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Christmas is upon us once more, with New Year hot on its heels. In a year where the world has witnessed so much change, have you stopped to consider the changes that have taken place within your own household?

The pandemic saw many of us working from home – a change that looks to be turning into a trend. NHS antenatal bookings rose during the latter stages of 2020, whilst multigenerational living is also on the increase, with a third of UK households accommodating two or more adult generations, according to a study from Aviva. Are you starting to feel cramped in your starter home?

Whether your birds have flown the nest or come home to roost, Christmas is the perfect time of year to consider the question: is your home still a good fit?

Here is our handy ’12 Days of Christmas’ inspired checklist to help you decide if now is the time for the next chapter.

1. Employment


employment

Working at an Ikea desk in the alcove under the stairs may have seemed whimsical and convenient at the start of lockdown, but if the working from home situation has turned permanent, the cracks in this plan may be starting to show. From having to clear up the kids toys before you can reach your desk, to arguments over the volume of the television, it sounds like you need a home with a dedicated office space. That isn’t the lounge. Other shifts may see you having to make lengthy commutes to a new office, or perhaps a promotion and pay rise mean you have the financial means to expand into a larger home. Are you now in the perfect position to move up a home size?

2. Big Life Event


An awful lot can alter in a year, your household can increase with new babies, marriages and blended families. Upsizing might be necessary in order to accommodate the new people in your life. Or downsizing, in the event of a divorce or if children have moved away for university or travelling overseas.

3. New hobby – no room!


Lockdown led to many of us seeking out new ways in which to pass the time, with a big emphasis on health, fitness and wellbeing. But if the fengshui just doesn’t fit in your current home, maybe consider a home with a larger garden in which your newly greened fingers can plant a vegetable bed. Or maybe you need a home with a garage to store your new canoe and gym gear. Evaluate how much clutter you have and whether an upsize is required.

4. Kids outnumber bedrooms


Kids-outnumber-bedrooms

Run a quick head count; do your kids outnumber the available bedrooms? Sharing rooms can be fun whilst your little ones are still wee, but if the tantrums and squabbles over shelf space have turned into full blown conflicts, it may be time to rebalance the equation.

5. Mystery bruises


You know the ones; usually found between the knee and hip. Usually small, round, and infuriatingly painful. Perhaps you’re suffering from the odd stubbed toe too? You’ve probably lost count of the number of times you’ve hopped about whilst cursing the bulbous foot on the chest of drawers, or have bumped your backside against the protruding edge of the table. If you’ve overstuffed your home with furniture over the years, something has to give – the furniture, the house, or your peace of mind.

6. “Let’s meet at your house”


Love company but lack the social space to entertain? If you’re fed up of dodging visitors and forever flocking to a family member’s home for birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas dinners, maybe now is the time to make a move to that home with the open plan family-dining-kitchen at long last?

7. Constant clutter


It drives you mad. No sooner have you put away the toys than they’ve regrouped and seemingly replicated under your feet. You don’t blame the kids, it’s not their fault. But wouldn’t it be nice if they had a room all of their own to play in? A room that didn’t involve using the Kallax as a climbing frame…

8. Christmas chaos


Christmas-chaos

There was a time when it was all around to Mum’s for Christmas dinner. But since Mum became Nana, the baton has been passed to you. Which would be fine if your kitchen wasn’t the size of a napkin and your dishwasher wasn’t on the blink again. While others are busy dreaming of a white Christmas, you’re just dreaming of white goods that were still under warranty. Maybe it’s time to graduate to that dream open-plan family kitchen you always wanted?

9. Boomerangers


They grew up, they left, you moved. And now they’re back. Blessing or a curse, the fact is, they’re here and you’re fed up of waiting in line to brush your teeth in the morning. As your inbetweeners approach the ‘marriage and kids’ stage, wouldn’t it be prudent to purchase a place with a little more breathing room…just in case?

10. You’ve fallen out of love with the location


As humans we are constantly evolving. If you’ve lived in your home for ten years, chances are, your lifestyle has changed quite a bit during that decade. What was important to you in terms of a neighbourhood may well have also changed. If you live in the city but find yourself driving to the countryside every weekend and would as soon swap cocktails and nightclubs for a pint of craft ale and a thatched cottage pub, perhaps a move is on the cards?

11. DI-why bother?


If you’ve been talking about ‘fixing that step’, ‘building that summer house’, or ‘converting that cellar’ for over a year and still haven’t got round to it, it’s time to ask yourself why? If those home improvement projects you once waxed lyrical about now feel like a burden upon your shoulders, why not leave the renovations to someone else, and move to that ready-made dream home?

12. Garden groundhog day


Garden groundhog day

Once upon a time the garden was your pride and joy. Now it’s a chore, or worse yet, an eyesore. Perhaps you dreamed of landscaping, pictured days to be spent mowing and sowing, but just never found the time. Maybe it was meant for children who are now grown up, or could it be that the task is simply too much trouble to keep up on, now you’ve grown a little older. Maybe it’s time for a change.

New Year, new start. Why not ring in the changes with a move…ready to spend next Christmas in your holly jolly new home?

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