Over the course of your life, you will make several far-reaching decisions. Moving to a new home is certainly one of them. Apart from the financial commitment involved, the mental and sometimes emotional strain involved means you need to ensure all points have been covered before you commit to the move.
Are there people you know over there?
It could be your family or friends or former colleagues. You stand a better chance of knowing the details about a location if you have someone you can talk to about what makes the place unique, challenges, and possible problems.
Find out what they’d love to change if it was up to them. Apart from being able to know early on, if the place you intend to move to is for you, you can equally be safe in the knowledge that your transition phase will be less daunting.
Are you in the right frame for something new?
Maybe you have spent all your life living in your current location and you feel it is time to shake things up. You need to keep in mind that changing homes is akin to an adventure.
Apart from finding a new home, you may have to deal with time zone changes, finding a new job, and finding new friends all at the same time. If it all sounds too much for you, you should dig deeper to find your reason for moving and make sure you are still on the right path.
What will you do with your property?
Removal companies have made it easier for people moving to a new home to carefully move their belongings to a new location. However, it is not always straightforward.
It may be easy to pack your belongings from a studio flat into a dozen moving boxes. The situation changes, however, if you are living in a multiple-room apartment with the rest of your family and have to move away from the state or even abroad.
- Have you considered the financial implications of selling your belongings and then buying new ones later?
- Do you have enough money to pay for vital belongings to be shipped abroad?
- Would you be better served relocating to a nearby place?
Asking these questions can help you flush out all of the details involved with a move.
Can you do what you love there?
It’s easy to forget how your passions and hobbies could be affected when you relocate. If you love your early morning runs, you may not be able to do it in your new location if the weather is bad (the North Pole) or the air is deemed unhealthy (some parts of China).
The same applies if you love swimming or kayaking and moving to a place with little to no natural water bodies present. If you love wildlife, relocating to a very urban setting will limit your exposure. Map out your passions and be sure you can still follow them in your new location.
Are you moving to a new home for the right reasons?
Are you downsizing? Do you want to start a new business in a new location? You need to have real valuable reasons why you need to move.
If you are moving for relationship purposes, what have you put in place to ensure you don’t have to wait months for a job or make new friends? If you are just moving away from people and situations, wouldn’t you rather tackle the underlying issues head-on?
Moving to a new home is exciting but it could quickly turn into a financially and emotionally crippling nightmare. Especially if you don’t learn all you can about the new house before you buy it.
