As parents, our life is often built around and for our children. The greatest task of all is providing shelter above their heads. If you are considering to buy a property or a home to ‘grow’, here are six things to remember in search of that perfect family home.
Picture sourced from Today Online
Type of property to buy
What type of property are you looking for and how does it suit your family? If you have two or more kids, you would probably need more rooms and space to live in.
The time will come when your kids would want to have their own private space, away from their siblings. Sharing is no longer caring for kids at this stage of life.
A family of five or more could opt for landed homes with more than four rooms and perhaps three baths to accommodate everybody’s needs and personal space.
If you have a small family with one or two kids max, you might want to consider condominium units with three rooms at an average size of 1,200 sq ft. These units are spacious and extremely convenient.
Young couples could also opt for smaller units with two rooms at 1,000 sq ft. or below for a hassle-free lifestyle. Remember, you could always upgrade your home along the way especially when you have plans to expand the family.
Amenities are crucial to manage a family and run errands for them
Location is everything
For working parents, it is crucial to know if the area of interest can accommodate to your family’s lifestyle. Hence, location is primary in settling down the entourage for the long run. Research is key in making an informed decision.
Firstly, do not restrict yourself to one single location. If you fancy living in Wangsa Maju, get other similar locations like Wangsa Melawati or Setapak as a fall-back plan.
A property located within the reach of education is vital especially for families with young ones. Picture sourced from Malay Mail
Education resources is another element to look at. Do these areas have great schools? If you are settling down in an area like Wangsa Maju, rest assured that the area has great schools, both government and private learning institutions.
What about the connectivity? How long do you need to commute from the property to the school and right up to your workplace? Timing is crucial in getting things done daily. You wouldn’t want to spend most of your mornings stuck in jams from one location to another.
Take time to research for other transportation alternatives such as MRT or LRT that you can use besides personal vehicles.
Remember to take other external factors into consideration such as malls, mom and pops shops, launderettes, ‘mamaks’ as well as healthcare centers. It would be great to have some of these amenities within walking distance.
New property versus old property
Then there’s the constant debate of new versus older properties. Which would reign supreme? Firstly, let’s not discriminate properties based on its ‘age’.
Many observations have proven that older properties are more durable due to the quality of workmanship and materials used back in the days. The only thing that you need to splurge on is refurbishing these older properties with better pipping, wiring and paint. And that could cost you a bomb!
As for brand new properties, things are pretty much untouched and you will be the first tenant to live in it. Plus, the structures would still be in picture perfect shape. Just bear in mind that newer properties tend to face structural hiccups likes external cracks and hollow walls due to hasty work and cheaper materials used by some developers.
Inspections
It is always good to inspect the house before putting in any offers. For secondary properties, you do have the advantage of inspecting the house thoroughly before making any financial commitments or perhaps putting down a deposit for it.
You can inspect the property for any structural flaws. If you do have cash to splash, bring along your own architect, electrician and plumber to inspect the property for unwanted surprises.
As for properties that are under construction, such task is impossible as most developers would want you to pay up before getting the final product. A pretty risky situation to be in. To compensate it, you should do a background check on the developer instead. If they have any abandoned or doomed projects in the past, this is clearly a red flag for you to not purchase anything from them.
Money talks
We might get overly excited in the search for our family’s dream home. Who wouldn’t want the idyllic white picket fences home with lush green outdoor space for our children to play. But always remember to set your budget upfront.
As parents, we have countless of responsibilities and bills to pay while still being able to provide for the family. Do not exceed your budget and try to go below the estimated figure. Those extra cash will come in handy later, be it carrying out some fixer uppers or getting new furniture for your new home.
Picture yourself living in it
Picture yourself living in that chosen property and answer these questions:
• Are the facilities and amenities in your chosen area adequate?
• Can you live with the given space and infrastructure of the chosen property?
• Can the property live up to your expectations especially in providing the necessities to your family members?
• Is the property not a financial burden to you?
And of course;
• Are your kids excited to live in the new property?
If you have answered yes to all of the questions, then you have found your perfect family home!
All GIFs sourced from Giphy
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