Three years ago I moved from an inner-city flat to a house in the countryside, albeit only a half-hour commute back into the city.
Because this is the type of home move that many people consider making I thought it would be useful to share with you my experience and thoughts on such a move.
For many, it will be the first time they have lived in a house, and the transition from a city centre flat to a house in the suburbs or even further afield can be a huge culture shock, not to mention a shock to their bank balance.
So in this week’s home moving blog, we will share with you the reality of moving from a flat into a house.
You may also like to read: Is Life Better in the Countryside, the Suburbs, or the City? In this guide, we look at the pros and cons of living in the city, in the suburbs, and in the countryside, and examine just how different each location is and how it will affect your quality of life.
Things to Consider When Moving From a Flat to a House
Moving from a flat to a house often means moving to the suburbs or even the countryside or coast, and you will see your life change in so many ways.
Before making this life-changing decision there are some things that maybe you should consider very carefully:
#1 Will Working From Home Still Apply to You?
There are still many people who work from home or only have to go into the office a day or two a week, but how likely is that to change in the future?
How will that affect where you live? This leads to the next considerations……
#2 Commuting
- What happens if you move out of the city and then are expected to return to the office full-time in the future?
- How realistic is it to commute back into the city every day?
- How expensive will a daily commute be?
- How long will it take you to commute daily?
You can use this tool to calculate the cost and time needed for commuting from your new home at www.zoopla.co.uk
#3 London Weighting
If you live in London and are planning on moving to a house outside of London there is the potential loss of London Weighting.
How will that loss of income affect your ability to pay the mortgage or what impact will that have on your quality of life?
The long-term financial implications of moving out of the city could be huge.
#4 Financial Considerations
A house is likely to take more money to run than a flat.
The utility bills will be bigger, maintenance costs will be higher, and maintaining a garden will not be cheap either.
A larger home will also take longer and be more expensive to clean.
You will use up cleaning products quicker and you may need to invest in a more powerful vacuum cleaner for example.
It is little things like this that you may think insignificant but these costs soon add up.
You will also probably need more furniture especially if you are moving out of a rented flat.
Decorating more rooms equals more cost and time.
And many people just end up spending money to fill space with things they don’t really need.
If you have no space for things people tend not to buy them.
It is also worth mentioning that if you are thinking of getting a house with a garden the time needed to maintain and look after the garden, as well as the costs that that incurs can be considerable.
You may also like to read: Moving Into a New Build Home – Everything You Need to Know. Many people will be considering moving from a flat into a new-build home. In this guide, we share all the pros and cons of such a move and the things to be aware of.
#5 Quality of Life
Quality of life is vitally important and often a move to a larger home in nicer surroundings has a huge positive impact on both our physical and mental wellbeing.
- You will almost certainly have more living space and maybe even a garden, which in most cases will greatly improve your quality of life.
- Having a place that you can escape to for some relaxation, even having your own bedroom, will greatly improve your mental well-being.
- For some people just having a house rather than a flat gives them a sense of satisfaction. It is difficult to explain but moving into a house feels almost as if it is the next step on the ladder of being an adult.
- The chances are that your neighbours’ movements will not be so audible in a house. Although you may get some noise, you are unlikely to have the noise of an upstairs neighbour walking on wooden floors for example.
Not only will living in a house be very different from a flat, but your neighbourhood may dramatically change too, especially if you decide to move from the city to the coast or countryside.
You may also like to read: Which is More Important Home or Location? 31 Things to Consider. We always hear that location is far more important than the home itself, but is that really true? In this guide, we list 31 things to consider when moving to a new area.
Consider your needs and lifestyle not just now, but how the neighbourhood will fit your needs in a few years.
- Will the kids be bored and have nothing to do as they grow older?
- How long is the trip to the nearest shops? Local shops may not stock all you need and tend to be more expensive than the big stores.
- Will you get bored with just a couple of local pubs to choose from?
- If you are moving out of the city there will likely be fewer music venues or cultural events to attend.
- How accepting are the locals of outsiders, especially if you come from a very multicultural city where nobody gives you a second glance?
- How will you cope with a house to run if you or your partner suddenly have long commutes to make every day?
- Also, consider that when living in a flat you may hardly know any of your neighbours. That can be a good or a bad thing. But living in a house you are likely to interact with your neighbours far more which depending on your viewpoint, can be a good or bad thing.
- If you are living on your own, or are at home for long periods on your own, then security will be a concern for you. Generally flats are regarded as more secure than houses which may be an important consideration for you.
Moving from a flat into a house has many advantages, but there are also many disadvantages.
Only you know your financial position and how moving to a larger home will impact that.
The location of your new house can also massively affect the positive or negative impact on your life.
You will almost certainly experience some form of culture shock, and every aspect of your life will change, but having overcome that, most people would agree that the pros of moving to a house from a flat far outweigh any cons that you may initially experience.
You may also like to read: Choosing Where to Live: Location, Location, Location. Even if you have found the ideal location that you would like to live, exactly what street you live on, or where the home is within that location can make a huge difference. In this guide, we look at the pros and cons of living on a main road, on a cul-de-sac, near shops, parks, farms, and schools.
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