Moving to a new apartment is always an exciting experience. Especially if you have a small kid in the family.
One needs to do some research to make sure the family is moving to a safe and secure place because it’s better to be safe than sorry.
I have a 20 months old son and I am very qualified to write this post. I have recently moved to a new apartment and based on my experience I have some house hunting tips to share with families that have young kids.
I hope these tips give some food for thought to those trying to buy or rent a house. While these tips are based entirely on my own experience I must admit that I have the benefit of hindsight now that I have already gone through this.
Big Balconies
Babies love space to run around. In these times of covid, I have learned the importance of an apartment with a big balcony
A big balcony will allow your kid to run around, or cycle around if he is quite young. You and the family can also enjoy some quality time in the evenings or morning on the balcony. Try and choose an apartment with a higher covered area ( carpet area plus balconies).
There are many projects in Zirakpur and Mohali that offer such balconies. The width of most balconies is 4 feet but some maybe 6 feet as well. The length is usually longer in highrise apartments. Low-rise apartments are generally lacking when it comes to balcony sizes.
Small park/kids area
This is again important. When covid was not a thing kids park and a society park were really the go-to place for kids. Hopefully, the times will be better again and the kid’s park will again become busy.
There are many low-rise apartments in the Tricity that do not have a kids’ park or a normal park. Generally, you can find these low-rise apartments in the suburbs of Zirakpur.
See, I also understand that budget is a big factor for some, and highrise apartments are expensive. The way around the above problem is that find an apartment that is close to a public park.
My only submission here is that buying a house is a once-in-a-lifetime decision for many ( although, that is changing rapidly) so you wait for some time, arrange your finances but buy a good property.
A word of caution: Please be careful while investing in the low-rise apartments especially the stilt plus 3 because many of these apartments are illegal.
A well settled location
With small kids, you never know when you might need to run to the market to get supplies or in some cases the doctor. If you have a young kid at home, choose an apartment located in an area that is well settled and has there is a market around. Do not choose a highway property where everything is quite far.
I have written a detailed blog post about the differences between a highway and a non highway property which may be useful for the readers.
Avoid areas with factories
I used to live in derabassi which, the locals will know, is home to different types of factories. It was the biggets mistake of my life since the pollution levels were really bad.
There was a black soot in the air and when it rained the air was filled with a pungent smell.
The air pollution is a real hazard and it is better to keep the kids away from it as far as possible.
Choose an area with easy availability of public transport or school buses
It is important to note that there are many societies in Zirakpur and Mohali where the school buses don’t come.
You don’t want to be caught in a situation where you may have to drop the kids to school each day because the school bus doesn’t come to your society.
Kids will grow up in no time but you won’t be able to change your house especially if you have bought it recently.
So check if school buses and which buses come to the society you are planning to buy a house in.
Choose an apartment with a bigger kitchen
I have learnt from experience that kids love being in the kitchen. The sights, smells and the noise of kitchen is so alluring that it is hard to distract them from the Kitchen sometimes.
So, If you can choose an apartment with an open kitchen so that you have enough space for the baby to move around.
If you can use skid proof tiles in the Kitchen !
Conclusion
While the above tips may or may not be useful for all I hope it is useful for someone woh may get a good starting point after reading my article.
In case you require any information on buying a house in Zirakpur or Mohali feel free to get in touch with me at 6283060221 or send me an email at mail.flatooz@gmail.com.
If you have any ideas you may want to share kindly feel free to comment below.
