What to Know Before Buying a Tiny Home (or Condo)

If you’re house hunting, you might find yourself shopping for a condo or a home on the smaller side. In some Canadian cities, this strategy might be necessary to stay in your price range, or it might just be a reflection of the “tiny home” trend that has many homeowners realizing that less is more. Either way, if small spaces are in the cards for you, make sure you take these points into consideration during your search.

Don’t let a dark palette fool you. A small space with dark walls or furniture might leave you feeling claustrophobic. However, don’t forget that dark colours make spaces look smaller, so the same place with lighter furniture and a lighter colour on the walls and floor could make a world of difference.

Pay attention to ceiling heights. Particularly in a small space, the height of a ceiling is crucial. A compact condo can seem much lighter, larger and airier with higher ceilings, while even a spacious condo can seem small with lower ceilings. This is part of the reason why basements tend to seem so small and cramped.

Embrace natural light. Similar to the concept of high ceilings, a small space with abundant natural light will seem much larger and brighter.

Think about storage. The No. 1 concern buyers have about small homes is the lack of storage they often have. If you’re looking at a condo that’s short on closets, see if it comes with a storage locker elsewhere, like in the parking garage. Failing that, you might want to do a quick search and see if there is a storage locker facility nearby.