Don't Want to Move in This Crazy Market? 4 Ways to Fall Back in Love With Your Current House

You may not have to move to love where you live.

If you are considering buying a home, you may be dismayed to find that it's very much a seller's market in most parts of the country.

Inventory of homes for sale remains limited in many places. And demand is still fairly high because mortgage rates are very competitive (though up a bit from last year's record lows). If you're selling, that's clearly good for you -- but not so much if you're hoping to buy a property. And for renters hoping to become homeowners, the hot market is just plain bad news for the budget.

With many homes selling for above asking price and many buyers making all-cash offers, getting caught up in the craziness may not be your best bet. But that can be frustrating if you are eager to move on from your current space.

The good news is that you don't necessarily need a new address to fall back in love with where you live. These four tips could help you become happier in your current home.

1. Rethink the way you use your space

If you don't think there's enough room in your current home, consider taking a close look at how you're using the space.

Chances are good that when you moved in, each room was assigned a specific job, such as dining room or living room. But you don't have to use those rooms for those purposes forever. If you never go into your formal dining room, for example, it might make a lot more sense to turn that into the playroom, craft room, or reading room you've longed for.

If you can change the uses of some of your rooms or make others multi-functional by rethinking furniture arrangements and space, you may find that your current house is plenty big enough.

2. Declutter

Many of us acquire a lot of stuff when we put down roots. The problem is when that becomes clutter that affects your love of your house. If you have too much stuff, it can feel difficult to manage, or hide the features of your house you fell in love with. It can also make you believe your home is too small, or has insufficient storage.

Instead of looking for a new house, try getting rid of items in your home you don't use much. If you find it difficult to part with something immediately, make a box or space in your basement or closet and put all the iffy items there. If you don't dig the item out within a month or two, that probably means you don't really need it, and wouldn't miss it if you gave it away.

By simplifying your space and getting rid of items that aren't adding value to your life, you can use your home more purposefully, and you may find yourself feeling calmer and enjoying the space again.

3. Tackle deferred maintenance

All too often, homeowners and renters let little things go because it's easier than dealing with them (or hounding the landlord to). Maybe it's repainting scuffed walls, or allowing a faucet to drip. Unfortunately, these minor issues can affect the way your home looks and how it feels to live there.

You'd probably have to make these repairs to sell the house and buy a new one, and a landlord should be making fixes. So, why not do them now? Give yourself the better version of your place that you'd be selling to a new buyer.

4. Make cosmetic changes

Finally, you might consider some light remodeling to love your home again. If you are a renter, or you still think you'll sell once the market calms down a bit, it probably doesn't pay to spend on upgrades. But that doesn't mean you can't make minor changes, such as switching out cabinet knobs, repainting a room, or getting new throw pillows. You may be surprised to find what a difference little changes can make if your home feels fresh and new again.

Hopefully, you can end up loving where you live until you're ready to jump into buying a new one.