Lately, I’ve had the pleasure of helping a few families look for their next house, and a question that keeps coming up is when is the right time to move? They ask, “What is the right age to move my kids”? “Should I be buying a bigger house for my kids right now?”
One of my clients whose daughters are currently in Grade 7 and Grade 9 recently said to me “Stephanie – tell your clients to move before their kids start having opinions!”.
I know, I know.
Some people reading that might be thinking “Who’s paying? The kids or the parents?!” But a home is where families grow, so even though kids may not be paying, it’s all about building a harmonious environment.
With all that said, what age is the best age to uproot your kids if you’re looking to move?
Do It Before They’re Settled
Nothing beats having a supportive community. Once your kids start attending school, they’ll start meeting new friends, joining the same extracurricular activities, and playing out on the street together. Creating a tight-knit community means carpooling and having other parents to lean on.
Giving that up to move into a bigger house, sometimes outside of the catchment area of your community, means losing that support. Or, if you choose to stay within the same community, sometimes the choices for a step-up home become smaller because most people your age are all thinking the same thing and end up competing for the same homes.
Think it might be time to buy a bigger home for your family? Check out these related blog posts for more advice.
- What a First Time Home Buyer in Etobicoke Needs To Know
- What to Expect When You’re Expecting to Buy in Today’s Market
- Changes to the First Time Home Buyers Incentive for those in Toronto
Do It Before The Middle School Years
Can someone say, puberty? Let me tell you, these years are fraught with emotions, mood swings, and general unease. Moving during this time just adds fuel to the fire of your child’s emotional well-being. However, timing the move with the start of a new middle school may mean a fresh start all around. This is a perfect opportunity for your step-up home. Getting your kids settled before the start of high school makes it easy on everyone. Which leads me to my final key moment:
Think Of High School Catchment
Let’s face it, having a great high school sets you up for success. Many people find themselves
on the wrong side of a school catchment area. If you think I’m being dramatic, you don’t have to look too far to see how heated the idea of school catchments can become.
Right here in Etobicoke, the newly acquired Scarlett Heights by the Toronto District Catholic School Board became the centre of a controversy that had pitted parents from two communities against each other! It got so heated it made the news!
All of which to say, a lot of parents consider making their move to coincide with getting their child into a better high school catchment area. At this point in their lives, parents this age are typically better off financially than they were when they bought their first home. They are able to make the move to be in
a better high school catchment area, as those homes typically tend to be located in more expensive areas.
Getting into the right community and schools is one of the biggest factors that affect a family’s reason to move. To that end, if you’re just getting started building your family, setting roots in a community with great schools may negate the need to move in the future. If you’ve been wondering if you should be buying a bigger house for your kids now, or delay the decision, I hope the above information provides some guidance.
Ready to find the perfect family home? I’m here to help! Reach me at 416.837.9676 or steph@stephaniek.ca to start your journey.
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