Has this ever happened to you? You’re sitting at the kitchen table, on the couch or hanging out in the backyard and someone in the family looks around and says, ‘It sure would be nice if we had more room.’ Or how ‘bout, ‘We have so much stuff it sure would be nice to have a place with a garage.’ Or what about, ‘We’re having a baby and we need another room.’

Maybe no one says anything at all, but after visiting friends who have a bigger house and seeing how much space they have to host dinner parties or holiday events, you start thinking to yourself, ‘I wish our living room was bigger so we could host Christmas next year.’ Or, ‘if only we had more room, we wouldn’t be in each others space all the time.’

Most families will come to a point at one time or another when the decision to ‘upsize’ their home is one that will need to be talked about and considered. For some families it will be an easy decision, like the birth of a baby that requires a family to find a home with more bedrooms. For other families it won’t be as clear cut and more discussion will be needed. Regardless of the reasons your family is considering moving to a bigger home, there’s some very important things you should consider when you start your search.

Here's 5 things to look for when looking for more space and a bigger home:

  1. Bonus Room: A popular addition to home layouts during the past decade or two is the addition of a bonus room. Typically, this room is additional living space found in two-storey homes and the bonus room is located above the garage. It’s called a ‘bonus’ room because the living space is a ‘bonus’ to the rest of the house.
  2. Developed Basement: A house with a developed basement instantly adds prime living spaces to a property. If the home design is a bungalow, a developed basement can double the liveable space for the home and provide additional bedrooms and bathrooms. A basement is the perfect place for teenagers to escape to or a great place for entertaining or creating a theatre/games room.
  3. Kitchen/Dining Room: If one of your motivators to ‘upsize’ is because you want to host the next holiday for extended family or the next dinner party with friends, a large and inviting kitchen/dining room is going to be important. Look for homes with a large center island where you can put out snacks and treats for everyone to enjoy.
  4. Lot design: If you feel a little cramped when you’re inside and outside your current home, consider looking for a home on a pie lot or a large lot that allows for separate spaces to bbq, have a backyard fire, plant a garden, play catch or all of the above.
  5. More square footage: Remember, the whole reason you want to move is because you want more living space. Keep that in mind and make sure you’re only looking at houses with more square footage than your current home.

Finding your next home is a very exciting time for a family. If you’ve been thinking about ‘upsizing’ and want to find a house that checks your boxes, contact me and let’s get looking.

Have an amaZing day!

People First. Homes second. 

Garrett Zimmerman

Realtor

403.506.5795