The hardest decision is between moving and staying

Kirsty Mcluckie on the nation’s dilemma of whether to stick or flit

Do you love your home? If so, it would appear that you are in a minority, according to research published this week.

Researchers for estate agent Yopa polled the nation’s homeowners and discovered that 26 per cent of us wished we lived somewhere else, with a further 56 per cent saying they have no emotional connection with their home whatsoever.

It is a depressing thought, but antisocial neighbours, the fear of crime, too much traffic and the property simply being too small emerged as just some of the reasons why some of us can’t stand where we live.

I don’t think I’ve ever hated a place where I lived, but I’ve certainly stayed in some properties that failed to fill me with joy.

The top-floor shared tenement flat in Glasgow’s Mount Florida when

I was a student, or the characterless bungalow in Clackmannanshire when I was first married were certainly not places which made my heart beat with affection each time I returned home to them.

However, the survey goes on to reveal that even though some of us hate our homes, the fear of the financial cost, the stress and the strain of moving leaves us feeling trapped, with 60 per cent insisting they’ve been put off even looking for a new home because of the pressure of the process.

Most of us lose sleep over a move, while over one third of the survey respondents reported that they had suffered severe anxiety during their last flit.

An alarmingly large 40 per cent were left feeling depressed, and the same percentage said they became physically ill due to the process.

According to this survey at least, we appear to be a nation stuck in homes

we don’t like, but who are too fearful of the process of moving to do anything about it.

Ben Poynter, CEO of Yopa, says: “Our nationwide study has revealed just how many people have negative feelings about where they currently live.

“At the same time, people feel unable or are unwilling to make a move because of fears about costs and the stress of the moving process.

“Brits have said they know that moving will make them happier in the end, but many feel stuck between a rock and a hard place.”

I don’t think the two parts of the survey are connected, however.

Moving from a house which you have no emotional connection to isn’t the stressful part.

I skipped out of my student flat without a backward glance, perhaps literally wiping my feet as I went out, as the carpets were somewhat sticky.

When we sold the bungalow, I hardly gave it a thought as we moved the last of our belongings out as I was so excited about getting to the next house.

Moving is always stressful, and even if you have a team of dedicated servants to do it all for you, it is likely to cause anxiety.

The practicalities of packing up a house are bad, and the pressure of making life-changing decisions – such as where to locate and what size of property you need next – requires the sort of reflection and predictions that are likely to cause some sleepless nights.

But in the years that I have been interviewing people selling up – whether it is time to downsize, buy a bigger place or for a job move – the thing that has come over is that leaving a much-loved home is more stressful than one you don’t care about.