With the events of the last 12 months, many people are wondering is now the right time to be buying a house? There is no denying that the last year has been a strange one – with large chunks of 2020 and the start of this year having industries closed there is no denying that there has been an effect on the finances of the nation. Lots of people lost jobs, are still furloughed or working reduced hours at work; which means that the ‘spare’ money households may have once had could be significantly less than it has been.
For this reason, many people are putting off moving home until times are better. However, I actually think that this is a new way of living that is likely to stick around for a while and as we learned in 2020, life is short so there is something to be said for grabbing the bull by the horns and making the life choices we might want!
Is Now The Right Time To Be Buying A House?
The decision to buy a house is a massive one, and whether it is the right time or not is a personal decision. However, Rightmove recently reported that house prices have hit a record number of visitors to their site; so clearly lots of people do think now is the right time. It was only during the first lockdown that the property industry was closed down, throughout the rest of the restrictions it has been classed as an essential industry and therefore able to continue.
Despite that, there were times when viewings were much slower – after all, people remained cautious about leaving their house, especially to visit new areas. However, since Spring arrived and we have seen a Roadmap out of restrictions this has changed and now viewings are back up to their peak – as people start to look for their new dream home.
Should I Be Moving House?
Many people have been prompted to move house by a year of lockdowns and restrictions – people have discovered that their house isn’t suitable for working from home or they want somewhere with more garden/outdoor space. The fact that people now have more flexibility to work from home rather than commuting to work every single day has also opened up the opportunity to move house for many people.
One of the things you should be considering before anything else is whether you can afford to move house – looking at your mortgage options and calculating what you can afford to borrow/repay is a really good place to start. After all, it is all well and good dreaming of the perfect home and relocating, but there does have to be some thought into the practicalities of making that happen.
Moving House
If you do decide to move house then my advice would be:
- Get quotes from a couple of estate agents if you have a house to sell
- Register on Rightmove, Zoopla and any local estate agents
- Put together a list of what you want from your new house
- When it comes to moving house – be as organised as possible.
Although I have always rented, I have moved house loads of times and it really is the chance to start an exciting new adventure – if you can afford to do it and it is the right thing for you and your family, I hope you find the right house and can move as soon as you would to!
Debz x
Debz Louise is a plus-size blogger based in Yorkshire. Behind many nationwide campaigns such as #WeaAreTheThey & winner of Best Blogger at the UK Plus Size Awards, she talkas about life as a plus-size 40-something woman in South Yorkshire.
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