To ask what your priorities in buying a house would be?

[Bells3032]

If you were buying what would be your non negotiable.... And how far from a station/high street would you be willing to live?

Oh and a kitchen big enough for a table

Last time we moved our only essentials were walking distance to secondary school and a minimum of 4 bedrooms.

Everything else we kept an open mind about and the short list came down to a flip off a coin between a high-end new build, chock full of high tech gadgets or 170 year old character building.

5 bedrooms
Large kitchen/diner/sofa/family area
Separate lounge
Utility room
Just a average size garden, would be totally low maintenance

Wouldn't have to be a huge house, even a standard 3 bed semi they had bern extended would be perfect.

I currently live in a 3 bed semi with tiny kitchen and good size lounge with 3 teenage girls and a 5 year old... own bedrooms would be amazing

Reasonable sized kitchen
Off road parking for 2 cars
Garage
South facing garden
6' fence all around (or being able to put up a 6' fence)
Porch
No hedges or trees and minimal bushes in garden
Nothing over hanging the garden

Oh and I'm not worried about being close to a station as I don't use public transport if I can help it. I'm not bothered about a high street either.

I would like to live quite far from anything. In fact, we've recently just bought what will hopefully be the house we live in until retirement (both now 30s). It has a lot of land (essential), outbuildings (one of which we plan to convert to a holiday let, another will house dh's business premises), and our closest neighbours are about 1/4 mile away.

I commute to London for work, so station is probably 15-20 minutes away, which is fine, but peace and quiet and land is key.

Big garden
Bathroom big envelope enough for jacuzzi bath
No low ceilings
Otherwise don't much care

I wouldn't want to be anywhere near a high street or a station

Non-negotiable
Driveway for 2 cars at least
Hallway
Big back garden
Seperate loynge/kitchen/dining room
Cul de sac/off any main road

Detached only and wide gardens

GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal
My heart sinks reading most of these. No one's ever going to buy my house!! 
Don’t be disheartened. People’s priorities depend on their situation. The house I was looking for this time was completely different to what I was looking for when I moved last time, or the time before.

Hmm, doesn't seem to want to quote a post with a quote in it...

Anyway, thank you. We are not even on the market yet and won't be for at least another couple of years, but I do worry about not being to sell then. I love our little house, but it is "quirky", tbh. Tiny terrace, no parking, minute east-facing courtyard garden...at least it has a fantastic central location and some great schools near by.

Fab location with countryside within short walking distance.
Off road parking absolute priority.
Inside - two bathrooms a must.

Nice high street shops within 3 miles. Station not regularly needed so half hour drive away.

It's interesting, but not surprising, to see how many people specify 'detached'. Having lived in various types of properties I've experienced how horrendous it is to be subject to neighbours' noise. I currently live in a semi-detached property. The neighbours have never caused us a problem with noise. We live in an old coach house that has been divided up. We're in a built-up area (used to be farm land ages ago) but it's always been very tranquil in our garden.

However, across from our garden, there're now people living in a property where they open their windows, blast out music, and talk to each other loudly outside. And they're not young people. This started during 'lockdown'. If we sit outside we have to listen to their choice of music.

So even being detached doesn't necessarily allow you to escape other peoples' noise. It's only going to get worse, as so many commercial buildings are being converted by property developers. One of our boundaries is currently having over 160 properties being built alongside us.

When we last bought, our essentials were based around my needs as I was very recently disabled. So downstairs loo, small, well designed kitchen so I didn't have to move about much, 4 bedrooms so kids could have own space, manageable stairs (no weird turns etc), walk in shower, en-suite. Accessible garden (no steps) was a nice extra. We knew that to get all this we were going to be looking at new build estates, our house was 8 years old when we bought it.

Over the last 8 years things have changed a bit and we now have wonderful big open plan kitchen/diner as we converted the garage and I have improved enough to manage in a larger space.

While we still live in Glasgow, I can't see us moving.

View
Parking / Driveway
Garden.

Window in bathroom.
Off main road.
10 mins walk to station.
Surrounding walks without having to drive.

1/2 mile max to good station into London
Not overlooked
3500 square feet
Large garden
Excellent security
East/West aspect
Character

Mine would be
Detached
Medium sized garden
Utility room
Island in kitchen
4 bedroom
Parking for two cars on drive
Not south facing garden as my current garden is south facing and everything dies or gets fried in the sun (it may also just be me)
En-suite
Good schools near by
Nice neighbours

And if we’re talking luxuries/fantasy:
His and her walk in Wardrobes
Spare bedroom to convert to a hobby room/dressing room
Sun room Type thing in garden

OP that depends on circumstances.

Sorry I have not read the whole thread, but the question is quite redundant.

You need to consider the location, as that’s everything and anything else inside the house can be renovated/ changed / walls can be knocked down. Islands can be added in kitchens etc etc.

So for me with location only - south or west facing garden, non negotiable. Unless you’re buying a mansion / super large house with “grounds” where this isn’t a consideration.

School catchment important. If you don’t have children (as we don’t), still important in case you do and/ or for real purposes. Links to public transport important too. We’re in London so good to be able to walk to a tube and/ or short bus ride to one.

For me, garden was key (and we wanted a renovation project so were looking for a wreck too) but didn’t even look at houses where the garden was north or east.

Have been very pleased with my steadfastness about the garden in lockdown.

Final point - work our what’s absolutely non negotiable to you, whatever that is and stick to it. Estate agents will tell you that you won’t be able to get that. You will. You may need to wait for it but if you can be patient you’ll get what you’re looking for.

*resale purposes that should say

Old house, pref Victorian/Edwardian
With original fireplaces, doors, cornices etc
Stairs not too steep
Entrance hall, not front door opening directly into sitting room
3 bedrooms+
Detached or semi
Off-road parking and preferably a garage
Garden big enough for 2 large sheds, say 30 ft x 30 ft
High street or parade of shops in walking distance (not isolated corner shop that might close)
Within a mile of post office
Fairly quiet location - not too near a pub, school, workshop or factory

Freehold and south facing garden

Wow, reminds me that the archaic thing of freehold/leasehold still exists in some parts of the UK!

Extra ground floor room for kids' junk/play room.

More than 1 toilet, including 1 downstairs...

Parking

Detached

Garden has some sun in the evening somewhere.

Shower somewhere not adjacent to kids' bedrooms (ensuite)

Oh yeah! And freehold.