Do you spend time looking at houses online, researching rental prices, local schools, possible career choices and new furniture? It can easily become quite addictive, soon enough you spend all your time pouring over property pages, searching for house prices and generally becoming obsessed with the thought of moving house. But do you really want to move? Do you just fancy a bigger place? Need to downsize? Or do you actually want to relocate? Do you need to move for a better job? Fancy a completely new start or perhaps life has been kind enough to allow you to escape to the country? Whatever your reasons, you need to fully understand them first, so you can stop aimlessly searching for homes and actually get the ball rolling. If you want to move for workIf you’re stuck in an unhappy job and feel you need to move to kick start your career then it can often be daunting as you compare house prices, salaries, moving costs, company benefits and everything else that comes into deciding whether to up sticks and leave. You need to think first about whether you actually need to move home to enhance your work life. Often, dreaming about a better job is just that, a dream. If you don’t hate your job, aren’t stuck in a role you’re not suited too and can hold on until you are offered a promotion, pay rise or the job of your dreams, then you should probably do just that – wait. It might sound like torture but it is better that moving house only to be in a worse situation than you are in now. Maybe a better job is simply a train ride away; if you could commute to a new role you should also consider this and weigh travel costs against the rent or mortgage of a new place. If you’re sure you need to move to have any hope of developing your career then you should solely concentrate on areas where the jobs of your dreams are. By concentrating on a specific region you’re minimising the chance of wasting time by becoming preoccupied with homes in areas which won’t benefit you in the long run. So if you’re living in Leeds, but know you have better work options in London, and then you can narrow down the search by concentrating on affordable regions, travel time and costs. If you need a bigger homeIf you need a bigger home it can often be easier to become obsessed with fantastic, luxury homes which are beautiful but unaffordable. If you are serious about moving, you shouldn’t be looking until you have a rough idea of mortgage or income, only then can you be sure of how much space you can get for your cash. After this, you need to be serious about how much space you actually need. Everyone would love a huge house, but for many it’s solely a dream. If you’re in a good location consider using any finances available to improve and extend your current home, making it a more profitable sale in the future. If you want a new startFor those that simply wish moving home will bring a new start and a new lease of life, it’s most difficult to focus your attention, as the world is pretty much your oyster. You need to concentrate on getting the best house for your money, rather than concentrating on size. The best home in your dream location, or perhaps a project in a rural area to turn into your own. Once you’re sure relocation is the only option for you, you can enjoy exploring your options.