Forget Extra Bedrooms — Consider These 3 Real Estate Elements Instead

When many shoppers look at real estate, they focus on a few commonly valued features. One of the biggest of these is having lots of bedrooms. But should you base your home shopping on the number of bedrooms alone? For many, the number of bedrooms could be less valuable a metric than other factors. Here are three to pay attention to instead.  

1. The Size of Entertainment Areas

Once you have enough bedrooms for the number of people actually living in your home, additional bedrooms may not be very valuable. How often are you really going to have more than one guest bedroom in use? Do you really need a full room for your wrapping paper or craft hobby?

For many Americans, the ability to entertain guests for a day or evening is a more valuable use of home space. If this is your style, focus on the kitchen's size and functionality, outdoor living areas, and public reception rooms. These are more likely to be used more often. 

2. A Logical Floor Plan

The flow of traffic in a home can make it more comfortable or less so, regardless of how many rooms it has. If you have to traverse the entire main floor to find a bathroom or your kids must pass through conversations in the living room to get to the family room, you'll soon grow tired of the space. Instead of using size as the primary selling point, consider how logically and easily you can go about daily activities in it.

3. The Ability to Add On

Perhaps you're looking at the number of bedrooms because you feel you may need them in the future. But the future can always change. Instead, think about how each potential house might be altered down the road.

For instance, a single-family home should have the lot space to add on bedrooms if family plans change. What about the interior? Could you eventually turn a home office into a guest suite when Grandma comes to stay? What about expanding into family rooms or cover patios? The more flexible the home, the less you have to try to predict the future while still being prepared for it. 

If you focus on how you really use your home's space and how you might be able to adapt it, the amount and size of current bedrooms becomes less important. Learn more about all your layout options by consulting with a real estate agent like one from TEU Real Estate Corporation in your area today.