As a home buyer, are you torn between the ease of a one-story house and the privacy of a two-story one?
The choice can be difficult, especially if you’re an aging Baby Boomer who thinks scaling stairs could be a problem after you hit 50.
“It’s a personal decision. Obviously there are advantages and disadvantages to both horizontal and vertical living,” says J. Roger Glunt, president of the National Association of Home Builders.
When the trade group did a recent survey of 2,000 renters planning to buy homes, it found 40 percent with a preference for a two-story property. Thirty-six percent want a single-story home. And 13 percent favor a split-level.
Those who prefer one-story living like the freedom from stair-climbing and the ease of cleaning associated with such a house. Buyers without children, empty nesters and those in their late 50s or older are commonly in this category.
“Some people look at stairs as an accident waiting to happen,” Glunt notes.
A matter of privacy
On the other hand, those who hanker for two-story houses say they like having the bedroom level kept separate from the more public living room, kitchen and dining room areas. This preference is especially strong among those with teenagers who are prone to play music or make noise in their rooms.
In addition, many parents of small youngsters like to put them to bed in rooms separated from the communal areas.
“People like to get away from the kids and hide,” says Dan Sobus, an agent with the Re/Max real estate chain.
There’s also more privacy for family members in a two-story home.
“You don’t want someone who comes in the front door to look down the hallway and see you in your night clothes or undergarments. That could happen in a ranch house,” Glunt says.
Want the maximum square footage of house for the money? Then in most communities you’ll do better with a two-story house, says Glunt, who heads his own home-building firm. It’s less expensive to build a two-story house because it requires a smaller roof and a smaller supporting system (whether that be a basement, slab or crawlspace).
For the same price you would pay for a 2,000-square-foot house, you could get a 2,400-square-foot, two-level home in most markets, Glunt says. The two-story house should also save you money on heating.
“You’re going to be able to capture the heat that rises naturally from your first floor to your second,” explains Ron Burton, who heads the energy department for the home builders’ association.
The pointers
Should you select a one- or two-story house? Real estate experts offer these pointers:
– Factor in the possible investment potential of a single-story house.
Some realty specialists think future resale prospects could prove better for single-level houses.
They point to the wave of aging Baby Boomers, now heading into their 40s. They also point to the trend of more aged parents moving in with their grown children. And they think the resale issue could be especially important in communities where senior citizens congregate.
“After they hit their mid-50s, a lot of older folks gravitate toward one-level homes,” says Sobus, the Re/Max agent.
– Consider trying a new style of living on a rental basis before you buy.
Did you grow up in a two- or three-story house where the family developed a ritual around retiring upstairs at bedtime? Or was your upbringing in a sprawling one-story ranch house where the use of stairs was alien?
In either case, a drastic change in lifestyle could be distressing in its implications. For someone not accustomed to scaling stairs, for example, the purchase of a new townhouse with several steep staircases could prove an agonizing choice.
Why not rent for a brief period to find out whether a housing change is right for you?
– Seek to buy with your future plans in mind.
“Buy to stay” should be the motto for home purchasers in the ’90s, real estate experts say.
Are you expecting to buy in a community where housing prices are slipping, leveling off or rising only gradually? Then you’ll probably want to hold your purchase for five years or longer before you sell.
If middle age is on the horizon or your knees are gradually giving way, you may want to consider buying a one-story house, even though your preference in the past has been for two-story homes.
– Think about a compromise between one- and two-story living.
There are several ways to get the best of both worlds, points out Gayle Horne, an agent for the Prudential realty chain.
You could buy a split-level, which gives you a modest separation between floors and fewer steps to climb. Or you could purchase a two-story house with a master bedroom suite on the first level.
Another option for compromise is to buy a two-level house that would allow you to build on a first-floor master suite later, should you choose to.
