For many millennials, owning a home before having children is a pipe dream. The majority of us are finding that kids come before being able to afford to get our hands on the keys to our very own property.
Finding your dream home when you already have kids comes with a different set of requirements than when getting on the property ladder as a couple. Local estate agents Stapleton Derby shared with us the most popular requirements families with kids look for when searching for a house.
1. A big garden
One of the most popular requirements when it comes to find a dream home for families with kids is a big garden. Having the space to be able to let the kids play to their heart’s content is very important to most families as well as having the space to add a shed to store all those amazing outdoor toys.
For many families the garden doesn’t haven’t to be perfect. As long as there’s lots of space, a gate to keep the kids safe and enough room for storage, most are happy. The work on creating a dream garden usually comes around a few years down the line.
2. Plenty of storage space
With kids come an awful lot of stuff and families need storage options to store this stuff. Families invariably look for properties that come with inbuilt wardrobes, cloakroom space and more often these days, walk-in wardrobes.
Houses that come with ready to go storage are a lot more popular with families as it saves on having to purchase extra items, making a house move even more expensive than it already is.
3. Near to good schools
Finding a good school really is a postcode lottery, so for families looking for a dream home, finding a property that is near to good school is very important. After all, there’s nothing more important than your child’s education.
Unfortunately, the better the schools, the more of a price tag is added to the property. Finding a dream property in a highly sought after area invariably leads to higher priority prices. But, the added cost is worth it in the long run!
4. Local amenities
For most families, what’s around the local area is very important. We find most families look for properties in the suburbs or in small villages where they’ll have access to parks, small shops and bars/restaurants.
Most families getting on the property ladder work hard and play hard, so having access to plenty of places where they can have lots of family days out is important to lots of families.
5. Good transport links
Many families who are able to get on the property ladder work full time so having good transport links is essential.
Whether that’s good access to a motorway so they can commute by car or finding a property close to a train station so they can travel into the nearest city, good infrastructure is a key element in finding a dream property.
What was the most important aspect when choosing your dream home?