Ah, it’s that time of year again, love is in the air and doughy eyes roam the streets. If you didn’t already realise, it’s Valentine’s Day (and you might be in trouble for forgetting) so we’ve turned our attention to couples that are looking to make the big leap to live together for the first time. It can be tough and you will definitely learn all of their annoying traits, but it’s also a lot of fun.
Take a look at our 5 top tips below to help you harmoniously shack up with your partner.
Location, Location, Location!
Finding a location that works for you both is imperative. Ensuring you can both get to work and to see your families will save no end of falling outs. It might be that you find a whole new area, somewhere that sits perfectly between both sides of the family, but if you are moving to a completely new town think about what is around. What amenities are around, how easy will it be to get to work and if you’re buying, do you think the area will still be desirable when you come to sell?
Too much stuff!
If you both currently live alone and you’re looking to move in together, you’ll quickly realise you have way too much stuff. Spend a good amount of time going through your furniture and belongings and work out exactly what you’ll keep and what you’ll sell or donate. If you’ve got a spare bedroom, things like beds and wardrobes could be kept to use in the spare room. Moving can be expensive so selling things you don’t need will help you to claw back some of the money you have spent out on the move.
The Cash Conversation
Money is a huge part of moving in together, you both need to be open, honest and frank right from the beginning when it comes to your finances as you both need to know exactly what you can afford together. Draw up a spreadsheet of your individual monthly incomes and outgoings, think about phone contracts, gym memberships and car payments. Whilst you do this, research the average Council Tax costs for the area you’re looking at, plus think about how much your utilities will cost, that way you should get a true reflection of exactly how much money you’ll be left with at the end of the month after all of your payments have been made.
Seek advice
Getting a professional opinion, or an opinion that is outside of your relationship and completely impartial will always help. It’s natural that you and your partner may have differing opinions but it’s how you come to a compromise that is important. If you’re stuck between renting and buying ensure you’ve done your research, talk to an Independent Financial Advisor (IFA) as they will be able to help you work out what you will be able to afford in the way of a mortgage, whilst you do this it’s also worth talking to a letting agent to get their thoughts on what you could afford in the rental sector. With these two professional opinions, you should be able to work out what would be the best decision for your current financial situation.
Happily ever after
Once you’ve moved in the fun really starts, however, the hard work doesn’t stop there! Most couples in the UK believe that the key to a happy home-life is working together and communication. Knowing what needs doing and when it do it will save all of the little tiffs that naturally occur, finding out what day to put the bins out is always good, especially if they’re full up!
Working together to make the home run smoothly will help your chances of living happily ever after.
Talk to your local Belvoir expert today to find out more about living with your partner, they deal with couples on a daily basis and have fired a cupid arrow or two! Find and contact them today.
