There comes a time in most people's lives where a strong desire for change starts to set in.
That change can be in the form of something trivial, such as taking a different route for your morning walk, or, it could be a much grander change, such as moving out of your current house.
In this article, we're going to discuss ten signs it's time to sell your house.
You Need More Space For A Growing Family
The first house you buy may not always be the last house you live in. It's not uncommon to buy a "starter" home.
What's a starter home? Simple: It's a smaller sized house that's well suited for a couple, or a small family.
Think of your typical single-story two to three-bedroom house.
Families are great at growing. Typically from having kids, but also from having elderly family members move in.
Naturally, you're going to need more space to accommodate everyone comfortably.
Have you ever had:
Mom
Dad
Son
Daughter
Grandma
And grandpa
All fighting to take a shower at 9:00 am? It's not fun!
As your household begins to expand, it might come time to sell your house and get a bigger living space.
On The Contrary - You Need To Downsize
On the other hand, you may find yourself in a situation where you need to downsize.
Did you raise five kids, three dogs, and two cats in a towering two-story five-bedroom house? And now everyone has moved out?
Becoming an empty nester is something to be proud of. It means you've raised a family and sent your kids on a path of self-fulfillment.
However, do you still need all that space? Probably not.
When you find yourself with a huge house and no one to fill the rooms, it might be time to sell and downsize into something that better fits your needs.
The Taxes Have Gotten Too Expensive
Nothing is certain, but death and taxes.
As much as we don't like taxes, we need them so our cities and towns can provide critical infrastructure, services, and a variety of other things we all rely on.
Property taxes come due every year and can be extremely expensive, depending on where you live. Taxes in the San Francisco Bay Area, for example, can reach over tens of thousands of dollars.
Typically, the larger the house, and the more land you own, the higher your taxes will be.
Your taxes are likely to grow as your properties assessed value increases too.
If you've found your property taxes have gotten too high for you to handle, it may be time to sell and move somewhere that offers a lower tax liability.
You've transitioned to a Fixed Income, And Can No Longer Keep Up With The Mortgage Payments
At some point, you may find yourself living off of a fixed income.
Social security
A pension
Self retirement savings
Disability
The above are typical fixed incomes people may become reliant on.
Since fixed incomes don't usually rise as a wage would, it might become challenging to keep up with mortgage payments, taxes, and insurance.
Your mortgage will stay fixed unless you have an adjustable mortgage rate. Still, taxes and insurance costs will most likely go up year over year on average.
If you're struggling to keep up with these payments because you've recently transitioned to fixed income, that's okay.
But it may be time to consider moving somewhere more in line with your financial situation.
You've Grown Tired of Where You Live
As human beings, we're hard-wired to crave new experiences. So it's no surprise that after some time you may find yourself tired of your current living situation.
Have you made your 5,000th trip to the same Safeway?
Always go to the same stores?
Are all the restaurants so familiar you've memorized the menus?
There is nothing wrong with familiarity and settling into a routine unless you're the kind of person who craves new experiences.
Sometimes the feeling sets in, and you know. You've grown weary and bored with your current living situation.
Luckily for you, you're not a tree, and you can move somewhere that will bring you joy.
I used to live on Long Island, New York. A wonderful, beautiful place that is full of life.
All my friends and family lived there too. But I found myself craving a new experience. I became fixated on moving to California as it looked like it fit my lifestyle perfectly.
I bit the bullet
Packed my stuff
Bought my ticket
And rented an apartment in the Bay Area
It was the right decision for me and might be the right decision for you if you're no longer happy where you live.
Your Commute Is Draining Your Life Away
How long is your commute?
5 minutes?
10 minutes?
1.5 hours one way?
According to one study, long commutes have the potential to increase the risk of depression. While also increasing the risk of obesity.
Those are some hardcore side effects for sitting in traffic!
If your commute is an hour or more each way to work, you'll be spending close to one month per year just sitting in your car driving.
Trust me; I did the math assuming two hours a day, five days a week, for 52 weeks a year.
That's a long time. No wonder long haul commuters are more likely to be affected so negatively.
Should you find yourself hunkering down for long haul commutes every day, it might be time to consider your mental health and move closer to work.
You Day Dream About a New City
Have you ever gone on a trip to a new city and fell in love with it? Or have you always been fascinated by a particular part of the country?
You easily catch yourself thinking about that city all the time, and you imagine how much better your life would be if you lived there.
Some places simply offer up so much more to experience than others.
And some cities are better suited to individual lifestyles and goals.
Do you want to work in tech? The San Francisco Bay Area is the place for you.
Do you want to work in finance? - New York City is the place to be.
Interested in working in the movie industry? - Pack your bags for Los Angeles!
Maybe you can't stand big cities and want a quieter life and lots of nature. A small town in a rural setting may be better for you.
Whatever your living preferences are, you may not be satisfied with where you currently live.
Or, where you currently live may not be as conducive to achieving your goals as somewhere else.
It may be time to consider moving if it would have a substantial impact for the better in your quality of life and future success.
There Are Better Job Opportunities For You Somewhere Else
We discussed this a little bit above already. Where you live can play a significant role in the type of work that's available to you.
If you're struggling to find work in your field near where you live for whatever reason, it might make sense to move somewhere the jobs are plentiful.
I used to be a software engineer, so I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area.
There were so many job opportunities to choose from it made my head spin.
You Want to Cash Out Your Equity
One of the most significant financial benefits of being a homeowner is the build-up of equity over time.
The lower your interest rate, and the shorter your loan term, the faster your equity will build.
Towards the beginning of your mortgage, your equity builds slowly, but it speeds up more and more as you get further into your loan term.
After building a nice amount of equity, you may decide it's time to cash out and downsize or upgrade depending on your situation.
Another way to tap into your property's equity is to take out a home equity line of credit (HELOC).
You shouldn't take out a HELOC just for the sake of having money to burn. You should only consider taking one out if you need the money for something important.
You Have an Adjustable Mortgage, And Your Rate Is About To Skyrocket
Adjustable mortgages try to make themselves look attractive by offering welcoming terms upfront. Still, they can bite you in the ass down the road.
Adjustable mortgages stay at a fixed interest rate for a predetermined amount of time, then typically adjust yearly to match the market.
When the current interest rates start to climb, so will your monthly mortgage payments to match your newly adjusted interest rate.
You may find yourself facing a monthly mortgage payment that's hundreds of dollars more than what you initially signed up for.
When this happens, your payments may suddenly become unaffordable. It may be a smart decision to try doing a rate and term refinance or to sell the property and move somewhere more budget-friendly.
You've Retired, And It's Time to Move
Have you recently retired and are ready to start living a new lifestyle?
Maybe you love the ocean, but your job kept you living further inland.
Maybe you love the warmer weather, but your career kept you in a colder climate
Or, perhaps you've always wanted to live in San Francisco, but your job kept you in New York.
Whatever the case may be, retiring may be a sign it's time for you to sell your house and move on to a chapter of your life you've always wanted to.
I'm Ready To Sell My House, What Do I Do Now?
Whether or not it's genuinely time to sell your house is a decision only you can make.
But when the time comes, you can quickly sell your house directly to a professional home buyer like Contenza Properties.
We buy houses in their as-is condition, so you never have to worry about:
Repairs
Staging
Cleaning
Or paying expensive realtor commissions
Submit your information using our simple form below to start the easy process of getting an offer for your house.
About The Author
Jordan Reid founded Contenza Properties in April of 2018 to help homeowners solve their real estate problems quickly.
Since then, Jordan has helped multiple homeowners facing difficult situations such as divorce, property liens, and unwanted property inheritance.
Jordan believes in putting people first, and numbers second, which helps him reach the best possible solutions for the homeowners he works with.
Currently, Jordan and his team at Contenza Properties offer their professional home buying services in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Knoxville, Tennessee.
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