I often get asked by buyers first starting their Austin Home Search whether they should buy a home with a master upstairs with the rest of the bedrooms or on the main level.  The answer lies in the buyer based on where he is in his own individual timeline.  Sure, there comes a point when you may not want to be on the same floor as the kids – or maybe even in-laws.  On the flip side, buyers who are just starting to plan to have kids or have young children often prefer to be on the same floor.  The boogie man typically doesn’t make a presence until about 2am, so parents often want to be nearby to deal with late night trouble shooting without being a flight of stairs away. 

Search Listings for Homes for Sale in the Austin MLS

A Custom Home Search for Austin MLS listings can be created to search for homes with the master on the first floor or upstairs only.

Sure, a master on the main level can be helpful in the later years, when the kids are gone and the steps become cumbersome.  Understand, though, as much as we think this is going to be the last house we will ever buy – this little thing called life often gets in the way, which leads to a move. 

What my clients are often concerned about when purchasing a home with the master up is how that might affect re-sale.  What is important to remember is that buyers more often than not, reflect the seller at a given moment in time and that is when they are shopping for a home.  When you are selling the buyer is going to choose your home, for the same reasons you decided to buy it.  Also, there are many neighborhoods where is master is always up, just because that was the trend at the time.  So, in certain neighborhoods – that is the design you are going to be choosing from regardless.

 
My advise – choose a house that is going to work with your lifestyle for the next 7 years.  If you stay in it longer – great, but after 7 years you generally start getting the itch to move or need to move.  If we all had crystal balls the world would be a much different place.