Are you ready to move out? Is it finally time for you to get on with your life? Moving out for the first time isn’t easy, but it’s sure worth it. Have you been planning on moving out?
I’ve actually moved out a few times. I had my own condo as a place of residence until I decided to rent it out. This September I moved out with two cousins to a pretty sweet townhouse outside of town. There are many arguments for staying at home. Today we won’t be looking at those.
I quickly realized that living with parents after college isn’t the best idea. Life is way too short and has far too much to offer to be stuck at home wishing you could be free. It’s time to earn your freedom!
How can you finally move out of the nest? How can you leave your parents?
Create a deadline for when you want to move out.
When do you want to be out? Just like with any other goal in life, there needs to be a deadline here. Without a deadline, you’re just making empty promises to yourself. One month will turn into six months. Before you know it, a few years will have passed by and you’re still at home wishing that you did something a while back.
The biggest problem when it comes to living with parents after college is that it kills our sense of urgency. I’m now giving you that urgency. You need to set a deadline for moving out (and any other goal you have). Once you set an exact date as a deadline, you can put the wheels in motion to start planning your big move. Without a deadline you’re going to be at home until you hit 30 because believe me the time will fly by.
With a deadline for moving out in mind, you can move on to the next point…
Think of who you want to live with.
Are any of your friends moving out in the near future? Do you have buddies that need a roommate? Do you have a sibling that you could move with?
There’s plenty to consider when it comes to deciding if you want to share a place. Living with someone could be cheaper if you guys split the bills the right and work well together. It’ll also prevent you from losing your mind from boredom since you’ll always have someone around. The obvious setback to moving in with someone is that it can go terribly long (your girlfriend dumps you and you’re forced to move out) or you’ll realize that you want your own space.
This is why you need to think long and hard about who you live with prior to moving out.
Plan where you want to live.
Where are you planning on living? Is there a specific part of town you would love to be apart of? Do you want to get out of town and start fresh?
Just as important as who you live with, is where you live. We always hear that real estate is all about location, location, and location. This is true. Your location will determine how long it takes you to get around (work or a night out) and how much you pay per month.
Some folks believe in paying premium prices to live in a premium location so that they’re always close to work and social places. Others would rather pay less and live far from society. What category do you fall under?
Now it’s time for one last final point to consider…
Decide if you’re ready to rent or buy at this point.
Moving out for the first time may seem scary enough. There’s just one more thing that you need to keep in mind. You must decide if it’s time for you to buy or rent a place.
There’s a strong case for renting a home. I’ve actually met more folks interested in renting than buying. It’s just so much easier to rent your first place then it is to go all in with home ownership.
If you’ve managed to save up a decent amount of coin, the option is always there to buy. I can’t tell you what to do here because it’s your money. I just want you to know what to consider before you plan your big move.
Now you can finally move out. Save this article and read it over as you make your plan for moving out.
I think you need to map out a realistic budget of what it will cost to live if you move out, and live that budget. Factor things like groceries, rent, insurance, utilities, and get estimates of what they will cost. If those aren’t costs you have today, then ‘pay’ those costs into some other account and see how your budget goes. It’s better to see that you are coming up short before you make the plunge rather than after.
That’s an excellent point. We all too often forget how much it costs to eat food. Groceries can easily add up, especially when you don’t have the essentials.
Good article as always Martin! And I really liked the title, haha.
Hope you are enjoying Austin.
Great article, and great timing on posting it. I’m in a similar situation right now and I needed to read something like this to get a sense of urgency, like you said. Appreciate your work, very encouraging. Keep it up bro!
What’s your plan?