Ever had one of those “If I’d Only Known” experiences, especially when it comes to a home purchase or rental? Perhaps the square footage sounded right but the layout turned out to be “wrong” for your needs. Or perhaps something that looked beautiful to the eye turned out to be completely nonfunctional or full of hassle. We’ve been there and thought we’d share a few of our key learnings over the course of the next few months. We hope this will be helpful for you house hunters out there as well as your real estate agents!
Let’s start with closets and countertops…
If you’ve ever had a walk-in closet that sits within your master bathroom, you know how inconvenient it can be to get dressed and ready for work while your significant other or roommate is showering. Personal space is important so keep that in mind when looking at closet locations.
The amount of shelving and hanging racks can also be critical depending on the size of the property and your personal needs. Some folks have to ensure they have enough room for the children’s clothes. Others shoes and business wear, sports equipment or maybe office supplies. In most cases – they need all of the above. Not to mention the his-and-her component plus considerations for family and friends who want to visit. Make sure everyone feels they have ample space for their belongings if budget allows. Nobody wants to feel cramped. Make sure you think through how things will unfold and if you need to consider an additional storage unit based on the available space within the unit rather than using that second bedroom for storage.
Another area that requires space considerations is the countertop. This includes both bathrooms and kitchens. For the bathroom, if you prefer to leave your electric razor, electric toothbrush, hair dryer, hair straightener or curlers on the counter in the bathroom, MAKE SURE there are enough electrical outlets and countertop space to support those items. If you don’t need much countertop space, we recommend you consider how much drawer space is available in the bathrooms for storage purposes and to ensure you have ample room for the essentials. That could include ensuring there’s enough room under the sink for cleaning supplies depending on how you like to set up your bathroom.
The same applies for the kitchen. Depending on the set up, you may have room under the sink for cleaning supplies or you may not. It depends on your personal preferences, priorities and the layout of the home. Countertop space seems to come up a lot in our day to day conversations when it comes to cooking. If you love cooking, you’ll want to ensure you have ample countertop space for prep. If that’s not a major priority for your needs or your family’s needs, we encourage you to check on the number of drawers and cabinets to hold your pots, pans, utensils and silverware. (Don’t forget about a spot for those delivery menus!).
Also keep an eye out for the placement of the refrigerator versus stovetop versus oven(s) versus sink versus dishwasher. It can get a bit tight if they’re directly across from another.
We will spend more time on kitchen considerations next month. Until then, happy house hunting!
