How to Decide Where to Live Next

Deciding on where you should move to should not be that difficult, should it?

Draw a radius of a one-hour commute from your place of work, check that there is a good school for the kids, it is a nice area, the type, size, and price of the property is right and that’s it.

But is this the best way how to choose the right place to live?

Surely our quality of life should be our top priority. Where we live affects every aspect of our life so is not a decision to be taken lightly.

And of course, many people can work from home and have to rarely visit the office.

So perhaps using our current place of work as a starting point is not the best way to decide where we should live long term.

In this guide, we look at every option of where to live, the type of home to live in, and even down to the type of street you would like to live on.

You may also like to read: How to Decide if Now is a Good Time to Move Home. In this guide, we look at whether now would be a good time to move home or whether there are changes you can make to your home and lifestyle that would give you the quality of life you are looking for.

How Do We Decide Where to Live Next?

#1 What are your priorities when finding the best place to live?

Decide what is important to you not just in the short-term but the long term.

This may include top-rated schools, being in the countryside, having a garden, or being near friends and family.

Make a list of the must-haves, nice-to-haves, and what would make an area unsuitable to live in.

You may also like to read: How to Find Your Forever Home. In this guide, we look at what to take into consideration when looking for a forever home and the pros and cons of making your next home your forever home.

#2 Take into consideration the cost of living

Think about your financial situation now and in the future.

Moving to a new town or city for a high salary is all well and good, but house prices and the corresponding cost of living will be high if local salaries are.

And would you soon be on the lookout for the next advancement on the corporate ladder to keep up with those spiraling costs, so your family would be facing upheaval again?

Consider if you were to lose that job how you would survive financially. Is it better to be in an average-priced area, with an average or slightly above-average income?

Whether we like it or not, happiness is often linked to our financial situation.

How happy will you be trying to constantly keep up with the Joneses?

Is it not better to have a disposable income and live in the second-best postcode area, than constantly juggling finances to live in the best postcode area?

You may also like to read: Which is More Important Home or Location? 31 Things to Consider. Everybody will tell you that location is more important than the home so in this guide we look at whether that is actually true or not.

#3 Leave your options open

These days, you are unlikely to be in a job for life.

But choosing an area where your industry is concentrated, in a particular part of the country, then relocating there would be a better long-term choice as there would be more career options for you.

For example, the North East produces 500,000 cars annually and has a healthy component and commercial vehicle sector too, the Midlands also has a large car manufacturing industry, and so if you are in that trade, there would be plenty of scope to advance your career locally.

And if things do go wrong when working for one manufacturer, it will be easier to switch between companies and even related work sectors.

Moving to a new area, it will be easier to make friends if they have the same interests or careers as you, whether that location be a hotspot for artists or mountain bikers.

You may also like to read: Choosing Where to Live in the UK to Avoid Climate Change. Climate change is affecting many parts of the UK so in this guide, we look at how climate change is and may affect an area you are considering moving to. Including an interactive map that plots how climate change may affect the UK over the next 20 years.

#4 Will your new town or home grow with you?

How to choose an area to live in is not easy if you have no idea what you expect to gain from moving or what your long-term goals are.

Long-term you may want to raise children or open an art gallery.

Look at the opportunities the new location offers for the way you live now, but also what potential it has to fulfill your future needs.

Check out what the local council has in the pipeline for long-term planning, be it the expansion of housing or leisure facilities.

Do they look favourably on new businesses or place high importance on public transport for instance?

You may also like to read: How to Future Proof Your Next Home Move. In this guide, we suggest things to consider that may affect the future and the place you live and how you can offset those changes.

#5 Should you move home to be nearer family or friends?

If you have a young family or elderly parents, or just miss the odd family get-together, then moving to be nearer your family may be a good idea.

If you or your partner work long hours then having the support of your family nearby can be priceless.

Equally, having good friends around you is important, but is it important enough for you to base your decision on where you should live?

Are those friends and family established in their homes or region and will they be there for the foreseeable future?

You may also like to read: Moving Back to Your Hometown – A Move in the Right or Wrong Direction. Wanting to move nearer family and friends may mean considering moving back to your hometown. In this guide, we look at the pros and cons of moving back to your roots.

#6 The Grass isn’t always greener on the other side

Think carefully about why you want to move. What are the Pros and Cons of Moving Home?

What are your aspirations for your new life and will your home move fulfill those wishes or are the answers where you live now, you have just not looked in the right places?

Think about why you want to move and whether looking at your current home and location from a different perspective will change those feelings.

You may also like to read: Will Moving Home Make Me Happier? In this guide, we look at common reasons for wanting to move home and ask whether moving will solve those problems or you will just be taking them with you.

Now we have established why you want to move, we look at the specific types of counties, areas, streets, and homes so that you can narrow your options down even further.

#7 Which part of the country would suit you best?

From the lists you made previously, you should now have a good idea of the type of region you want to move to be that by the coast, in the countryside, in the suburbs, or in the city.

You are unlikely to be familiar with every region of the country so we have created guides to living in every region of the UK to help you decide which is the best one for you.

You will find comprehensive guides to every part of the UK in our home moving blog.

#8 What type of area would suit you best?

Now that you have decided upon a region, what type of area do you want to live in?

Do you want to live in the countryside where there tend to be larger gardens, or a vibrant city, or a compromise and live in the suburbs?

You may also like to read: Is Life Better in the Countryside, Suburbs, or the City? In this guide, we look at the pros and cons of living in a city, the suburbs, and the countryside.

#9 What type of street do you want to live in?

Now we have narrowed the choice down to a specific region and the type of location that would suit you best.

But exactly where you choose to live within that town or city, on a main road, a cul-sac, near parks, or open fields can have a big impact on everyday life.

Decide whether good public transport, local amenities, a vibrant nightlife, access to local parks, a large garden, or no neighbours, for example, is important to you.

This will help you decide the type of street you want to live on.

You may also like to read: Choosing Where to Live. Location. Location. Location. In this guide, we look at the pros and cons of living in a home on a main road, near shops, parks, open fields, in a cul-sac, by a school, or a river to help you choose which location would suit you best.

#10 What type of home do you want to live in?

This can be as important to consider as the area you want to live in.

The price of different types of homes: flats, semis, detached, bungalows, and townhouses can vary enormously, even in the same postcode.

Keep an open mind and think about the advantages and disadvantages of each type of housing, taking into consideration your future needs too.

You may be surprised when you really look into what type of home to live in would best suit your lifestyle.

The key to finding your ideal home is having an open mind and discounting nothing.

You may also like to read: What type of Property is Right for me? In this guide, we look at the various designs of homes, their pros and cons, and how certain designs may suit your lifestyle better.

#11 Would a total change suit you better?

So far we have looked at moving within mainland UK but have you thought about moving to somewhere like the Channel Islands?

There are many advantages to living somewhere like Alderney for example, where you can have a peaceful life with some great weather and a very different lifestyle than on the mainland.

And despite what many think, you do not need to be a multi-millionaire to live in the Channel Isles. Yes, Jersey is far more expensive and it is harder to live and work there, but there are plenty of excellent alternatives.

You may also like to read our guides to living on each of the Channel Isles which may help you decide if this could be the total change of lifestyle you are looking for.

• The Ultimate Guide to Moving to Jersey
• The Ultimate Guide to Moving to Guernsey
• The Ultimate Guide to Moving to Alderney

#12 I want to move but my partner doesn’t

How should you decide where to live if you want to move but your partner wants to stay where you live now?

This is not an uncommon problem and usually ends up in a compromise.

So it is not a show stopper if you approach the situation sympathetically and are prepared to listen and consider their needs.

And who knows, having heard what your partner has to say you may end up finding the perfect place to live, but maybe just not where you expected it to be.

You may also like to read: My Partner Wants to Move – I Don’t. Now What? In this guide, we look at how you can come to a compromise when one of you wants to move home and the other one does not.

We started off by asking the question ‘How do people decide where to live?’ and at first it seemed that it was a fairly straightforward exercise. Clearly, it isn’t.

But hopefully by looking at the important things in your life, what you expect to gain from a home move, and weighing up all your options, you will come to a decision.

And it will be a decision that will stand you in good stead not just for now but for your future.

Quality not quantity, look for a home that gives you options for the future whilst fulfilling all your needs of today.

I will leave you with these two quotes to ponder upon:

Plato said: A good decision is based on knowledge and not on numbers.

And as you lay in bed on the first night in your new home remember what George Ryan said: I’m going to sleep well tonight knowing that I made the right decision.

Good luck in choosing your new life and don’t forget to visit our home moving blog which has guides on every aspect of choosing where to live from city guides to country guides, from living on the coast to living in an intentional community.