How Much Space Do You Actually Need? Picking The Right Apartment

Do you need space to swing a cat (metaphorically speaking of course)? It’s a personal preference as to how much space you need in your home but it’s one of the most important factors in how you live. While moving can be a daunting task, finding a new place to live can be exciting as it often signals the start of a new chapter in your life. Like a hermit crab, you need to make sure you have the right amount of space to grow into. This article will help guide you on some key factors before you make the big commitment of purchasing or renting your next apartment.

What Factors Do You Need To Take Into Account?

Space is important because it provides a mix of comfort and safety. Our home is our sanctuary, our bunker where we rest and relax and prepare to take on the world every day. Some of us dream of a large house on an expansive property however, an apartment can provide benefits over a house including affordability, location and lower maintenance.

There are many factors to consider when choosing how much space you need in your home. Some of these factors will be obvious to you and others may be a subconscious need that you haven’t necessarily considered yet.

The most important things to consider are the lessons you’ve learnt from living in your current home. What do you like and dislike about where you’re living now? Was it too big, too dark, too old? Perhaps you thought about having more storage space, or a bigger bathroom with a bathtub, or maybe it was too big and cleaning was taking too long. Have a wander around your current home and consider your experience living there. Take notes about what you like and dislike about it, what you would leave the same and what you would change, this will help you create a wish list for your next home.

Some other things to consider include:

• Layout
• Number of bedrooms and bathrooms
• Ceiling height as well as natural and artificial light
• Kitchen including appliances
• Laundry facilities
• Living and work spaces

How Will You Use The Space?

Over the course of your life, you will most likely live in a vast array of different styles of homes. Most of us start in our parents’ home and from there our home can vary from university dorm rooms to share houses to a small private home. Everyone has different needs as they get older.

Do you or your family members work from home? Then a quiet area away from the family will be important to you. If you entertain often you’ll want a large open entertaining area or balcony to have guests over. Whether or not you like to cook can mean the difference between having a kitchenette with a single hob and a large kitchen with all the bells and whistles.

Are you a young single professional who has a busy social life? Perhaps a conveniently situated studio apartment is more than sufficient to give you a place to shower, sleep and store your clothes. Have you got a family, how old are your kids? Little kids need less space but they grow up quickly. Planning for the future can save you another move in a few years time.

Some other things to consider include:

• How many residents and are they children or adults
• Lifestyle
• Age
• Personal needs
• Indoor v outdoor space
• Cleaning rituals
• The bonus room – home offices/workshops/craft rooms/rumpus rooms

Consider Your Budget

Put together a budget for your living expenses. A little planning here will go a long way in giving you comfort in your financial security once you get settled. Ideally, you want to be spending no more than 30%-40% of your net income on your cost of living. This will include your rent/mortgage repayments as well as utilities, rates, body corporate fees and so on. Be mindful of external factors that could affect your cost of living over time such as interest rates or increases in utility charges. A little wiggle room now will leave you with peace of mind in the long run.

Don’t be put off if you feel you may be limited by your budget on various items in your wishlist. Compromises can be made that can give you the benefit of having your cake and eating it too. For example, instead of living in your ideal suburb, you may be able to find an area that’s near enough for less money. Or, perhaps you can forego a separate study by designating a corner of your living room to put a desk.

At the end of the day, it’s about comfort and you are the best judge. Speak with your real estate agent about this as they will have years of experience finding the right balance between living requirements and budget.

Not Sure What To Look For? Contact Amazing Apartments Today!

At Amazing Apartments, we specialise wholly and solely in finding the right apartment for the right person. We have helped thousands of Brisbanites find their dream home. Get in touch with us today on 07 3157 5836 to discuss your ideal apartment and put us to work to help you find it.