5 Things to Keep in Mind When Buying a Bigger House

Upgrading to a larger home can be life changing as well as costly. Beyond the price of the home, bigger houses come with greater expenses and require more of a homeowner’s spare time. Below are five home buying tips to consider when moving into a larger house.

Be Prepared for Higher Utilities

A larger home often means more energy consumption and higher utility bills. For instance, more energy will be needed to heat and cool a larger home, and a bigger yard will require more watering. Swimming pool pumps are one of the most significant consumers of energy in homes, so properties with swimming pools may have even higher utility bills.

Budget Extra for Furnishings and Decorations

The additional space in a larger home may require homeowners to purchase more furniture and decorating pieces. This can be a costly and time-consuming process. You may need to buy even more furniture than planned, as furniture from smaller homes does not always fit the scale of a larger home. For instance, that loveseat couch may have looked great in the old living room, but a two-piece sectional may work better for a larger room.

Schedule More Cleaning Time

Even with a handy chore schedule, a home with more square footage usually takes a longer time to clean. You can take on these additional responsibilities themselves, or you can contact a professional housecleaning service.

Be Ready for More Maintenance Work

Moving from a small house to a larger one means more ground will need to be covered in terms of maintenance. For example, having more bathrooms means potentially more clogged toilets and stopped-up sinks. Also, since a larger home often offers a bigger yard, the additional landscape will require more time spent mowing and gardening.

Beware of Accumulated Junk

One of the benefits of upgrading to a bigger home is having more storage space—bigger closets, larger garages, and even outdoor storage units. Having more storage options can be useful, but it can also give you an opportunity to accumulate and store more unneeded items. Extra clutter can make the home seem smaller, so keep organized and make strategic shopping choices to reduce the amount of junk in their homes.

To truly enjoy a new, larger house, be prepared to spend even more time and money settling in and keeping things up. Although the higher bills and extra maintenance involved in buying a new home may be a hassle, it’s definitely worth it in the long run.