This is a guest post.
There are all kinds of reasons you may want to sell your house fast – from divorce and illness to happier circumstances like a new job or an unexpected addition to the family. We tend to get settled in our homes and never think about moving on, but sometimes life has other plans for us! Whatever reason you have for selling up more quickly that you planned to, the key is not to panic: choosing a new place to live is always a big decision and should never be rushed.
The first thing to consider is, can I afford it? Even if you’re getting a big lump sum from the sale of your house, this will be depleted sooner than you realise by a high rent. Before making the transition from home ownership to renting, make sure you have calculated exactly how long your money will last, and bear in mind that renting is dead money: you won’t own any part of the property when it’s gone. If you’re moving in with a lump sum, it can be a good idea to find out if your landlord will offer a discounted price in exchange for paying a year’s rent up-front.
On the other hand, if you are buying and downsizing to a smaller home, remember that you might not have room to bring everything with you. This can lead to some tough decisions on which of your possessions to keep and which to sell or give away – the move will likely be a stressful process in itself, so it’s best to deal with this as soon as you can. Take the time to measure out each room in your new property and make a plan of where everything will go.
Finally, if you’re going from the decision to sell up to moving into a new place in a relatively short space of time, it can be easy to overlook some things. Don’t forget to contact everybody you know, as well as your bank, employer and local authorities, to inform them of your new address – but it’s best to leave this until you have actually moved in, just in case the sale falls through and you have to do it all over again!
Using a home moving checklist like this can be a big help to make sure you don’t forget anything important.
This is a guest post.