“First Time Buyer Series”

Making the Break | Emotional Impact of Moving Home

Whether it’s finding the best online mortgage calculator or working out how the latest stamp duty changes might affect you, all First Time Buyers could end up thinking that it’s only the facts and figures that need to be taken into account.   In our article today, we focus on the emotional impact of moving home.  This is an area which can often take us by surprise!

When you become an estate agent you can start off thinking the same thing.  I’ve learned in my own career that the emotional side of buying your first home can be a real roller coaster.  This applies not just for you but for your family and friends too.

Making the Break – Saying Goodbye

Moving into your first house or flat is truly exciting but inevitably involves a fair share of ‘goodbyes’ too.  The place you’re leaving will hold its own memories and you might be surprised just how emotional moving home can be. The positive thing is that this sadness is usually well compensated by the pleasure you’ll get from having a set of keys to a property that you actually own.

As a First Time Buyer, what you might not be prepared for is the reaction of the people you’ve been sharing a home with up to this point. If you’ve been living with your family you might find it hard to deal with parents who are struggling with seeing you leave home.  Perhaps younger brothers or sisters will make it obvious how much they are going to miss you.

Smiling and Waving

What can be even harder to get to grips with is the other side of the emotional coin. You might have built up an expected picture of a teary mum and a stoic dad sadly waving you off on your next big life adventure.  But what if they actually make it plain that they are quite happy to see you go?

The ’empty nest’ scenario can be very real for many parents.  As the age of first time buyers is constantly creeping up in years, along with the number of ‘adult children’ living at home saving for a deposit, there can be the anticipation of freedom in parents’ minds too.

Add to that your younger sibling finally getting the big bedroom they’ve been eyeing up for years.  Overall, it can result in quite a heady mix of emotions you might not have expected!

Lifemates

Of course many First Time Buyers are moving out of the rental sector, but this can also have its own interpersonal effects.

Flatmates can forge lifelong friendships.  However it can be trickier to deal with a situation where you might be moving on but those who you share with are unable to become property owners for whatever reasons.

If this does cause resentment there’s not much you can do about it, apart from perhaps re-evaluate your friendships. But of course you should always do what you can to make sure you don’t leave anyone ‘in the lurch’.  Give fair warning about your move so that arrangements to ‘replace’ you on the rental agreement can be made smoothly and without putting anyone’s home life at risk.

Bearing all of this in mind, whether it’s worrying about how to deal with tearful parents or knowing how to react if your flatmates seem too happy about you going, you can find out all about the practical steps you can take in our Guide to being a First Time Buyer.