Is It Time To Move-Up?

Are you completely running out of space in your home?

Finding that with the need for a home office or kids doing school from home, a new pet, a home gym, there is just no room left to relax? You’re not alone! 2020 brought so many changes to our lifestyles in West Michigan and cramped our homes to the max!  With these changes, you might be looking at your home and realizing it is time for something different!

When you bought your home it was perfect for you at that moment in time. But since then, things have changed. Your financial situation is different now and you can start to entertain the idea of getting into the neighborhood you have been driving through and dreaming about living in. 

The perfect house for you and your significant other isn’t really perfect for the addition of two pets or a child (or two or three!). The neighborhood you once loved has changed because there is now a big commercial development in what was once an empty field behind you, which led to traffic, and noise, and lights you don’t like. There are so many reasons that it might be time for a move up!

We have helped many clients move from a starter home, a second or 3^rd home into their next one, and have seen how exciting the process of move-up buying can be. We also know how nerve-wracking it can be to decide if it’s really the right choice to sell and buy or just remodel the home you already have.  If you are considering something bigger and better, or maybe just a change of scenery, then here are some things to think about to help you to know if it’s the right time to move up!

• What is your financial Situation?

Talk to a local West Michigan lender, yes before getting all excited about selling, talk to a lender about purchasing! In this crazy market, homes sell fast and you want to talk to a lender and know your financial situation so you know what you can afford to buy before you decide for sure to sell!

• Do you have a bunch of equity you can cash in on?

Along the same lines as what Jean just mentioned about talking to a lender, find out what your current home is worth. you might be sitting on a pile of cash in equity in your current home.  Especially if it’s the first home you bought or just one you have owned for a while, you may have a big investment that you could use to purchase something new.

• Do you need to make improvements to your current home to make it what you want or need but you don’t know if it will be a good investment?

Rather than do those extra improvements that might not be worth the money you put into them in the long run, it could be better to put that money towards moving up. Talk to a Grand Rapids Realtor and get the current market value of your home and run ideas past them to see if your improvements will be a good investment.  You don’t want to end up in a situation where you have spent money on upgrades that buyers could care less about (and appraisers can’t place much value on)

• What are hoping to achieve?

Do you need more space, a different layout, a new neighborhood?  Maybe a shorter commute to work or you want to be closer to (or further away from!) family? These are all things that might mean it’s time to think about a move-up to something bigger and better. Sure you could knock out a wall and change the layout of your home, but that can easily cost 10s of thousands of dollars. And like we just said, you may not get a return on your investment. It certainly won’t change your commute time or what the neighborhood around you is like. So it might be a great time to sell and buy something new that really has what you need and want.

There are countless reasons that it could be a good time to move up to something new.  If you are thinking about selling and getting into a different home in the Grand Rapids Area, it’s a great time to reach out to A&J Realty Partners.  We are here to help you fulfill your dreams no matter the size!