10 Reasons To Sell

There are many reasons why you should consider selling your home. Below is a list of 10 reasons why you should seriouslly consider it.

You Need More Space for a Growing Family

Of the many reasons for moving, new family members is one of the most common. Many young couples start out in smaller ‘starter’ homes which is smart, however when they begin to welcome new little members to their family, they outgrow their starter homes. Soon the guest bedroom is non-existent as the children move in and your space as parents seems to have all but diminished.

You Need Less Space as You Are Empty Nesters

A new trend seems to be evolving where more and more middle aged ‘baby boomers’ are selling their split levels and two-story houses to purchase a low-maintenance bungalow style condo. They realize that they will not be able to keep mowing the lawn and shoveling the snow forever, therefore they buy a condominium that they can still enjoy the freedoms of home ownership but they don’t have to worry about the pesky outdoor maintenance. It also makes it easier for them to travel down south in the winter, yet they still have enough room for the grand kids to come stay.

Your Yard Doesn't Match Your Needs

The most common complaints are: my yard is too small for the kids and my yard it too large to maintain. For many, the yard is one of the most important features of the home. A yard can offer solitude and gives many people great pride if they enjoy horticulture. A yard can also be a safe haven for kids to play and gives peace of mind to parents as they can keep an eye on them. Not all yards out there offer this so you may find yourself moving to get this peace of mind by increasing the yard size.

Others find the yard work too hard and tedious and with our hectic lifestyles these days it can be overwhelming, so they may want to downsize.

Schools

Where you live generally dictates where your kids can go to school. Some areas have a bus service that picks the kids up and drops them off, however if you want your child to attend a particular school and your house is not on the pick up route, you will have to arrange other transportation which can be quite timely and expensive. Some people find it easier to move their family to be closer to school as it also gives them a better sense of community and involvement.

Neighbourhood

Each neighbourhood has its own characteristics, both good and bad, some better than others. As much as we would like to be able to change some things about the area we live in, these are generally out of our control. If the neighbourhood doesn’t meet your needs a move may be the only solution. You may be looking for a more community-minded area where you can become involved or you may prefer an area where people keep to themselves and aren’t overly friendly.

Your Floor Plan No Longer Works

There are some things that can be changed in a house without too much hassle, but there are some things that are impossible to change or that don’t make financial sense to change. If you have developed any physical ailments or have elderly parents who visit often you cannot change a 1500 square foot 2 story home into a 1500 square foot bungalow. Or you have discovered that having the kitchen at the front of the house is not practical to watch your children playing in the back yard as you are always in the kitchen and cannot see them. Some things you can live with, others you will decide you cannot live with.

Your Commute To and From Work Takes Too Long

Although we are in Saskatoon and it doesn’t normally take more than 20 minutes to get anywhere in the city, people have less time to spend driving to work. In general people are trying to spend their time more wisely…being able to sleep in an extra 10 minutes, getting the kids ready for school, having time to run home for lunch, etc. but if you live on the other side of the city from your place of work you may decide the commute isn’t working for you.

Remodeling is Too Much Work

Not everyone enjoys remodeling, does this surprise you?? Two things are unavoidable when you are remodeling; the inconvenience and the forced decision making. The inconvenience can be as insignificant as not being able to use one of your bathrooms for a few days or as big as not being able to use your kitchen for 2 months. For some the decision making is frustrating so they would rather move into a home in which there are no major decisions to be made.

Remodeling is Too Costly

Not only can remodeling turn your life upside down, it can also leave your bank account very dry. If you are smart about your remodeling, you can often times profit from it, but time is money and how much time, money and energy are you willing to put into a house to get a good return. Sometimes no matter how much money you put in, you will never get a good return if it is in an undesirable area or only has a single detached garage when most people are looking for a double attached.

You’re Moving Up

Some people like to switch homes every few years and continually upgrade as they build equity. You may like to have the nicest home on the block but your neighbour beat you to it. Prestige is a large part of our society so this may be your motivation for buying and selling.