Why Do People Move? 11 Reasons to Sell Your House Fast

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House For Sale By Owner Sign in a front yard of a house

11 Reasons to Sell Your House Fast

Americans move an average of 11.7 times throughout their lives. This might seem excessive since selling up is rarely an easy process, even when the market’s doing well. So, why do people move? The truth is, sometimes it’s necessary to sell your house fast. 

Whether you need to relocate for work, are no longer happy with your neighborhood, or you’re experiencing some changes within your family, planning a move might be the best option. After all, a place that’s no longer a good fit for you could be another person’s dream house. 

Not sure if you should sell your house? Keep reading to find out the top reasons home owners move.

1. Expanding Family

selling your home due to expanding family
selling your home due to expanding family

One of the top reasons to sell a house is wanting more space for an expanding family. 

Many young couples can only afford small apartments and starter homes with limited space for their first mortgage. But, adding children into the equation or needing space for elderly relatives means you’ll need a few extra bedrooms at least.

Bigger family areas, additional bathrooms, and more outdoor space will also come in handy if your family is about to grow more than you’d first anticipated. You will want a lot more room!

2. Downsizing 

On the flip side, once your children leave home for good, you might want to find a smaller place that suits your shrinking household better. 

A five-bedroom home with a large garden and pool might have been ideal while your children were growing up. But now, such a big place for one or two people and the occasional guest doesn’t make sense anymore. Especially since bigger homes need more time, energy, and money for upkeep. 

For this reason, many “empty-nesters” look to downsize to condos, townhouses, apartments, and other low-maintenance homes. 

3. Job Change

selling your house due to job change
selling your house due to job change

An upcoming career-related change could push you into planning a move sooner than you’d expected. 

While many people are happy to travel long distances for a better and new job, if your new position is too far away for a comfortable commute, moving home could make more sense. 

Likewise, new responsibilities such as needing to be on-call out of hours might mean that your current commute is no longer feasible. 

Or, if you’re now working from home on a permanent basis, you may find that living near your place of work is no longer necessary. In this case, it could be the perfect time for planning a move to a location you prefer for personal reasons. 

Of course, work-related reasons to move aren’t always positive or optional. A cut in salary or hours or losing your job altogether can mean having no choice but to sell your home. Here, downsizing or renting for a period could be the only solution until your situation improves. 

4. Cash in the Equity

Building equity is one of the biggest perks of homeownership. If a change in your work or personal situation means that you need quick cash, selling up allows you to access your home’s equity to pay the bills and keep your head above water. 

Alternatively, in a hot market, many homeowners seek to cash in on their equity to put it toward a higher-priced property they couldn’t previously afford. Others may buy a more modest home or move to a more affordable area and use the equity for other expenses. 

Whatever the reason you want to access your home’s equity, this step-by-step guide to selling your home will make it easier to tap into the funds tied up in your home. 

5. Change of Scenery

Why do people move if they’re happy with their home? It happens when they’d like it to be in another location. 

Your house might be a perfect fit for your family, but if it’s in a bad neighborhood, right next to a noisy highway, or too far away from nature for your liking, planning a move could make more sense than putting up with an area you don’t like. 

Or, while it’s rarely one of the main reasons to move, seeking out a better climate can be a motivating factor for many people. Long and snowy winters or hot and humid summers can make life uncomfortable no matter how much you love your current home. 

Planning a move for a change of scenery will likely mean relocating to a whole new area or state. As such, it’s extra important to do your research and get a feel for wherever you’re thinking of moving to. You’ll also need to take your commute, school locations, and amenities into account before you opt to buy your next home. 

6. Home Upgrade

selling your house due to upgrade to another home
selling your house due to upgrade to another home

Another of the most common reasons to sell a house is to upgrade to a bigger or better one. 

A lack of outdoor space, only one bathroom, minimal natural light, or an outdated floor plan are all valid motives for an upgrade. After all, even if your family hasn’t expanded, your dreams and desires might have. 

Or, you might find that you have new priorities or a bigger monthly income and want to devote your time and energy to creating a home you love rather than a house that no longer meets your expectations. 

7. Relationship Changes

Getting married or moving in with a partner – especially later in life – can mean that at least one of you will need to end up selling your house. Some couples may even opt to sell both properties as a way to start afresh in a new home they’ve chosen together. 

Relationship breakups are also ones of the most common reasons to sell your house. One of you may need to buy the other out and not have enough to cover it or it might not be possible for either of you to sustain the home on a single income. 

8. Changing Needs and Abilities

Before you might not have had a problem with cleaning your home, gardening, basic DIY, or even getting up to the second-floor bathroom. But now that you’re older or you have more limited mobility, you might find that these tasks are getting too difficult or even too dangerous to continue. 

Illness, disability, and aging can often mean that your home no longer suits your needs or meets your level of ability. In some cases, design flaws such as a house with no downstairs bathroom make for an uncomfortable and limiting living experience. 

If your home no longer meets your needs, moving to somewhere more accessible and easier to maintain is a wise decision. 

9. Deferring Maintenance

You may want to sell your home if you’re finding it difficult to keep up with repairs and maintenance. This could be because of your changing abilities as much as a packed schedule or limited time at home due to traveling for work. 

Whatever the motive, the thought of having to replace the roof, furnace, siding, and everything else in the coming years might be enough for you to want out. 

And, when you consider that the life of most residential infrastructures is around 15 years, it could be time to sell to an investor before you’re tied to the property for another decade. 

10. Proximity to Relatives 

Job opportunities and a need to explore new horizons can mean moving away from family. But as people age, have children, or experience a change of priorities, they may want to move closer to their relatives. 

Maybe you’re living on the other side of the country to your elderly parents. Or you might like to live closer to your sister so your children can all grow up together. Whatever the reason, planning a move to somewhere closer to your relatives can make all the difference to your ongoing family dynamic and support network. 

11. Death in the Family

Death can be a huge catalyst for change, especially when it comes to your home and living environment. 

For example, after the death of a parent or another elderly relative, you may have inherited a house. You’ll then need to decide whether you want to rent it out, sell it, or move there and sell your present place.

Or, you might find that the death of your partner makes living in the home you shared with them too painful. Their death may then motivate you to live closer to your surviving family or to sell your home and move somewhere smaller and more manageable.  

How to Sell Your House Fast

It’s never an easy decision to sell your house, especially if you’ve been living there for many years. 

But, whether it’s your choice or a necessity, moving often makes a lot more sense than staying in a house that no longer serves you and your family as it once did. 

Want to know how to sell your house fast? For more information, feel free to contact us today!

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