Location, price tag, and square footage are not the only factors that should influence your decision when buying a family home.
Apart from the design elements that are mandatory for your convenience and comfort, it is also important to think ahead and pinpoint the features that will ensure a quality lifestyle for you and your loved ones in the future. If you are hoping to grow your family in the coming years, you may want to take another look at your house-hunting checklist and reevaluate your non-negotiables and nice-to-haves.
If you already have a young one running around the house or are planning to start a family in five or so years, here are a few things you should take into account when narrowing down your search for an optimally functioning home.
What to Look for When Buying a Family Home?
Whether you are buying a house for the first time or planning to upgrade your residence to accommodate your growing family, here are the top features that you should look for.
Ideal Neighbourhood
With or without children, the right neighbourhood can make all the difference when buying a house.
Needless to say, once you have a family, your lifestyle can change rather drastically. Therefore, you may want to live in a neighbourhood that offers easy access to at least a few well-reputed schools. In addition, consider searching for gated communities with an abundance of parks and recreational spaces that will keep your family entertained and active. You may also want to live close to family and friends who can visit or help out when need be.
Logically, densely populated areas are generally more convenient as you are likely to find many amenities and facilities without having to travel too far. However, on the flip side, such neighbourhoods tend to be rather loud and busy. You would probably also have to deal with traffic congestion and lack of public parking spaces while living in crowded areas.
Furthermore, some of the key features of family-friendly neighbourhoods include low crime rates, easy access to playgrounds, reduced speed limits, and a community-centric lifestyle.
Convenient Layout
Children may be small in size, but they certainly require a lot of space.
If you are wondering what to look for in a family home, consider adding additional bedrooms to your checklist. As your kids grow, they will want their own space to study, play, and relax. Alternatively, you can look for a property that you can expand with time. For example, if you buy a single-storey house, you can always construct a new portion on the rooftop in the future. However, please make sure to read the housing society’s bylaws before proceeding with such projects.
Another feature to keep in mind when buying a family home is an open kitchen and living room, which would allow you to keep an eye on your young ones as they play or watch television. Moreover, consider looking for a property with a small backyard or a garden where you can set up a set of swings or create a play area for your children.
Plenty of Storage Space
One of the most important things to do before buying a house is to determine if it has adequate storage space.
Children’s clothes, toys, books, food, utensils, and other stuff take a lot more space than most people realise. Therefore, if you want to keep your space as clean and organised as possible at all times, you should consider purchasing a home that has an abundance of storage spaces.
Apart from closets, a family home should ideally have a pantry to store kitchen essentials, a separate storeroom, and built-in bookcases that can also make your place look sleek and visually appealing. From additional drawers and cabinets in the kitchen to extra shelves in the bathroom, you will need every bit of storage space in a home filled with kids.
However, if you are unable to find such a property in your budget, you can always invest in furniture with additional storage space. You can also check out our guide on building additional storage where there is none for some affordable ideas.
Child-Friendly Stairways
Generally, single-storey houses are ideal for small families. After all, who would want to climb an entire flight of stairs, several times a day, while holding their baby?
However, if you end up buying a one-unit or double-storey house, please make sure to pay special attention to the width and height of the stairway. In addition, please determine if the railing is sturdy enough to hold a person’s weight if they were to lose their footing while trudging up the stairs.
Since one of the top things to look for in a family home is its safety features, homebuyers must ensure the staircases in their future home are wide enough to accommodate a baby gate. Please remember that winding and steep stairways flanked by spindled railings on both sides won’t allow you to install a baby gate. You should also properly secure carpets or runners to your stairs to avoid any accidents. Similarly, it may be a good idea to choose a house with a well-lit staircase.
For more tips, please feel free to check out our guide on how to make your stairs safe for kids.
Easy Access for Strollers
This is yet another thing people must keep in mind when buying a house for the first time.
If you are planning to start a family soon, please make sure to buy a home with a stroller-friendly entrance that doesn’t require you to climb a set of stairs to get inside. Although many may not realise it, pushing a stroller through stairs whenever you leave the house can become quite tiresome. Similarly, hauling it back inside while carrying a baby in your arms could be just as difficult.
Therefore, one of the top things to look for in a family home is if it has a wide enough door to accommodate your stroller. Moreover, it is a plus point if a property has additional storage space near the entrance where you can keep your stroller when it is not being used.
It is really easy to overlook such details during the home buying process, but if you are planning to start a family soon, you will thank us for this tip.
Scratch Resistant Floor
Hardwood floors may enhance the aesthetics of your house and make your interior design look even more elegant, but they can also easily get scratched due to the wheels of the stroller. Of course, you can coat your floors with a layer of polyurethane to protect the surface, but even that won’t protect your floors from spills, stains, and other blemishes that they will unavoidably endure on the hands of your kids.
Whether you are buying a house for the first time or upgrading from your current residence, please consider installing scratch-resistant flooring in your new home. Fortunately, vinyl is considered one of the best flooring options for high-traffic areas. This material is largely resistant to water damage, stains, scratches, and warping. It is also not as slippery as marble or porcelain. Furthermore, vinyl flooring is rather affordable and easy to clean, making it a perfect solution for households with kids.
This brings us to the end of our guide on what to look for in a family home. If you have any questions regarding the topic or want to share a few tips of your own, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at blog@zameen.com.
Meanwhile, here are a few more guides that you may find helpful.
- Here’s How to Make Your Home Safe for Children
- How to Make Your Balcony Safe for Kids
- Best Flooring Options for a Home with Young Children
- Tips to Set up a Play Area for Kids in a Small Space
For more tips on buying a family home, please stay connected to Zameen Blog. You can also visit our Facebook page and hit the like button to learn about the latest real estate trends in Pakistan.
