What are/were your dealbreakers when looking for a house to buy?

[YaffleYaffle]

We are would-be FTBs and after a few viewings are getting a better idea of what we need and want to avoid, but still figuring it out. So would love to know what you did/didn’t want in particular.

So far ours are:
Garage
Space for a dishwasher
Bath not just a shower
Must be able to sit opposite the TV in the living room and not have to position it at a weird angle due to doors/stairs/etc
Not too close to a busy road

What are/were yours?

Detached, south facing garden, two bathrooms.

I wanted a hall so not walking straight in to the sitting room.

A decent size garden for space for the inevitable trampoline. I wasn't even pregnant or trying at that point but couldn't bear the thought of caving on buying a trampoline in the future and having to fit it into a postage stamp garden. We didn't really have any other requirements.

Not too quiet, we viewed some and a major selling point was how quiet and peaceful the street was. We would just be inviting issues with our normal household noise and the occasional party so that was a hard no.

Not 100% on our house, it doesn't feel like our forever home, but it does the job for now.

Depends on your budget and stage of life. I'd assume a FTB would need to compromise more as a smaller budget. Or just not need things like as many bedrooms (as not yet have a family), a garage (less stuff) and big drive. So your answers here are not going to really reflect what you consider important/can afford.

Must have
South facing garden which is big enough to enjoy but small enough to manage.
Drive that will take 3/4 cars.
Big windows and light rooms.
Bath not just shower.
separate dining room
Within 5 minutes walk of fields.

No
New build
Open plan
multiple bathrooms squeezed in making bedrooms tiny.

Not as a FTB, when I would have bought anything and made it work.
But when buying our current home, my absolute deal braker was that it was detached.
I didn't care if it had 2 bedrooms or 6, was built in the 1980s or 1680s.
I just never want shared party walls again! 😅

When I was looking (many years ago) I wouldn't see places that had tiny outside space or open plan downstairs.

South facing garden. Mine is south west but gets the sun all day and evening at different parts of it.

Off road parking
Space to WFH
Above a certain square metreage
Living accommodation not on more than two floors
Garden
Walking distance to city centre

Compromised on:
Size of garden to get the walking distance to city centre
Garage but does have off road parking.
Has a third storey but not needed as regular living accommodation so we'll mainly use ground and first floor.

Driveway, I would rather not have the garage as it is be full of DH's rubbish, not many use them for cars anymore, they are just large sheds.
A way to the back without going through house or garage

And detached

Definitely no shared drive/front garden. Somewhere near to walk dogs.

Quiet road, in good repair, detached or semi - at a pinch end of terrace.

We bought on a fairly busy road, very much a doer-upper, mid- terrace.

Twenty years on, it was an excellent decision.

We prioritised the things we could change, then the things costly to change.

Essentials

In the village, less than one mile from the centre and in a quiet close/ road away from the main road.

Private parking off road for both cars

Two loos

Nice to have ... still working through the internal changes.

Nextdoor neighbours property looks well maintained
Nextdoor neighbours appear quiet
Quiet road due to pets
Privateish rear garden
Catchment area for good schools
Not too far from green spaces
When I last bought I was looking for a doer upper. Next time I may consider a new build

4 beds, detached, utility room or cupboard (no washing machine in the kitchen), drive. Ideally a garage and south facing garden, hopefully not directly overlooked.

Good transport links

Detached
Garden
At least 3 beds
Large sitting room
Parking for at least three cars
Access to walks and open country
Not on a main road
Bath & shower
Downstairs loo

Why a garage? The ones round here all seem to be filled with junk and have a car parked on the driveway in front. Looks like the daftest waste of money.

Peaceful and quiet.
Ended up buying on a very busy A road, with constant traffic. But the house was huge with lots and lots of land, so I thought I could block the traffic out of my mind. 5 years on and i don't hear it in my head. ... but when I go somewhere quiet I notice the peace. Will not buy on a road again no matter how big / cheap the house is.

West facing garden
Large garden
Within 10 minute walk of station
Quiet road
Not overlooked
Spacious footprint
Light
Character

Then we completely refurbished it.

No structural issues and a flat plot.

Now live on the side of a hill 🙂 but no structural problems.

So you’ve got somewhere to put all your junk ?

Not open plan living
Window in the bathroom
All double bedrooms (rather 3 doubles than 4 where 1 or 2 is a single)
Older property, not new build or newish
Parking (garage was preferable but was a compromise, would have added a significant amount to the price where we live)
Rural (we have views from all windows)
Garden
Fireplace

@KaroH hallway is a good one! And storage for coats/shoes/buggy

@YaffleYaffle the above is our second home, we couldn’t have afforded it as FTB. But for reference our first home was a large one bed (our current bedroom is smaller), separate kitchen (no open plan is a big thing for me) and a window in the bathroom.

Are people saying garage because they want it for their car or for storage?

I don't think we have ever put a car in our garage.

I compromised on a lot for my 'forever' home. However, it made me realise that being warm, quiet and having space and a cracking view trump's kerb appeal, fixtures and fittings and a South facing garden.

Near family
At least two bedrooms
Garden
Not close to a main road
Storage space
Not a pre-fab (there are lots of them around here and they seem to be unmortgageable)

You can't have everything.