How to keep the peace when moving in together

When merging households in high-cost locations, creative thinking is often required to make it work for both partners.

There are many things to consider. For instance, you may not have a pet, but your partner does. If you are allergic to pets, maybe you need to consider an additional room for the pet.

You’ll want to consider wood floors for ease of vacuuming of pet hairs. If you’ll be living farther from work, you’ll want to consider the cost of pet care if needed.

Here are other considerations:

• You will want to factor both commutes to work. In an ideal world you both have equal commutes. It might be best to live closer to the job of the partner working longer hours. If one of you travels for work regularly, you will want to have easy access to an airport.

If one of you needs to commute by car and the other can use public transport, you will have to factor that into your budget. Parking costs can vary, as can rail or bus fares.

• You will have to factor in work space if one of you works from home. You’ll have to determine what that work space needs to be for that job.

• You will likely need more storage space. That does not always have to be larger square footage. Considering a home that has additional storage, a well thought out floor plan and good closets can be very key in making your living space very workable.

• Think about easy proximity to your social life. Sometimes to save money and get more space you’ll have to consider moving farther away. How difficult would it be to get together with your friends? Would you be willing to meet new friends and establish new hangouts?

• Determine how far you’ll be from a gym, parks, pools or the beach.

• If both of you like to cook and you like to entertain at home, a nicer kitchen with room for two to cook at the same time may be a higher priority.

• If you have children you will have to stay within the school zones you prefer or within close proximity to day care.

• You will want to consider if you both want a quiet neighbourhood, a busier walkable neighbourhood or a neighbourhood to compromise on.

• It is also nice to have space to yourself to read quietly when your partner wants to watch a movie or sporting event. An apartment with a community TV room or business center may eliminate the need for an extra room in your unit.

• If you plan to have lots of out-of-town visitors it would be nice to have a den or a guest room. Sometimes a den or a guest room is not within the budget. Considering properties that have a guest suite on site can be a more affordable option than having to pay monthly for an additional room.

Considering all your options can help you strike the right balance in building a happy home.