Is 2015 the right year to move house?

January 5, 2015 by Rob Kahl

It gives me great pleasure to wish you all a happy and prosperous new year

I am really excited and optimistic for 2015. Here at Scott and Stapleton we have big plans. Since moving to our new offices 6 months ago we have come on leaps and bounds and I believe there are even greater things to come.

The rental side of the business has expanded dramatically with the acquisition of EC Lettings. The new staff have settled in really well and are working hard whilst our sales division is poised for another busy year with some new marketing ideas and our unrivalled customer service.

This time of year is obviously a good time for people to take stock and make some changes to their lives and this could include a new home rather than the same old new years resolutions (like mine to lose weight and get fit, AGAIN!). 

2015 could be a good year to make this move. Borrowing is still relatively cheap with mortgage lenders offering excellent rates and interest rates are looking like they will stay at an all time low for a good while longer (especially with a general election looming)

Leigh on Sea is booming as usual with the ever popular Broadway, excellent schools, fabulous transport links to the City and of course, now beyond with the expansion of Southend airport. With all this in mind, tt could be just the year for you to move into the area or upsize to an exciting larger property with all the room you could wish for.

Alternatively, it could be a tougher decision for you to make the move to a smaller property. Downsizing is without a doubt, often the most difficult decision to make. You have lived in your large family home for years, have got used too all of the space and the family may have flown the nest, but, you still have all of the memories of happy family times in the house you have lived in for decades so moving on can be hard.

I go to see clients homes, who are making this difficult decision and have not been in to some of the rooms in their homes for years. These rooms are stuck in a time warp that their now grown up children once used! It is understandable though that people are reluctant to leave it all behind, but it is usually a decision that has to be made.

Large houses need constant maintenance both inside and out. If cleaning and maintenance is not kept up, they can deteriorate quickly. The same for large gardens too, which, can turn in to an unmanageable jungle.

I am not a hoarder myself, in fact with my mild OCD, which most of you are probably aware of, I am by far the opposite, but I can understand that having a large house means you inevitably fill it with stuff that you probably rarely use and even knowing where to start de-cluttering can be really hard.

Try to think of it in a positive way though. If you have made the tough choice to move to something smaller, this could be the start of a new chapter in your life and de-cluttering and the throwing out some of your old items and general stuff can be a very therapeutic start.

A good estate agent will understand that this is a difficult time and most prospective purchasers will also be sympathetic towards emotions when people obviously have attachments to properties and belongings. I am a great believer though, that it is better to make the decision earlier when you are able to rather than having to make the decision and being pushed.

Never being one to listen to my own advice though, I have decided to improve and extend my own home rather than move. Next week I should hopefully receive the planning permission for my extension. This is my big plan for 2015. To get my house sorted. It means that there will be some huge decisions to make about layouts, timescales, budgets and designs, plus probably thousands of small decisions to make about things like power points and light fittings, but it is an exciting but also scary time. Watch this space of the coming year and I will be delighted to keep you up to date with progress in my other blog ‘Robs Renovation’.

Once again a very happy new year and remember on Monday 5/1/15 it will only be 354 days until Christmas, woo hoo!

Ths article is by Rob at Scott & Stapleton
Tel: 01702 47 11 55