A round the world trip is a big aspiration for many people, but it takes a lot of planning. The first big hurdle that most people face is paying for the trip, and many people never make it past that first step. But suppose you have saved the money that you need and everything is booked up, the next big question you need to answer is, what are you going to do with your house?
You are likely to be away for a year or more, so it’s not like you can just leave a key with the neighbor so they can pick up the post. Before you set off, you need to think carefully about what you want to do with your home and all of your stuff while you are away. These are some of your best options.
If You Rent Your Home
Things are actually a lot easier for you if you rent your home because you have more flexibility. If you are not too attached to your current place and you wouldn’t mind moving, it’s best to give it up while you are away. When you arrive home, you can find somewhere new to rent. This will save you a lot of money because you don’t need to keep paying rent for a place that you are not living in.
The first thing to do is check your renter’s agreement and see when it expires. If it expires after the date that you planned to leave on your trip, this can be an issue. You will either need to push your trip back, continue to pay rent until the agreement is up or pay whatever fees are charged for breaking the lease early. If your lease expires before you plan to leave on your trip, you will just need to find somewhere to stay until you leave.
Next, you need to work out what to do with all of your stuff. It’s best to get rid of anything that you don’t actually need, and then you can find a storage facility for the rest of the furniture and possessions that you want to keep. If you’re paying to store things, you need to be ruthless and only keep things that you absolutely can’t do without.
If You Own Your Home
This whole process is a lot harder for homeowners. If you are sure that you want to return to your home when you return, you need to consider how you are going to pay the mortgage. In most cases, it’s best to find somebody to rent the place while you are gone so you can cover the mortgage and earn a bit of income. Just make sure that person knows you are going to return after a year or so.
Alternatively, if you have already considered moving, now might be the perfect time to do it. You can Sell Your Home before you leave and buy another one when you return. However, you need to have a backup plan in place if you are unable to sell the house before you leave or you sell it early and have nowhere to stay until your trip starts. Don’t forget that buying a house is a long process too, so you’ll need somewhere to stay on your return.
Deciding what to do with your house when you are on a round the world trip can be difficult. Whatever you decide, you need to make lots of arrangements, so get started sooner rather than later.
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