13 signs your house isn’t right for you
Do you have a feeling that your home may not be right for you? Do you look at it as your forever home? We’ve moved three times in the last 5 years and along with racking up mortgage fees, its an upheaval. But now, our house is the home I hope we will stay in forever…with a few adjustments.
If you’re getting itchy feet about where you live – it’s best to put a plan in place, you can try to convince yourself that what you have is right and push away those niggly doubts, but eventually you’ll want to move to a house that better suits your needs and lifestyle.
Take a look at my list below that may suggest your current home isn’t right for you:
It’s too small
Perhaps you’re running out of space. Maybe you have things falling on you as you open cupboard doors, and you’re just wishing you had more storage. Perhaps your kids are growing up fast, or you want to expand your family. Whatever it is, you’ll struggle to be happy in a house that just isn’t big enough for you. The bigger your family, the more space each person needs – you need space for both the person and the stuff that they acquire. Unless every person in the household agrees to live a super minimal life, you’re probably going to need to invest in a bigger place to live!
It’s too big
On the flipside, perhaps the house you’re living in is too big. A house that’s too big for your needs is going to be tough on your bills. You might even feel like you’re rattling around in there! If you had a family and they’ve grew up and flew the nest, or even if you don’t plan on having a family now, it could be a good idea to look at downsizing to a house that suits you. Just because you can afford a huge house doesn’t necessarily mean you have to live in one if it isn’t suited to your lifestyle.
You don’t like the area
Liking where you live is a must. You can do pretty much anything to your home with the right amount of money, but you can’t pick it up and drop it in another neighbourhood! Maybe it’s messy, you have noisy neighbours, you don’t feel safe going out at night. You won’t be able to just ‘get over’ a neighbourhood that isn’t right for you, so don’t expect to be able to ignore it for long!
Crime rates
Maybe the crime rates in your area are going up? This doesn’t automatically mean that your home isn’t right for you, it just means that you need to increase security. There are some great security alarms you can invest in, as well as CCTV cameras, and even ways to view your home remotely so you can see what’s going on wherever you may be. You can control the lights when you’re not in to make it look like you’re in when you’re not. If the issues are bigger than this then it may be worth looking to move.
Unfriendly neighbours
You might like your neighbours but not like your neighbourhood – but if you don’t get along with your neighbours either, you’re probably going to be in for a very rough time. It’s always a tricky one because if they’re renting they could move on, or they could be looking to move anyway. So if your house is perfect but your neighbours aren’t, it’s worth assessing! Is there a specific reason you and your neighbour don’t get along? If they’re making real issues, you may want to look into reporting your neighbours
It’s costing too much
Is your home costing too much money? Are there breakages and repairs/replacements to be made? Are your bills super high? Try to figure out what’s taking such a huge chunk out of your budget so you can aim to fix it. If you’re looking to live as cost effectively as possible, you could consider moving to a smaller place, such as an apartment or a condominium.
Long commute
This isn’t always a reason to move home, but if you’re serious about your career, then living too far away from your place of work can be tough. It might not matter too much if you can work remotely and have to travel a lot for work, but if you have to be in one particular place and you find yourself commuting, moving closer could actually be more cost effective in the long run. It’ll certainly be more time effective!
Missing family and friends
Again, it’s not always a reason to jump ship and move, but living away from those you love can make life seriously lonely. Sure you can make new friends, but it can be tough to forget about how much you miss your loved ones if they’re not close by.
‘The Feeling’
You can’t ignore a gut feeling. You don’t know where it came from or why it’s there, but after a while, you’re going to have to go with it. You may be able to silence it and push it down for a while, but as sure as day turns into night, it’ll come bubbling to the surface and make itself known at some point. Listen to your gut!
Doesn’t fit your basic needs
Your basic needs should always be covered in the place you live. Everyone’s needs are different, so think of yours and make a list. Does your home match up?
Lacking amenities
Maybe the area overall is making you unhappy and you wish you had more eateries, parks for the kids to play in, local community centre, shops and fun stuff to do. Maybe you just wish there were more public transport links!
Future plans
If you can’t see your future in this place? That generally isn’t a good sign. Start making plans to see where you would be happy!
No dinner party invites!
If you’re embarrassed to have guests over, again, this is a sign you shouldn’t ignore. Perhaps you could consider making some decor changes, or attempt to fix whatever else is bothering you.
One of the signs above alone likely isn’t enough of a reason to move, but multiple signs, and you may have a serious issue. Is your house right for you?
*This is a collaborative post
