I think a lot of areas are like that now. I got to thinking about my son and family. Up to now they have moved about 6 times. Each time was because the rent went up. They finally bought a house this year when he was 43 years old. He had changed jobs 3 or 4 times.
After what hapened to me, I told him that if he found a job that paid more or he thought he would like it, jump ship and change. The long range promises do not mean much. When I started with one company they promised we could retire at 55 with about 80% of our salary and 80 % of the health insurance paid. The company changed hands several times and the last 3 times took away part of the retirement and all of the insurance of the retiring people. That forced me to work to 62 instead of what could have been about 57 for me and a loss of over $ 1000 a month of retirement money. At least it was not like Enron where people saw their company invested stock retirement go from around a million to around $ 10,000.
Or join the proviintial or federal police - move every 4 years. Or the Phone company. Friends who worked for Bell Canada got moved regularly. Or IBM - stood for "I've Been Moved". Or an uncle who was in management for a large US retailer - moved to 2 different places in Michigan,then 2 in California,before being transferred to Virginia where he left their employ and moved at least twice after starting several businesses of his own. My eldest daughter has had at least 10 addresses (in 5 countries) and she's not 40 yet or married. The youngest ( a year younger, married, owns her own home) has only had 4 addresses all within aless than 10 mile radius - - -
The more "normal" would be move with family from your birth home to the family "forever" home, then move out to go to school - or to an apartment for your first job (or both) then to a better "pad" when you start making some real coin. Then you find "the girl of your dreams" and move in together before buying your "starter home". When kids come along you move to a larger home with more bedfooms and a yard in a good school district. Then you get a promotion or change jobs, necessitating a move to another city. Whenthe kids leave home and you are "empty nesters" you downsize - moving again. Then you retire and decide to get away from the snow/big city traffic or whatever and buy a retirement home. Once health starts to fade you sell and move into a senior's residence, and trom there to an extended care home..
That's 11 moves.
For me, our family moved 5 times (sas was an itinerant farm worker) before I started kindergarten and Dad got a "town job". I moved out to a bording house at about 17, then left the country for 2 years. I returned "home" to the family home just after my folks moved - so that was 8 addreses. From there I moved into a shared apartment wih a work-mate - then got my first appartment - address #10. I then bought my first house, where I lived until I married my wife who owned her own home and I sold and moved in with her. The house was not ideal for raising a family so we sold it and bought the home we have lived in for the last 40 years. So I am now at my 13th address -
That doesn't count a month with "no fixed address" on the east coast between the boarding house and leaving ths country, or the 6 weeks or so (living in a college dorm in Lusaka Zambia) between leaving from there to finding housing at my posting (in Livingstone Zambia) overseas - -
I know lots of people who have moved more often than I have - like more than 5 times in the 40 years I have lived here. Thankfully my changes of employment and carreer did not require me moving over those
40 years.. My home area has a lot of opportunity for employment in many fields of endeavor.
In one sense it was less expensive on the payments to buy than rent where I lived. There were about 10 houses built at the same time and very similar at the time they were all around 40 years old. I was trying to sell the house I lived in and at the same time a few houses away soneone was renting out their house. The monthly payments on a 30 year load plus the escrow for tax and insurance on my house would have been a few dollars less. However you do have to factor in that if you buy the house you have to put on a new roof new heat pump and a few other things over the years. Then the wife is always wanting new floor covering and painting. One good thing about owning the house is that you may get your money back. I paid about $ 25 thousand for the house, had about $ 75 thousand in payments to the loan company. Sold it for $
90,000 so would have made about $ 15,000 but taxes ate up most of that and repairs and such ate up the rest. However it gave me the effect of living in it for about 40 years free and I could apply that $ 90 K to another house.
"The wife"? This wife is pretty happy with the hardwood floors that were under the pink carpeting that was in the house when we bought it. Sure, I'd like to have them refinished but I don't want to basically move out to have to done.
If "the wife" wants anything painted, she buys the paint and does the work.
I would look at whether spending some money on simple things, like painting or some landscaping could significantly increase the curb appeal. Like if the front doors could use a fresh coat of paint, $300 worth of shrubs could make a big difference, etc. You don't want to go crazy and do too much, but there could be a payback, it could sell quicker, with some simple things that don't cost too much, especially if you can DIY.
The manuals and tools, I agree with those that said to leave that until the walk through, after the sale. Or you could mention it to a serious buyer when you're negotiating or on a second visit, etc.
Have you seen the TV show "Hoarders"? People save things and have just a foot path through their houses. A lot of it is just piled up with no organization. I retired last summer so I don't any excuse not to clean. Stuff must have just snuck into my house. There is no other explanation for some of the things I've found.
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