If you have been having a discussion with your family about moving house, you may well have a number of excellent reasons to do it. The biggest reason most people put their homes on the market is that those properties no longer suit their lifestyles or their families. However, moving house is stressful and expensive, and if you love where you live, it can be traumatic as well. 

Yet surely, it has to be done? The fact is, there are alternatives. Read on to find out what they are so that you only have to move house if it’s what you truly want to do. 

Add An Extension 

If space is the issue, as it very often is, then you have some options to consider. The first is to move to a bigger house, but if that’s not possible or you don’t want to do it, don’t worry; you can still have plenty of room for everyone. 

The first thing you can do is speak to residential architects about putting an extension onto your existing house. You’ll need certain permissions for this, but if you can obtain them, and if the architect can come up with a great plan, you can easily add space to your home. Perhaps there is nowhere to extend to. In that case, what about your attic or basement? Could these be turned into additional rooms? Or how about the space you already have; could one bedroom be turned into two? Could a living room become a kitchen diner, leaving the old kitchen to be turned into a study? This is why speaking to professionals is the best place to start, as they will have lots of ideas. 

Refinance 

Although space is often a big factor in the reason why people might want to – or feel they have to – move house, there are other reasons, and one could be financed. If the cost of paying for your home is becoming prohibitively expensive, it makes sense that you would look at smaller, cheaper properties to help you pay less. 

However, although this is certainly a viable option, it might be worth exploring other routes first, assuming you would prefer to live in your current property rather than move. Something you could do that you might not have thought about is to speak to your lender and discuss refinancing your property. It won’t be the right step for everyone, but if it works for you, you may find your monthly payments are greatly reduced. No matter what, speaking to your lender if you are having difficulties is crucial as if they don’t know, they won’t be able to help. 

Redecorate 

Sometimes people want to move house because they feel bored of where they are. They’re tired of seeing the same walls and views all the time, and they feel it’s time to move on. If this is your situation, then you should enjoy the process of finding somewhere new to live; it can be a lot of fun. 

Yet sometimes, no matter how bored you are with your property, moving is not an option, perhaps due to finances or because you’re attached to the house. In this case, why not redecorate? Even if you spend money on high-quality finishes and professionals to do every element of the work, it will still likely be cheaper than moving, and you’ll have what feels like a new home without the hassle of moving.