The One Thing You Should Bring to Every Home You Tour

published Dec 29, 2021

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Guessing the size of a room during a home tour is never a good idea — especially when you’re trying to figure out if your larger pieces of furniture will even fit through the doorway. This is where a tape measure comes in handy and is an absolute must when going on home tours.

Take Furniture Measurements in Advance

If you already have your furniture, now is the time to break out the tape measure and Measure Entries, Hallways, and Stairways

When you start touring homes, you’ll need to make sure that your furniture will be able to fit down hallways, up or down stairways, and through the front door if it’s ever going to make it to its destination.

Take out your tape measure, and measure the height, width, and diagonal width of areas where your furniture will be traveling through. Measure diagonally on any stairways. Take note of any corners, light fixtures, or railings that furniture would need to fit around.

Measure Each Room

You’ll also need to measure each room in detail, so that you are not only aware of its size, but also of any windows, doors, or fireplaces.

Measure the height and width of each entryway inside the door frame, as well as diagonally. Measure the length from the entry to the far wall to make sure items will be able to enter the room and that you can maneuver them in the direction that you choose. You’ll also need to measure the length and width of the room.

Make sure to measure the height of the room as well for any taller pieces of furniture, such as a bookshelf. If you plan to place any furniture against a wall with windows, take note of any windows, as well as size and height from the floor.

Get an Accurate Idea of How Each Item Will Fit

Now that you have all of your measurements, you need to determine if your pieces will even fit before you make an offer. There are two ways that you can do this: the old-fashioned way using graph paper and making a scale drawing, or you can use a room layout program on your computer or phone to map out your dimensions. While the size of your sofa shouldn’t be the reason why you pass on a great home, it could affect your overall decision-making process.

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Moving