BIG CHANGES AHEAD:
Why to consider moving before a baby
When you’re living in a house without children, you take certain things for granted. No food in the fridge? Chinese takeout it is! Have a sharp corner on a table? Just avoid it! When you find out you’re going to have a baby, everything changes. You have to start planning for things like nutritious meals & safety precautions. Your perspective starts changing as well. Instead of loving your downtown apartment where you could walk to all the great bars & clubs, you might be thinking that a home in the suburbs is more your style. Maybe you want a backyard for your kids to play in or sidewalks where they can ride their bikes.
It can be hard to find a house that is right for you. It can be very easy to decide to wait until the holidays are over, then wait until winter is over, then wait until you’re done with this-or-that, then wait until…whatever comes next. Knowing that you have big life changes (and new real estate needs!) could be exactly the push you’ve needed to spring into action.
The Push You Need
Inventory of available homes is low & homes within certain price ranges are flying off the market. If you’ve got a high budget for your area, you’ll probably have a bit more time to scoop up a property you like, but if you’re in a hyper-competitive market you may need to be ready to see a property on a whim. This can be difficult to impossible when dealing with the napping, feeding, & changing schedule of a baby, so being able to do this before the baby comes could be your best option.
No Use Crying Over Spilled Milk (or lost houses)
Imagine having to clean your home to a spotless finish & decorate a room for baby. Now imagine doing this with an almost-superhuman attention to detail. Welcome to nesting. Nesting can show itself in a variety of forms, from decorating a nursery to cleaning the kitchen with a toothbrush, & if you choose to move during this time it can be a godsend. Where you normally wouldn’t think twice about something like how much dust is on the inside of the light fixtures, the nesting urge will help boost your desire to clean & decorate.
Use Nesting to Your Advantage
While it might seem like it makes more sense to wait until you’re physically recovered from childbirth, that might take longer than you think. It could take weeks, if not longer after giving birth & then you’ll be working with the challenges of new sleep schedules & routines as well as the needs of a newborn. This could push back your plans even more, so it might be a good choice to home shop while it’s still just the two of you.
[Physical & Emotional] Labor of Love
[Physical] Labor of Love...again
No one likes to move. Few people like to pay for services they can do themselves, but baby bumps & heavy lifting do not mix. If you were on the fence about calling in friends or a moving company to help, this can be your deciding factor. You’ll get to move without having to move.
Depending where you live & what your financial situation looks like, you could save money by purchasing a home. While this isn’t possible for every person in every real estate market, oftentimes mortgages are comparable, if not less expensive, than paying rent. Homeownership comes with the added bonus of building equity which helps you to get more money for your house when you sell than you paid for it. Babies are expensive. Saving money by reducing your cost for housing might be exactly the right thing for you.
Saving Your Bottomline
Even if you already own a home, being a parent will change your preferences, priorities, and requirements. While in your childless days you might have enjoyed living in an interesting, multi-level home with a narrow spiral staircase, as a parent that same design will make you a nervous wreck. Can you block the stairs so a newly crawling baby won’t fall? Is the master suite on the same level as the nursery? What about school district? Daycare? Your new priorities will shape your preferences on what kind of house you need and where it should be located.
New Priorities = New Home
Whether you’re expecting or not, you can find your next home on the RealtyHive marketplace.