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House Hunting with a Growing Family

01 April 2020

Searching for the perfect family home? The Block's Kyal and Kara walk us through what to look for when house hunting.

Transcript:

Exciting times ahead. If you're thinking of buying a home for you and your family, we've got some great tips for you to begin house-hunting.

This can be an overwhelming experience, so let's break it down and consider some points for each area of your home.

Let's start with the bedrooms.

Do you have teenagers that need a double bed and a study area or small children who need room to play? Or you may have two children sharing the one bedroom. One thing we do know, is you can never have enough storage. So when you're inspecting properties, be sure to check whether the rooms have built-ins or whether they can be installed down the track.

Now let's talk bathrooms.

Personally having an ensuite in a master bedroom is a big tick, but there are other things to consider. For example: Do you need a bath for young kids? Whatever you decide, bathrooms are usually one of the most expensive rooms in the home to renovate. So you need to consider - does it need an upgrade - and if so, factor it into your budget. 

In an ideal world, you walk into your perfect kitchen. But that's often not the case. So you'll need to work out whether a full kitchen renovation is required or whether you can look at options to upgrade, such as a freestanding kitchen unit.  

If catering for family visits is a big part of your lifestyle, don't be scared to remove a couple of internal walls to create an open plan feel, but make sure you engage a licensed builder and factor it into your budget. It's great to have a large dining table for entertaining, but if you're lacking space, you can look at design options such as using your island bench for both cooking and dining.

A good connection between the indoors and outdoors is ideal for entertaining, creating a sense of more space.  

Structures like decks and pergolas can be a cost-effective addition to turn the back of the house into an added outdoor living space. Speaking more broadly, if you're looking for a home with a vision to extend, you need to make sure that the block can accommodate your addition.  

It's a great idea to put pen to paper jotting down exactly what you’re after for each area of the home. And in doing this, more clearly identify the homes that work and the homes that don't.

Now we've given you some helpful tools, get out there and start looking for your home.

Happy house hunting!

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