What Makes a House a Home?

Open the pages of any national and regional newspaper, and you will find small or half page or even full page advertisements for several ready to occupy apartments in Kochi. Not only that, there are even advertisements of luxury villas for sale in Kochi. That is fine for the economy, and it is also good news for buyers, because they have so many choices to select from.

Buyers look at so many aspects of a house before they decide to purchase it. They look at location, they look at the builder’s reputation, and they look at all the amenities that the project provides. There is nothing wrong in this. For someone who is spending such a lot of money on the house, it is natural that every aspect is checked and rechecked before finalising.

But all of these factors can only make it a great house. But it might not be enough to make it a great home. The walls might look great, the best quality of fittings might have been used, the location might be very convenient, and the housing society inside which the apartment has been purchased might have a number of amenities like swimming pool and gym and clubhouse. But all these might still not make it a good home.

What is needed in a house to make it a good home is feelings of love and care for all the members in the family. Whether it is the spouse, or children, parents or in-laws, whoever lives in the house must be made to feel welcome and wanted. There should be tender feelings of love among all members of the household. If this is present, then a minor flaw in the house, or a small inconvenience in going to the market won’t matter at all, and the house will really become a home.