Top 5 Checklist: Does Your Home Still Match Your Lifestyle?

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Change is inevitable.

We change things almost daily, from our wardrobe to our meal choices to the activities we to enjoy on the weekend. But how about where we live and spend most of our time?

Your home was the perfect havn when you bought it. But how about now?

We’ve listed our 5 key areas that are worth weighing up to check if your home is still right for you…

 

Rooms

Our homes often grow and decrease in occupants. And when this happens, our homes adjust by either increasing or decreasing in the space that’s available.

Bedrooms

How many do you have? Are there enough to for your growing children to have a room of their own or do you now have an exercise room, a macrame room and a yoga room?

Are you limited to a double bed due to lack of square footage in your primary room, or do you actually need one more for when friends or family come to visit?

Speaking of family, would having a suite in your home be the perfect way for your parents or in-law’s to come stay for short visits or perhaps move into as they get older?

Bathrooms

Perhaps your home has the morning battle for who gets to use the bathroom first in the morning, or do you now have second or third bathrooms sitting empty and unused?

Is there space to add a bathtub so you can relax on Sunday evenings before you start the work week, or perhaps you might like to remodel your current bathroom space and furnish it with more modern features and fixtures.

Storage

Are your spare rooms piled high with boxes because your cupboards and wardrobes are already bursting at the hinges? Are there restrictions on which vehicles can be stored outside, so your garage is now housing the car, boat and/or the camper along with all the sports equipment?

Living Areas

Are you a family that often entertains friends or guests and would benefit from a larger dinner table or sectional to all sit around?

Perhaps your family has grown in size, and it would actually be nice for the kids to play their video games in a separate living area to let you catch up on your favourite show or enjoy an hour of quiet time.

 

Kitchen

A space reserved for making school lunches, following recipes, and also sitting around to enjoy breakfast each morning. But, is it large enough?

Does your kitchen have enough bench space for your toaster, kettle and smoothie maker to be at arm’s reach? If not, are there enough cupboards to store the items that get less used? Perhaps you need extra storage space to stack your pots, add your extra set of wine glasses or all that Tupperware that seems to always accumulate out of nowhere?

Is your kitchen too dim? Would you prefer your kitchen to have a larger window to let in more natural light or to give you a view when cooking dinner each evening? Is this something you could look to add to a potential renovations list, or is it simply a ‘not possible’?

On the topic of renovations, might an update to the cabinetry change the feel of your space – pick out some lighter colours to brighten things up or go for a cool-sounding colour like sage that will keep you feeling trendy.

Are there literally too many cooks in the kitchen with elbows being bumped when you’re trying to have breakfast in the mornings? Is your sink piling up with dirty dishes because your home came with that pesky manual dish washing option…

 

Outdoor Living

If you’re like many of us where there’s an indoor plant in every direction you look and too many are touching the ceiling, you might like to expand your green thumb into the great outdoors. Is there space to plant that apple tree or get started on that vege garden you’ve been dreaming of?

Having an outdoor area to entertain is wonderful, whether you have a space to BBQ or get more creative with a pizza oven, enjoy a wine in the evening on your new patio furniture or a pool to cool off in summer.

Is having space outdoors to enjoy one thing, but would you prefer the space you do have to have more privacy? Is it time to consider fencing options, or is it time to relocate to a home that has more space between you and your neighbours?

 

Location and Proximity

There are probably many things that still tick the boxes from when you purchased your current home, but perhaps your family has grown and being closer to schools (or particular ones) are higher on your preference list.

Have you changed jobs and the commute time is beginning to eat up too much of your day, and pocket? Perhaps you’re finding that with the rising cost of fuel, being closer to public transport amenities would be preferable – feeling happier to commute by train or bus for work, take a bag or two with you to get groceries and head out for a night with friends without the higher taxi fare.

Is your home in the right neighbourhood for you? Perhaps the noise from the highway wasn’t a big deal at the beginning, but now with young children you’d like a quieter neighbourhood and perhaps one that’s more family friendly. Has the crime rate changed since you moved in or you’d like to be in an area with more locals your age?

 

Lifestyle

Bottom line, do you live where you love to be? Are you still perfectly at home amongst the hustle and bustle of the city or would you prefer to move further out of town and find a larger acreage to enjoy. Perhaps a hobby farm so you can get some chickens, a goat, or bunnies for the kids. Are you currently restricted from having these due to clauses in your building scheme?

Perhaps you’re thinking of swapping city life for lake life and thinking of a move closer to your favourite waterfront location.

Aside from being close to work for commute time and schools for the kids, think about if you live close to what you and your family enjoy doing in your spare time?

Would you prefer to have more mountain trails to go hiking or biking on the weekends, did you grow up skiing and wish you could enjoy winter more often without the long drive or timely traffic commute.

Perhaps you currently live too remote for your liking and would like to be closer to town where everything is in walking distance, or where you have convenient access to public transport so you can get around more hassle-free when you need to.

Our homes are our sanctuary. It’s where we build memories, hold memories and where we come to turn off work life and enjoy down time with our loved ones. It’s important that your home is your havn, and that it’s not only enjoyable but functional for your needs.

 

 

If you’re thinking that it might be time to consider a new location, a larger or smaller home or even find out just what the market value looks like currently, our market experts are only a call away and are more than happy to help answer any questions you might have.

Stilhavn. It’s where change begins.