Health & Fitness
"Should I Stay or Should I Go?" -- The Clash
Should I stay or should I go? --The Clash I have been asked this many times in 28 years.
Thinking out loud . . .
"Should I stay or should I go"? - The Clash
This song was popular in the mid 1980s. Not with me or even now with my 12 year old daughter, looking it up on "You Tube."
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However, I have been asked this many times in my 28 years in business. As it pertains to their home and family, adding on to their home and staying in the neighborhood versus moving to a home that already has what their family needs, can be a difficult decision.
Staying put and adding on with an enlarged kitchen, new family room, first floor half bath, second floor master bedroom, bath, closets and all the things that didn't come with their house makes homeowners question why they bought their house in the first place.
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My experience is that people conclude they bought their house because of the neighborhood. If they moved from out of town they bought because of the neighborhood and the positive town reputation. If they moved from out of town and have kids, they bought because of the neighborhood, the town and the schools. If they don't know why they bought, they're probably in the witness protection program.
Of the ten most stressful things in your life, moving is always on that list, right above root canal. Maybe the guy who wrote the next lines for The Clash all those years ago was really referring to his own housing predicament: "If I stay there will be trouble, if I go there will be double."
However, living through a major renovation, especially living without a functioning kitchen or one less bathroom, can make you question that decision, too.
Don't look to all those "How To" shows on TV for guidance either. They edit every three-month project in real time down to a 30-minute show. Without destroying anyone's childhood beliefs in Santa, the Tooth-Fairy, or a 6' tall Easter bunny, it's better to go into a home renovation with your eyes open and your hands on the wheel. Maybe there will be saw dust on Grandma's doilies during construction, but look at the great place you'll call home in the end.
