You've been looking for a home and you've found one that feels almost perfect. The location is convenient and you can picture your family living here happily. There's a problem, however. One or more pieces of furniture you've had for years just will not fit. Do you buy the home anyway, or keep looking?



Move It?

Suppose the piece of furniture that won't fit is a tall chest-on-chest that's always been in your bedroom. Could you use it in another room? Might it be handsome and useful in the living room or dining room? (Downstairs rooms often have taller ceilings than upstairs rooms.) Could it store games, videos, tablecloths and place mats, and silverware in its new location?

If that thought process takes care of the chest, but you're left without enough storage in the bedroom, what then? Is there a smaller chest of drawers that was used in your old guest room that would fit in your bedroom? What about putting an inexpensive chest of drawers into your walk-in closet?

Give It Away?

Maybe the problem is that you have a bed that's too large for any of the bedrooms in the “almost perfect” house. Is it a Sheraton tall post field bed with canopy or a massive Victorian piece that's been in the family for generations? Do you love it, or might another family member with larger rooms and taller ceilings be very excited to get it?

I once gave a massive American Empire sideboard that had belonged to my grandfather's sister to my son and his wife who live in Alaska. It was much too large for my dining room. Now it has pride of place in my son's large living room. Coincidentally, it hides a modern TV which only shows when the doors are swung open. It's still in the family, and the sideboard in my dining room is much smaller and suits the size of my room much better.

Sell It?

Maybe the offending piece of furniture has monetary value, but has no sentimental value whatsoever. Why not just sell it? There's no need to buy a house based on where it'll fit, is there?

Evaluate and Decide

Don't turn down the idea of purchasing a home you'd really enjoy living in out of hand simply because some of your furniture won't fit. Ask yourself questions about the possibilities. When you come up with answers you like, you've made your decision. Who knows, another family member or a stranger shopping for a special piece of furniture could be delighted with your decision, too.