House buying - best things you’ve seen that made you love a house that bit more than any others. Not deal breakers like ‘a drive way’ or ‘a big garden’, but things you weren’t expecting

[Pinklittlebird]

Just that really. Thank you 🤩

Things that stood out in the house we are hoping to buy: beautiful wooden floors, original stain glass (the house is Victorian), a huge bay window that is the perfect space for a Christmas tree, lovely cottage style front garden, with large back garden that has scope to be amazing.

I definitely think a garden has the power to make a new build feel more homey. Maybe look on Instagram or if you can afford to, ask someone to design you a garden - you can give them a price point and specify how low maintenance it needs to be.

You can also go really luxe on kitchen and bathroom e.g. in the bathroom I like a big shower with rainforest head as well as handheld head and loads of space to place my umpteen bottles of hair products/ shower gels/moisturiser etc, ideally some sort of built in shelves.

Other things that make a house a home for me: cosy fireplace, books, comfy seating e.g. squishy velvet sofas, golden lamplight.

Lots of natural light. I hadn’t realised how important it was to me, until I walked into my present home on a grey overcast day, and saw how bright the rooms were (massive windows, £££££ to curtain, but that’s another story!).

I would like a hall with space for a big Christmas tree. Years ago a friend of mine’s parents had a big Victorian house and put a huge tree near the bottom of the stairs, it looked magnificent as you went in through the front door.

We viewed a house that had a bit of land with its very own cave! The house needed full renovation and the location wasn't for us so we didn't buy it but I often think about that cave. The house we did buy though, we viewed on a foggy, freezing day in December. We walked in to a beautiful inglenook, the wood burner was ticking away and candles were flickering in lanterns. I was utterly enchanted and knew right then we had to buy it. It felt like home 😊

in one house there was a curved wall in the hall, and I loved the feel it gave of welcoming you into the house. In my house now it was the size of the landing and the way the light streamed into the dining room. I knew before I left that room that we’d live here

Solid beautiful original wooden floor that had been protected by an awful shaggy carpet throughout the downstairs

It was detached. There just aren't detached houses in the neighbourhood we live in, and we'd have had to either move out miles away or look at things way above our budget before it was an option, so we never did. Enter our current home, the ugliest thing on the street, underpriced because it isn't Victorian, on an enormous plot, concrete everywhere and detached because of an errant Luftwaffe bomb during WW2. We realised quite quickly that we would be the only people interested (bar developers maybe) and made a low offer which was accepted.

Not being overlooked at the back. There's a stream and then woodland. The house had few redeeming features - all original character features had been ripped out. But as we were moving, partly, because of hideous neighbours, not being overlooked just felt instantly more peaceful and calm.

Obvious fire damage accompanied by a hole in the ceiling, that was singed.

I've thought of another plus point about our house, which wasn't why we bought it, but which I've appreciated enormously over the years. We have a pillar box very nearby. So useful on the odd occasion I have to post anything and have the stamps already. (Less useful than it was before the internet, admittedly.)

When we moved in, we occasionally had to make use of the phone box in the next street when there was a problem with the landline, but that issue has gone away with the demise of (a) the phone box and (b) the landline.

Birds singing everywhere. A beautiful garden. I agree with most of the things mentioned above. Stained glass, a pantry, secret doors and great storage. Cornicing and fruit trees all do it for me.

We only went to view this house as we were bored one afternoon. We'd looked at a few already but this one wasn't really on our list. The bedroom, it has a long window, two foot from the floor and almost reaching the ceiling. Loved it after years in a council house with the rectangle windows. So yeah, the bedroom window was clincher! Looks out to grass and tall trees of the estate opposite so that's lovely, especially through the seasons.
Our next house must have a bay window. Possibly a decent hallway too that a tree can comfortably fit in, purely for the Christmas vibes.

A pretty street, period features, good quality sash windows, solid wood front door, quirky / unusual.layout (but in a good way),, distinctive external features, bonus extra bedroom, fab location. This describes a house i'm in process of buying right now :)

First house, having been in a downstairs flat with a druggy, domestic violence committing wanker who made our lives a misery for a year, was the knowledge that the neighbours were lovely.

Next house was serendipitous, the agent told us he’d just been to value a house he thought we’d love because it would be our taste. He was bang on, door in the middle of the house, huge kitchen ideal for dogs. Big private garden clinched it for us.

For our next house, I’m hoping for views, a huge pond, big veg patch, chicken run, a couple of acres. I’m aware I can install some of those myself, but it would swing it for me versus a property without. Hopefully there’ll also be a downstairs bathroom/minimum loo. Location is also going to be key, of course and no visible neighbours. I’d LOVE a walk in pantry!