Whenever anyone engages me a conversation about real estate (which is quite often) or when I’m at a party and need a little conversation starter I ask “If you had to choose would you pick a bigger backyard or a bigger house?” You’d be amazed at the answers I get.
There is one consistent response. The answer I get the most is … “It depends on how you live your life”.
If you’re wrestling with this very question, I think the best thing you can do is make a personal list of pros and cons to help you with making the decision. Here are some of the responses I’ve gotten, I hope they might help you jump start your own list.
Reasons to go with a bigger yard:
- Having other houses close to you an issue
- Less house to keep clean and the kids can play outside
- Vegetable and flower gardens, picnics and campfires
- Active kids with any sport involving a ball and a stick
- Beautiful weather year-round makes the yard an extension of the house
- Large animal pets, barnyard animals, chickens
- You enjoy working outside
- Bigger house is just too expensive to maintain/clean/heat/keep cool/etc.
- You can always add on to your house but you won’t be able to add on to your lot size.
- A larger yard tends to mean more privacy
- Hate house work and cleaning
- The amount of time, energy, and effort to maintain a big house is too much
- Bigger house means you have to own more stuff to fill it … just too much temptation to accumulate stuff.
- Yard is more environmentally friendly than house.
- Like big kid toys like motorcycles, skidoos, boats, etc.
Reasons to go with a bigger house:
- With unpredictable weather a bigger house gives you more inside space to spend your time.
- Really love house cleaning (yes, some people really do)
- Large yards take lots of maintenance.
- Into crafts and cooking and love to entertain.
- More storage space
- Hate yard work and it’s just a burden
- If you can afford a housekeeper, a bigger house is all living space
- Additions are expensive if you need them later.
- Public parks are everywhere and they’re free.
- You’re in your house more than you’re outside in general.
- We went from a small house and a bigger yard to a bigger house and smaller yard and I definitely like the bigger house.
- A large home is the home of our dreams
- A large home stimulates more social interaction among the members of the family
- You really love to decorate,
As I said before, your decision really depends on how you live your life. I personally don’t think there really is any one right answer for everyone, but the results of my totally unscientific research suggest that the majority of people tend to want a bigger yard or if they don’t want that they want a bigger house.
If you like this you’ll like Mike Hunter, the House Hunter as your Realtor even better. He knows the Sudbury market and has represented many happy Sudbury households to buy or sell for years. Please feel free to forward his profile to others you feel would benefit from his services.
Call Mike 978-580-1069 today.
People also ask about my series House Styles of New England click here
Mike Hunter … expert Metrowest Boston real estate advice and simple results-driven transactions
