Estate agent or relationship rescuer?
“According to the latest research, almost three quarters of Britons (74.5%) say they experienced relationship problems after moving home with a significant other.
The research conducted by London removals firm, Kiwi Movers, found that the figure increased to almost nine out of 10 (87%) for those moving in together for the first time. with more than one in 10 (11%) of those saying the house move contributed to their relationship breaking down permanently.
The survey of British adults also highlighted that:
– 17.5% in total experienced “serious” relationship issues after moving house together.
– The pre-move clear out and arguments about what to throw away were the biggest source of conflict for couples moving home together, ahead of financial issues and general move-related stress.
– Adjusting to one another’s habits was the biggest cause of friction for couples moving in for the first time.
– Just 2% of those moving home together for the first time experienced no relationship issues at all – even temporary ones – while that figure jumped to almost one in three (32%) for couples already cohabiting.
– 11% of people moving in with a significant other for the first time say the move contributed to the end of their relationship.
– Of those, more than half (58%) had split within 6 months of moving in together, 80% in total had split within a year
– 6% of already co-habiting couples say a house move contributed to the end of their relationship.
– Of those, 39% had split within 6 months of moving in together, 52% in total had split within a year
However stressful house moves are though, it seems practice makes perfect. The research revealed that the more moves a couple did together, the less likely they were to experience relationship problems.
Fewer than half (47%) of couples who’d moved together more than twice already said they experienced relationship problems on subsequent moves and of those, just 10% were described as serious.
Less common sources of friction arose too:
One female respondent said she resented splitting the food bill because her boyfriend was an avid gym goer who “ate everything in sight.”
Another reported that having to share a bathroom with her boyfriend caused problems, having been used to sharing with girls before.
One male respondent reported that his expectations of how the relationship would progress were too high, reporting that he was disappointed that “nothing much had changed at all.”
Alan Williams, managing partner of Fenn Wright had this to say about the research: “It’s a bit of a negative spin but we do see first hand the stresses couples deal with when moving. Aside from the obvious ones like getting the house they wanted for the right price, getting their mortgage agreed, and getting the sale price they hoped for, there are other niggles that crop up and add to their worries along the way – if they don’t get the right help from their estate agent.
“Some agents offer little more than a property marketing and message taking service. But good estate agents are far more pro-active. If you choose to sell your home with an experienced, professional agent – like Fenn Wright – you will have someone in your corner dealing with all the usual aspects of sales progression and all the unusual ones too. They won’t worry you with all the details and will keep you up to date with developments.
“We can’t help anyone work out if they’ve chosen the right person to live with but we may improve the chances of them staying together once they’ve moved! Our clients do tell us that we make the buying and selling experience less stressful.
“On the plus side, the research did find that the more times people moved, the less stress it placed on their relationships. So there’s no reason to shy away from moving with your nearest and dearest again – once you’ve established they’re not a permanently hungry specimen, with questionable personal hygiene, who really wanted to be moving on from you – not moving home with you.”