New House Checklist

As I’ve mentioned a few times, we’re looking to move before the school year begins. Ideally, I’d like to move over the summer while I’m still on maternity leave and get us settled before the kids go back to school and I go back to work. But as I’ve learned with our many other moves, these things never fall exactly on your timeline but they always work out. So even though I’m not the type of person to be relaxed about anything, I’m trying to stress to much over the details and just accept it will work out. I also love moving and finding my next home project. We bought and renovated our current home knowing we’d only be there for a short period of time. We were trying out the burbs, trying our hand at a fixer upper and total gut renovation, and building a home for our young family. But our needs and family have grown, and well, I’m ready for my next projects. So… here we go again! As we search for our next home, I thought it would be helpful to organize our needs, wants and priorities by creating a what do I want in a house checklist.

The market is insane right now and we’ve found ourselves having to decide after one viewing if we want a house and getting into bidding wars. To avoid making an impulsive decision based on the pressure from the market, I really forced us to think about what do I want in a house and to actually write it down. I am a huge fan of lists, so creating a what do I want in a house checklist was a no-brainer, but I highly suggest it if you’re house hunting too. It helps ensure you and your partner are on the same page and let’s face it, some of house hunting is emotional. You see a space and can get swept away in the life you envision there and overlook some of the basic things that when you live there are really important. While I do feel like houses are a little like fate and you just fall for the right one or have a gut instinct about it, I also know that overlooking some of the practical elements can have a huge impact on you and your family and become really big issues. For example, I grew up in a house without a family room or hang-out space. There is a large kitchen in my parents house but it just has a table to eat at, not necessarily a place for the kids to play or the family to watch TV. My dad had a den where he would retreat to and we each had our own rooms but there wasn’t a space where we could all really hang out. As was the tradition then, the living and dining rooms were formal spaces that we didn’t dare ruin. We did have a finished basement with a pool table and huge TV that really should have been that space, but for some reason, we just never really hung out there until we were older and realized it was a great place to have friends away from the parents. It was of course a different time and its own family dynamic, but not having that common space to all hang out together impacted how close we were together. I want for my family to be able to have spaces to really hang out together and also spaces where my kids can be playing together or with their friends but I can still keep an eye on them. I’ve really seen firsthand how space can impact the family relationship, and so in thinking about what do I want in a house, making sure its conducive to family togetherness and bonding is top priority. But there are, of course practical concerns as well like the location of the laundry, an au pair/in-law suite, where the kids rooms are in proximity to us, a mud room or place for all the shoes, boots, backpacks, etc.

I thought it might be helpful to share our what do I want in a house checklist for anyone else looking for their first or next home. But please, tell me what is on your list or what you wish had been on your list.

What Do I Want in a House Checklist

Large open kitchen with island: I really want a space where we can cook together, where it’s easy to feed the kids, and where I can still keep an eye on the kids while prepping food.

Family room that opens up off the kitchen: I really feel like the kitchen is the heart of the home and where everyone hangs out. I think I’ll be much more inclined to cook if I can feel like I’m still able to watch the kids and participate in the family activities while prepping meals. At the same time, I don’t want the kids hovering over me and getting in the way while cooking so having a play/hang out space off of the kitchen feels like a great way to keep them from getting under my feet while allowing me to keep my eyes on them.

A fixer upper: I love projects and uncovering the potential in a home that has a weird layout or is dated or looked over. It’s a passion of mine and I look at our homes as projects that really fill my cup and fulfill me. And protest as he may, I think Andrew enjoys these projects too. You’ll see on the list, I’m not asking for anything to be updated or new. I’m not scared of wall to wall carpeting, dated wallpaper, or kitchen and baths in need of a reno. That’s part of the fun. I do prefer to not have to rewire an entire house, so having electrical that’s up to date is probably something we’d prioritize, but that also depends on the price.

Au-Pair/In-Law suite: With two working parents and young children, we are contemplating live-in help and want to ensure we have space for an au pair or for in-laws to stay over when we need the extra help.

Kids rooms near master: I don’t want to be on a different floor at night than the kids while they’re so young.

Big backyard: I want space for our kids and dog to run around and for us to host birthday parties and blow up the bounce house and all that. I have dreams of a swing set and trampoline for the kids and a vegetable garden for me. Ideally, this will be a yard we can fence in or get an electric fence for Ms. Dakota.

Garage and mud room set up: I’m a no wearing shoes in the house person and we need a place for all the shoes, sports gear, backpacks, coats, etc. to go when we walk in the house. Preferably this will off the garage so it’s easy.

Laundry in a convenient location: I don’t want to go to a dingy basement or garage to do laundry. I like having the laundry off the kitchen, but I’m told that having one upstairs by the bedrooms is life-changing. That might be something we’d be willing to add/change as part of a renovation.

Master suite: We’re willing to improve and add this on, but a master suite is key both for resale and for mom and dad to get their own private bath where they can try to escape for a little each day.

4-5+ bedrooms: Ideally, we’d love at least 5 bedrooms, but we can’t do any less than 4 to start. We’re open to add-ons but we want space for the kids and guests. We could always bunk up the two boys, but in the perfect world, we’d have at least five bedrooms to start. On that note, we really need at least 3 baths to go with the bedrooms.

Powder room on first floor: No one wants to have to go upstairs every time they have to go to the bathroom.

At least 2 stories: I’m just not a fan of ranches.

Large master his/hers closet: I work in fashion. I have a lot of clothes. I need space to put them all and my husband would like a space of his own that’s not overflowing with my clothes.

Ample closet space and storage: It makes such a difference with clutter etc. and I hate clutter. I also want to make sure there’s places for bikes, scooters, etc.

Playroom: Whether this is a basement or a dedicated space on another floor, I really appreciate having a room where all the toys go and the kids can just play in and destroy. I like to keep their bedrooms relatively free of toys so that aren’t up all night playing with toys etc. and so that they adopt the habit of playing in spaces where we can keep better watch.

Location: I have this far down the list but Andrew and I both anticipate needing to return to the office at some point, so commuting will be a part of our lives. We want to ensure we’re in close enough proximity to the train that we’re not adding on 20-30 minutes to our commute every day. We also want to make sure the schools in the area are top rated and that we are close enough to any clubs we would want to join. I’d love for a neighborhood feel as well with plenty of space to ride bikes around and all that fun stuff.

Home office: I will be working from home at least a few days a week and I have learned the importance of having a dedicated office space.

Central AC: We’re willing to put this in if the house is right, but would be great to have it already installed.

Electrical: We had to basically rewire our entire home during renovations just to bring it up to code. It was a lot of work and not cheap. While we won’t completely rule out a place with dated electrical, we’d really like to not have that headache when moving in.

Solid driveway: It doesn’t need to be a mile long or allow for 20 cars to park, but I want ample space in our driveway for our cars, caretakers or guests’ cars and to get bikes, strollers, etc. out. I do also like being slightly tucked away from the street for privacy and safety with young kids.

Classic exterior: While I don’t mind additions or paint jobs, I want the outside of the home and its bones to work and to be something I love. Exteriors can be massive undertakings to redo and I don’t think we can do that with a newborn and young kids and frankly, we just don’t have that experience or knowledge. I would love a classic saltbox, colonial or georgian home as a starting point.

I’m sure we’ll be updating this list frequently but let me know if there’s anything on your list or things you wish you had considered before buying your home.