What (if any) compromises did you make for the right home?

[RunRunGingerbreadMan]

I'm just curious really, I've been watching old Escape to the Country episodes and it's funny how people are willing to compromise once they find a home that feels right. We were the same, we wanted a garage and a big hallway and in the end went for a house with neither! If you don't mind me asking, what did you compromise on? Do you think you made the right decision?

Location 70 miles from the area we knew and loved. And took more money from my folks than planned to. Other than that it ticked the boxes of 'house' (DS) and good sized garden not by main road (me), its ex council but I never considered that an issue.

Tiny overlooked garden, but at least it's southeast facing and have a great park 1 min walk away. In return have 3 storeys and potential to add 4th, and great primary and secondary within a 5 min walk.

More modern (1950s), less land, fewer outbuildings, hideous architecture.

Amazing views, really handy location, brilliant neighbors, and about half what were planning to spend though.

I wanted a wide garage on the side of the house for conversion into extra living space downstairs and an extra bedroom upstairs.

Compromised on this massively as although there is a bit of room for extending, it'll mean losing my side access and going right up to the boundary, which will be a planning gamble.

Ho hum, whatever happens I will make it work as the house is lovely and it has masses of potential elsewhere

Wanted - Easy to maintain, preferably new, small garden - no DIY

Got - massive gardens that we barely venture into and always look a mess no matter how much gardening we do. Everyone else loves this house and I’m fine if I pretend we don’t have a garden. I’m embarrassed as retired neighbours spend hours cultivating theirs - we look like the scary haunted house kids run past 😆

Wanted a side entrance.

Bought mid terrace but have 3 bathrooms, spacious rooms (gained the space of a side entrance indoors). Decent garden not overlooked.

Location and garden. Moved to a new area that was cheaper, it meant the house itself had everything we wanted (and could dream of), had to set up a new life as it were but we are happy here. Garden is quite small for the size of the house but it's got everything we need so it's not too much of a compromise.

At the beginning of our search, we were happy to look past quite a lot - school catchment, terrace rather than semi, smaller garden, etc.
The more we searched the more we realised his location was number 1. Pretty much everything else was negotiable. So we got a doer upper presented terribly right at the top (essentially beyond of) our budget. But it’s on the best road in the area with a big garden and a short walk to great schools.

We moved away from my home town. Sometimes I regret it massively, although in a great many ways where we are now is lovely.

Rubbish garden , not best location for me but best for dd and big enough for us all .

We wanted detached with a garage. It was a semi without. The location is unique though, open fields to four sides with sheep and horses yet only ten minutes drive into the city. Very sought after location.
We had a garage built and our neighbours are fab and actually their presence quite reassuring considering the locality. So no regrets at all.

Compromised on more or less everything other than location (but knew we had to really as it was only way we could get a house in the location we wanted).

Wanted a house that we could afford, didn't need much doing to it, in a particular location.

Got the location, couldn't really afford it at all at the time (but we knew our income would increase but it was a tough couple severalof years to start with) and needed everything doing to it (did little bits as and when we could afford it but waited 7 years for the extension it desperately needed).

Absolutely love it now, right decision.

I have to share it with DH.

Kidding most of the time

Garden, definitely. Perfectly nice but we left a private south-facing, to an overlooked north-west.

House and location was perfect, and we decided garden is least important to us (we hardly used the previous one!). Planted some mature evergreens so back to feeling more private, and due to the West aspect we still get good sun later on. Definitely wouldn't change the decision!

Length of commute and price!

We are further from our jobs than we originally said we'd go and we spent more than we said we would, but the house itself ticks all our boxes

Bought an ugly house. Zero kerb appeal. It's lovely inside though. Huge garden. Perfect location, and no regrets.

Busy-ish road, that's it.

We compromised on layout, which my mum keeps reminding me we can (money dependent) change in the future, for location. We would've liked slightly more space downstairs too, and there's not much scope for extension as the garden isn't massive. BUT it's in the perfect location, great schools, lots of families, waterside, great parks and open spaces which are all walkable. It's not a 'wow' house but it does feel homely and comfortable. We only moved recently so there lots to do but we will get there eventually.

We compromised on the size of upstairs. We have 4 bedrooms (and 3 DC) but 2 of the bedrooms can realty only fit a single bed and chest of drawers. Also, no utility room and only a single driveway, and everything needed replacing but we're only just doing it now 8 years later.

In return, we got a house in the best spot in our preferred village. A generous downstairs with a study and play room, South facing garden, and a mortgage that was comfortably under our maximum.

Our house pretty much ticked none of our boxes, but I absolutely love it and I am so happy here.

We wanted a 4 bed, nothing was coming up so I extended my search to include 3 beds with the possibility of extending. We have a 3 bed and dd1 sleeps downstairs in the previous garage conversion. Not the area we were currently looking at, but so much better, drive not what I wanted. On paper it was totally wrong.

The only none negotiable was detached. (I live in the NE this isn't as big a premium as it would be elsewhere in the country).

As a bonus we live really near the secondary school that dd1 was already at, so now it is a few minutes walk rather than the previous bus journey.

I compromised on period features. I don't miss them and I love my house.

I was hoping we would find something nearer the dcs’ school (several miles away) but ended up moving further away by a few hundred metres. Love the house and privacy though.

Style.

I love period properties, but to get the space we wanted we've bought a house built in 2012. We've only been in a few weeks and while I am loving the size of the house, the sea of magnolia walls, pale grey carpets and light pine doors are a bit... weird. I'm sure it will eventually come together though.

@Thurlow

Style.

I love period properties, but to get the space we wanted we've bought a house built in 2012. We've only been in a few weeks and while I am loving the size of the house, the sea of magnolia walls, pale grey carpets and light pine doors are a bit... weird. I'm sure it will eventually come together though.

It really will. Just live in it while. Start looking at images. Paint is really cheap to do if you can paint a room yourself. Big fuck off rugs can change rhe whole appearance of the floor. But you need to live in it a good while and not rush. Find your style.

I compromised on location. I wanted to live nearer the tube in a different neighbourhood. I found a house but eventually pulled out as the seller took way too long to find a house to buy (she never did and eventually withdrew the property from the market).
the one I eventually bought has a much better layout, I have lovely neighbours and it is still (albeit much longer) walking distance to the tube. I still want to move more centrally but I love my home now.