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Original poster

As a buyer what would now stop you from buying your own house?

115 replies

countingdowntoxmass · 20/12/2022 20:37

For me:

Shared driveway. Mostly it’s fine now, but that’s only because I’ve had to kick off multiple times at next door using my side or having their friends park entirely across my drive.

Not having a downstairs toilet.

Not having a separate dinning room (kitchen and diner are open plan and would be too small to divide). I’d still love an open plan with a table, but I’d like a dinning room for more formal occasions.

Potentially because it’s a semi detached, too much noise from next door.

OP posts:
CakeCrumbs44 · 20/12/2022 21:25

I love our house. It's just a normal 3 bed 70s mid terrace, nothing exciting or special, but I really like it and the location is great, neighbours are all nice, plenty of parking, school is very nearby and a good one. In an ideal world it would have a 4th bedroom and a downstairs loo and an attached garage... But not having those things doesn't put me off, we just can't afford to buy a house which has those things.

We could buy a house with those things in a crappy area, not near a school and difficult parking, but it's not worth it.

SagittariusDwarf · 20/12/2022 21:27

The fact that it's in a conservation area which means I need planning permission to do pretty much anything to the exterior (tried to replace crap front door with a thermal composite one - not allowed!)

echt · 20/12/2022 21:32

I would like a hallway.

In all other respects my house is lovely.

MissPiggysPinkDress · 20/12/2022 21:33

Current house is semi detached, was fine until noisy people moved in next door, next will defo be link detached as a minimum. Also want living room that isn’t a through way to the kitchen, and a utility room would be nice. Other than that I still like the house on the whole and the area is great. Saving to move in the next few years

Wfhandbored · 20/12/2022 21:33

Shitty dick head nasty neighbours!

Giggorata · 20/12/2022 21:34

The things that I'm hoping to rectify in the coming year - a large rear porch,
providing covered access to the boiler/laundry room, coats and boots space and extra warmth at the back, new dog kennels and run, resite the oil tank further away from the house.

Stripedbag101 · 20/12/2022 21:38

I love my new house.

last house had a shared driveway, surrounded by lots and lots of other house overlooking the tiny side and back garden, horrible neighbours and no hall so had to walk through the living room to get to the kitchen.

I didn’t realise how much the shared driveway stressed me out until I moved.

NigellasMicrowavey · 20/12/2022 21:38

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the request of the author

Bluevelvetsofa · 20/12/2022 21:39

I’d move it to where we used to live. But if I did that, I wouldn’t be able to afford it.

Margo34 · 20/12/2022 21:41

LindorDoubleChoc · 20/12/2022 21:12

Victorian terrace. Never again!

Another vote for Victorian terrace!

No downstairs loo
Tiny yard
No side passage/access
No drive
No garage
No space for a kitchen diner
Damp that we just cannot seem to resolve!
Leaks, holes, and woodlice

I do love the area though and that the house has a long history, if only walls could talk!

OneRingToRuleThemAll · 20/12/2022 21:41

I don't like that my flat is leasehold and time is ticking for having to extend the lease.

But it's right in the city centre and within an hour of London and I can't afford a house here so there is no point wanting what I can't have.

maddiemookins16mum · 20/12/2022 21:42

One word. Conservatory.

Totally useless, it was -4 out there last week and 42c once in the summer.

shreddies · 20/12/2022 21:42

Overlooked at the back. Looks at ugly house at the front. Damp that I can't seem to resolve.

Fedupofdiets · 20/12/2022 21:42

SagittariusDwarf · 20/12/2022 21:27

The fact that it's in a conservation area which means I need planning permission to do pretty much anything to the exterior (tried to replace crap front door with a thermal composite one - not allowed!)

Terrace, no parking and a small garden. To be fair the parking isnt that bad and 99% of the time I can park but I know if I get back late no chance. Neighbours are very quiet but I still cannot get used to being 'sandwiched' in by either side and get very anxious about noise. I am hoping to move in the next 1-2 years and will not make the same mistake again.

Fedupofdiets · 20/12/2022 21:44

Sorry @SagittariusDwarf meant to say we are also in a conservation area and our council are so tight on the regs. We spoke with Historic England last week and they were aghast at how our council are implementing the rules, it seems each council interpret the guidance differently.

Rockingcloggs · 20/12/2022 21:48

Nothing! I've got a large, 3 bed end terrace house with garage and outhouse. We bought it for 75k and paid the mortgage off last October. I love my house and I love my neighbours. We have green areas all around. We're a mile away from my parents & inlaws, a mile from my sister, half a mile away from primary school. He's a mile away from secondary school for when he moves up next year and it takes me about 4 minutes in the car to get to work! I couldn't ask for more.

Ricco12 · 20/12/2022 21:49

Needs a Bigger garden

Clariana · 20/12/2022 21:50

@Mentalpiece You skimmed over woodchip? Woodchip wallpaper? Surely I must have misunderstood that one.

Isahlo · 20/12/2022 21:52

It’s a new build and I fucking hate my kitchen cupboard handles. 😂 it’s a half hour fifty quid job to fix. I just haven’t.

wherearebeefandonioncrisps · 20/12/2022 21:52

It's my elevated garden.

In our thirties , it never bothered us other than when the children were very small and we worried about the steps from the patio.

We're retired now and we can't use a wheelbarrow to cart compost, mulch etc.. to the garden and dragging garden waste from the garden is a huge effort.

Really wish our garden was at the same level. It's enough of an issue to make us want to move. We've been here for 25 years and it's a wrench .

WetBandits · 20/12/2022 21:53

It’s freezing.

RumNotRun · 20/12/2022 21:54

The amount of work to be done combined with my lack of DIY ability/interest, the fact my partner (who was happy to do the renovations) soon became my ex, and that I'm shit with money so never have any to pay for professionals. I love my house, most of my neighbours, the area is ok, but I am so bored of my house being half finished.

Picklewicklepickle · 20/12/2022 22:01

Lack of kitchen diner.
Small north facing garden.
Grade II* listed (and thus single glazed windows).
No 4th/spare bedroom.
Teeny bathroom.
No utility space.

Can you tell I want to move? 😆 It has some beautiful features that I love and would miss but is impractical for what I want/need.

We only have on-street permit parking and actually it’s not an issue, I can park outside my house 99.9% of the time and could change the front garden to a drive with the right permission (lots of the neighbours have). But I would want off street parking in a new house as I doubt it’d be so lucky elsewhere.

Probablymagrat · 20/12/2022 22:02

I just don't like it at all. I still miss my old house. I wish I hadn't given in to pressure to move. Can't afford where we used to live now.

WingingIt101 · 20/12/2022 22:04

The terrible insulation- we can have the heating blasting and it doesn't warm up.

Bought in July so the first winter was a shock!

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