Emotional Attachment with House: How To Deal With It While Buying a New One

Once you’ve stayed in the same ecosystem for long enough, it is no simple matter to change it. This is especially true with your home. Quite often, we tend to move places, leading to a shift in our priorities. One of the ways we decide to deal with it is through a new house. But, unless you’re rich, you will most likely sell your existing house–and that’s just not easy. 

Emotional attachment with people and things you’ve stayed with over a period of time is inevitable. The attachment is stronger when it is something or someone for whom significant efforts and resources were put. But you’ve got to move forward when the time comes. Here’s how to deal with emotional attachment to your existing house while buying a new one: 

1. You’ve got no choice
   We often end up questioning our decision, criticizing ourselves for not being able to find a suitable alternative to the decision, and feeling regret. Stop right there! No one can make such a huge decision in the blink of an eye. For you to make the decision, you must have been thinking day in and day out.
   You must have consulted with your partners, family, and friends. Everything within your means was considered before the decision. So, don’t let the result fool you into thinking that you’re the culprit. You just had no choice. 

2. Home is where your people are
   A house becomes a home with people in it, with people who pour their hearts into making a memorable, loving environment. That adds value to the physical structure and makes it our home. So, our decision to leave the embodiment of our home feels like abandonment, but it is not.
   The connection you built with people in your home will not snap. They’ll be there with you and for you. It is just the concrete walls would change, the paint would change, and the view from the dining hall would change. But your people will be there. Of course, you’d still find it difficult to move because you’ve created many memories in your existing house. But, give some time to yourself and the new house, and you’ll have new and better experiences.

3. Elevate your lifestyle
   As we grow older, we tend to hoard money, which in itself is not a bad thing to do. But, if you become obsessively attached to money, then you won’t use it frequently to experience better things in life–and this includes buying a new house.
   Perhaps you are growing as a family, and your existing house cannot accommodate the personal necessities of each member of the family. It just doesn’t have the scope to upgrade your lifestyle. And, despite all of this, you don’t like to move?
   Well, you’re simply hoarding money, and trust me, you’ll be forced to use that money on home improvement in the future. Upgrade your lifestyle.   

4. Make use of your existing house
   Okay, maybe you don’t want to part with your existing house at all. You just don’t have it in you, and it is alright. But, you have got to do something about it so that it doesn’t end up deteriorating due to unuse.
   It is best you rent out your existing home. Move to your new house, adjust to the environment for the time being, and rent out your old property. Alternatively, you can rent out your new property and stay in your existing house. But, go for the latter, and if your existing lifestyle needs no upgrades. 

5. Let your feelings out
   Remember, it is not just you who is emotionally attached to the house. Other family members in the house are as much or even more attached than you think they are. But, because they have not put their feelings on the table and discussed it with others, have made it difficult for them to part with the house.
   Emotional attachment is best addressed when talked about it. Keep your dialogue with your family members open, ask them how they are dealing with the change and whether they need any emotional help, and arrange family meetings once in a while.
   The phase of moving out is a slow, heart-aching experience. You feel everything for too long and may, at times, feel lonely since you haven’t addressed your feelings.

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