Making the Choice Between Moving Your Family to the City or Country – Factors Worth Considering

When you purchase or rent your first place, it’s an exciting time in life. Typically, you are thinking about nothing but the positives and you dream about the years to come in your space. As time goes by, your family expands, your life changes, your job changes, and your needs evolve so that you reach the point where your current house no longer makes sense. Making the decision to move is a huge thing, but it can pale in comparison to deciding where you want to move to.

Family to the City

For many families out there, a battle exists between moving the family to the city or country. Both are filled with pros and cons, which can make the decision-making process difficult, to say the least. Here we’ll take a look at some of the factors worth considering, which will hopefully make the answer much clearer.

  • Look at What’s Available

The first thing you may want to look into is what’s available on the market. Take a city such as Minneapolis for example, which offers city living apartments and houses, plus a variety of country-esque towns such as Lake Minnetonka surrounding the city. Sometimes it’s the inventory alone that will help you to make a decision, as you may find that the country offers very little in terms of options whereas the city has much more available for sale.

It’s also a good idea to speak to an experienced realtor, such as the ones you’ll find at AD Hays Group. They can give you a list of the current inventory, which can make comparison shopping a whole lot easier.

  • Make a List of Priorities

Finding a place to live can be pretty difficult when you don’t know what you are looking for. This is why it’s a good idea to make a list of must-haves and priorities. This will help to narrow down the options and help you to be more focused in your search. Maybe your priorities include a large backyard, a two-car garage, public transit within walking distance, shopping and dining nearby, or a good school district.

All of these priorities can then be given to your real estate agent, which will allow them to find matches for you.

  • What Kind of Lifestyle Do You Want?

City living versus country living is like night and day. It’s a completely different lifestyle, pace, and atmosphere. It can be helpful to spend a little bit of time in each area, even if that means staying at a hotel or bed and breakfast for a few days to get a sense of the atmosphere and lifestyle. One isn’t better than the other, it’s just about what fits your lifestyle and personality.

  • Affordability

While you are dreaming of an ideal lifestyle in another city or country, you must also know how wide your pocket is, i.e. you must know what you can afford to set your living standards. When looking at affordability, do consider not only housing but also utility services, education and prices of consumer goods

  • Employment opportunities

Many people plan to move without exploring career options and later find it difficult to cope up with the expenses.  Different cities and countries have different employment and trade opportunities and limitations which must be understood way before one has moved.

  • Medical conditions

Every city and country has its own medical conditions that may not suit everyone. If you like snow, you may very well adjust in a place which has mild winters, however, if you don’t like summer and humidity, you may not very well perform in hot places.  Know your health conditions and carefully evaluate the weather to know if you will be able to healthily perform in the new place.

  • Education

If you have children, it is very crucial to know the education system of a new city or country. What language do they use in the school, what educational systems do they follow and what are the requirements to admit your child into their system. Additionally one must also take into notice the higher education opportunities if you wish to extend your stay for long. However, If you aren’t financially settled, you may also want to look at the public schooling options for the first few years as many cities and countries have very well developed public education systems.

  • Facilities and community

Not all cities and countries have the same amenities and offer the same social life. Some places have a calm yet very non-social lifestyle while others are full of activities and facilities that will keep you active and communal.  Be sure to check out services like movers Bay Area for options on help in moving.

  • Ask Yourself the Tough Questions

At the end of the day even with all kinds of research, a set budget, and options to choose from, it really comes down to the type of life you want to build and what you envision for yourself. Asking yourself some tough questions can help you to come to the best answer.

Also, read as much as you can about the pros and cons. Moving into a new place may seem very fascinating in the first place but your lack of awareness can make the whole experience very stressful for you and your family. You can also check out a few books so that you learn from others experience and don’t make the mistake they had made.

While doing research is important, you must also realize that this experience of moving from one place to another will give you lots of practical knowledge and understanding about life. Meeting new people, getting to know new cultures, traditions and eating a whole new range of food are some of the exciting and encouraging aspects which one must not miss out.