Maybe you’ve always wanted to move to a different city. Or you’ve seen your dream house and it’s in a town a few miles away from where you are now. Before you take the leap and put a deposit down, you’ll need to think carefully about the benefits of relocating. Whilst its great to want to get out there and discover a new place to settle down in, there’s also a few key things worth giving thought to first.
One way to work these things out is to find out as much as you can about the area and undertaking extensive research is necessary before making sure a big life change. Here are some ways to get a feel for the place you’re thinking of moving to.
Go there
Whether you’re relocating from Leeds to York or you’re moving from one side of London to the other, you can get a feel for a place and discover what your potential new hometown has to offer by visiting it. Going for a few trips, both during the day and on an evening if possible will give you the best feel of a place and help you to determine if its somewhere you could live.
You can find out if you can picture your life there by getting a train to go for a look around Clapham or hopping on your bike for a ride into Harrogate. Is there a local art scene? What type of restaurants are there? Is there a cinema? Different things are important to different people but most will be looking for a good social scene where they can enjoy their hobbies and interests, as well as have places to make new friends. Keep in mind the things you want from the place you live in and see how your potential new home shapes up.
Be practical
Being practical when you want to move somewhere new isn’t exactly fun, but it’s crucial if you want to get it right. There are some key considerations, such as making sure you can still commute to work easily and whether you can afford to move to the area you have in mind. There’s many different ways you can calculate costs, from putting together an excel sheet to organising your finances to get them in top shape before forking out any big monies.
Even if you’re considering the area because you’re moving for work and think your new salary will cover your expenses, you should have a budget in mind. Having a clear idea of how much you’re willing to spend on rent or the mortgage, along with bills, taxes, and other monthly outgoings is a good starting point. This will help you to do the maths and see if you can realistically live there.
Compare and contrast
Maybe the area you like isn’t in your price range. In that case, it’s always worth exploring the surrounding towns and villages to see if they are a better fit for your budget. This can still be a great choice even if its not quite your first, as you’ll still be within great distance for visiting the location you originally had in mind, but might actually end up falling in love more with the area you do end up in rather than the one you had in mind! Take some day trips to see if you have options that are within commuting distance of the location you originally had in mind and how you feel about the journey also.
Wherever you want to move to, be sure to spend some time there to really see how you could live there day to day.
