Stress as defined by medical encyclopaedia is a feeling of emotional or physical tension that can crop from any event or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous. Stress is your body’s reaction to a challenge or demand.
The emotions associated with selling or buying a home or just shifting can be quite real. Post home sale stress is real and sometimes takes weeks or even months before the emotions subside or tries to and you eventually fall in love with your new location.
The sadness doesn’t necessarily occur immediately; it creeps in gradually more like a delayed reaction. At first, you are too busy and excited to even think about your emotions. You move out of the old home and slowly you realise the memories being left behind, the attachments and eventually feelings of regret and sadness start to set in. Suddenly you are all nostalgic about everything including your old neighbours.
The cause of this movement could be anything from; wanting change, improvement of status, downsizing, forceful eviction, marriage, education, a job and even #Security-matters.
Whether you are about to enter the workforce, considering a career change, job transfer, wanting to be closer to your family, or needing a change of scenery, there are many factors to consider when thinking about a new destination to gladly call home. For many people, this could be an exciting time in your life or an overwhelming one. Regardless of your age or gender, or whether you’re single, in a relationship, or married, picking a new place to relocate to is an important decision for everyone and will enable you to settle in easily.
Factors to consider when relocating are;
1. Location and proximity
As you welcome the ideas of shifting places, knowing your new destination will definatelly prove to be a vital task. You need to know the name of the area, it’s characteristics, appearance and everything that is associated with it.
If you’re buying a property, it can be useful to know if it’s likely to increase in value. One way to gauge this is to establish whether the area or street has; smart new shops, restaurants and cafes are a tell-tale sign that a neighborhood is prospering.
You can also research on any up-coming developments in the area e.g. planned redevelopment or new transport links that may have a dramatic impact on the areas value.
Whilst nothing is guaranteed, any evidence of the above factors bodes well for the future.
There’s no substitute for wandering around an area to get a feel for the neighborhood. However, if you make sure to ask yourself the right questions before taking the plunge, you can give yourself a better idea of whether it will work for you or not.
2. Water
While water is one of the basic necessities for any human being’s survival, it tends to be one of the utilities that home owners and tenants suffer greatly from its shortage. When relocating, its highly advisable to look into alternative water means other than the available. If you are a tenant, try to find buildings that provide alternative water sources or seek a reputable real estate management company like Ebony Estates Limited that will work tirelessly to prevent you from worrying about lacking water.
3. Electricity
Most developers nowadays consider building sustainable structures that ensure natural systems provide natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and the larger society depends on.
The popularly recognized sustainable feature is the provision of solar panels. The systems ensure the building taps solar energy that could be used as an alternative in case of a power surge or just to save on electricity expenses.
Finding such buildings could save a tenant a lot of stress when dealing with alternative sources of power.
4. Security
Nobody wants to move to an area where their family won’t feel safe. Appearances can be deceptive, so a quick drive around the neighbourhood won’t tell you everything you need to know.
Talking to some of the locals, friends and colleagues who know the area well is a good starting point. They’ll be able to tell you what it’s like to live there and if they, or people they know, have experienced any problems.
5. Good access to public transport
If you’re not driving, or don’t want to always rely on a car, access to public transport is very vital.
If you are in Kenya, ask the locals around for matatu stages and how you can get to different destinations easily.
Seek information on how much the taxies charge to the places you frequent the most.
6. Local amenities
The local amenities you require will depend on your circumstances. For example, if you do not own a car, you’re likely to want a decent-sized supermarket nearby. Similarly, if you have young children, a neighbourhood doctor’s surgery could make your life a whole lot effortless.
Write down a list of all the local amenities that are essential to you, such as a child day care, library, clubhouse, parking, dentist, gym or pharmacy. Whilst you’re likely to already know what you need access to, it’s useful to have a checklist to make sure you don’t miss anything.
7. Educational facilities
For most parents, the quality of an area’s schools will be an important factor in any decision to relocate. To help you with this, list all of the nurseries and schools closest to the property or again, seek professional help from realtors like Ebony Estates Limited who can do all this work for you.
When you have identified the schools to be considered, look into their website for information including performance, characteristics and spend-per-pupil data. The locals should also be in a position to help you find information about local schools, as well as their admission policies.
8. Ancillary Amenities
How important to you is the availability of plenty of show business at your doorstep? If you don’t want to jump in the car every time you leave the house just to unwind, you need to make sure an area has plenty to keep you occupied.
For young families, a nearby park can be incredibly useful – all you’ll need is a ball and a dry day under the sun to keep the kids happy. It can also be helpful to take a stroll around the area in the evening, to get a feel for the bar and restaurant scene. Do a small list of the names of any you like the appearance of – a quick internet search will usually provide you with a number of reviews. Again, your real estate agent should be able to provide this relevant information.
What are the leisure and sports ventures located?
If you’re a gym bunny, a local leisure centre will make your life a lot easier. It can be helpful to pop into reception and find out what they can offer and for what price.
Sports clubs can also be a great way to keep fit and make friends – try doing a quick internet search to find any that have a website. Clubhouses and a swimming pool could come in handy once in a while.
How is the parking like?
If a property you’re interested in doesn’t have designated spaces, you can’t underestimate the value of checking out the local parking situation.
What may start as a minor issue could develop into a daily skirmish – especially if you can only ever park a mile away from your home.
Try driving around the area on different days of the week, at different times of day to see how easy it is to park. You may find that the streets are used as free parking for local shops at weekends, or by people who work in the area during the week. If there’s resident’s parking, you should clarify whether you’re guaranteed a space and if there’s a cost attached to a permit and the safety of your car.
Some of the possible benefits to look forward to when shifting include;
- A fresh kick off
Moving always provides a chance to start anew and change everything including arrangement of your space. Yet, moving to a new place where you know nobody and nobody knows you gives you a perfect chance to start afresh and build the life you’ve always wanted for yourself.
Everything new and exciting -Each new day will be an adventure of its own – you will be exploring new places, visiting new bars and restaurants, discovering new entertainment venues, shopping in new stores and malls, going for walks in new parks, etc. Every day you’ll experience something you haven’t experienced before and enjoy something you’ve never tried before.
The change of scenery will be more than welcome – However safe and comfortable you may be in your home of many years, you’re probably tired of the same daily routine. Moving to a new place will take you out of the mundane and bring back the spice to your life.
You will be able to leave your old life behind – There will be a slim chance of meeting people who know you, so there will be nobody to bring up past mistakes, failures, or embarrassing stories. You will be able to start on a clean slate – leave bad habits, bad friends, and all kinds of mental burdens behind and be whoever you want to be.
You’ll have a big stimulus to purge your possessions and declutter your life – The more items you move to your new home, the higher your moving expenses and sometimes you even realise that you’ve outgrown most of your furniture and so you’ll have a good incentive to get rid of everything you no longer need (or don’t really like) before the move;
You will have the chance to build the life you wanted, create the home of your dreams, lead a healthy and enjoyable lifestyle.
- New opportunities
A new location will offer various new opportunities in every aspect of life:
Employment opportunities – A new job market may be very beneficial for your career and professional growth – you may find a lucrative position in a large company, get a chance to improve your professional skills or acquire new ones, explore new professional venues, start a successful business of your own, etc.;
Educational opportunities – Whether you want to continue your own education or to give your children a chance to study in a prestigious school or university, moving to a new place may be the right step to take to achieve your goals;
Entertainment and hobby opportunities – A new location will certainly offer plenty of new opportunities in the field – sports clubs, arts clubs, dance studios, yoga studios, fitness centres, recreational centres, museums, galleries, opera houses, concert halls, volunteer organizations, and many other exciting ways to practice your hobby and enjoy your free time.
- New Crew
A new nest means a new social circle – you will meet a lot of new people, will have new neighbours and new colleagues and will have the chance to make new friends and start new relationships. These new connections will have a huge impact on your life and may even define your future.
- Personal growth
Diving yourself in a completely new environment will broaden your horizons and do wonders for your self-awareness:
When forced to get out of your comfort zone and brave the unknown without the safety net of all your friends and extended family, you will become stronger, more resilient, and more self-reliant than ever before;
You’ll encounter different lifestyles, points of view, cultural practices, and social norms will expand your knowledge of the world and will make you more tolerant and more open-minded;
The differences you see, changes you make, new things you learn, and new experiences you have will allow you to take on new events in your life with perspective and heightened awareness.
Selling or moving from an old home can be difficult and emotional but sometimes necessary due to events happening in your life.
Since necessity is the mother to inventions, finding ways to deal with those feelings would do you all the good in this world especially if you have already done the above tasks and you’ve finally moved.
We can start you off with these suggestions;
Activities to help prevent having post shifting stress include;
- Holding a” housewarming party”
Immediately you set in to your new location, host a housewarming party inviting new and old friends. It does not have to be grand, just genuine and fun.
- Meet new neighbours
Start with hellos and continue with asking for directions or locations to near-by convenient stores. Try this and you will thank me later!
- Make new memories
Find new scenic joints in the neighbourhood and hang out while taking fun pictures. Consider getting involved with the local homeowner’s association.
- Volunteer
Try volunteering and helping out with the local youth centres, churches or the senior’s centre. Give back to the community in any way but at least get a friend to orient you.
There are rather plenty of other interesting/ creative activities you can add to this list. All we would advise is that you try and do that which will work for you. Keep your sanity intact and see the good in the process, for there is a lot to love in that real estate process. Teach your heart and mind to see the good in everything that you go through.
The differences you see, the changes you make, the new things you learn, and new experiences you encounter will allow you to take on new events in your life with a heightened perspective and awareness.
So, to put it in a nutshell;
Yet, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows but maybe it will do you more good than harm you’re scared of!
