At some point, most homeowners face a scenario like this: they are living in a home that once suited their family well, but over time, has ceased to do so.
Maybe you’re someone who bought your home when you had multiple kids at home, and now you are an empty nester. Or maybe the opposite is true: you bought your home as a single person, and you have since gotten married and had a child (or two or three). There is also the case where a family buys a home that is within their budget at the time, but since that time, their salaries have increased and now they want to upgrade their living situation accordingly. In addition, neighborhoods change over time, or the things you may have thought you wanted in a home when you first bought it have changed as well.
There’s a show on HGTV called “Love it or List It.” In each episode of the show, a family has their current home renovated in an attempt to turn it into their dream home. While it is being renovated, they are also working with a real estate agent to shop for a new home. At the end of the show, the family is presented with their newly remodeled home and a home on the market and asked to make a choice: stay in their current home or list it for sale and buy a new one.
While this makes for an interesting television show, doing things this way isn’t exactly a realistic option for most people.
As you consider whether to renovate your current home or sell it and move to a new one, here are a few things to keep in mind, from the perspective of an architect in Long Beach, CA:
Do You Have Lots of “Deal-Breakers” When It Comes to a Home?
If you plan on your next home being your forever home, you probably have a lot of “must haves” and “deal-breakers.” Depending on how specific they are, you could have trouble finding a house on the market that meets all your criteria and is within your budget. Have an honest conversation with a real estate agent and ask him or her if you will realistically be able to find what you are looking for. If you don’t have a real estate agent you can really trust, search the MLS on your own to see what’s out there in your price range.
If you discover that a home that has everything you need and want doesn’t exist, it might be time to talk to an architect about turning your current home into your forever home. Depending on your budget for a remodel, you may not have to make any compromises, and you could end up with a home that has all of the space and features you ever wanted in a home!
How Do You Like Your Current Neighborhood?
I’m not a real estate agent, but the ones I do know will tell you that the most important consideration when buying a new home is the neighborhood in which the home is located. While it can be hard to gauge a neighborhood when you’re house hunting, as a homeowner, you have the advantage of already knowing if your current home is in a great neighborhood or not.
If you really like your current neighborhood, you should definitely consider working with an architect to remodel your current home. Even if your home is far from your dream home in terms of design and space, you might be surprised how much a talented and creative architect in Long Beach can do to transform it!
Do You Have the Patience Necessary for a Remodeling Project?
For some people, the idea of a remodeling project is exciting, but for others, it can sound like a nightmare. As an architect in Long Beach, when I work with a new client, I always do my best to give them a realistic idea of what they can expect from a major home remodeling project. The process definitely takes time and requires patience.
If you’ll be living in the home while it’s under construction, it can be a major disruption to your home life. Be honest with yourself about whether or not you and your family will be able to handle a major home remodel. If you can, the home remodeling process can certainly be highly rewarding, because in the end, you will have a home that you had a part in designing and is perfectly suited to your lifestyle!
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