New home MUST HAVES....

[coffeestains]

DH and I are looking for a (3 bed max) house to buy finally!! What are the things that you think are must haves...I'm not talking about luxuries such as a swimming pool or gym but rather things like near a high street, near a park, a gym, or maybe a tiny garden, a study area, separate kitchen as opposed to an open plan etc
What has made you really happy (or unhappy) about your home?
TIA!

Apologies I should have said....
We do not have children and plan to keep it that way.
Both in our early 50's
DC works from home.
We have one car
No pets

Downstairs loo
Utility room
Storage storage and more storage
Garden and ability to see trees
Space for creating
A big enough hall for a couple of pieces of furniture

The right location for your lifestyle/life phase. We are currently in a village which means we have a large garden, peace & quiet & a good primary. It has been a lovely place to raise children. Now the DC are older, we are planning to move in the next few years to a town location with more amenities in walking distance.

Other than that, like other posters, I would say, parking, storage and a decent kitchen. The things that will cause stress if they aren't right.

Think about what would drive you mad and make compromises based on that.

Our garage is to the back of our house and we can't have electricity to it which would be a none starter for some people - for us it was either the garage being where it is but the location is peaceful, the garden a good size and we have space around us between the houses so it was a compromise worth making for us.

Other people would have sacrificed the space and leave we have around us for one of the streets nearby that has the garage attached to the house but the houses squished in like sardines.

I like a utility because I like shutting the machines away and not hearing them or seeing the never ending washing while we're sat eating a meal - other people want a separate dining room so it wouldn't be an issue anyway.

An open mind! You'll never get everything on your list - you'll just be another viewing couple with an endlessly impossible laundry list. Ignore everyone else's requirements - only you know what's important to you.

Some things you think are desirable are not so great. We moved to our corner plot 20+ years ago. This meant a larger than average garden. Potential to build. We never had the money to extend. The garden was great when the kids were young but now its too big. The other thing is now we have a dog, who barks if another dog walks along the adjacent pavement. Also people throw their litter over our fence which
potentially could make our dog sick. She has chronic pancreatitis.

Wanting a downstairs toilet was on the must have list. I still say that but would also require the toilet not to be next to the front door. The times the postman has rung whilst I’m having a marathon shit is embarrassing.

Bathroom with a window

A patch of grass is nice to have

I have no drive and live amongst a lot terraces and was amazed at how peaceful it is. Also no parking but I'm home by the evening so not a problem for parking.

Near a high street! Makes such a difference to life being able to pop to local shops/for a coffee/out for a meal/drink. We lived on the edge of the countryside in a boring estate for years. I despised having to drive everywhere in the end - my MH improved so much when we moved to leafy suburbs.

Good public transport links are also incredibly handy. I could live without it but do love having an ensuite

My last home had to have an open fire and a bath. Nine years later I have moved and now have neither. This time it was all about the location 🤷🏼‍♀️

Storage (or able to put some in).
Transport links even if you dont think youll need them, (you don't know what will happen in the future, I could drive when I moved to my home, disability struck I couldn't I now rely on public transport in a village with no shops).
Newer home so more straight lines, well insulated (lower bills).
I have a drive but don't use is so not an issue but may be in some areas.
Something easy to maintain as you get older. Can you live on one level? Is there room for a downstairs shower room? Would a bungalow be better longterm or would you be prepared to move again when older? Me I'd be future proofing so I didn't need to move again.
In about 3 years my dc will have all left home, I'm disabled and unable to work. I'll be nearly 50 and I plan to downsize. My list of definitely need are on one floor, a spare bedroom for family to stay if and when I need some care, shower room or ability to convert. Easy maintenance or no garden. Small bungalow or flat. Kitchen, somewhere to dine and somewhere to sit. Good transport links.

Walkable to shops, public transport and the GP.

Wouldn't have mattered 25 years ago when we bought but I'm very glad of it now.

Walkable to primary and secondary schools was important when we bought.

Detached
Parking/driveway
Decent size kitchen
Separate dining room
Ensuite to our bedroom
Outside taps
Outside power source
Meters in sensible places to read (not so much an issue nowadays with smart meters but still useful)
Walking distance to bus stop
Walking distance to corner shop

At least two loos, including one downstairs.

We moved just over two years ago (for work and ultimately retirement) and had a very definite list of "must-haves".
We were relocating but had worked out the area we wanted to settle in so it was a case of finding somewhere in our chosen area.
Pleased to say we met all of them.👍

Newbuild (but not a universal NB lookalike estate).
Semi-rural but easy reach to town.
Roomy detached with plenty of space for adaptions in later life.
4-bed (or 3-bed with study).
Garage and private driveway for at least two cars.
Reasonable sized garden that would take landscaping and planting (we were giving up a huge garden that was going to be too much in later life) .
Open plan kitchen/diner/family room.
Utility room.
Separate living room.

There were of course a long list of "would likes" (number of toilets, storage etc) but luckily with our chosen design of house, just about all of these were covered.

I last moved for a nicer area, better schools and a driveway for parking.

I like having space in the kitchen for a table so that is also a must for me now too.

What I would like but don't have is
detached, a separate room for when I wfh, utility room and a second bathroom. Although these aren't enough to make me want to spend more and move again.

South facing garden

To raise a family in, two bathrooms (minimum!) with en suite to the master. A separate sitting room to the main family area. A loft. Somewhere to store a chest freezer, so cellar or garage. Access to the garden from a sitting area. Off road parking.

Parking, cloakroom space and a shed or space for one

Off street parking - absolutely non-negotiable after a decade of living on a street with no off-road parking and not enough spaces.

Kitchen large enough for a dishwasher.

A downstairs cloak/bathroom - absolute bliss not having to shout at H to hurry up as I need a wee!

Garden which isn't overlooked. Not bothered about aspect, although we ended up with SW which is lovely. But I would have taken a north facing garden which was private, over a south facing garden which was overlooked.

I don’t feel very strongly about parking, though understand some do. I wonder at the stage you are at, do you plan/expect to live the rest of your life here? If so, bit mad to talk about now but the ability to live downstairs should your mobility ever deteriorate, seems wise.

I also think it’s worth avoiding too large houses if just the two of you - just means more to clean!

No near neighbours.

Might be a bit ambitious for a FTB? Especially if she's in a city.

Good daylight. A gloomy house is depressing. And while not a must have, a gorgeous view is one of* the things that's* brought me a lot of joy in houses I've lived in.

Ours were

South or west facing garden
safe for the cat
separate spaces for both of us to wfh
separate living room
kitchen big enough to eat in
off road parking
off-road running routes straight out of the door
decent amount of storage space
at least a couple of nice bars/restaurants/cafes in walking distance

It was a driveway (having spent a decade in a house with limited on-street parking) and accessibility to the motorway that were our key factors (for my work).