Thinking about the future is something we inherently do as human beings. We look forward to things in the future while also simultaneously dreading things like ageing. When it comes to our home, it’s often a good idea to plan ahead for what we’ll use our home for. That might sound an easy question to answer, but how much have you actually planned?
For instance, how many more children do you plan to have? Do you plan to send them off to college or will they go to a local one? Will you plan on having relatives stay over at some point, and will you want a larger garden in the future?
These are all questions that are important to ask when it comes to thinking critically about the future of your home. Our properties are expensive, difficult to maintain alone and need to serve some kind of purpose. If all of your kids have moved to college or left the house as they grow up, then you might be left with empty nest syndrome and suddenly decide to downsize. It can be difficult to cope with this decision, but if you’ve made up your mind well in advance then you can waste less time and be more productive.
Dealing with more children in the home
Whether you’ve yet to have children or plan or having more, it’s important to consider how you can renovate your home to fit more children and potentially even family members. Do you convert your study into another bedroom? Do you convert the loft area into a bedroom? Do you want to finally renovate the basement for more space? If you have a plan for the space in your home then it’s never a bad idea to consider taking out these renovations while you still have time.
To cope with empty nest syndrome or not
You should also think about what you should do with your home once the kids have moved out. You could downsize by claiming back some of the space and turning it into the hobby room you’ve always wanted, or you could just leave it as a spare guest room for when your family and friends visit. Either way, this could require some renovation and cleaning up, so it’s ideal to have a plan for it.
Thinking ahead for retirement
And what about when you retire? Will you move into assisted living and sell your home, or will you consider keeping your home and potentially hire a carer should you have limited mobility by then? Alternatively, will you offer your home to your children and consider purchasing a new smaller home? There are plenty of choices available if you’re willing to consider all of your options.
Some final words
While thinking about the future too much can be a bad thing, it’s always a good idea to have some thoughts about how you plan to use your home in the future. Renovations can be expensive and you never want to make last-second decisions that you might regret. Instead, think critically and carefully about the future of your home to overcome the challenges ahead.
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