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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

What puts you off buying a house?

425 replies

notwhyicamehere · 12/06/2021 17:51

Other than structural things or location- which can't be changed, what are the seemingly little things that would put you off buying a house?
For me, seeing tumble dryer or vacuum in a random room screams not enough space/ storage. As well as loads of bathroom clutter.

AIBU to dismiss houses based on things like this?

Looking to sell soon so looking to avoid those mistakes!

OP posts:
Staffy1 · 12/06/2021 22:06

Any sign of feral brats nearby. The type that are basically booted out the door at the crack of dawn and left unsupervised to cause havoc until dusk. No parking, or parking in a silly/awkward place. Fridge in a different room to tiny kitchen.
Also was put off one house where the sellers were creeping around whispering and the house next door had what looked like tin foil over the windows. Made me think they were trying to avoid drawing the attention of a bonkers neighbour.

Dee1975 · 12/06/2021 22:08

For me a dirty bathroom is a no no. When viewing of course people ‘wiped down’. But I look round the taps, shower tray, behind loo. If those things arnt properly clean for a viewing then the chances are they don’t clean regularly or effectively enough. And unfortunately grime does build up over time and difficult to ever get certain things looking ‘really clean’ again.

pilates · 12/06/2021 22:09

Busy road
Downstairs bathroom/shower room
No off road parking
overlooked garden
Neighbours with overgrown garden
Neighbours doing cars up in the garden and hot tubs
Neighbours dogs barking
New builds
Shared driveways/access ways

Bad decor wouldn’t bother me, that is so easy to change

CleanQueen123 · 12/06/2021 22:09

Not being able to fit normal sized furniture/appliances in the places they would usually go.

For example, years ago I viewed a house with a galley kitchen that was only just wider than the doorway to get in.

I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong with the room until I realised there was no fridge. I turned around and saw one wedged in the alcove by the front door that was clearly meant to store your coats, shoes etc.

There wasn't even room for an under counter fridge or freezer so the only option you had was to find space for it somewhere else in the house Confused

rc22 · 12/06/2021 22:10

Downstairs bathrooms put me off. Houses with just a shower and no room in the bathroom to get a bath fitted or houses with just a bath and nowhere to fit a shower (often houses where all of the upstairs is in the roof space so the rooms have sloping roofs.)

Agree with pp about kitchen extensions with skylights. They look amazing but can't help but think of the damage and hassle they'll cause when they start to leak or go wrong.

Round here the give away about tiny bedrooms is when they're advertised as bedroom 5/study!!

DipSwimSwoosh · 12/06/2021 22:10

Lino
Road noise
Appliance noise (background hums you can't stop)
Smell
Overlooked
Dark
En suite

user1471538283 · 12/06/2021 22:11

I am only looking for a quiet bungalow so I've rejected bungalows next door to houses, those that are overlooked and noisy neighbours. I just want to sit in the small garden or yard in the evening.

CSIblonde · 12/06/2021 22:14

Going off my years working doing viewings for an EA: extremely dated kitchen or bathroom (expensive to replace), clutter, messy garden, 'unusual' decor: no one likes your mirrored ceiling & zebra print rugs or your padded headboard with with karma sutra positions printed on it . ( Where you even buy such fabric is a question too). That was one house that lingered in a highly desirable area where normally, homes were on sale 2 months, max. People can't see past your possessions , so neutralise it, no loud colours or patterns.

Moraxella · 12/06/2021 22:15

@PhannyPharts me too, even though the street I live in hasn’t got a house

scarecrow22 · 12/06/2021 22:16

Not having enough/any books. I really could not live there. To say nothing of the practical problem of there presumably not being enough book shelving!

YouokHun · 12/06/2021 22:19

Certain layouts: my DM took me with her to look at some new builds. Each of the four bedrooms had en suites (no family bathroom) and downstairs the guest loo was through the utility room, meaning if a visitor wanted to use a loo they would have to go through a messy utility room full of laundry etc (my DM doesn’t want her pants on display to a visitor Grin ) or through someone’s bedroom. The other new builds we looked at had only one door to the back garden through the carpeted living room, not how anyone wants children and dogs going in an out; need a kitchen door! Not massive issues I suppose but it felt like someone hadn’t thought it through.

TableNiner · 12/06/2021 22:21

A relatively new but unimaginative and brash kitchen, especially gloss white units and black worktops. Would prefer a completely dated thing that clearly needs replacing.

BreakingtheIce · 12/06/2021 22:23

@scarecrow22

Not having enough/any books. I really could not live there. To say nothing of the practical problem of there presumably not being enough book shelving!
The owner takes their books with them. Have you not heard of freestanding bookshelves?
fashionablefennel · 12/06/2021 22:23

@scarecrow22

Not having enough/any books. I really could not live there. To say nothing of the practical problem of there presumably not being enough book shelving!
I am not sure I am following you. The lack of books from the previous occupant has not effect on your own?
Cantbebotheredtothinkofaname · 12/06/2021 22:24

Wow some of the replies on here are really picky! Things that would put me off are:

No grass in garden
Garden with little/no sunlight
Neighbours that look troublesome/messy neighbours garden etc
No bath
Messy/smelly house - if they can’t be bothered to clean up for a viewing what is it hiding and what state would it be in when we completed!
No parking
Dado rails - they can’t be removed without replastering the whole wall!
Very very dated decor, thick shiny paint on skirting boards for example, indicating many coats of paint applied over the years.

Lottielovescake · 12/06/2021 22:24

White front doors

PlumpAndDeliciousFatcat · 12/06/2021 22:25

@scarecrow22

Not having enough/any books. I really could not live there. To say nothing of the practical problem of there presumably not being enough book shelving!
I…what?
CleanQueen123 · 12/06/2021 22:28

Now I'm thinking about it, I also agree with en suites (basically taking a poo in your bedroom) and fitted bedroom furniture, particularly the mirrored kind.

blueshoes · 12/06/2021 22:29

Swimming pool or any built in pond feature.
High spec house that is not in my taste - I would either have to grit my teeth and be reminded this is someone else's house or incur the cost and waste of ripping out expensive fixtures and redecorating and pay for that in the price as well.

BackforGood · 12/06/2021 22:29

they are complete barriers if you don’t have the money or capacity to do a lot of refurbishments though. Some people need to move into something that’s not going to take a lot of work so want to avoid anything that seems like there’s a risk of hidden issues.

Ok, I've always thought that a house is such a long term investment that some cleaning and cosmetic requirements would actually make a house more affordable.

This ^. Surely when your budget is limited, you actively seek out houses that have the potential to have some value added by yourself. Particularly at the start of your house buying journey, when you have the energy and enthusiasm to redecorate and save up bit by bit to makes small improvements.

@NoseOfJericho - what is a "square toilet " ?

I also think you have to take into account what budget you have, whether you are moving in with a family, and also where you are in the country. What I wouldn't consider buying now, at my age and stage of life, is a very different list from what would have put me off 30 years ago, with a very different budget, and no dc.
Then things some people are complaining about like the bathroom being downstairs, beyond the kitchen - that is the only way houses were ever built in some areas. Same as parking - something that is really important to me, but where my brother lives, despite their house costing more than twice as much for a MUCH smaller house, parking is like hen's teeth, so just wouldn't be a deal breaker as no-one expects to have it.

Lottielovescake · 12/06/2021 22:31

Oh and conservatories!

abstractprojection · 12/06/2021 22:36

Neighbours, noise, anti-social behaviour and structural issues would put me off

Then it’s just location, size and price to me

Xenia · 12/06/2021 22:37

Downstairs bathroom. My son bought his first house in Jan and lots of those small terraced ones only had downstairs bathrooms - luckily he found one with an upstairs one.

HollowTalk · 12/06/2021 22:37

@HotChocolateLover

Not enough plug sockets! We’re just about to move into our second house and it was a mistake we made in our current house. When we were looking now, if the property didn’t have a tonne of sockets then it was out of the running!
It's not that expensive to have them fitted, though. I thought it would be a much bigger job than it was.