Ad| If you’re like me, you probably spend a lot of time fantasising about the home you’ll eventually buy. I spend a LOT of time on Zoopla browsing for properties. I find it very comforting to imagine that one day I’ll own a home and it will be somewhere safe and secure. I think some of that longing comes from having moved around a LOT.
I’ve lived in 11 homes in the last 13 years, some of them for less than a year before circumstances meant needing to pack everything up and move again. You could say I’ve become somewhat of an expert. You’d be wrong, but you could.
Moving house can be pretty stressful. You often have a huge to-do list, which includes a lot of life admin and a LOT of packing. But house hunting itself can be kinda fun and it’s very easy to get carried away, so I wanted to take a moment to talk to you about choosing the right sized flat/apartment for you.
If you’re living in the UK, we usually price homes by number of rooms and our homes are smaller than their Canadian counterparts. In Canada, like many other countries, homes are valued by their total square footage, which you’ll see if you look at these Calgary Homes for Sale.
Wherever you live, the key to finding the right sized home for you is to look for a home that is the size you need but also within your budget. But how do you know what sized home you should be looking for?
Well, you need a minimum of enough bedrooms to accommodate everyone who will be living in the property. If you can afford it, you could also consider a spare bedroom for guests to stay in or to rent out in the future. If you work from home or have a hobby that you’d like to dedicate space to then that might also influence the amount of rooms you need.
When it comes to determining how much square footage you need in your apartment, there are a few ways you can go about this.
Firstly, do you know the dimensions of your current home? You might already be aware of your home’s square footage. If not, look for floor plans in the listing where you found your house or get the measuring tape out. Once you know the size of the apartment you live in now, you can ask yourself whether you’re looking for a similar sized apartment or something bigger or smaller.
An important thing to consider is whether or not your new home will have enough space for your possessions. Does the bedroom have enough space for your bed and all your belongings? Is your sofa too big for the apartment?
I recommend measuring your furniture and then creating a floor plan to see whether the space is a good fit for you and your stuff. This will also save you time after moving because you’ll know in advance where everything will go!
You can easily create a floor plan on paper or on your computer. A software as simple as paint or Google docs can help you create a to scale image of your floor plan (which also allows you to drag and drop elements around until you have things figured out).
If you’re making a non-digital floor plan, I recommend using graph paper because you can easily figure out the measurements. Cut out your furniture to size and move them around a to-scale floor plan until you’re happy with the layout.
When viewing a property, whether in person or via video link, make sure you make a note of windows, radiators and anything else that might affect your furniture positioning but might not be included in the floor plan.
If you are moving into a smaller home, use it as an opportunity to de-clutter and even sell some unwanted items on eBay, Depop or Vinted for some extra cash. We’re actually in the process right now of moving from our cottage into an attic to save money for our future.
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