Home-owning. . . I'm curious

Marick · January 2012

Because a lot of you ladies are home-owners or home-seekers, and because DH and I will probably start looking soon. . . I was curious: when you were/are looking at houses what are:

1. must-haves

2. must-have nots

3. turn-ons

4. turn-offs

Marick · January 2012

I'll give it a go, but I'm kind of clueless so I'm super interested what everyone else says:

1. must-haves: good school districts, safe community, garage, central air and heating

2. must-have nots: shared walls (i.e. no apartments!)

3. turn-ons: big kitchen, big yard, social/young community, finished basement, big windows and lots of natural lighting, gas oven

4. turn-offs: lots of small rooms, close to big/loud roads

danies08 · January 2012

1. must-haves: Two bathrooms minimum...our first house was one bathroom. We about killed each other every morning. Mornings are much better now...And attached garage was a must for me being in Nebraska

2. must-have nots: Can't think of anything, really that would have been an absolute deal-buster

3. turn-ons: fenced-in back yard (because of dog), walk-out basement, man-cave w/ a wet bar, big kitchen, lots of privacy as it has an extra lot, the view out the back is of just country

4. turn-offs: any water damage spots, roof that needs replaced, foundation cracks, ANY signs of possible termites...all things to look for that may cost you a lot before you even move in!

Laurms15 · January 2012

1. must-haves - Good schools, 2 bathrooms that were useable and decent (ie didn't need to be re-done right away), A big kitchen (I adore cooking/baking) that didn't need to be re-done (we didn't have the budget for a renovation), near the train station (walking distance), Hard wood floors, storage (attic and basement), dishwasher, new roof, separate dining room that could fit expanded table and china cabinet.

2. must-have nots - not on a main road, must have private driveway, must be near train

3. turn-ons - New Windows, slop sink in basement, long driveway, nice lawn/bushes, Front "porch" small but covered for packages and unlocking in rain, fenced in yard, attic that DH can stand in, cabinets that go to the ceiling in the kitchen, ceiling fan in the kitchen, under cabinet lighting in kitchen, half finished basement, dark wood kitchen cabinets, granite counter tops, tile floor

4. turn-offs - no bathtub (we put one in), popcorn ceiling, mismatched appliances we will replace as needed to have all stainless, textured living room walls, no power source in the detached garage, carpet in a couple of rooms that we had to take up 2 had hardwood 1 needed wood, ugly wall paper

Clearly none of the turn offs were major enough for us to not buy the house we may fix some of them others we may live with forever....we are down to one mis matched appliance cause the fridge broke the day before we moved in 1 week after signing the paperwork lol. My kitchen isn't HUGE but its enough for me to cook/bake comfortably so I'm good with it.

Clearly obvious structural issues aside as major deal breakers we needed to not be on a main road, have a private driveway and be near the train for hubs.

We don't have central air but neither of us grew up with it and frankly found it annoying in our apartment. Now when we are downstairs we turn on that window unit and stay cool or upstairs we turn that one on and we are fine. It cools the rooms we are in and we don't need to pay to keep the whole place cool. I also run hot and if I'm warm I can cool down in one room and DH can stay in the other lol.

We picked our town when we moved into our apartment and knew we would likely stay in the town so school district we had already decided on 3 years ago.

waltzingmatilda13 · January 2012

Because we are (hopefully) buying a house in the next 18 months, I'll play too.

1. must-haves: Good schools, at least 1 & 1/2 bathrooms, at least 3 bedrooms, fenced in yard, storage (shed, garage, attic), older neighborhood with trees!

2. must-have nots: shared walls (no townhouses).

3. turn-ons: big kitchen, master suite, laundry room not in cave-like space, open plan, fireplace, garage, shed, deck, pantry.

4. turn-offs: small kitchen with not enough cabinets, weird layout, busy road, shared walls with guest bedrooms, pine trees (especially over driveway).

RachieK10 · January 2012

Our list going in was a little different than what we ended up with. My "must haves" included a big, updated kitchen and we ended up compromising on that because the rest of the house was so great. Our kitchen is plenty big enough, and the floors and appliances are new but we need new cabinets and countertops SOON! Another must have was at least 2 BR 2 bath and we ended up with 3 BR 2 1/2 baths. I will say that extra 1/2 bath is awesome to have.

My point is I guess that no matter your "list" you may find yourself compromising where you least expect it.

One thing I wish I had included was a fenced yard, but we didn't have Bruce yet. Something to think about if you plan on getting a furbaby.

dasmel30 · January 2012

1. must-haves: big, fenced in yard, spare rooms, deck, attached 2 car garage

2. must-have nots: small bathrooms, small closets, just any small spaces

3. turn-ons: Up to date, move in ready

4. turn-offs small kitchen, small bathroom

barbbhoww · January 2012

1. must-haves single family house, backyard, basement, good school district close to Metra trains to get into the city

2. must-have nots ONE bad school district around here, townhouse, umm..if there wasn't a basement

3. turn-ons open floor plan, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, big basement, white trim

4. turn-offs closed off floor plan, 2 bedrooms, small or cramped basement

allioops414 · January 2012

We didn't do the whole "househunting" thing, because we bought our home from our in-laws. They were retiring and moving, and we were about to get engaged. It just worked out. It worked well for us, but I wouldn't recommend it or do it again. Dealing with money and family is a sticky situation.

But knowing what I know now, here is what I would say:

1. Location Location Location

2. Don't buy a house with 30 year old wallpaper on every surface in every room. It's a b*tch to take off LOL

3. Look for the expensive items. Like new roof, new heating and AC, new flooring, kitchens, bathrooms, etc.

Lisa6255 · January 2012

Great post! I love reading what other people said. I'm not in the market yet, but I am avidly bugging DH about it in random comments. We are currently living in a house his mom purchased in 1978 and it's over 100 yrs old. LOTS of negatives to really old houses. . . will elaborate below!

1. must-haves: Big kitchen, gas range for sure, main floor laundry, ceiling fans or the ability to install anywhere, 2.5 baths (1 being attached to master BR), storage space for extra kitchen stuff that isn't used frequently, 3 BR minimum (b/c of DH's kids), two "living" rooms or a semi finished basement so kids can be in one area and DH and I can be in another and both have tvs. We get confined to the bedroom in evenings bc the kids want to watch tv and we (I) don't let them in our room and apparently the 27" tv in the guest bedroom isn't sufficient :-P oh and private driveway/garages! Also I like Liz's no other room sharing walls with master BR.

2. must-have nots: WALLPAPER. don't do it!!! unless you like it, like Allison said it is a B!TCH to take off! DH has only done one room b/c it's so awful. NO TILE on bathroom walls/ceiling and rock plaster walls, uber old plumbing, staircases that turn 360 degrees (can't get box springs up stairs) :-( all bad things about old old houses

3. turn-ons: tile flooring in kitchen and baths, ventilation in bathrooms, granite or marble countertops, lots of cabinet space in kitchen, carpeting wherever it's "normal" to have it, large layouts for room rearranging, large patio for BBQ and sitting outside

4. turn-offs: All the must have nots . . . busy road, small yard, split-level, ugly color on the exterior

festivegal2008 · January 2012

1. must-haves 2 toilets minimum - good sized back yard - porch (me) - garage - basement - ample closet and cupboard space

2. must-have nots upstairs (DH hated his bungalow & was insistent on a ranch) - "old" furnace or roof that would need replacing in less than 5 years

3. turn-ons great neighborhood, close to Amanda

4. turn-offs tons of vacant homes on our block with unsightly grass as tall as me...but this is slowly turning around.

rands09 · January 2012

I agree here 100%. When we first started looking, I had my list of must haves, deal breakers, etc...and in at least one or two instances, we decided that what we initially thought were must haves were really "wants" and that we could do without some things. And then, we found that once we were actually in the house, there were things that we hadn't thought about that then became must-haves!

But it is a really good idea to at least have your list going in. And now is an amazing time to be in the market for a home!!!

kikijbunny · January 2012

This is a great read, because DH and I are going on our first visit to see houses with our realtor on Sunday! It's hard for me to say things I must have, because we really have to start with what can we afford...

That said, there are a couple of deal breakers:

MUST HAVE:

- Off-street parking for at least two cars. Would love to have an attached garage, or even a detached one, but our minimum is that we both must have a parking space to come home to.

- A house that is pretty much move-in ready, minus some cosmetic stuff. We can't afford any major overhauls to start.

- Counter space in kitchen. Our present apartment has literally about 3 linear feet of badly configured built-in counter top and not much room for more.

- Some decent outdoor space/fenced in back yard... somewhere Milo can play and we can watch him, space for a "deck" or patio, maybe even a garden!

- If there's a basement, we have to be able to stand up in it. Similarly, there must be enough navigable space in the attic or sloped roofed bedrooms to be comfortable for 6' tall people.

- Good public school system, low crime rate, clean, inviting neighborhood, not on a busy street.

REALLY REALLY WANT:

- At least two toilets (that would be 1.5 baths, correct? Not up on the lingo yet). Preferably two full baths (or one bath/shower, and another shower). But if everything else in the house is great, and there was room for possible expansion, then we might forego the second bathroom.

- A working fireplace

- Lots of sunlight, open bright feel inside (probably a must-have)

- A third bedroom

Heh, the must-haves are more than I thought... :P