Keep Your Finances Under Control When Moving House*

*This is a collaborative post*

Moving home is always going to be one of those times that will prove to be at least a little stressful. It's important that you try to find a way to make the whole process easier on you, but even this is something that can take a lot of time and energy. No matter what else is going on, one of the most important factors is going to be cost and so you will probably be keen on keeping the financial side of things under control. It's only natural that we all want to be able to keep on top of our finances, and we can if we just remember to pay attention to a few key points. Let’s take a look at what those are now, and what you can do to keep your own finances in check.

The Importance Of A Budget

No matter whether you are due to be buying a property or if you are renting one, you will need to make sure that you have budgeted properly. Many people have trouble with knowing how to budget effectively but the truth of the matter is, it's generally not that difficult to do. The key is just in knowing exactly what to expect in terms of what you'll be paying out, and in the logging of your in and outgoings. It's this attention to detail above all that will ensure that your budget is as close to perfect as it can possibly be. When you have a strong budget, and when you stick to it, it has a way of making you feel much more secure about the whole process. It makes sense to spend some time getting this right as soon as you can as you'll find that it really does make a huge difference in the long run.

Taking Time Off Work

It's usually much easier if you take some time off work during any house move. If you don’t do this then you'll find the whole process much more stressful, rushed and less likely to go without a hitch. Of course, it’s not always possible to have time off work. It might be that you can’t get it booked off, or that you don’t feel you can afford to. However, if you can manage to wangle some time off, it’s definitely worth considering. So long as you are careful about it, you should easily be able to make it work at least in a financial sense.

Firstly, it’s a good idea to check if you can get paid leave for a few days. Most companies will be able to offer you this as long as you put in a holiday request early enough, and this will mean that you don’t have to worry at all. If this does not appear to be an option, if you've no annual leave left to take or are self-employed and have no such thing as paid leave, then you will need to try and find a decent compromise. This could mean that you only take one day off, or it might be that you can convince your manager to let you make up the time on another occasion. However you make it work, you will be glad that you did when it comes to the actual move itself. The key is in being sure that you can afford whatever choice you end up making. This will remove at least one headache from the whole process.

Buying A Home

If you are due to be buying your next home, there's plenty you will want to consider to ensure that you're going to come out of the situation in the best financial position possible. One of the major considerations for those buying a home is choosing the right mortgage. Mortgages do vary quite a lot, and it's essential to know what to expect and to know the differences between them as best as you can. Mortgages generally have one of two types of interest which you need to be aware of; fixed rate or variable. Knowing which you have will make a huge difference to what mortgage you want.

You will also need to make sure that you know exactly how much you will be borrowing and what this will equate to when you are paying it back. It's often difficult to work this out on your own, but as long as you find a decent mortgage calculator you should be able to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible. Knowing and understanding your mortgage fully will prove to be hugely beneficial and important as you budget for your new home. It will have a huge effect on your future finances too, so make sure that you get it right early on and you shouldn’t have too much trouble later down the line.

There are many other expenses in buying a home which you will also want to consider. For example, opposed to renting, you will need to pay for any repairs which might need doing - and this will more than likely be early on before you move in. You'll want to move into a home that is in good repair, after all, so it is hugely important to make sure that you take a look at what needs doing and budget accordingly before the actual move itself. Buying a home is financially draining, but of course worth it in the long run. You just need to make sure that you plan ahead for it as well as you possibly can.

Renting

If you are due to be moving into a rented home, it is unlikely that there will be the same kinds of monetary concerns to worry about. There will however still be financial issues which you need to think about, although probably to a much lesser degree. The most important thing here is of course, your rent. You'll need to be able to ensure that you'll be able to afford to pay rent in the future without any trouble. If you are at all not sure about this, you should not sign up to a tenancy contract, but instead find something else to do for living arrangements. If you know you can commit to paying the rent, you should be fine.

On top of this, you will almost always have a deposit to deal with too. This security deposit is for the sake of any potential damages which might occur while you are staying there, and is pretty standard. However, a deposit can sometimes be a shock when you weren't quite expecting to pay one. This is again something that you can and need to plan and prepare for so that you are not caught out. It's always safer to over budget and have money leftover.

As long as you pay attention to these basics, you should find that renting does not cause too much trouble for you financially. Just make sure that you're always able to make rent, otherwise you might land yourself in deep financial trouble and hot water - something you would probably rather avoid.

When you are moving home, it can sometimes seem as though there are a million concerns all vying for your attention. However, as long as you don’t worry too much and you give yourself time to sort everything out, you should be able to keep on top of it all. This is especially true for the financial side of things, which can be one of the more stressful elements in the whole situation. Take care to stay on top of your finances, and you should find that you are able to enjoy the moving process a whole lot more.

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