Bridgend homeowners – do you know how big
your Bridgend home is?
What is the square footage of your Bridgend
home?
Don’t worry, most of us don’t – yet it
could be fundamental as Bridgend home buyers search for new homes.
Us Brits are obsessed with our homes, yet
most Bridgend homeowners need to learn the square footage (those born after the
mid-1970s) or square metre(age) of their homes.
As an agent, I find homebuyers usually
assess the size of their intended house purchase chiefly by the number of
bedrooms the property offers. However, could we all make more effort to
calculate how much actual space we require in the home outside the number of
bedrooms?
Let me see how the properties locally are
split down regarding bedrooms.
The split of bedrooms in Bridgend is as
follows:
- 5.5% of properties
have one bedroom compared to the national average of 10.7% - 21.7% of properties
have two bedrooms compared to the national average of 26.7% - 51.7% of properties
have three bedrooms compared to the national average of 40.6% - 21.3% of properties
have four or more bedrooms compared to the national average of 22.0%
As one would expect for our location in
the UK, we have quite a high number of 3-bedroom homes in our locality.
So, are more bedrooms better? Not
necessarily.
Unless you are buying a Bridgend property
to develop and then sell on straightaway, I believe it is imperative to enjoy
your property for what it was designed to be – your home.
Though room for growth and resale ability
potential of the house purchase is vital, the manner of the way you and your
family live and how you use your home must be the primary consideration for
improving your quality of life. And because of this …
I have noticed a slight change in how Bridgend
buyers (and tenants) have been asking and enquiring about property in the last
18 months.
The first is asking for a property’s
energy efficiency rating. This can be seen on the property’s Energy Performance
Certificate (EPC). That was expected, with the rise in gas and electric bills.
Yet the second is that more and more Bridgend
tenants and buyers are asking about the size of the property, which can be
found in the EPC mentioned above.
Talk in the property industry suggests a
move towards home movers wanting homes with minimum square footage instead of a
property with a particular number of bedrooms.
I am noticing mature Bridgend homeowners
who are downsizing are asking for the size of a property, as they require fewer
yet large rooms.
Should we all consider how we use our
space in our Bridgend homes before we decide to move? Before we do, let me look
at the average sizes of the properties locally.
These are the averages for the Bridgend area:
- The average size of
a house is 1,108 sq. ft. compared to the national average of 1,103 sq. ft. - The average size of
a bungalow is 936 sq. ft. compared to the national average of 862 sq. ft. - The average size of
a flat/apartment is 484 sq. ft. compared to the national average of 464 sq. ft. - The average size of
a maisonette is 560 sq. ft. compared to the national average of 657 sq. ft. - The overall average
is 1,065 sq. ft. compared to the national average of 994 sq. ft.
Again, as I would expect due to our
location, the average home is larger than the national average.
In the last few years, with lockdowns, as a
nation, we have started to use our homes differently.
Rooms in our homes have become
interchangeable – having more bedrooms isn’t automatically the status symbol it
once probably was.
Spare bedrooms have become offices, dining rooms have become
gyms, and so on.
Are you willing to sacrifice living room space for an extra bedroom,
even if it makes the living room feel cramped and uncomfortable?
Before selecting a home based solely on the number of bedrooms it offers,
there are several factors to consider.
Evaluate
your current living space and how you use it.
Determine if you utilise all the rooms to the best of the space
available, if you have enough storage, and if the layout works for you. If you
value space and openness, prioritise square footage instead of bedrooms.
Consider your current life stage and living space needs. If you have a
family, bedrooms may be a priority, but assessing how many are needed is
essential. It would help if you also considered whether you need a separate
space for work or a top-of-the-range ensuite.
If you plan
to rent out your Bridgend property, the number of bedrooms is crucial.
However, it is essential to consider the type of Bridgend tenant you
want to attract and what type of space would be most marketable.
Instead of moving to a new Bridgend home, renovating your current
space might be a better option?
By reconfiguring the space or extending it, you could improve your
quality of life or increase the value of your Bridgend property. A home
makeover could give you the open space or environment you desire?
By answering these questions, you can
determine whether the number of bedrooms, other rooms, or square footage is the
most crucial factor when selecting a new home.
What do you think?
Before I go, if you are a Bridgend
homeowner or property buyer and you want to pick my brains on your best
options, please don’t hesitate to pick up the phone or drop me a line and we
can start a discussion without any obligation or cost.
