Ask Kyle Floor plans
You can renovate a kitchen, but you can’t renovate a floor plan. These are the layouts I steer people away from, because the next buyer will notice even if you don’t.
13 answers from 7 of my videos
It’s a listing that says three bedrooms when only two are on the bedroom level and the third is in the basement, often inside the suite. To a family, that’s a two-bedroom with a rental downstairs, because they want their kids on the same floor. I sold a duplex like that and it took a very long time, so count the real bedrooms on the bedroom level, not the number on the listing.
Yes, at least a powder room. Without one, you and every guest climb the stairs each time, which is a deal breaker for anyone with mobility issues or aging parents, and I’ve sold multiple townhouses with this problem. If a home doesn’t have one, I’d generally stay away, or at least see whether there’s space to add it.
5:03Hear me say it at 5:03The Worst Floor Plans To Avoid In 2026July 2026 · 9:59 long
5:53Hear me say it at 5:53Do NOT Buy THESE HOMES In Vancouver Right Now (HERE'S WHY)May 2025 · 15:00 long
10:37Hear me say it at 10:37Do NOT Buy ThESE TOWNHOMES In Vancouver Right Now | (HERE'S WHY)September 2025 · 19:21 longAsk yourself one question: could a family of four genuinely live here without compromise? That means three real bedrooms together on one level, a bathroom on the main floor, and a kitchen that opens to the living space or easily could. If the answer is no, you’d better be getting a real discount, because you’ll be handing that problem to the next buyer.
It’s a layout from another era, and today’s buyer doesn’t want it. Look for a kitchen that already opens into the living and dining space, and if it doesn’t, check whether that one wall could come down without a structural nightmare, with strata approval where needed. That flexibility is worth a lot to the next buyer.
Because angles, curves and columns eat usable space while still counting in the square footage you pay for. Despite the views, you can’t place furniture properly, and an empty unit with a curved wall of glass can feel amazing on a showing and still be unlivable. I don’t recommend irregular floor plans to my clients, because the next buyer will notice.
It can be. A whole exterior wall of glass is spectacular for about a week, and then you realize you have nowhere to put a bookshelf, a headboard or a television. Wall is furniture space, so count the places you could actually put a sofa, a bed or a TV before you fall for the view.
Yes, because you pay for it. A 10 to 15 foot hallway about three feet wide is around 45 square feet of wasted space, which can be about 10% of a one-bedroom. Condos are priced by the square foot, so a smaller, efficient rectangle can give you more livable space for less money.
FreeThe Red Flag ReportEverything I look for before a client buys, for a condo, townhouse, duplex or detached home.Get the Red Flag Report →Not to most buyers. People crave outdoor space, even room for two chairs, and condos with a solarium or a tiny patio are the ones having a hard time selling. I had a downtown condo with a small angled patio you could barely fit a barbecue on, and buyers who loved everything else walked away because of it.
Not always. I’ve had one-bedrooms just over 800 square feet that were very hard to sell, because at that price they compete with two-bedrooms that have a bigger buyer pool. Bigger isn’t automatically better: the floor plan is what matters.
Watch anything around 14 feet wide or less inside. Developers make three-storey townhouses narrower to fit more units, and a standard sofa can eat the whole width so the rooms feel like hallways. I’ve seen one with a living and dining room under 10 feet wide, with no sensible place for the TV, so measure before you fall for it.
Stairs quietly age out two of your best future buyers at once: young families with toddlers and downsizers who want fewer levels. Square footage on four floors also goes into stairwells and halls, and middle units can have stairwells too tight for a king bed. Look at the floor plan, not the square footage.
Because they can’t be added later. The City of Vancouver no longer requires minimum parking in new residential buildings, so many newer units come with one stall, a compact one or none. I always advise against a small car stall, and I’ve watched one end deals on my own listings, so stand in the stall, find the locker and confirm it’s actually assigned to your unit.
0:36Hear me say it at 0:36New vs Old Condos | Which Should You Buy In 2026?October 2026 · 13:27 long2:50Hear me say it at 2:50New vs Old Condos | Which Should You Buy In 2026?October 2026 · 13:27 long11:00Hear me say it at 11:00New vs Old Condos | Which Should You Buy In 2026?October 2026 · 13:27 longI always want my investor clients in one-bedrooms, especially in boutique concrete buildings. The rent on a two-bedroom rarely justifies the extra price, and two roommates with partners means four people on one fridge and a lot more wear and tear. One-bedrooms are also very easy to sell.
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