8 signs you need to upsize your house
1. A growing family
2. It’s a good time in the market
3. You’re struggling with clutter
4. You can afford it
5. The area isn’t offering what you need
6. You want more furniture
7. You’re moving in with someone else
8. You need extra rooms
Upsizing is an incredibly exciting time in a homeowner’s life, being able to move onwards and upwards into a larger house with more space, perfect for those wanting larger families or craving the extra space. If you’ve been wondering when the right time to upsize is, we have outlined the 8 signs that you should look out for!
1. A growing family
One of the most obvious signs that you need to upsize is if your family is outgrowing your current home. This can be when you have another child on the way or if your younger children are growing up and need more space.
Some homeowners will upsize in anticipation of family growth, so you can make the decision yourself about when the right time for your family is to upsize. You can also decide on location at this point – often, more rural settings in good school catchment areas are popular for families compared to city settings, but this will depend on other aspects of your lifestyle.
2. It’s a good time in the market
The housing market is constantly evolving, with house prices changing, especially over the last year, when we’ve seen interest rates plummet and the property market stay strong through some incredibly difficult times. This can be a sign you need to upsize.
This one is especially relevant for homeowners who have plans to upsize in the future but are in a position to make the move now. After the announcement of the stamp duty holiday extension, we’re seeing a huge amount of interest in the market once again, which could be the perfect reason for homeowners planning to upsize, bring it forward, and move now instead.
3. You’re struggling with clutter
There is more to take into consideration than family members in a house – you’ve also got to have space for everyone’s belongings. Often, homeowners find that they want to upsize to have more space and better storage options to keep the place more organised and less cramped.
In this case, it’s good to look at houses that offer a lot of their own storage, such as a garage, loft, or cupboards and fitted wardrobes that will provide more space for your belongings easily.
4. You can afford it
Sometimes, the simplest answer is the right one – you’re in a good financial position, and you want to upsize, so you do. Upsizing is part of the natural cycle of homeownership; most of the time, you’ll start with something smaller to get onto the property ladder and then move into a bigger house in the future when it suits you for your own motivations.
A lot of homeowners think that they need a specific reason to upsize, but wanting to live somewhere bigger is a perfectly valid reason and one that millions of homeowners have acted upon to upsize their property when it suits them.
5. The area isn’t offering what you need
Relocation can play a big part in upsizing, especially if you’re doing it for the sake of your family. If you didn’t have children when you bought your current house, but now you do and need to take into consideration local schools and transport links, moving may be the right decision to get the best you can.
Another factor that can contribute to this is your employment. Homeowners will often move to make their working life easier, whether that means minimising the commute or moving to a more relevant area for their career to be able to develop. In this case, you may decide to upsize at the same time to make sure that you’re going to be able to stay in this property long-term – selling and buying a house is a long, expensive process and one that most homeowners don’t want to have to repeat several times if they haven’t thought ahead and picked a property with everything they want for their future.
6. You want more furniture
We’ve already covered that if you’re struggling with household items, this can be a good sign that now is the time to upsize, but for some, it’s about the furniture you want rather than what you’ve already got.
Whether you’re keen to get more seating to provide space for you to entertain or you want to have a spare bed so you can have visitors, more furniture will require more space, which makes upsizing a great option for you.
7. You’re moving in with someone else
Living alone requires less space, so when you look at moving in with someone else, you will always want more space, especially when you’ve got twice the amount of stuff to fit into the house as you did on your own.
Moving into a larger place with someone else is beneficial as it means that your finances have also increased, so where you may not have been able to afford something bigger on your own, with another person this can increase, allowing you to find something with more space that’s better suited to more people.
8. You need extra rooms
Whether you’re now a home worker who is in dire need of a proper office space to make your life easier or you want to introduce a games room for you to relax and enjoy, if you don’t have a room to do this, your plans aren’t going to go further than that.
You can look at houses with a specific office space or spare bedrooms that you can redecorate to become the room that you want for your home!
There are plenty of signs that you’re ready to upsize, so if you’ve noticed any of the above in your own house, it might be time to look into moving – especially if you’ve already found yourself asking, “Is now the time to sell my home?” the answer could be yes!
