While you’re getting ready to move out, it’s important to be aware of the most important things that you’re going to win and lose as a direct result of the house move.
Moving house is a major event and as such, it is bound to introduce many significant changes in a person’s life. And, as always, some of those big changes will be for the better while some of them will, unfortunately, be for the worse.
Since it’s very unlikely that you’ll own a crystal ball with which to take a peek into your own future, you won’t know for sure what you’ll win and what you’ll lose when you move until after the move.
However, based on your previous experiences, you should be able to make some educated guesses about the post-move gains and losses – fairly accurate predictions that will help you prepare mentally for the big change.
Generally speaking, here’s what you’re likely to win and what you’re likely to lose when moving to another house.
What you LOSE when moving house
Let’s start with the top 5 things that you are likely to lose when you move to a new home.
1. Sanity
One thing is clear – organizing a house move is a lot of work. Moving to a new home is an insanely busy period that could easily overwhelm you. And knowing that you have a very long list of tasks to finish before you move out will create a great deal of stress for you, especially if you don’t have much time to prepare adequately for the upcoming move.
Add the fact that your hard-earned money and your prized possessions will be at risk during the relocation and you shouldn’t be surprised that, in the end, you may start to feel as if you were losing your mind. The risk of someone getting injured on Moving day is never out of the question either.
Read also: How to move house without losing your mind
2. Sleep
Trying to organize a successful move is a tough task and all the move-related stress, worries and fears are likely to get to you at some point, possibly making you lose your peaceful sleep in the process.
Regrettably, there will be too many puzzling questions that can keep you awake at night: Where to find a good mover, or How to pack quickly for a move, or even How much to tip your movers.
Still, the biggest stressor that will definitely keep you tossing and turning all night is the fear of the unknown. Every house move is a huge step out of the comfort zone – a brave step into a largely unknown world requiring a great deal of courage to be explored.
Read more: How to deal with the fear of moving house
3. Home
Moving to a new house or apartment means that you’ll soon lose your current home as well – something that you may find extremely hard to do, especially if you’ve lived in that place for many years. Turning that place into your own home must have cost you so much time and money… and now you’ll have to leave it all behind.
In reality, you’re losing the comfort of your current residence and moving into a new place that will be, at least in the very beginning, strange, unfamiliar, and unwelcoming.
Oftentimes, you’ll have no other choice but to move out in search of a better life someplace else. And when that happens, don’t forget to say proper goodbye to your old home before you go.
Good to know: How to say goodbye to a home when moving out
4. Friends
You won’t really lose your friends when you move away… only, you’re likely to lose touch with some of them due to the great distance between you and the impossibility to spend time together. Oftentimes, having to leave your friends behind is one of the hardest things you’ll have to do when moving house.
In most relocation cases, there’s nothing you can do to prevent moving away from your buddies. That’s why, it’s the promise to keep in touch with your pals after the move, and not breaking it later, that matters the most.
The great news is that the Internet has made it possible to stay in touch with your loved ones regardless of the distance. What’s more, as long as there’s a will, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to visit your good friends from time to time and be with them once more.
Must-read: How to say goodbye to friends when moving
5. Money
Everybody knows that moving house is an expensive affair but it’s not until you have to pay to cover the moving expenses that you’ll truly realize the true cost of moving. In general, the moving price will depend on a number of cost-formation factors such as the move distance, the shipment weight, any additional services, and of course – the selected mover.
Yes, the house moving process will cost you money. But instead of viewing that money as lost, you’d be better off regarding those dollars as invested in your future… as long as you believe that you’re moving out for all the right reasons.
Still, you don’t have to spend more money than it is absolutely necessary, so make sure you know tricks to keep your moving expenses to their minimum.
See also: What’s the cheapest way to move across the country?
What you WIN when moving house
Rather than dwell on the things that you will lose as a result of the house move, it’s time to focus on all the things that you will WIN once the relocation is officially over.
1. Fresh start
A house move can be a welcoming change from a dead-end situation in which you may have felt stuck for years. Moving away from all the painfully familiar things can actually be liberating to some degree, daring you to experience new things and meet new people.
Moving to a new place can feel like a clean break, an escape from the confines of your old life. There are many reasons why you may wish to make a fresh start in a new town or city, often in another state of the country – you could be running away from a bad job without any prospects or from “friends” who have betrayed you when you least expected it.
After all is said and done, moving to a new state can give you the freedom to rediscover yourself.
May be useful: How to overcome relocation depression
2. New opportunities
A new beginning in a new town or city where you know nobody will offer you a plethora of new opportunities in all aspects of life:
- a new job that pays well and gives you the chance to advance in your chosen career path;
- the opportunity to do things that you were never able to do until now – pick up a new hobby, join a sports club, take dance lessons, or learn a new language;
- the odds of meeting some amazing people whose friendships, values and points of view will help you grown as a person.
Moving to a new city or town is a leap into the unknown that may feel a bit scary in the beginning but should soon become as exciting and interesting as you’ve hoped.
Good to know: How to get to know a new city
3. Dream home
Another thing that you’ll win when you move out is the perfect opportunity to turn the place you’re moving in into your dream home. Or at last, make a genuine effort to do so.
If you’re lucky enough to be moving into a better house or apartment, then you shouldn’t miss the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create the home of your dreams. In reality, it takes plenty of time to turn a new and strange and unfamiliar place into a dream home, but that can be a good thing too, especially when you’re not financially ready to make that residential transformation.
Creating the perfect home to love, cherish and enjoy is a slow process, so you’re going to have to arm yourself with patience while you’re showing off your exterior designer skills.
Useful advice: How to make a new place feel like home
4. New friends
Possibly the greatest drawback of moving away is the fact that you’ll also be moving away from your good friends. And while keeping in touch with them from your new location is definitely possible – the desire to do so is the only requirement, nothing compares to actually be together with them in person.
But here’s the best part – you can actually keep your meaningful friendships alive while you meet and befriend people in the new place. Worried that you may not be able to make new friends after the move? You shouldn’t be as you’ll have many opportunities to do so.
Bond with your co-workers, invite your new neighbors to an informal get-together, join local Facebook groups or use mobile apps to meet new people around you, sign up for classes, join a sports club, pick up a new hobby…
No matter how you look at it, winning new friends after the move will always make you a winner.
Read also: How to make friends in a new city
5. Experience
If you happen to be moving for the first time, then the move-related experience that you will gain during the relocation process will prove to be priceless in the future. Why?
Should you face another house move in the near or not-so-near future, then you will know what you have to do to organize a home move. Basically, you will know what house moving mistakes to avoid and will be well familiar with what works and what doesn’t work.
In reality, you will have gained the experience to make your next move easier, cheaper, and less stressful for everyone.
Good to remember: What to know when moving out for the first time
