When you’re moving house, you tend to picture just that, the house. What sort of style it will be, how many bedrooms and bathrooms it will have, the height of the ceilings, the size of the garden. But the more difficult thing to imagine is your life in that new home. Whilst the attributes of your dream house are important, they quickly lose their charm when you find you can’t live the life you wanted in your beautiful but lacking home.
Location, Location, Location
If you’ve got your heart set on a secluded cottage in the country or want to be in the thick of a thriving music scene, don’t be swayed by a nice house. It might be cheaper, but if you’re not going to enjoy your life there, then it really isn’t a saving at all. The cost to your potential happiness is not one to forget.
Obviously you need to stick to a budget that you can afford and compromises will have to be made, but remind yourself of your priorities. One of the biggest reasons for moving is a lifestyle change. So you have to ask yourself, if you’re not getting that, why move?
What’s going on?
When you arrive for a house viewing, if you don’t know the area very well it is imperative that you do some exploring whilst you’re there. Find out what the place has to offer in terms of pubs, live music, restaurants, theatres, sports facilities or any other form of entertainment that you would like to have as a regular part of your life.
You can do a lot of this research on the internet before you go, but more than likely, you’ll be reading some self-presented marketing and won’t be getting a real feel for the place. Go and ask people what there is to do for fun in the town? Ask them how they rate certain venues etc. You will probably be given some extra recommendations, but you’ll also be getting to know the locals at the same time. Who knows, they might be your future drinking buddy or book club leader! Your waiter, bar person, shop assistant and baker will likely have more to offer you than the tourist information office.
Convenience
Whether you consider yourself a livewire bursting with energy, or a couch potato, there will always be times when you can’t be bothered to do a massive shop, or cook yourself a meal. It won’t hurt your future happiness to have a corner shop or takeaway not too far away! This probably won’t be a deal breaker, but it’s an added bonus to look out for.
One convenience that is almost guaranteed to grate on you after a while though, is how close your location is to work, schools, family and friends. If you overlook these conveniences, you may find that it’s the reason you’ll be moving again in a couple of years.
Everybody Needs Good Neighbours!
They can make or break the experience of your home and you don’t want to move in to find out that you live next door to a family of drum enthusiasts. Unless of course you play the drums, in which case you can make a neighbourhood band and wonder what you ever did in the evenings before you met them. Everybody’s got a perfect neighbour! Of course you cannot make a decision about your house based on who lives next door, as these things are fluid, but it is worth taking into account.
When you go to the house viewing, just knock on your new neighbour’s door and tell them you were just wanting to find out a bit more about the local area and what they enjoy about living there. This way you can get an idea of what they’re like and also find out more about the region and whether it’s the right place for you.
Once you’ve found the perfect place, the perfect lifestyle and the perfect house now all you have to do is move! We know this can be stressful, but you’ve made the biggest decision already in finding your house and if you want the next part to be stress-free then we’re here to help. At Intransit we have over 15 years of experience in Wiltshire removals, offering a variety of services to ensure a smooth move, including piano moves, packing services, storage space and international relocation. Request a quote here, or give us a call on 01225 759200.
