Property Buying, Selling, Renting The Right Move
The Right Move
How do you know when relocating is the right thing to do? For anyone who is planning to relocate during the New Year, you must be sure that it is something that everyone involved is keen to do. Whether you are moving to or from Greece, make sure that you have considered every aspect of the move before taking the plunge and doing it.
Consider the cost of the move
Often it isn't always so straight forward to calculate the cost of moving, especially when you are moving to a completely different are or even country. If you are moving from a rural area to the suburbs, then think about the cost if using public transport on a regular basis or the cost of eating and drinking out more often. Whereas if you are moving from the suburbs to the country, then bear in mind that you will spend a lot more money on fuel to get you in to a busier area for shopping, paying bills, travelling to work etc. It doesn't matter where you live, busy or rural, the cost will vary depending on the type of life that you wish to lead.
So, if you live in the countryside and decide to grow your own vegetables, work from home and rarely leave the village then you will be able to live relatively cheap. However, don't base yourself in a rural area if you plan to spend much of your time in nearby towns and cities, as this is not financially beneficial.
If you decide to move to the city or a busier town then you will be able to live cheaper if you use your car/vehicle less and make use of public transport, pedestrian pathways and subways. Sitting in busy traffic in the city can really drain your fuel tank, even if you are only travelling a few kilometres. Life in a city or town is not cheap if you plan to spend your time in fancy coffee shops, take taxi's here, there and everywhere, keep your own car running, eat out on a regular basis and still have to pay all of the utility bills on your own home.
On the other hand, there are ways in which you can still do all of these things and live cheaper. Do you know how? Well, many cities are home to some wonderful bars and coffee shops, most of which offer free internet access and a plug socket near to every table in the bar/café. If the coffee shop life is something that you enjoy, you should take advantage of using the free internet access in the café's to use the internet on your laptop whilst at the same time, still enjoying the café lifestyle. This can really cut your bills, as you will save money by not (maybe) having an expensive internet connection, saving on heating/air-conditioning and saving money on your electricity for running a kettle.
All on board
Relocating is a stressful time as it is, without the added pressure of mixed feeling within a couple or the family. The most important thing you must ensure before moving is to make sure that everyone agrees to the move. If anyone has serious doubts or cold feet, then don't push ahead until these issues can be resolved. But if these issues are serious enough to stop you from moving then it is not a good idea to make the move. Whether it is your partner, children or extended family who is the cause of concern, remember that they obviously have good reasons not to want to move and you should respect that. It is much better for them to come forward before moving that too late down the line when you have moved and set up home somewhere else and then find out their true feelings about it all.
Try before you buy
Whether you plan to buy or rent, it doesn't matter, but you should try it out before committing your time and life to living there. Even if you don't try living there for a long period of time, it would be beneficial to thoroughly check out the area, its infrastructure and what's around.
Getting to know the area is one of the most important points of the move, because you need to know where the nearest schools, hospitals, medical centres, police station and fire stations are. These are the most important however; you must also consider how far you will have to travel to a petrol station, shop, work, school and somewhere where you may go for entertainment.
Breaking the move down in stages
Moving to a different area or country doesn't mean that you simple move from your current home to your new home where you will instantly have new friends there and a good job. There are bridges to build along the way and there is a process that must be established before you will have a great job and lots of friends. Making friends is probably the most challenging thing to master when you move to a new area and unfortunately the older you get, the harder it gets. Children, especially those of school attending age, find it much easier to make friends because they have the opportunity to mix with a large number of people (their own age) and they all have similar things in common i.e. age, they attend the same school, hobbies, favourite things, school work etc. But as an adult, unless you work in an environment where there are many people, you may find it difficult to break the ice and make friends or even find friends to start with. The ‘breaking the ice' stage is very challenging and it is most usual in adults and sometimes teenagers too. Although you may not struggle to make friends, bear in mind that it may not come as easily as what you may have hoped.