What To Do When Your Move Falls Through
Move Cancellations
By Diane Schmidt, About.com GuideMoves do fall through whether you've had to cancel because of a change in your job status or because your home purchase didn't go through or simply because you had a last minute change of heart. Whatever the reason, if your move has been canceled, don't panic. We have some suggestions to help you deal with the change in plans.
What Are Your Options When a Move Falls Through?
- Short-term Rental Options: If, because your move has been canceled, you have to vacate your current home, an option is to look into short term rental options. This applies to you if your current home has already been sold or the rental agreement has been terminated. Either way, short term rentals may be an option. Ask your real estate agent if they know of any short-term rentals, which may range from 3 months up to a year.
- Sublets: Depending on when you'd scheduled your move, subletting may be an option. Many students sublet apartments for the summer months or for a semester at a time. This may be an option if you're looking for a short rental.
- Corporate Housing: Corporate housing is a little more expensive than short-term apartment leases, but it may be just what you need. Most are fully furnished with weekly cleaning services and parking available. Basically, you can move right in with just your clothes in tow.
- Talk to Friends, Neighbors and Work Colleagues: While you won't want to move in with friends or family for a long period of time, they can be excellent sources for short-term needs, that is until you find other housing, or to recommend options.
- Store Your Things: If you need to move into short-term housing, you may want to consider storing your things until you find a permanent residence. This will save you moving and unpacking your things more than once. Many movers offer this service and will provide a fee for transporting your things to storage, then to your new home once you find one. Storing your things also frees you up to find short-term housing that's fully furnished, such as a sublet or corporate housing.
Positive Outcomes - Yes, There Are Some!
Let me start with a story - a true story about a move that fell through.
Like most people who plan a move, they needed to sell their current house before they could buy one in Mexico. They'd made several trips to the Mexican city where they planned to live, and finally found the perfect home, but had to wait to put in an offer until their current house sold. It took longer than they thought, but finally their home was sold. Once the offer was secure, they put in an offer for the Mexican home, which was accepted.
They began packing, excited that their dream was about to come true.
Just days before they left their home country, their real estate agent in Mexico called with bad news. The Mexican woman who had agreed to sell her home, canceled the deal. My sister and her husband had everything packed and ready to go, but had no home to go to.
Scrambling to find a short term rental, they tried not to panic. The day they were scheduled to leave, their real estate agent called with a short term rental available just blocks from where the house they'd planned to buy was located.
They signed the rental agreement for a three month stay and stepped aboard their flight.
Since then, they've spent three months getting to know their new neighborhood. And in that time, they've discovered that the city is not quite what they're looking for in terms of a place to live. Instead, they chose to look at other options, finally landing the perfect seaside community that they both love.
They know now that had they been able to buy the original home in Mexico, they would've felt stuck in a city that they weren't happy living in. The short-term housing option gave them the time they needed to really get to know the community before they invested in property.
They're now happy in their new home and grateful to a move that fell through.
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