Why are you buying?

Happy New Year to you!

Do you plan to buy property this year? If so, are you crystal clear why you are doing it?

For some of you this question will be super easy to answer eg.

- You're a first time buyer, you want to get on the property ladder , you've got your loan approval, the clock is ticking, you're ready to go.

- You're getting divorced or separating, you absolutely have to find a separate home to live in and you don't want to rent.

- You've moved to Ireland, you've been renting while you get ready to buy . Now you've got loan approval, you're ready to buy.

Others of you may not yet have fully answered this question

- You feel your house or garden is a bit small and you're thinking of moving to get more space.

- Your house or garden feels too big to manage now and you're considering trading down.

- Your current mortgage feels too big and you'd like to sell your home and take on a smaller mortgage

- Your daily life is missing something and you feel a house move or a house purchase would help fill in the missing piece.

For others, and this is a trickier position to be in, you may be quite certain that a house move or property purchase will solve a problem, but in fact buying a property will not actually solve the problem you're experiencing. 

Here are some real life examples of people who thought that the purchase of  a property would solve a problem, but it actually didn't.  

- A single woman who wanted  more company at the weekends, bought a second home just to have a place to go at the weekend and a project to work on. The underlying problem for this client was that she wanted more social interaction and more time in the countryside at the weekends. Buying a home in the country didn't provide this, whereas joining a walking club or going on walking weekends would  have solved the problem.

- A single parent who needed more help minding her young children, bought and moved house to be close to the children's school. This move ended up creating more stress and upheaval for the client and didn't solve the underlying problem which is that the client needed more daily help with child care. 

Here are some suggestions to help you get clear on your Why

- Imagine you have actually gone ahead and bought this property. The keys are in your hand. Think yourself into your new home. Stand at the front door in your mind. Why are you so glad to be here? What is it about this property that is going to have such a positive effect on your life?

- Imagine you actually can't buy a property this year. For a moment, just pretend it's illegal to move home this year. How else can you address whatever itch is causing you to want to buy eg. could you extend or reconfigure your existing home? Could you get more help with the garden?

- Imagine you've bought this house or this property and you're experiencing buyer's remorse. What is it about the house or the neighbourhood that is causing you this remorse? 

- What's the biggest challenge for you in your life in your existing house? How could you handle these challenges without moving house?

Are these ideas helpful?  I hope so!

Best of luck with your thinking and planning and don't forget you can always book a call with me to talk things through. Book a one hour advice session with me here