Unfortunately, our homes don’t always grow with us and sometimes it’s time to upsize. What may have initially worked fine for a single person, a young couple’s starter home, or a family with a newborn can quickly become too small as families expand and multiple generations live under one roof.

Remodeling and adding to your home is one option for creating more space, but it can be costly, and the size of your property may be prohibitive. That’s when deciding to upsize and moving to a bigger home becomes the best solution.

Where do you need more space?

The first thought when upsizing your home is to simply consider square footage, bedrooms, and bathrooms. But it’s important to take a more critical approach to how your space will actually be used. If you have younger children (or possibly more on the way), then focusing on bedrooms and bathrooms makes sense. But if your children are closer to heading off to college or starting their own families, it may be better to prioritize group spaces like the kitchen, dining room, living room, and outdoor space – it’ll pay off during the holidays or summer vacations, when everyone is coming to visit for big gatherings.

Moving Outward

If you need more space and it’s time to upsize, but you can’t find what you’re looking for in your area, you may be able to get a lot more house for your money if you move a little further out. You might also be able to upsize your lot square footage/acreage as well – land tends to get less expensive and more plentiful as you move away from the city/suburbs.