How to Finally Move Out of Your Parents’ House (6-Step Beginner’s Guide)

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Maybe you just moved back home after some time away at college. 

…Or maybe you’re living with your parents due to a failed job (or a failed relationship; No one’s judging, sis).

…Or maybe you’ve always been home and are ready to finally release all of your inhibitions by taking the biggest independence step of your life… MOVING OUT!

You don’t know if you necessarily want to buy a house (or maybe you do) but what you do know for sure is that you want to get out from under your parents’ rules and start making some of your own (*raises fist in solidarity*).

This is not an easy move and not one that should be taken lightly. Make sure that you’ve got the funds, a plan, and some support. Show your parents (and yourself) that you’re prepared for this massive milestone!

To get started, here’s 6 basic tips for what you absolutely need to do for a successful move:

1. Save As Much As You Can & Establish a Great Credit Score

When I say “save as much as you can”, I mean SAVE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. Save until you can’t save anymore (no amount of money is too much). 

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To be able to move out, you should have saved at least 3 months’ rent. Also, your security deposit, and a little “cushion” for a rainy day fund (think an extra thousand or two). 

Also, having a great credit score (at or above 670) is like gold in the U.S. It only makes your prospective housing options better and better so build that credit. Taking out a small credit card with the bank you’re already a member of is an easy way to start building your credit.

But be realistic too, sis. You should only be spending about 30% of your salary on housing. Use the rest to support your lifestyle (and to save lol we’re always saving around here, rule #1).

So, if you know you want a certain type of place but can’t really afford it right now then plan to either stay at your parents’ and save for a longer amount of time or temporarily settle for less and upgrade to some nicer digs later on (hey, at least you’ll finally be in your own space, right?)

2. Apartment? Condo? Townhome? Or House?

Determine if you’re going to rent or own. 

I wrote all about the pros and cons of both here but renting is a great starting point if you’re not fully ready to commit to a house (mentally and financially). Renting provides you the freedom to rent, see how you like it, and move on to the next or even move out of state without the worry of selling your home.

If you’re interested in buying a house, that is a way more extensive process. I bought my first house at 24 and share what I learned throughout the process, so you know what to expect and don’t make the same rookie mistakes (including buying furniture without assembly included lol-insert pic of dining table).

3. Do You Want/Need a Roommate?

Deciding if you want or need a roommate depends on your budget and the place you plan to take up residence.

It all boils down to this, can you afford to live there on your own? If you can then do it! You’re trying to move out to be on your own, correct? So, be on your own and invite your friends over when you want to.

If you decide that you need a roommate, do your research. Especially if they’re your friends! Living with friends is a completely different dynamic and can also put a strain on your relationship, so choose wisely. 

Roommates come with their own quirks, good and bad. Make sure you thoroughly vet potential roommates and know that it’ll be a great fit. You’re moving out of your parents’ house for more freedom and less stress, not to exchange for an even more stressful roommate. Don’t force it if you KNOW you can’t stand how messy they are… that won’t change overnight, girl.

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4.  Lockdown Your Place to Live

If you haven’t already, you should start searching for a place to live and then lock it down. The housing market is crazy right now and houses are going for more than they should (no joke over $100,000!). Get in quick and schedule tours before the affordable places you like are no longer available.

Use a realtor or make some phone calls yourself (yes, you can use a realtor to look for an apartment or find a rental). There are plenty of online options regarding renting and buying a house so take your pick: Zillow, Apartments.com, Realtor.com, Trulia, and Redfin (I’ve personally used all of them haha).

We used a realtor (a phenomenal help and wealth of knowledge during our home buying experience) and although she has her own database of houses on the market, we still looked on our own time and ended up buying a house we found on Zillow ourselves! So, don’t be lazy and join the search.

Our realtor was great and seemed to expedite all of the paperwork for us, but you have to work just as hard and be just as dedicated if you’re serious about moving out.

5. Plan How You’re Going To Move (And If Help is Needed)

Make a plan for how you’re going to move. You need boxes, labels (optional), a permanent marker, and friends/family or a moving company for a swift, efficient move (you can’t carry that big ol’ bed by yourself, Wonder Woman lol).

When I moved out of my parents’ house, I moved into a rental house (complete nightmare)… then 5 months later moved into Mike’s parents’ basement, and then 3 months after that, we bought our dream house (crazy, I know).

We had to make a plan for how to pack our boxes (including “borrowing” boxes from the copy room at work lol) and how we were going to move all of our stuff… which was A LOT. We enlisted a couple of Mike’s friends, but it wasn’t always easy working around everyone’s schedules especially for such frequent moves. If I had known how great movers were, we would have used Bluebell Relocation Services to store and move all of our stuff. 

I paid for separate storage (sometimes even storing stuff in other people’s houses) and we had to arrange for help from our friends who weren’t always available. We’re super grateful for all of their help but we know now that hiring affordable movers a couple of times would’ve lessened the load for all involved.

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Cancel out the extra stress with an already stressful move and just use Bluebell. If you’re in the New York area, like me, with a lot of stuff to move then they’re your guy. They’re an experienced, professional moving and storage company that helps movers move from NJ to NYC (and vice versa) and throughout the surrounding NYC area like Long Island, for example. Bluebell does all of the thinking for you, such as providing boxes and other packing materials and securely wrapping your items, so nothing breaks during the move. They also provide free, in-house quotes BEFORE you even book them and they can pack/unpack all of your boxes AFTER the move (win-win).

Trust me, I have friends who’ve used movers and… it’s totally worth it (*kicks myself extra hard* ugh we should’ve known better).

6. MOVE IN (And Throw a Party)

Now that you’ve got movers and they’ve packed up all of your stuff. Thank your parents, kiss them goodbye, and move in, girlfriend!

YOU DID IT!

You saved your money and worked towards this milestone that not many people can (no matter how much social media tries to fool you). Moving out on your own is hard! You have to do everything on your own and that’s kind of the enticement of it, right? The thrill of adulting?

You can be who you want to be and design your home to reflect that!

After you’ve got some décor in place, throw a little housewarming party for your friends and family to see. They no doubt want to support you and you deserve to celebrate!

Cheers to you! (*pops the champagne for my good sis doing big things*)

If you haven’t moved out yet, what’s something that’s stopping you from moving out of your parents’ house? Is it comfort? Not enough savings? Rent’s too high? Not ready? Let me know in the comments below, I may have some insight to help you on your journey! 🙂