Finding a new home can be incredibly stressful, even if you’re just moving across town. Turn it into an international move that requires house hunting from a distance, and suddenly you feel nauseous before you even started. Where will we live? What if nothing is available? What if we hate it? Gosh, what if the kids hate it? With these 5 simple house hunting trip tips and a bit of research, discovering where to live can be easy as one trip…not two.
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House Hunting Research That Works
I’ve personally moved over 8 times professionally while living in the States, so I know first hand how scary finding where to live can feel, especially when you’re no longer responsible for only yourself but your entire clan. It is harder, but it is completely achievable.
With some research, planning, and organizing upfront on your part, you can easily turn your house hunting trip into a successful one.
Follow these tips that haven’t failed me and you’ll be able to check one huge task off your long moving to do list: Decide where to live.
1 – Define your where to live requirements first
Is it the commute time to work or the airport? The ability to walk to school? Or to have the serenity of the country?
Once you’ve listed your where-to-live requirements, you must also agree on them with your partner. Nothing will waste time more than not being on the same page.
Be sure to consider other criteria for your family on deciding where to live that might make or break the overall ease of living and general happiness in the new location.
And don’t forget to list your have-nots. It’s as important to nail down what you don’t want as what you do want. Once you have these nailed, send them to your moving coordinator or realtor.
2 – Identify possible areas to live that meet your requirements
This one takes more time but is where it starts to get real. At this point, your realtor will provide some locations that start to match your living requirements.
Print out a google map that spans the entire area of where you’ll be looking and start researching online to find out more about the area. Summarize statistics, the schools, population, and distance to important places. This will help you start eliminating options.
3 – Create a plan and send to your realtor at least 2 weeks before the house hunting trip
Create a house hunting plan to maximize your time to be sure you accomplish the goal(s) associated with the trip.
This is super important because you are setting expectations upfront with your realtor on what you expect to achieve from your house hunting trip. If you rely entirely on verbal communication, you could end up extremely disappointed. By drafting a plan created by you, not only are you and your partner on the same page, but it becomes clear for your realtor what is most important to you and where you want to spend your time.
Advance notice is critical because typically homeowners/renters, such as in the UK, have the right to refuse a visit if it is inconvenient to them. Or if there is a school you need to see, they require advance bookings.
Bottom line, provide as much advance notice as possible for your realtor(s) to make appointments.
4 – Do not bring your kids on a destination house hunting trip
I know it seems like a good idea, but it’s not. You’re thinking mini family vacation…but let me tell you why it’s a bad idea…
You’ll be driving around all day, popping in and out of houses quickly, with barely any pee breaks. Long days, including no lunches, make for hangry people. Yes, we didn’t even have a proper lunch one day.
We had to make the one house hunting trip count since we couldn’t afford (both time and money) a second trip on our own. You don’t need the added stress of unhappy kids.
Leave the kids with grandma or a friend. Everyone wins this way!
5 – Spend an evening in the area you may call home
If you end up like us, there might not be homes available to tour during your house hunting trip. If this happens to you, don’t fret. Use your evening to get to know the location anyway.
We could have easily gone to London for a night out, but we used the opportunity to confirm St Albans UK met our requirements. Nothing helps more than actually feeling and experiencing it. Run through the points that are important to you and experience it for yourself, such as:
- Is it walkable?
- Are there grocery stores, restaurants, and shops?
- How accessible is public transportation?
- Does the city offer a safe vibe?
- Does it make you feel happy?
If you complete all the above tips, this last tip might confirm for you where you want to live. Besides, you need to eat dinner eventually? No better place than in your future hometown.
Final Tips On Making Your House Hunting Trip A Success
By following the above house hunting trip tips, you’ll be able to check one big task off your daunting checklist: deciding where to live.
The schedule may not go perfectly but as long as you have done everything else, you will find the answer to where to call home. A nice dinner or two out while on the house hunting trip isn’t too bad either!
Looking for help moving?
- 12 Best Neighborhoods To Live In London As An American
- Criteria For Deciding Where To Live
- Moving to the UK? MOVING ABROAD GUIDE
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