Best Advice to Remember When Moving in Together

What is the best advice to remember when moving in together? That is what we are going to discuss today because moving in together is a big deal! It is a major decision that takes careful consideration so make it worth your wild. A fun fact is that the majority (66%) of couples live together before they get married.

So, whether you are just married, have been married for years or just want to take your relationship to the next level, here are several tips and best advice for you to remember when moving in together.

Understand each other’s wants, needs and financial situation

It’s time to communicate with each other and really talk about and identify each other’s lifestyle choices. The goal is to aim for stability or flexibility along with career goals and financial standing. Before you completely freak out, remember that nothing has to be set in stone, but it is good to have this conversation already started so you can make the best decision.

That isn’t all, you are going to want to dive a little deeper and find the answers to important questions. Depending on where you are in life or in your relationship you are going to have to discuss whether you are ready to settle down and have a child. Or if you want to be flexible with your lifestyle and snatch your passport to travel first.

Each couple reaches this point in their relationship in order to have a clear understanding of each other’s goals and then be able to merge each want and need together. It will ultimately help you decide on whether you both want to buy or rent a home. Here is what you need to know:

• Each other’s income is, in order to know how much you can afford
• When merging accounting, who will pay for what and how bills will be split?
• What you both need for normal living expenses.
• Your hopes to accomplish in the next 5 years in terms of jobs, savings, and any other life aspirations.

Settling down and staying in one place

Regardless of whether you decide to rent your home or buy it, it is always good to look at both options since both require you to settle down in one place. Once you have decided to start looking and know what you are looking for then the planning will be easier for you and more fun.

Keep in mind that when you are buying a home, you do not just buy that home, you are also making the grand decision to stay in that desired community for longer than 5 years. I mean this is where you are going to walk, shop and spend time so you want to make sure you choose one that you love.

Buying Pros and Cons

Let’s get to the honest truth about buying a home. You already have a well-thought-out plan for your financial situation, so you think why not? Everything in life has pros and cons so you can bet that one of the biggest purchases in your life would have a few too. Here are some of the pros and cons you need to know if you have decided to buy yourself a home.

Buying Pros:

• When buying a home, you will build equity.
• If you do home renovations, you will increase your home value.
• You have unlimited customizable freedom for your space.
• Buying a home gives you and your significant other stability and permanence.

Cons to Buying :

• Closing costs can be a lot of money upfront.
• You are responsible for any home maintenance and repairs.
• Buying a home gives you less flexibility to move.
• The home value may decrease if you don’t do renovations and repairs as major issues arise.

Buying Home Tips

If you are deciding to buy a home to move in together. I am so excited for you! Let me be the first to give you a little gift. Here are a few home-buying tips to help get you in the right direction.

• Save up your money – take some time to save for initial costs. That may mean you will need to cut down some of your spending habits. Maybe swap out daily trips to your local coffee shops with a walk to your kitchen coffee brewer.
• Get mortgage preapproval – getting authorized for a mortgage preapproval is an assist! It will help to give you a leg up when going out and looking for homes and gain a more in-depth prequalification of a mortgage. Doing this helps you in case you are in a bidding war situation, you will appear more valuable because you are already approved for the amount you are offering. It is like opening a VIP curtain for getting a home.
• Be Patient – although buying a home might take you a little longer, you have to remain patient. If one home doesn’t go through, that means, there is a better one out there waiting for you!

The Relaxed and Flexible Living Situation of Renting

Not ready to buy a home quite yet? I hear you. On the other side of moving in together, you can always consider renting. If renting a place is a better fit for you and it is the right option for you and your partner, then you have scrolled to the right section.

Renting is for couples who aren’t quite set on what city they want to live in, who want to feel out of a different space, or who have finished their lifelong career goals. Similar to buying a place, you still need to make sure your wants and needs are aligned and that both of you are on the same page before searching for a place.

Renting a Home or Apartment Pros and Cons

Although, there is less that goes into getting a rented space compared to buying, plus the entire moving process, in general, is still stressful. There are many ways to make this option less stressful.

Pros:

• You will have more freedom to roam and move around more frequently.
• Renting puts the responsibility of maintenance on the landlord.
• There are no significant closing costs.
• You can “test drive” various living situations and find what you both like best.

Cons:

• When renting, you build no equity.
• You have limited ability to customize the space.
• Rent can always increase for any given reason.
• There is a limited sense of permanence and stability.

Stress-free Packing for Moving in

Speaking about moving, there is another key piece to moving in together and that is the actual moving in part. There is a way to reduce stress and that is finding the best packing systems ahead of time to make moving less strenuous on the both of you. I am all about planning ahead in order to prevent stress and take advantage of less chaos! Here are a few tips:

1. Make a checklist of your items!

List all the things you need for your move, for example, purchasing boxes and tape. Include all the rooms that still need to be packed. Add a list of what you need to do before and after moving.

2. Colour code boxes and rooms.

Set colour-coding systems for each room, such as blue for the bathroom. You can also tape the box with the corresponding room colour. By giving each room of your new home a designated colour with tape or even a sign on the door, it makes it super easy for your movers to put boxes in those areas.

3. Label boxes by room and sub-section.

Keep your labelling simple with the name of where it will go but with a hint of where it should go. For example, for the bathroom, write “Bathroom Shower Items” or “Bathroom Under the Sink”. It will make it easier to unpack in the new home.

4. Create an Open First Box.

To reduce the stress of having to open many boxes in order to find something. You can create an open first box filled with your essentials with a few cooking tools, utensils, bathroom items, and hardware tools.

 

Bonus: 36 Moving Hacks to Make Your Transition Easier

Whether you’ve found the ideal apartment in St. Paul, MN, or recently purchased your dream home in Des Moines, IA, moving into your new home can be an exciting new chapter in a person’s life. But the moving day itself can also be incredibly stressful.

As anyone who’s moved can tell you, planning ahead can make the process much easier. No matter if you’re just moving across the street or moving to a different state, check out this ApartmentGuide article we were featured in that’s jam-packed with 36 Moving Hacks to Make Your Transition Easier.

 

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, I think we can both agree that I have talked your ear off about moving in together. Know that no matter if you are renting or buying, this is a special time that will change your life completely. Figure out what your needs are, and which option works best for you.

Be prepared to compromise, set personal boundaries for when you need alone time, and keep communication open. You can truly enjoy the journey and bask in your new living situation when you both have the same end goal in mind. Oh and check out this quiz – Financial Literacy 101 Quiz.