Things you may not know about cohabitating
The time has come! You’re ready to share the bathroom with someone you love, believe us, it’s a huge step in your relationship! Moving in with your other half is an exciting phase in your life, but without proper planning, it unfortunately could end in heartbreak and financial disaster. We’re not about the doom and gloom though! Make sure to read our tips on things you need to consider before jumping headfirst.
Prepare for the good, the bad and even the ugly
There are pros and cons to moving in with someone. Pro – they may be the tidiest and cleanest person, con – they might snore the house down and leave wet towels on the bed. Sometimes, there are things you just might not know until the time comes to make the move. We think it’s a good idea to step back and think about the little things that could make your toes curl, that way, you’ll be mentally prepared to get through the situations.
Talk Finances
It might be a hard topic to talk about, but if you’re going to move in with someone you need to be able to have those difficult conversations, and you need to know each other’s current financial situations – we promise you’ll be glad to know about it before the move. Make sure you cover topics such as income, expenses, credit scores and any outstanding debt each of you may have.
Understand each other’s expectations
It’s best not to just expect that each of you want the same things or have the same expectations when you live together, even though they should be pretty aligned. Assuming can sometimes lead to some major disagreements and issues. It’s important not to hide how you really feel.
Are you expecting the move to lead to bigger things? Marriage? Babies? Do you expect your other half to cut back on those after work drinks on a random Tuesday, or do they expect you to cook meals on a regular basis? These may sound like silly issues to bring up, but openly talking about it can help you start off on the right foot.
How will you split your household expenses?
We highly recommend creating a spreadsheet and include your income and every single outgoing each of you has, including the Netflix subscription and the cheeky Starbucks every now and then! If you don’t want to split the bills down the middle if one earns that little more than the other, why not try splitting the outgoings based on a percentage of each of your incomes – this way you’ll each be paying for what you use, but still have your own money to spend on whatever you wish, whenever you wish.
Location, location, location
It might seem a really obvious conversation to have with the person you’re looking to move in with, but starting early conversations on where in the country you could see yourself settling down really is a make or break. It’s really important to learn early on which locations will work well for both your needs, as well as which locations you can comfortably afford.
We don’t want to take away from the excitement of moving in with your loved one, but we want to make sure it’s the right move for the both of you. Why not use the above as a checklist to make sure you cover all the important topics?
Check out our
new developments in our new locations and see if they suit both of your needs or call us on 0113 237 2911 to arrange a viewing of your dream home.