By
Francesca Kaye, Marketing Manager at Newby
Finding the perfect family home can be tricky
– can a property really tick all the boxes? Which boxes are more important than
the others?
Buying a family home before your family
is complete can be even more difficult – and often we see property owners
deciding to move house faster than they expected as their home no longer works
for them once the reality of having little ones sets in.
At Newby we’re currently working on a luxury,
family focused development – West House Gardens in the picturesque village of Birstwith
– so we’ve been giving lots of thought to what makes an ideal family home.
·
Room to grow – it sounds obvious but consider how many bedrooms you may need in
the future. Is a spare room essential – will you have friends and family coming
to stay regularly? Do you need a study?
·
Avoid the ‘box’ room – kids will argue over anything. If one has a box room and the
other is in a large double it’s a recipe for sibling rivalry!
·
Community – look for somewhere you can imagine being part of the local community.
You’ll be forging new connections through children, whether it’s at the local
school or linked to sports or hobbies.
·
Amenities to suit you – it’s handy to be able to grab a pint of milk at the end of the
road and to be able to walk somewhere for dinner – but for some people having plenty
of cycle routes and outdoor activities close by are more important.
·
Car parking – is there plenty of room for the cars you have in your family? You
won’t want to park miles away if you have a sleeping child in a car seat, or bags
of shopping to unload whilst supervising a toddler. It was essential to us that
all of our homes at West House Gardens have two parking spaces.
·
Plenty of bathrooms – a downstairs toilet is always handy with kids, as is a bath.
·
Open plan living – this has become much more popular over recent years and it
certainly has its advantages for family life. It’s handy to be able to keep an
eye on little ones whilst getting on with jobs, and for you all to be able to
spend time relaxing together in larger rooms.
·
A kitchen diner – having somewhere to eat in the kitchen – even if it’s not your
main dining area – can be handy whilst children are still in high chairs and
feeding is potentially a long and messy process!
·
Garage or outdoor storage
space – consider where you’ll keep items such as
bikes, scooters and pushchairs.
·
Family friendly – smaller family-focused estates, such as West House Gardens which
has 33 homes, can be ideal for finding families with children of a similar age.
Having friends on the doorstep can be very useful!
·
Utility room – having somewhere to store muddy boots, wet coats and piles of
washing can be invaluable.
·
Low maintenance garden – unless you’re very into gardening, a low maintenance garden might
be preferable to begin with and you can make your mark over time. Plenty of grass
for young ones to play on, but with secure fencing and gates, is ideal. If
there’s playgrounds, fields and places to walk to nearby, that gives the best
of both worlds without all the upkeep for you.
·
Lots of electrical outlets – with gadgets galore to charge, particularly as they get older,
having plenty of electrical outlets is important.
·
Space for a playroom – if it’s at all possible, having a room where you can close the
doors on the toys when they’re all in bed is definitely worth its weight in gold.
So, if you find a house that ticks all
those boxes – it might be time to make an offer!
At Newby,
we are working on a range of developments in Harrogate, York, Glasshouses and
Birstwith. For more information please email sales@newby.co.uk or call 01423
326 336.
