Top tips for handling your property relocation

Are you having to relocate for work? Often, relocation plans come somewhat out of the blue and can put you into an absolute tailspin as you try to figure out where you will live and what you will do with your old house, not to mention getting places in the schools for the kids. This article takes a quick look at what you can do to make this process smoother.

Selling your home is a huge undertaking that we often spend months, if not years, preparing for. This process can be even more complicated if you are told, quite out of the blue, that you must relocate to an entirely new place. Whether through work or choice, moving to a new town involves logistical planning and preparation on top of all of the usual house-selling tasks you must undertake.

There can be many reasons for relocating to a new place, but if you are forced to move for work, you may have to move quickly to accommodate a new start date. So, not only are you now tasked with finding a new house to call home, you need to consider schools for the children and perhaps work for your partner too. It's a lot of upheaval.

And what do you do with your current house? You need to do something quickly as it is unlikely you would want to just leave it empty, so, do you rent it out, or try to sell it quickly?

Follow these tips to help you navigate the process of property relocation effectively:

• Firstly, consider if you will try to keep the property. Could you rent it out? If the answer to this is yes, then the speed of arranging a tenant is actually much faster than selling and going through the whole legal process. Not to mention that if you don't like your new job or the location, you still have your home to return to.
• To rent the property, you will need to make sure that the property is up to standard - speak to an experienced letting agent for guidance on the best way forward if this option sounds good to you.
• If you prefer to sell the property, you best act immediately. Start with a property valuation and let the estate agent guide you on the pricing strategy to effect a quick sale.
• It is possible to handle the legal process of selling your property from a distance, but you need a buyer to sell to first. An occupied home will seem far more inviting than a totally empty one, so it would perhaps be better to try to find the buyer before you leave. This will also minimise the length of time that the property sits empty (and reduce the cost of leaving the property empty).

Ultimately, the key takeaway here is not to delay. A relocation will likely need to be quick, in-house selling terms anyway, so you really should tackle it head-on. Otherwise, you could end up with an empty property that will be costing you money.

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