It’s fair to say that most people dream of having a massive house when they’re older. You want something with loads of space, a huge garden, en-suites for every bedroom, and so on. You’re probably never going to find this absolute mansion of your dreams, so you settle for less. However, when looking for a home, you still want something that’s pretty big.
The problem is that big and spacious houses are the most expensive ones on the market. If you can afford them, then good for you, totally not jealous at all!! However, a lot of us can get sucked into spending a lot of money on a big house just because it’s big. In reality, you could probably have had a smaller house and still got the space you need to feel comfortable.
It begs the question: how much space do you actually need in a home?
Bedrooms
How many bedrooms do you really need to have? If you’re a family of 3, a 2 bedroom home is all you need. Unless, of course, you plan on expanding your family in the future or regularly have guests staying over. In which case, a 3 bedroom house might be better for you.
But, if you live alone or with a partner, you don’t need many bedrooms at all. Even having one child won’t mean you need a massive house with loads of space. In reality, you can find 2 bedroom apartments for rent that provide enough space for a small family, so why would you fork out lots of cash on a massive house? Considering how many bedrooms you actually need will help you figure out how much space you need in your house.
Bathrooms
Along with bedrooms, many houses advertise the number of bathrooms. Again, be realistic, do you need more than one bathroom? In the majority of cases, two or more bathrooms are a luxury. You can save so much money by buying a home that only has one, instead of one that boasts two.
En-suites and extra bathrooms aren’t essential and don’t add anything to the home experience. You can find lovely homes with one bathroom and plenty of space for you and your family to enjoy yourselves in.
Floor space
Now, this is really the main thing for you to worry about. Sure, you need a house with the right number of bedrooms. However, you need to take the floor space into account. How much room is there in a house? How much space is in each room for you to put furniture in, storage, etc? Some houses seem big because they have multiple bedrooms, but each room has limited floor space, meaning the home looks large on the outside but small on the inside.
Look for homes that give you ample floor space to put all of your furniture and still have room to breathe. Again, going back to apartments, you can find spacious ones with only one floor of living space, but you get more floor space than you would in a house with two floors.
Ultimately, it’s all about sizing up a house and thinking about the space your family needs. By being realistic and understanding how much space is needed to live comfortably, you can save money by downsizing.