8 Revealing Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Home
There’s no point beating around the bush…
Owning a home is complicated!!
There’s home maintenance…then all the things that break down…then there are the spaces you’re sick of, and the closets that are poorly designed, and the kitchen that’s impractical and the bathroom that is WAY too hard to clean.
Of course, your home is also your sanctuary. It’s truly where you’re most relaxed. For most of us, it’s also the most important investment we ever make.
Your home isn’t all it could be, though. Your home could give you SO much more…how do you know where to start? Do you dream big and start planning that home gym, or that spa-like bathroom? Or do you browse Pinterest for something quick and easy to spruce?!
The truth is…
There are questions you can ask yourself to INSTANTLY see what is really lacking in your home.
These questions expose whether your home is the right fit for your lifestyle. Whether you still dream of finding that “forever home,” or of remodeling your current home to fit your every need, these questions will clue you in BIG.
1: What kind of cook is my kitchen designed for?
How your kitchen is set up has a HUGE impact on your lifestyle.
- Do you constantly cross the kitchen to prep items in the sink that you pull from the fridge?
- Is your sink area big enough for prepping and cleaning?
- I’ve even seen kitchens with the dishwasher installed on the OPPOSITE wall from the sink…how impractical is that?!
The way you set your kitchen up is easier to control…this means, where do you use your blender? Where is your toaster plugged in? Where do you stash your zip baggies?
Ask yourself HONESTLY what kind of cook your kitchen is set up for. Is it set up for your lifestyle? Is it easy—even enjoyable—to cook in?
If not, this is an area to focus your attention.
2: What feature(s) (or absence of features) of my home would STOP me from taking a “staycation” if I really wanted to relax?
If you took three weeks off of work starting today, would you enjoy spending all that time in your home? If you hardly left…let’s say just to buy groceries…would you entertain yourself easily at home? Would you enjoy extra time to lounge in the bathroom? Would you have an outdoor space ready to kick back and get some rest?
If you answer NO to any of those questions, then your home is NOT living up to the comforts you deserve. Especially since the pandemic, homes have become the place we congregate more than ever…they’ve become our workplace, our gym, and our substitute for daycare-style childcare.
Your home should—and still can—live up to a “luxury staycation-standard” where you get everything out of it that you want.
3: How many years has it been since I’ve remodeled? (…or since the previous homeowner remodeled)?
Some homeowners only do one or two big remodels in their lifetime.
That said, the number of remodels you do will depend on how extensive the projects are when you do them and how well the home meets your needs.
If your home hasn’t been remodeled for more than 20 years, it’s almost certain that there will be outdated, impractical design features all over…
Just think…wouldn’t an updated electrical plan in the kitchen allow you to work at the counter like you like…or plug in your smart speaker in a better place…or support your Vitamix and your spiralizer and everything else you have plugged in all at once…
4: What’s most important to me about my home?
Spell out in NO uncertain terms what’s most important to you about your home. Is it the square footage? Is it the awesome storage space? How about the number of full bathrooms?
There’s VAST value to homeownership well past the financial opportunities…your home can provide a sense of safety, security and comfort. If you articulate now what’s most important to you, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll learn that your priorities have nothing to do with the financial side of the coin.
Focus your home improvements on what really counts.
5: What’s been on the “honey-do” list for the absolute longest?
Is there a door that doesn’t close right that you’ve been waiting FOREVER to fix?
How about a cabinet that needs to be adjusted?
If you have a “honey do” list that’s more than a few items long, it’s a sure thing that at least one item has been there WAY too long.
Give yourself a good kick in the pants by owning up to how long that longest “honey do” fix has been WAITING to get addressed. Then, take care of it!! Call someone else to do it for you if you have to.
6: What are the details of my home that I’m concerned people will notice?!
If you have any scuffed finishes or busted trim or scratches on the wall that you’re HOPING no one will notice, then you are suffering needlessly!
Ask yourself, space by space, what would you be MOST embarrassed about if people noticed it in your home?
Then…guess what comes next? That creates a list of stuff for you to fix. Your return on ENJOYMENT the next time someone visits will be huge…can’t you imagine being PROUD to show off your home instead of nervous?!
7: What first impression does my home give to visitors?
Speaking of guests…do you know what first impression your home gives? If you had to refer to your home as a person, what descriptive words would people use to describe it?
Scruffy…
Old-fashioned…
NO personality…
Overbearing personality!
Look at the first impression your home gives on a microlevel (using these cleaning and organizing tips) and on a macrolevel (like the design of your entryways and the face of your home). (If you can’t come up with a first impression through your own eyes, ask others what they see!)
8: Which room would I stage differently if the outlets were in different places?!
The electrical layout of our homes today has a HUGE impact on our lifestyle.
Just think of the number of devices we have plugged in that didn’t even exist 15 years ago!
Your kitchen should have the outlets you need to support every device, utensil and smart speaker. Your bedrooms should be set up to charge devices, too. And how about your entertainment area?! Where can someone lounge while juicing up, but still spend time with family?
Bottom Line
These aren’t all fun questions to ask, but the payoff shapes your life. It feeds your happiness. The decisions you make for your home are always as informed as can be, but you don’t know what you don’t know, and asking these questions will help you look at your home in a new way.
Is there a question you’d like to add to the list? Start the conversation with us on Facebook!!
