What Families with Kids Look for When Buying a Home in Ottawa

Families vary from one to the other with many factors affecting the type of property one would purchase including the number of kids in the family, whether there are one or two parents in the picture as well as how old the kids are. This is part 1 of my 2 part article on buying a home when you have kids.

Bedrooms and Bathroom Count

How many bedrooms do you need? If you have more than one child will some of them be sharing a bedroom? Another important aspect is the location of these bedrooms. If the kids are younger some may prefer not to make a kids bedroom in the basement and will prefer to have younger children on the same level as the master bedroom.

Getting ready for work or for school in the morning can be hard if only one bathroom is available in the home. One may opt for a property that offers two full bathrooms or perhaps an ensuite bathroom in the master bedroom allowing the parents to get ready at the same time as the kids in the morning. If two bathrooms is not an option you could work out a schedule or have them take a shower the night before.

Storage Space

Kids have stuff. From clothing for different seasons to holiday decorations or sports equipment. Make sure you have enough space in closets, under stairs or in a storage locker to put all of this stuff away. Alternatively, one could use a storage locker off-site and pay a monthly rental fee. Do you have friends or family with a large property with lots of storage space? Maybe they can store some of those items for you.

Choosing the Right Neighbourhood in Ottawa

Kids go to school and they do this on the daily. Choosing a property close to your kid's school could save time if they are old enough to commute to and from school on their own. Most buyers will want to research the neighbourhood and this includes looking up the schools in the neighbourhood. Be sure to use a tool to see the school boundaries and attendance districts. How about being to close shopping centre, daycares, grocery stores or even parks, community centres for their evening and weekends activities.

Be sure to check back next week for more tips and things to look for when buying a home with kids.

Are you buying a home for your family and want to discuss your real estate needs? Call Roch St-Georges, Ottawa real estate agent with EXIT Realty Matrix at 613-889-7732 to chat about your goals.