When buying a piece of Kitsilano real estate, there are already qualities you know you will be searching for. You will want a certain number of bedrooms, you will want it to be in a great location, you may be looking for a large master bathroom, and so on.
Beyond these personal requirements, you may not know what to look for that would suggest that home will be higher quality or more pleasant to live in. To help steer you on the right path, here are the best traits and home amenities that add value and long-term enjoyment to a house:
Hardwood Floors
Even if you did not realize it, hardwood floors are a practical must in a home — at least in the common, high-traffic areas. Carpets eventually get dirty and need to be replaced over time. Yet, this rarely happens. Seeing a 10- to 15-year-old carpet with a dingy pile and a squashed underlay is not at all an uncommon sight, even in high-value homes.
By contrast, hardwood floors have lower maintenance, can last many decades and add no small amount of lustre and charm to a home’s personality. Unlike carpets, they do not trap allergens, either.
A Spacious Kitchen
Kitchen renovations are all the rage these days, but a kitchen space does not have to have granite counters and a Peking duck oven to be desirable. On the other hand, it should have enough counter space and floor space to allow you to work. The kitchen should also have ample storage in the form of cabinetry, a pantry and the occasional nifty space-saver like a built-in paper towel rack.
Even if you hardly cook, homes with small kitchens are difficult to resell years down the road.
New Appliances
New appliances are not just about having the latest and greatest. Energy efficiency standards in North America have gone up dramatically in the past six to eight years, so appliances older than that will cut into your utility bill every month. They also lack the efficiency to get the job done in an appreciable way. Just try a newer electric stove range compared to one from the 1990s to see what we mean.
“Appliances” does not just refer to machines in the kitchen, either. Look for a recent-model hot water heater, furnace and air conditioner as well.
A Solid Roof and Gutters
Gutters may not exactly be glamorous home amenities, but they serve an important job. Without them, water would fall straight from the roof onto the foundation, making structural problems and leaks are more likely to occur. Look for gutters in genuinely good condition, not just ones recently painted over.
Likewise, visually inspect the roof for the condition of the shingles. Have a home inspector climb up there and look for potential leak sources before you make your final offer, as well.
These amenities will ensure that your home will have a general high level of quality even if they are something you did not think to prioritize yourself. For more advice on buying Kitsilano real estate or to get help viewing listings you love, take a look at our properties page.