"Move if you must, but don't move unless you must" should be your motto as you contemplate whether to sell your current home and buy another. Sure Realtors like me earn our living by helping people to sell one home and buy another. But Calgary Realtors are plenty busy enough without assisting homeowners who move without adequate justification. And, as we all know, there's a price to be paid for moving.
A too-casual move might be because the house has become a bedroom or two larger than what you need after the kids have left home. But if the home is otherwise well located, comfortable and affordable, perhaps you'd best just damper the heating vents to those rooms, close their doors, and ignore them while staying where you're already familiar.
Couples sometimes want a different home because one of them used to live in the current house or condo suite with someone else. Yet redecorating could transform the home and make it feel like a completely new place. Let the partner who is moving in choose the colour scheme and his or her stamp will make that person feel welcome and like they've exorcised old ghosts.
Thinking of ghosts leads to another reason people move. Sometimes a member of the family passed away there, leaving memories that are a burden. Yet moving can remove the cause of recollections that after some healing might well be comforting. Don't act until initial emotions pass and your thinking is clear. In this and every other case a move may, in fact, be the right thing to do. But take your time deciding, and weigh the cost of selling, plus the demands of buying and the work of moving before you call me to sell your house or condominium home.
Even if you are sure you'll move, sometimes we should explore the option of keeping the first home as a rental investment property. If you're moving from your condo suite to a house because kids are on the way and you'd like to have a dog, explore the investment value of keeping the suite and becoming a landlord. I've been in that business for 31 years, so it's easy to help my clients crunch some numbers and discuss what you'll face in the landlord role. Heck, I even have on hand all the forms that you'll need for leasing.
If you choose to move and sell, or simply must relocate, another Realtor or I will work to get you top dollar for your current home. But if it makes sense, you might just stay put, or even buy a second home while keeping the first one.
Calgary Condominium Directory
