Which features are most important to you when buying?

[LittlePickleHead]

Link to previous thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/property/1972516-Large-house-vs-location-vs-extend-really-need-some-opinions?

Extending is now looking very likely. We have a wish list if what we would like to achieve, but given the space restrictions we will have to compromise on some aspects. Given this is going to be a relatively short term (c. 5 year) residence for us, I am aware that what we are doing needs to make it easily re saleable.

So this is our wish list, which are most important to you and which would be deal breakers? For the sake of the exercise assume you are happy to live in a flat in a superb location ;)

Eat in kitchen/diner with separate reception (as opposed to one big kitchen/diner/reception)
Access to garden from kitchen/diner or another living space (as opposed to through a bedroom)
Second toilet/cloakroom
2 double and 1 single (as opposed to good sized master and 2 decent sized singles)
Bathroom with a window (as opposed to internal)

I have drawn up a floor plan that works for us as a family, that has a large reception, separate kitchen diner with double doors onto the garden, but to get that I've had compromise with only 1 double room (though the singles are decent sized and you could fit a double bed in one though no space to walk round it) and an internal bathroom (and no extra toilet but as it's a flat I don't see an issue with it). DH Is worried that not having 2 doubles will put buyers off and he's not a fan of internal bathrooms.

A recent extension down the road has a large reception/kitchen (at the front so no external access). It also has two doubles but the only way to the garden is through one of the double bedrooms. They also have a second wet room, but off the single room which is a bit odd. The main bathroom has a window.

I'm interested to hear which aspects would work best for you, speaking to an architect later so it will help me to give her the brief

TIA!

As someone who's going to be looking to buy a flat in the next year or so, I would say it's really important to me to have a kitchen or kitchen-diner that's separate from the living room. And very frustrating that so many owners try to eke an extra bedroom out by putting the kitchen in the living room. I don't want to live in one room, if I did I would live in a sodding yurt.

I think it partly depends on who generally buys flats like this in your area. If it's couples with small children they might be happier to have a layout where they can can use one single bedroom for the children and the other single for office space or another children's room. If it's childless couples who want a guest room, maybe not, but if the rest of the property has a good layout and size and it's in the location you want you might compromise.

Having a double guest room is nice but I'd probably take a great location with a double and two singles and otherwise good layout over having two doubles in a less good area. In fact I'd probably go for a one bedroom with otherwise good layout for everyday living over a two bedroom that was a weird use of the space.

I am not somebody who is massively bothered by internal bathrooms but some people do really hate them.

Thanks FairPhyllis, your thinking is exactly the same as mine, that having a separate kitchen diner is sooo much better than one room for everything. I am not a fan at all.

This area has a lot of families, but also 'young trendies' moving in. Saying that, I think that an excellent entertaining space is always sought after so may alleviate the guest room issue?

I think as long as we make the bathroom really lovely then it shouldn't matter being internal.

Yes, there are too many 'It depends....' in this.

Mainly, who are the likely buyers going to be?
Is it a family area, or a young flatsharers area?

Families likely to prefer 2 decent sized singles with the double, but flatsharers probably like 2 doubles, with maybe a study.
Same with bathrooms - seems a bit unnecessary to be to have a 2nd bathroom in a flat, but if you are looking at 2 single poeple buying together, they'd see it as a real bonus.
Like FairPhyllis I would certainly want a separate kitchen - can't abide the whole open plan living thing, but you only have to watch a few property programmes to see I'm clearly not with the 'fashion'.

Totally agree about having separate livng room - especially if you have DCs - there's a chance, just a chance, of keeping it reasonably tidy if you can shut it off.

Second loo is another major plus point as well.

Could you ask any friendly (ha!) local estate agents what their view is? Y

It's difficult Backforgood as there are a mix of buyers in this area, it's definitely got a lot of families, but also a new influx of first time buyers. However due to the price of 3 bed flats I would hazard it would be more likely to be families finding it hard to afford a house in the area (whole reason we are extending rather than moving).

It's tempting to try and appeal to both markets but that doesn't seem easy to do! Personally I wouldn't want a wet room off a room I was using for a child, pointless and problematic in my opinion. Fair enough if it was off the master room, but I don't think there is any way to do that due to the layout

If I had 2 kids and was looking to buy a flat, I would want big master bedroom and 2 equal sized singles. Can you tell I'm the youngest child who got the box room? My eldest sister had the old master, my parents built a new master bedroom.

Access outside through a bedroom is a dealbreaker. I don’t mind kitchen-lounge-diner, but like I have now where kitchen-diner is behindadividing wall. Tbh, I wouldn't mind much about the kitchen diner lounge as long as it has a good, quiet dishwasher.

I can tell you what would definitely put me off.

1. access to outside space only by going through a bedroom

1. one bathroom which was accessed through a bedroom

1. any single bedroom which is only a bedroom by virtue of the face you could shoehorn a bed (and almost nothing else) in there

I might not necessarily mind a big living/dining-kitchen, but if you have a separate living room then it could double up as a guest bedroom if you had a sofa bed.

I prefer a bathroom with a window, but not having one wouldn't necessarily be a deal breaker.

The most important thing would be that everything looked well thought out and well executed to a good standard. I wouldn't like anywhere that seemed to have overstretched on budget and done lots of things to a lower spec.

I think you've got to remember that you've got to live in it too - there's no point in going for a layout that annoys you for the next 5 years or so. Or imagine if the housing market totally changes by the time you want to sell and you end up being stuck there. You would wish then that you had done what pleased you. You can't plan it totally around the Mystery Future Buyer.

If you're in an area with lots of Victorian/Edwardian flat conversions with open plan kitchen/living room, having a large separate kitchen diner AND a living room might make you really stand out.

I think as Young Trendies (speaking as one of them!) get priced out of buying flats at all they are less and less likely to be looking for a place with a guest room. I remember seeing an episode of Location where a buyer desperately wanted a guest room, but Kirstie pointed out it was an awful lot of money to pay for a room that for most people generally doesn't get that much use out of. You're better off putting the money into getting a good layout in a slightly nicer location and a sofa bed for guests than into a room that is mostly empty.

I'd like a utility room next time. It could be as simple as a cupboard, but has to have a worktop. At the mo our wm and td are stacked in a cupboard and it annoys me.

Primal, I would LOVE a utility, but I that's a future dream for us!

Thanks, all these answers are helpful in confirming that my instinct about the layout is right. I know for us, being able to have the kids in an enclosed garden whilst I look out through double doors from the kitchen would work really well, and if we had a BBQ I would hate people having to walk through my bedroom when they needed the loo!

FairPhyllis, I think it is true about the guest room. We would love one, but it would get used privately about 5% of the time so can't take priority over areas that get every day use.

Having access to the garden through a bedroom is a huge pain for future buyers with pets btw - you either have a muddy dog traipsing through your bedroom, or if you put in a catflap in the bedroom door you have a fairly good chance of your cat depositing mice in your bed in the middle of the night.

I am actually cat mad enough to dismiss any flat where I couldn't put a cat flap in a sensible place.