood. It’s where you learn to effectively manage your finances; where you appreciate the importance of switching off lights; and what your mother really meant by ‘we have food at home.’

After a few ropy years of living beyond your means and scraping by, you slowly set into being a homeowner and find your groove. If you’re always up to date with your bills and payments, and you’ve been growing a little nest-egg, then perhaps you’re ready for the next phase?

Buying your forever home will come with its own unique set of challenges, but if you are confident enough in yourself, and your financial situation, then you should start shopping around for potential properties. Remember, you don’t have to commit to anything until you’re absolutely ready, but where’s the harm in exploring your options?

You can afford to spend more than you currently do

Remember, just because you can afford something, it doesn’t mean that you should do it. However, if you’ve out-grown your current home and you feel ready for the change, then why not? It’s always worth spending as much time in your current home as possible, to save up some money and to make sure that you are indeed ready to move on. However, if you’re feeling stressed or unhappy about your current situation, then you should do something about it.

Just be realistic about what you can afford and account for all of the hidden costs that can otherwise be easily missed. This means, thinking about the higher mortgage payments, the impact that a larger house will have on your monthly utility bills, and any other environmental factors (e.g., living in the country has a great number of benefits, but you must account for the extra mileage in your car if having to commute further to work).

You are certain of what life will look like in the next decade or two

Of course, there are no certainties in life. However, if you are happy and settled in your relationship; your careers are secure; and you’ve no plans to move abroad, then you are likely ready for your forever home. Even still, just because you are looking for a property that will be suitable for you to live out the rest of your days, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it has to be ‘forever.’ It simply has to be right. It must be suitable to accommodate a healthy, growing family, with everything that you could ever possibly need.

Conclusion

If you’ve ticked off all of these boxes, then you are almost certainly ready to move on to bigger and better things.

If you like the idea of living in the countryside, and would like a large and luxurious property to call home, then you should check out our current development, Lavender Close. In addition to that, we also have some tips on how to tell if a property is worth buying.

For all other enquiries, or if you’d like some further information regarding our current developments, please to not hesitate to contact us at your convenience. We’re always happy to help.

In any case, we wish you the very best of luck with your journey!