|
|
|
|
Massachusetts Real Estate, Worcester County Ma
Home Truths
|
Regret buying that three-story with a thousand stairs?
Stricken with family-room envy? So are these parents.
Here's how to learn from their mistakes and find the
family-friendly house of your dreams.
By Sharon Benson
When my husband and I bought our house, we neglected to consider
one little thing: the possibility of progeny. It's not that we
didn't want kids. In fact, prior to our move, we'd begun to play
a little game we called birth control roulette. At the time,
however, we had no idea that the average North American child
requires as much space as, say, Jupiter. Not a day goes by that
we don't warble the homeowner's lament: If only we'd known then
what we know now.
We asked moms and dads to tell us what potholes they've
encountered on the road to home sweet home. Avoiding these
hassles should help bring you one step closer to your ideal
abode.
Hassle #1: Cramped Closet Space
Melissa Stern* and her husband were footloose and kid-free when
they fell in love with their two-bedroom Toronto home. Sure,
there wasn't a lot of storage space, but c'est la vie. "Closets
aren't a high priority when you only have two coats to hang up,"
says Stern.
A few years, two sons - Duncan, six and James, four - and
several tons of kid stuff later, the Sterns are feeling the
pinch. "Our front closet is only 18 inches deep instead of the
standard 24 inches, so it can't even handle a coat hanger." Each
member of the family has a hook. "But if we have company,
there's no room for their coats." Upcoming renovations will take
care of her family's storage squeeze, but Stern has these words
of wisdom for home shoppers who want to avoid life in a
construction zone: "Buy closets, and make sure you have storage
areas."
Hassle #2: The Long Commute
Burlington, Ontario, mom Wendy Cerilli longs to wave goodbye to
her daughter in the morning. But that's not likely to happen
anytime soon. Why? Because when Cerilli leaves home at 6 a.m. to
drive to her downtown Toronto workplace, two-year-old Olivia is
still off in dreamland.
Before Olivia was born, Cerilli was a contented commuter. "As
much as I love my husband, I didn't have to rush home to be with
him, and I didn't feel guilty about not spending time with him."
These days, however, she worries that the little joys of life
are getting lost in logistics. Her husband drops off Olivia at
daycare for 7 a.m. At the end of the day, Cerilli makes the
hour-and-change slog through rush hour to pick Olivia up by 5
p.m. "It's extremely stressful," says Cerilli, who considers
herself luckier than most because of her flexible hours. Her
advice to house hunters? "Do not discount the importance of
living close to your work."
Hassle #3: Too Close for Comfort
Lori White's two-bedroom bungalow was purchased before her
six-year-old son, Matthew, was born. Unless they win the
lottery, the Toronto pair won't be moving any time soon, so
they're left to contend with the problems posed by the layout of
their home. The biggest hassle, says White, is that the bedrooms
are directly off the living room. "Getting Matthew to bed at
night when I still want to watch TV is difficult," says White,
"because he opens his door and watches TV with me." The
scenario's reversed on Saturday mornings when White wants to
sleep in and the TV's blaring mere inches from her head on the
other side of the wall.
If White could move, she'd look for a house with bedrooms on a
different level from the general living space. "That would allow
my son to go to bed more easily and give me the chance to have
friends over for coffee and a good natter." In the meantime,
she'll keep playing those lucky numbers.
Hassle #4: Hazardous Terrain
When Geneva Houlden was not yet two, her father saved her life
by stopping a runaway car with his bare hands. OK, it was a
Little Tikes car. And the biggest danger Geneva faced was
bouncing into the backyard fence of her Saskatoon home. But the
episode scared Geneva's mom, Michelle. "I'm yelling, 'Bruce, go
get the baby!' and he caught her just in time," she remembers.
When the couple first moved into their home, they noticed that
the backyard had a considerable slope. "It didn't even dawn on
us that it would be a problem." After Geneva was born, the
Houldens landscaped and added a swing set, sandbox and fort. But
they couldn't completely level the grade, which led to Geneva's
crash course in downhill driving. To avoid home-turf hazards,
Houlden urges parents to look at the yard from a child's
perspective. "Imagine your kids running around and using the
space."
Hassle #5: Backyard Blind Spots
Four-year-old Adam is like most kids his age: He likes to run
and jump and bomb around on his tricycle. But he can't go into
the backyard to burn off energy unless accompanied by his mom,
Sharlene Lee, who also has to contend with Adam's year-old
brother, Max. That's because the Lees' Victoria backyard is
visible only through one bedroom window, and there isn't a door
leading to the area.
"I just don't feel safe unless I can see them at all times,"
says Lee. "If I had a kitchen window that overlooked the yard
and a door I could leave open, I might be more inclined to let
Adam out to play." Lee compensates by taking the boys to local
parks and thanks her lucky stars for a small, enclosed sundeck
off the kitchen. "I put Adam's tricycle and a sandbox out on the
deck and resigned myself to having lots of sand in the house."
Lee's recommendation for parents of young children? "Look for a
contained backyard, with views from the house that allow you to
see everything that's going on."
Hassle #6: No Room to Grow
Victoria Dawe wishes she could turn back the hands of time and
rethink the decision to purchase a diminutive domicile. "There's
no space for anything," she says, "be it furniture, toys or just
plain day-to-day living." Her two children - Clarise, seven, and
Joshua, two - have commandeered the home's only two bedrooms,
leaving Dawe and her husband bunked down in what used to be the
dining room. Cramped quarters weren't on the shopping list when
the couple went hunting for their first home, with six-month-old
Clarise in tow. In retrospect, Dawe thinks she was so eager to
sign on the dotted line that she "didn't actually stop to think
about the really important things you should consider when
buying a family house." Like how quickly babies turn into
children that generate their body weight in clutter each day.
"We have piles of things piled up on piles of stuff. I am so
ready for a change."
The Hamilton, Ontario, mother suggests first-time buyers do a
little crystal-ball gazing before exploring the market. And
remember: "As kids grow, their stuff just seems to take over
every room." It's nice to have a little extra elbow room to work
with.
Hassle #7: When Nature Doesn't Nurture
"I'm living some people's dream," says Hardington, Ontario, mom
Lisa Roberts. Her three-bedroom home overlooks a scenic lake;
it's peaceful and private. But with two kids - Eric, three, and
Heather, 18 months - this dream feels more like a nightmare to
Roberts. First, there's the lake. Because the property's too
large to fence, there's an ever-present worry about drowning.
Doors have to be locked. "We have to keep constant watch even
when hanging laundry," says Roberts.
Next problem is the road. "It's impassable in the winter, unless
you have a four-wheel drive." Roberts is so worried that an
ambulance might not be able to reach the property in case
of an emergency that she made her 15-year-old daughter, Kaity,
take a CPR course with her. Roberts and her husband bought the
lakefront without considering the possibility of more children.
It's an oversight she deeply regrets. "Even if your kids are
older, and you're looking at a lake or country property, think
ahead."
Hassle #8: The Lone Loo
Susan Gibson might look like an ordinary mom, but there have
been days when she's felt like a running back in training. When
her son Connor, now four, was learning to use the toilet, he'd
simply assume the position - hand clutched on groin - and yell
"Pee!" Gibson would then tuck him under her arm like a football
and race to the only bathroom in their Brantford, Ontario, home.
"I remember being down in the basement rec room when Connor
needed to go," she says. "I lifted him up and ran up the
basement stairs, through the main floor and up the stairs to the
bathroom, getting peed on all the way."
The next house they buy, says Gibson, "absolutely has to have
two bathrooms." But given that the family has no plans to move,
and with her two-year-old son, Liam, entering prime
potty-training age, Gibson is grateful for one thing: "It's
really good that we have hardwood floors. They're much easier to
clean than carpet."
Hassle #9: House of the Rising Stairs
You gotta have a bit of mountain goat in you to live in Sonya
Myles' Oakville, Ontario, townhouse. Walk into the front
entranceway, and you're confronted by a flight of 13 steps
rising to the main living area. Surmount that obstacle, and
there's another flight of stairs leading up to the bedrooms. The
layout makes trips to the backyard with 18-month-old Corwin more
torment than enjoyment. "You've got to lug down his toys, snacks
for him, snacks for you, drinks, spare diapers, blankets to
change on and then wipes," says Myles. "Sometimes it's too much
like hard work to get outside."
Hauling Corwin up and down all day does have one advantage: It's
good exercise, something akin to shouldering a bag of spuds
during a StairMaster workout. "But," laughs Myles, "a sack of
potatoes would be easier because it doesn't squirm." Ask Myles
what she'd order from the dream-house menu and she's quick to
reply: "Ideally, a big bungalow." And hold the stairs.
Hassle #10: A Paucity of Play Space
Call it what you may - a rec room, rumpus room or playroom - but
Toronto dad Don Ranger* says the absence of such a space in his
older home is "a huge hassle." His two kids - Janie, seven, and
Edward, four - store and play with their toys in the living
room. As a result, says Ranger, the area is a chronic mess. "We
pushed the coffee table against the wall six years ago so Janie
could build something or other, and we haven't moved it back
into place since." The other problem is adult play space: There
is none.
Barring the bedroom and bathroom, Ranger and his wife have
nowhere to go when they need a bit of downtime. "I've become
very attached to our bathroom. It's the one place I can read
without being interrupted every two minutes."
So what's the fix? In the long run, a new house. "And the first
thing we'll look for is an area that's designated as a kids'
playroom," says Ranger. Until then, he expects to be heeding the
call of nature with great frequency.
* Names changed by request.
What Real Estate Agents Want You to Know"Sometimes,
for the sake of spending a few thousand less, people might
compromise on space that they'll need over the next five years.
Do the math. It's a lot less expensive to grow into a home than
to pay to move again two or three years down the line."
Donald R. McClintock, DFH Real Estate, Victoria
"Walk through the house and ask yourself: What daily nightmares
am I going to encounter here? Am I going to be racing to the
steep staircase or panicking about the railing because it's a
huge drop? You want to relax in your home, not always be worried
about what kind of danger your kids will get into."
Jacqueline Dolynny, Sutton Norland Group, Saskatoon
"For 99 percent of people, buying a home is an emotional
decision made in the first two or three minutes of seeing a
house. Look at the house rationally. Go away and study the floor
plan, if you have access to it. See if the house really fits
your needs, then decide if it's right for you."
Masoud Badre, Re/Max, Ottawa
"It's nice to have a house that can adjust with you: An
unfinished basement can be renovated to add a bedroom for older
children, for example. But remember, lifestyles change. And
sometimes your house has to change to match your lifestyle."
Jean-Claude Rousseau, Trans-Action en Or, Montreal
"When buying, think about where the play areas are in the house.
If you've got young children, it's best to have the play area
open to the kitchen. Things change when you have older kids.
Then they don't always want to be where their parents are, so a
finished basement is important."
Suzan Trottier, Royal LePage Atlantic, Moncton
Looking for other how-tos? Check out Canada Mortgage and Housing
Corporation's Web site at
www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca .
Originally published in Today's Parent , April 2002 |
|
|
|
 |
 |
Servicing the towns of Central Massachusetts: Acton, Ashburnham, Ashland, Athol, Auburn, Ayer, Barre, Bellingham, Berlin, Blackstone, Bolton, Boylston, Brimfield, Brookfield, Charlton,
Clinton, Concord, Douglas, Dudley, East Brookfield, Fitchburg, Framingham, Franklin, Gardner, Grafton, Groton, Hardwick, Harvard, Holden, Hopedale, Hopkinton, Hubbardston, Hudson
Lancaster, Leicester, Leominster, Lexington, Lincoln, Littleton, Lunenburg, Marlborough, Maynard, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Natick, North Brookfield, Northborough, Northbridge,
Oakham, Oxford, Paxton, Pepperellm, Petersham, Phillipston, Princeton, Royalston, Rutland, Shirley, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Southbridge, Spencer, Sterling, Stow, Sturbridge,
Sudbury, Sutton Templeton, Townsend, Upton, Uxbridge, Warren, Webster, West Boylston, West Brookfield, Westborough, Westminster, Winchendon, and Worcester
|
|
