Because of my job, I bounce around quite a bit- in the last 12 years, I've lived in six homes in five countries. My last four years in DC have been the longest stretch in one location since college; generally I spend two years (or less) in one home. My mom on the other hand has been in the same apartment building in DC since before I was born- 37 years at the same address!
Mom and I are two ends of the spectrum in terms of time in one home, and we would like to know where you fall. Have you been in your home for decades, or weeks? Do you anticipate a lifetime in one home or moving every few years? If you move often for your job, is that a positive or a negative element? Would you prefer to stay in one place, or would your wanderlust make that impossible? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Almost two years. I am a student so I am living with my mother. I can not wait to get out of this house, the location is very inconvenient, and there is no design in the house, just extremely plain furniture. My mom happens to love it and wants to live here for the rest of her life.
I plan to move every few years until I find a place I am absolutly in love with.
Two years. We plan to stay here forever. We've lived other places in the same town, but this house is home.
Year and a half in our current place, fifth place in nine years, but we're planning for our next move to be our last. Hope that works out!
I've been here for a year and change. After leaving my parents' house, the longest I've stayed in one place was a year. I love my current apartment, but I love traveling and moving around too.
Sixteen Years...
...and I rent.
8 yrs
About 3 1/2 years. I don't plan on dying here, but it's fine for now...maybe until my 5 year old graduates, but who knows...
Less than a week. I just moved from DC to Philly be with my boyfriend who is a PhD student. We're in Philadelphia for at least the next 4 years.
I'm horrified I've lived in one house - and a house I hate - for 11 years. Before that, my 40-year average was 3 yrs. I'm resigned to living in the house my husband bought (yuck). But for the past year, with AT's help (thank you), I'm trying to make it something I can live with and - just maybe - love??
I've lived in my current apt. for 21 years. The rent was ridiculously low for a very long time, especially for Seattle, which is partly why I've lived there so long. I loved shocking my friends when I told them what it was. That and the incredible view from my deck.
I've moved way too many times in my adult life, until I got married (averaged every 9 months until the age of 27!), then we lived in our first house for 5 years but never planned to stay... and we bought the house we're currently in about 8 months ago. I am pretty sure we'll be here for a very long time, possibly forever!
I've been living in my tiny studio for 5 years now and have signed the lease for year 6. I love my little apartment and the location is perfect for me.
We've been here two years, and plan to stay at least another three. Before that, we rented the top floor of a house for 1 1/2 years, a basement for five months, and before THAT... I lived in the same house for twenty-two years.
10 1/2 years. I'm staying put. My next move is to the nursing home or the grave.
I've lived in my current apartment for almost three years, the third apartment in 5 years actually. Before that we never really moved a lot. We just never quite found home, so we just got fed up and moved (and no renting!).
Now I'm "stuck" here but my sister recently moved out leaving me as a single dweller, and I'm on the process of making it my own. And thanks to AT, I think I just might succeed!
I've lived in my current apartment for just over 2 years and am moving to a new apartment for which I just signed a two-year lease. I'd like to stay a little longer, though--I've moved around a lot! 15 addresses in 9 years, I think.
I bought my house a little over 3 years ago; yes, at the height of housing prices in Seattle. So, I'll likely be here for a while, but definitely not forever...
i have been in my current house for just over a month - and i could totally stay here forever. before that, i had lived in the same house for 6 years, and before that, i moved 3 times within the same year...
1.5 years, it is the first house we have purchased. We are considering an addition, so we never have to leave.
Three weeks!
But I've moved every year (sometimes more than once within a year!) for six years. We're planning to stay in this apartment for at least two years. Hopefully.
We have been in our current house 14yrs. We are looking for something half our current size of 3100sqft. and no stairs. Adjusting for empty nest syndrome.
3 months. Since I moved out of my parents house for college 8 years ago, I haven't been in the same living arrangement for more than 2 years at a time. It wasn't planned, it just turned out that way.
This is my 16th home since I became an adult. I have lived in this house 7 years- so I lived in 15 different places in 3 states in 5 cities in the 19 years prior to this house.... eek.
My family's been in this place since 1964. I grew up in the same house [24 years] that my mom grew up in.
The funniest part? When my grandparents bought the building the neighbourhood was full of immigrants and definitely not one of the more desirable places to live in Montreal. In the last 10 or so years it's become the trendiest and one of the most astronomically expensive places in the city to buy/rent.
17 years.
Before this place it was 1 year when I was newly married.
And then before that was in my family home for 29 years.
I don't think I've stayed in the same place for longer than 2 years in the past 10 years. I'm renting so I feel it gives me that freedom. Plus I live in Chicago and it's fun to try out new neighborhoods. I like to move around, but honestly I'm getting a little tired of the moving costs and stress! I'll probably settle down for longer than 2 years when I have kids and too much stuff to pack.... :)
13.5 years in my current apartment as the owner and the 3.5 years before that in the apartment above as a renter. I think about leaving and have been looking at other homes but I love the neighborhood and owning a duplex makes it a neighborhood I can afford. The former owners of the home were there 45 years and I can imagine the same for me.
4 years and 8 months in current apartment and looking at moving soon. 9 years in the place before.
Just moved into our latest apartment July 1st. We've been married 5 years and have lived in 6 different "homes" during that time.
We've lived in our house for 11 years and while we love it, are more than ready to move. We tried putting it up for sale 2 years ago and it's back on the market. Alas, we can't afford to give it away and need to make some money to afford the next, hopefully slightly larger house.
Welcome to Michigan...and our never-ending recession!
Coming up on six years in our current place (rental apt.) with no plans on moving. Great building, fantastic manager, neighborhood is slowly improving and will pick up immensely when the building across the street is shut down for renovations (thank you, MAC), Costco within easy walking distance, gated parking...we love it here. Wild horses couldn't drag us out.
Four days! Before that I lived in one place for five years and another place for two. I only plan on staying here a couple of years (there's a two year limit to the lease) and then will move somewhere else in the city.
Two years here in my first owned house. My last apartment, five-plus years (03-08), making it the place I lived in second-longest after my last family home (83-91). Lots of apartments in between, in college and after (91-03). I grew up moving every two years and continued it for years and I hate it!
2 years here, and the longest stretch since I was 18. I started feeling the wanderlust about 6 months ago, but we want our next place to be a long term place- 5-7 years.
We've lived in this house for 23 years. My parents live in the house they bought when they married: 64 years!!
In This house/city, just over seven years. We are assuming this is our "forever home" (or at least until we need to move someplace with no stairs and support for the aged) but after moving a LOT in the last 25 years, we will never say never when it comes to moving.
Oh, and we adore our house, neighbors and neighborhood, so we won't be moving for just any reason.
I rented an apartment for 20 years...and now I purchased my first home and have lived in it for 7 years. I don't plan to live here forever, but will stay for a few more years.
1.5 years. We lived in our previous house for 13 years. We plan to stay here until the kids are out of college, so 15 more years at least.
9 years. This was never the plan--I like our house okay but it was our first and what we could afford at the time so I assumed we would have "moved up" by now. But everything got so expensive and then the housing market died, so we've decided to stay put for the time being. Over the years we've made a lot of changes and updates so we kinda like the house now. And we love having a small mortgage and the financial breathing room that provides so we may stay here several more years.
In the past 12-13 years my wife and I have lived in 6 countries and 11 different homes, not counting corporate rentals and hotels in which we've stayed in for several months over the years. We finally bought a house around 4 months ago and it now looks as we need to rent it out as we are relocating again for a while.
I've lived in 8 different places in the last 22 years. The first 4 took place within a 4 year period. Ironically the 6th & 8th place is one block apart, love the neighborhood. The 7th being in a different city.
My parents lived in 4 homes in 55 years. The longest they were in one was 27 years.
7 years and no sign of moving.
In the past three years, my boyfriend and I have moved a total of 7 times.
What I want for Christmas: To complete a 1 year lease.
28 years.
This week I'm making my 7th move in ten years.
I hope I really like this new place, but my plan is to be there for 4yrs and then start house shopping. (Which is what I said about the place I'm moving out of, so there you have it)
I've been in my current place just over 2 months.
Before this, I'd moved to a new apartment (though all in the DC area) every year since I graduated from college 5 years ago. But I think this current place is finally "The One"--the perfect combination of price, location, character, and amenities. So maybe I'll finally stay put for a while (the fact that I'd have to move everything back down the tiny staircase in this converted rowhouse is an added incentive to not move for a while!)
I've been in my current place for 3 months now...and I dont plan on leaving here anytime soon.
This is the first year since 2001 that I haven't moved at least once. 12 addresses and 3 states later, I'm glad to be staying put.
My current apartment has been home for 14 months and counting. I've moved 9 times in the past 10 years (three metro areas, two states). We're moving again next year to a different state, but don't know where! I think moving is fun.
3 years now - in a place I like to call the bunker.....Ok- long shot, but in the photo is that a place called Al Rushaid?