house hunting - what's on your must have list!

[autumnin2winter]

Currently looking for a new house and finding it so hard. I started with a 'must have' list of about 10 things (which i now laugh at!) and it's slowly whittled down because a) i can't find anything in the teeny tiny self imposed area of the map I am looking on or b) DH has veto'd it.

Essentials currently are - a drive and a downstairs toilet.

Tell me your MUST HAVES?

Wanted:
4 beds
Garden facing between south and west
Secure back garden
Utility room
Downstairs toilet
Separate play room/dining room
Off street parking for 2 cars

We got:
4 bedrooms
Off street parking for 1 car

It’s all about compromise 😂

My non-negotiables when I moved 5 years ago were: pretty period property, walkable to town centre, and in nice quiet area, south-facing garden that has enough space to grow flowers and veg, wood-burning stove or open fire. And at least 2 bedrooms, and a space to work from home in. Got all of those! What I didn't ask for and now wouldn't be without is off-road parking. What I didn't get and now regret is a hall or any sort of room that separates outside from the main rooms of the house, a downstairs loo, and a better view/access from house to garden (think french windows or conservatory). Can't get any of those in my current house, and really can't face moving house again! No house is perfect, and I'm generally very happy with mine!

We are just about to complete.

On my necessary list was area (10 streets due to catchment), within budget (thankfully v realistic for type of property and location), at least 3 beds.

I always wanted, and assumed id never get, utility room, space for dining table in kitchen, guest bedroom, play room and log burner.

Weve ended up finding a single property which includes all of the above! Literally needle in a haystack situation. Cannot believe it.

Needless to say I hope not to move again.

Detached ,as in can walk all the way around it whilst still being on our own property .
Downstairs toilet
At least 3 large double bedrooms
Plenty of off road parking
Reasonable size garden .
Decent location
Took us 18 months to find our current house a long time ago .

Open minded as long as I can work on it to add value
Room for WC/ Cloke / bathroom on all levels , room for home office ( room not an area )
Room for plenty of units in kitchen
Interesting location that's improving , becoming trendy and very close walk to cafes restaurants etc
Easy walk to mainline station
Freehold
No weird covenants in legal work
No very scruffy neighbours

Detached
Garage
Driveway for 2 cars
2 bathrooms
3 bedrooms
Large kitchen
Largish enclosed back garden

Plenty of light
Great view
Not overlooked
Off road parking
No traffic noise
Either very thick ie stone walls, or detached
Bath
Downstairs loo

Definite no:
Open plan
Grey double glazed windows

Must haves:
Detached
minimum 4 bedrooms
driveway big enough for 4 cars
Space for dishwasher
en-suite to master bedroom
Downstairs toilet
open fire or Woodburner
Not open plan

Wants:
Old/character
Walking distance to pub
Utility room
Walk-in wardrobe
Home cinema
Big garden

We got all the must haves and all the wants except big garden and walking distance to pub. But it was worth the compromise as got 6 bedrooms in the end and garden is still average sized

Off road parking

Utility room, garden, large kitchen, upstairs toilet, storage in bedrooms.

Rural
Detached
No near neighbours
Downstairs lav
Upstairs bathroom
Dining kitchen
At least one functional fireplace and/or woodburner
Off-street parking for 4 motorbikes, 2 cars and a motorhome

Our next move will be to a much cheaper area, so we have a chance of getting what we want.

My wants are low but it’s amazing how impossible they seem when looking for a house.
Detached, semi, end terraced or big flat, 3 beds, 15 minute walk into city centre, allocated parking space, preferably overlooking the water (if it’s a flat I’d want a balcony) with gas central heating. If it’s a house, something older, if it’s a flat something modern and clean. No kitchen living rooms combined. Easy huh? Not so much 😢

Mine was to be in the gorgeous town I grew up in, and to be bigger than our last house plus detached, bought a renovation but it's all those things and more. It's been hard work but so satisfying to see how it's turned out.

To those who say 'I need a shower', get one put in. People miss out on houses because they want the finished article and often end up buying an inferior house to one that just needs small changes.

Min two bedrooms and two bathrooms and a decent home report. Detached is nearly a must have but not quite.

Detached, bit of land, kitchen diner, guest room with en-suite, master bedroom with en-suite, minstrel's gallery, open fire or wood burner.

Trees, a bridge, resident owls and a dojang--

Hoping to buy next year.

Needs:
3 bedrooms
Walking distance to a train station
Small to medium sized garden
Other houses in the street looked after (not necessarily immaculate but look like they've been cared for)
Room for a dishwasher
Decent parking arrangements
No huge projects- happy to redecorate but would rather not rewire etc

Wants:
Upstairs bathroom and downstairs toilet
Either a large kitchen diner and lounge or 2 decent sized receptions with additional kitchen (not all open plan, keep seeing it on Rightmove and can't stand it)

Open plan back of house: kitchen/snug/diner

Enclosed decent sized south facing garden

Drive

Downstairs WC

4 beds

2 en suites

Must be in south London.

Must have a garden rather than a courtyard.

Must have two toilets.

Must have recently installed or well maintained roof, plumbing, electrics, gas central heating and windows.

MUST HAVE - must be next to open space for the cats who are used to having fields next door. Definite wants - 2 loos and a kitchen that is big enough for me and DH both to make breakfast at the same time plus 3 bedrooms minimum and parking

We got - fields beside and behind, 2 bathrooms, good sized kitchen(if rather oddly designed), 4 bedrooms and parking for up to 3 cars. It is an extended modern box with little character and a very steep garden but we love it and have made loads of improvements plus put in oodles of character.

Next place must have:
Excellent reports - structurally sound, well maintained components
Private outside space (garden, balcony I can squeeze a table on if it's a flat)
Two bedrooms
Good public transport links (not too much of an ask in my area)
A 'proper' supermarket that's less than 30 mins walk
Decent size kitchen (counter space, room for dishwasher etc)
Decent utility cupboard / room
Central heating
Bath / space for one
Decent amount of light
"Feels" safe and private (house set a little back from the road, or flat on a top floor and not directly overlooked)
Reasonably soundproofed / quiet
Hallway

Ideally have:
Freehold
Lots of light
Nothing too concerning re stairs / access, in case arthritis gets worse
A pretty central location, as I have now

The wish list includes:
Detached house
South facing garden
Pantry / space to build one
Maybe a conservatory, or space to build an extension (if I suddenly win the lottery!)
Highly energy efficient
Very quiet / no traffic noise
Big utility room
Three bedrooms
A huge kitchen... by huge, I mean one you can fit a standard dining table in without having to cram it near a wall! Oh, and if there's space for an island too... drools
Fibre broadband / be near an exchange
Victorian

... Hey, I can dream big!

My current new build flat is a little soulless and doesn't tick all boxes, but if it wasn't for ground rent fears and lack of a second bedroom I think I'd stay here a good while! Just grateful to have made it here, have been saving since I was 17 whilst supporting my DF. Purchased at 28, just turned 30. Count myself very lucky, really.

Kitchen/ living/ dining room and another living room.
En suite
Garage and parking for two cars
Storage
Good public transport and basic shops within walking distance.
Large master bedroom with dressing area.
Detached
Cloakroom
Utility

Have got those things, except it’s a utility cupboard off the cloakroom. Also have a south facing garden, office space, five minute drive to the beach,

Something different.

We were moving from a 4 bed detached to basically get bigger bedrooms (our downstairs was great but upstairs was crap).Our old house was in a very nice but reasonable road so there was a massive jump of about £150k to get something similar but with just a foot extra on the bedrooms. I didnt want to go from a modern 4 bed detached to another modern 4 bed detached and have not gained much for that money, it needed to have something different. Considered barns etc but ended up with a v different 1980s house that has a very unusual layout with a "wow" backdrop and the extra space. The house had been on sale a long time because it needed some work, thus we got a substantial discount too. One man's eyesore is another man's dream!

• In a not shit area.
• Bathtub (Fuck off shower rooms.)
• 3+ Bedrooms
• End of Terrace or Semi-Detached.
• Garden
• Room for a dining table.

• Room for a dishwasher.

Garage
Driveway (big enough for the caravan would be awesome!)
2 seperate reception rooms and space in kitchen for a couple of people to eat.
4 beds+
2 bathrooms
Downstairs toilet
Utility area outside of the kitchen
Tall cupboard understairs
Hallway.

Basically budget in my area would need to be 450k-550k