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Original poster

House buying deal breakers

59 replies

HamAndPlaques · 07/05/2014 00:01

My brother has just withdrawn an offer on a house because it doesn't have a gas supply, only electricity. Does everybody have a 'deal breaker' when it comes to buying property?

I didn't think I had one but DH has just reminded me that I do, and it's a bath. When we were house-hunting we viewed a place where the bathroom was brand new and the bath had been replaced by an enormous double shower cubicle with a very expensive, massive shower head. Gorgeous, but there was no bath. I could have lived without for a while in preparation to fit a new bathroom but we couldn't have justified redoing that room for at least ten years, so it wasn't for us.

What are your deal breakers...?

OP posts:
ThinkIveBeenHacked · 07/05/2014 00:06

Any major building works. I have no motivation to repair subsidance, repin end walls or similar. No matter how much of a bargain im getting.

Hmmm....other than that Im not sure. We live in a very very old ground floor flat with onstreet parking and no garden so most things are a bonus in another house, much as we adore this one!

I have a friend who bought a house, moved in, went to unpack her cutlery to find the kitchen had no drawers. She said (only half joking) that of she had realised she wouldnt have bought thw house.

ThinkIveBeenHacked · 07/05/2014 00:07

Any major building works. I have no motivation to repair subsidance, repin end walls or similar. No matter how much of a bargain im getting.

Hmmm....other than that Im not sure. We live in a very very old ground floor flat with onstreet parking and no garden so most things are a bonus in another house, much as we adore this one!

I have a friend who bought a house, moved in, went to unpack her cutlery to find the kitchen had no drawers. She said (only half joking) that of she had realised she wouldnt have bought thw house.

beaglesaresweet · 07/05/2014 01:04

house on a constantly busy, noisy road - never!
major work, same as Think
low ceilings, especially if everywhere
downstairs bathroom and no option/room to install upstairs!
nowhere near public transport/trains..

I could think a few more , I always look at dozens of places before choosing one.

beaglesaresweet · 07/05/2014 01:05

'of a few'

Fideline987654321 · 07/05/2014 01:23

Lack of OSP.

Never, ever, ever, EVER again

SpottieDottie · 07/05/2014 02:58

Nowhere for children to play out
Not in a cul de sac
Near major roads
Not detached
No building work needed
No garden
I'm fussy, I know but a house is a major investment and it has to be right,

Gooseysgirl · 07/05/2014 03:41
  • Absolutely must have a parking space
  • bathroom on same floor as bedrooms
  • rear access if mid terrace
Gooseysgirl · 07/05/2014 03:42
  • Absolutely must have a parking space
  • bathroom on same floor as bedrooms
  • rear access if mid terrace
Tigerblue · 07/05/2014 09:43

Neither of us would want to be a total refurbishment. Husband wouldn't buy anywhere without a drive, I wouldn't want anything on a main road.

iseenodust · 07/05/2014 09:48

Off road parking.
Garden.
Electricity substation/mast over the fence.

magimedi · 07/05/2014 09:55

Mains drains!

I never, ever want a septic tank.

Off road parking.

specialsubject · 07/05/2014 10:02

I'm coping fine with a septic tank and no mains gas. But I would have found out about these things at or before first viewing, not after offering!

of course it has to be right - the only post-offer deal-breakers should be survey items or mortgage problems. All the rest are 'deal never happens' rather than deal-breaker.

CrapBag · 07/05/2014 10:24

I have been viewing houses recently and have added a few to my list.

Never liked downstairs bathrooms to wouldn't have viewed in the first place.
Doesn't have to have off road parking but have to be able to park on the road outside, not far away and traipse back in the rain.
Night storage/electric heaters and no gas were a no-no for us.
Bedrooms too small, particularly the third one. One house I viewed, the main bedroom could only fit the bed and bedside cabinets in, no room for a single wardrobe. Third bedroom has to be bigger than just a single bed.
Garden has to be semi decent. Not all paved and tiered. Seen some really crappy gardens that don't fit a family home.
Not on a main road.
Not open plan. I hate open plan.
Not a front room/diner that basically means a front room with a table in the corner. I can cope with a long room where there is an archway to the dining bit (maybe, I didn't actually like any of the ones like this I viewed).
Not loads of work doing. I can cope with redecorating and even having a new kitchen fitted but I saw a few houses with loads of wooden panelling everywhere and that meant we were not interested.

If a survey came back with major works then I would pull out.
I could probably live without a bath as I don't have them anyway but the kids do so not sure about that. I wet room would put us off.

Beaverfeaver2 · 07/05/2014 10:25

Must have minimum of two toilets.
The main bathroom has to be upstairs with the bedrooms
The bathroom has to have a window (even velux at the bare minimum)
The bathroom has to have a bath with room to shower over as a minimum if there is not a desperate shower cubicle (I bath/DH showers and neither will compromise on this)
Kitchen big enough to eat in
Private garden with room for big enough patio to get a table on it for bbq's and room for grass for the dog/kids
House needs to have some sort of view (even if it's just overlooking the village green)
Other houses can't be able to see into my bedroom windows
House needs to be quiet
House must have character yet still be light and airy

These are my minimums.

I thought we would never find a house that ticked these boxes but we did. Fingers crossed it all goes through

LadyGardenersQuestionTime · 07/05/2014 10:31

garden facing south or west
parking
walking distance to a pub with food

everything else I can fix!

MisForMumNotMaid · 07/05/2014 10:31

I don't like it if anything has been 'done' to it. So new anything where I'm paying for someone else's taste and can't logically justify ripping out something that's functional but not to my taste.

cardamomginger · 07/05/2014 10:31

Shared driveway
Shared drains

drspouse · 07/05/2014 10:34

Outside space - for our main residence anyway. Ditto gas central heating.

I hadn't thought about rear access if mid-terrace but as we now live in an end-terrace I can now see it would be a big pain to live in a mid-terrace but have no rear access.

Small rooms, especially new house style (odd shaped cottage rooms wouldn't bother me as much). I might be willing to consider a quirky new house but not a Barratt box.

Not in the slightest bit bothered about off-street parking, and I would be inclined to return a driveway to garden if there was on-street parking.

NoArmaniNoPunani · 07/05/2014 10:35

I like to buy total shit holes and do them up so a finished house would be a deal breaker for me. Current house has no gas, all electric and bills are so cheap, so that seems like an odd deal breaker to me

WheresRyder · 07/05/2014 10:41

Not too much DIY needed, I hate DIY and decorating so if its all done that would be good.

must have parking either on the property or v v close

decent sized bedrooms

not open plan, or at least have separate rooms, so open lounge diner, but separate kitchen and study/playroom/conservatory, or open kitchen diner but separate lounge.

I like the dc to play downstairs but to not have the mess in the lounge.

I currently rent but have been spoiled as lived in large houses when married, house I left was 6 bedroom, playroom, study, sun room, huge kitchen diner. xh still lives there grrr.

LondonGirl83 · 07/05/2014 10:42

Had to have scope to extend, close to public transport, catchment for good schools, Victorian, quiet road and close to the shops were all musts. It needed to have at least two of these nice to haves: South or west facing garden, semi-detached, big garden, and close to the park.

Everything else we were willing to fix if necessary.

SpringBreak · 07/05/2014 10:45

I will never again buy a house with bedrooms in a loft conversion with velux windows (HOT, noisy, horrible) or bathrooms without a window.

Lots of very lovely (listed) period houses have very "challenging" layouts which would put me off - having to go through lots of other rooms to get to rooms (esp bedrooms) without the ability to knock about with walls and put in a corridor instead.

hugoagogo · 07/05/2014 10:49

Rear access-never again
Bath- not keen on showers
Separate kitchen- hate open plan
En suite- no thanks

Location is so important though, I like to be able to walk and buy milk/go to the pub as a minimum.

Some private outdoor space would be wonderful, but I've no real experience of it.

SoulJacker · 07/05/2014 10:50

At one time I might have agreed with no gas, but now with induction hobs and solar water heating etc. I think it would be doable for the right house.

In fact I think no garden is about the only thing I would never accept, everything other single thing may be acceptable if house was otherwise perfect.

pucecolour · 07/05/2014 10:52

We have teenagers and are non-drivers so a lot of these are different for us - weren't bothered about a garden or parking.

Must haves:
less than 7 mins walk to decent public transport
in a state to move in
Gas and electric
Two toilets
Decent size bedrooms, big enough for double bed plus wardrobes
Energy efficient, or possible to be made to be
Bath
Lift if in a flat
Mail delivered directly to flat, not left in communal entrance hall
Less than 5 mins walk to decent convenience shop
Windows on the walls (viewed some top floor places with windows on roof only)

Avoid:
Grade II listing
Master bedrooms with no enclosed walls - saw this in some loft conversions!
Basement flats