The headline for most houses on the market offers you 4 pieces of information:

• The square metres of land/floorspace

• The number of bedrooms

• The number of bathrooms

• And the number of carparks on the property.

You hardly need to be a Harry Houseflipper to know that there’s more to a property than that. And to make sure you consider everything, we’ve put together our tips for building a house and making sure it has everything you’ll need.

If you decide down the track that you don’t need much yard, you can always extend your home. But if the days comes when you want more yard, you’re hardly going to swing a wrecking ball through the study just to make it happen.

Yard space is one thing you can’t easily increase down the track. So it’s worth considering how much you’ll have before your home is built.

Everyone’s idea of the right-sized yard will vary, but as a rule, consider the biggest event you’d ever use your lawn for (perhaps backyard cricket or a lawn party). If you could make it work, you’ve got enough lawn.

“Kitchenette” is a lovely word used to describe an oven situated underneath the world’s smallest benchtop. They look pretty in catalogues, they sound pretty in conversation, but they’re about as useful for cooking as a silk saucepan.

Cooking should be fun, and that starts with your kitchen design. Make sure there’s a logical flow to where appliances are, and most of all, make sure you have enough bench space.

15 years ago, dimming lights were all the rage. But what’s available now makes them look pretty damn dim.

What if you could walk into a room and the lights came on to the exact levels you prefer? And what if you could voice-command your TV to start a movie and the lights automatically dim to cinema-level soft lighting? Plus, there’s no need to worry about those horror movie characters startling you in real life, because your phone will notify you if any intruders have been caught by the home’s security cameras.

Between smart home assistants, smart TVs and state-of-the-art security systems, you can completely customise your home. Did you walk out of the room? The TV will pause your show for you. Getting ready for bed? Simply pop your phone on a wireless charging pad and set your bedside lamps to “reading” mode.

And the best bit – these systems aren’t that expensive. For less than $1,000, you can make the Jetsons look like the Flintstones.

Like we said – if all that mattered was the number of rooms and bathrooms you had, every house would have the same design. But they don’t, so style clearly matters to buyers.

Style is about more than resale value. It’s about making your home feel like a home, not a building you occupy. By finding a design that really matches your tastes, you can get that warm, homely feeling every time you turn into the driveway.

If you fill every room the moment you move in, you truly bought a house to match your needs. But the day your needs change, things get tricky.

This doesn’t mean 2 people instantly need a 12-bedroom castle fit for the King of Monaco. But having a living space or room up your sleeve has never been a bad idea. And down the track, that extra space can help your home’s resale value.

Of course, most of the top new home features are a part of modern designs. And to check what new homes currently offer, check out your local Clarendon Homes display village. You can start to understand what makes a new home special and take some inspiration for your next house.