What puts you off buying a house?

[notwhyicamehere]

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!

Freehold property with a communal charge for shared gardens or private road where costs can escalate over time

Must have parking

Indications of pets or smokers, dirt, astro turf

Not sure I understand messy garden? Surely that is just fixed when you move in?

Paved over garden or plastic grass would put me off. If I loved the house I’d have to factor in the price to remove.

Houses that stink of dogs, or smoke, or the last meal the family ate. Just open your bloody windows. Conservatories. Open plan layout. More bedroom space than living space. A period house with picture rails and other features removed (especially picture rails, they are so practical, much better than holes all over the wall). Small room sizes.

Downstairs bathroom, even if it’s an extra shower room.
The house selling frequently.
Bad parking.
Main road (I have cats)
Double bedrooms just that fraction too small.

@Spanielsarepainless

The smell of cigarette smoke. Or any indication of smoking in the past.

I agree. I’d always worry I’d never get the smell out.

Lack of space for appliances. I’m having to remodel to fit in a dishwasher and I hate it.

Built-in cupboards over the bed space. They’re old fashioned and make a room look so boxy - but I feel like I’d be paying money to destroy useful storage if I got rid of them.

you can't be too picky on the isle of wight at present, there seem to be endless sold signs everywhere but not any for sale. we were very lucky to grab a bargain bungalow, needs redecorating but everything about it was perfect including a new fitted bathroom and that's def staying.

To be honest, very little. This place was hideously decorated when I bought it but it wasn't much effort to rip carpets and paint.

Location was key, most other things can be changed.

I certainly wouldn't be put off by little niggles that many people on here seem to. And my tumble dryer is the spare bedroom

Crap layouts
No downstairs loo
Pebble dashing
Period properties where all the nice features have been pulled out and replaced with shiny modern fitted kitchens and bathrooms

Garden that is paved/astroturf/gravel/huge amount of decking, including front garden being paved over to make a car park
Too close to motorway/railway lines
Roof pitch too flat to be able to stand up in loft
Conservatory
Generally pictures of it not looking nice and tidy - yesterday I was looking at one and the tables and surfaces were covered in rubbish and you could see a pack of tobacco on the table. Immediate no imagining the smell!
Loft conversion/not full height ceilings in bedrooms
Bathroom where the loo is in a separate little room to the bath and sink
Kitchen with little worktop space

Signs of pets.

When flicking through Rightmove / Zoopla, I am always wary of a house that doesn't have a photo of itself as the lead photo.
Then I hate it when there is no floorplan
I roll my eyes at photos of vases of flowers or a decoration on the wall, but no photo of the bathroom

I don't like it when a house has been done up to the nines and then expecting to recoup that from me as someone else's tastes are unlikely to match mine. Equally when someone has laid cream or a pale beige carpet throughout.
I want to move in to a house, and be able to live in it, not wander round taking photos for Instagram.

stuff that has put me off
garden full of dog poo (and I am a dog owner) means low standards of hygiene
smell....once heavy smokers, once curry and not fresh curry...in both cases it would have been a wallpaper and carpets out job to get rid
lack of parking
overlooked garden

when I am looking at houses on websites, any house where all or most of the photos have been taken with the curtains closed...what are they hiding?
houses (sorry) with adapted bathrooms...grab rails, shower seats and so on unless the price reflects the need to immediately replace the bathroom
shared drives and low fences

plus all that stuff @burritofan said about nasty kitchens and bathrooms

Dogs, cats and smoking

I don't care about presentation, I'd change it all anyway. Plug sockets wouldn't even be something I would think about because again that's something I could easily get rectified. I don't like being overlooked and I like space so a house that was on a cut de sac for example would be very off putting for me.

Smell of smoking
Smell of pets
Competition for parking spaces
Antisocial behaviour in the area - loud music/smoking weed in the garden etc.
New builds.
Period properties with no features left.

Pebbledash.

A garden that's all hard landscaping.

Paved gardens
plastic grass
brown pvc windows
Conservatories
Galley kitchens
Tiny back garden
Neighbours with lots of cars
Neighbours with caravan etc in drive
No hallway

Fitted wardrobes?! I don’t understand this one, can someone explain?

Anywhere near a children’s play area or bus stop.

Near a school

Scruffy neighbouring houses.

Obvious parking issues.

Downstairs bathroom.

A newly redecorated house with shiny new paint etc. worries me: what are they hiding! Even if I am not going for a project, I prefer somewhere that hasn't been touched in a little while, so no horrible surprise hiding

That makes absolutely no sense to me. What can be hidden with a coat of paint that a survey wouldn’t pick up? It indicates a motivated seller to me.

I’d never buy a house with a paved over garden, with no downstairs loo or no storage. Otherwise my mind is open. Oh, and a newly fitted kitchen would put me off because I want to choose my own.

North facing garden.
Signs of problematic neighbours (loud music, shouting, rubbish dumped in front garden etc.).
Small windows
Mess/clutter/horrible carpets or wallpaper wouldn’t put me off. They will (presumably) take their clutter with them, and the other things can soon be changed.

An obviously new and expensive kitchen that I don’t like, because of e.g. the colour, since I won’t feel justified in ripping it out.

One of those vintage style stand alone baths with claw feet - to me they = style over substance, and very unpractical.
Bathroom with no bath.

Lack of sunshine

Things you can't change, like which way the houses faces so it might be very dark.

Also an expensive kitchen in a horrible style or made for a very tall person.

A small hall in a big house.

Long and very high hedges. Either need taking away or professional cutting.