I would NEVER buy a house with…

[Wyr]

• solar panels

• a ‘garden house’ IE a lockdown special outdoor wooden shed dressed up as an office - usually taking up half the garden and completely pointless

• a neighbour who has a load of cars / shit in their yard - hoarder vibes

who’s next? 3 things that would make you not buy a house…

Bristol is interesting; I'm currently selling an inherited Victorian terraced property in what is apparently a sought-after area. I wouldn't have even bothered to view it, but it had nearly 30 viewings over three days and quite a few offers; the agent suggested inviting final bids and six came in at well over the asking price.

Mineshafts: I wanted to use solicitors nearer to me, but the agent said it would be best to use a local solicitor used to dealing with the area because out-of-town solicitors tend to freak out at the number of mineshafts in the city, raise any number of extra enquiries, and generally prolong the sale process.

Some people will have solar panels plus other measures such as heat pump, triple glazing, etc in very well insulated homes so their energy bills will be very low even in very large houses.

Agreed, we moved a few months ago and they have halved our monthly electric bills!

We have no electricity bill at all. By my estimation our solar system will have paid for itself in less than 4 years. And i like the idea of not having to think about bills when I am older and fully retired. (The only household bills we will have will be a bit of gas for our gas hob, which i love too much to ever give up, and rubbish collection). I can't use the washing machine every day but that's fine.

There’s always one isn’t there 😂

no water?

I would never buy a house with a phrogger

@Boreded I live in Ireland.

I’ll be honest, I have no idea what difference that makes, but I’m presuming if I google it I’ll find you don’t have water bills 🫣 I feel like I’m too old to only just be learning this

There are many things I would love in our next home (not for a while: when we downsize for retirement).
Character
Garden space with established trees.
A fireplace
Walking distance to a shop and GPs
Nice walks

I will be more cautious about attic space (ours is huge but pretty much unusable due to shape and low beams).

Noisy &/or scruffy neighbours. Next door are instagram ready but think they are the unofficial DJs for the neighbourhood. There are several social housing tenants whose fronts are extremely unkempt: overgrown and full of disused plastic toys/furniture

Nowhere near a dance school. Even though there is a decent size car park at the park meters up from the school, the vast majority of parents use (block) the entrance to our street as it is a few steps closer!

I remember watching a ‘Tonight with Trevor McDonald’ style programme about how most were a scam and it’s put me off
I also HATE the look of them! Maybe I’m being silly.

Yep - you are being silly. Solar panels are not a scam, and would reduce you energy costs

Open plan. All those beautiful old homes that were gutted for this poorly considered design idea. Now, people have echoey, smelly open areas w/ no privacy or quiet spaces.

Shared driveway (we have one, and regret it)

open shelving in kitchen (although able to change, cabinets can be costly)

God I wouldn’t consider a house without an en suite. Who would choose to share a bathroom with teenagers?

And as for the solar panel gate, everybody I know( us included)is looking at getting them. I’d love to buy a house with them and then have the cash for something else.

I’d like in particular order:-
fire place or log burner
mature good shaped garden
en suite
utility space
pantry
solar panels
parking

Deal breaker:-
plastic grass
aga( lived with one and bloody hated it)
no ensuite
no parking
being too over looked
no garden
no down stairs loo
garden size/ shape
horrrible windows

Have had to put up with some of the above previously as we’ve moved up the ladder but this is us now

What's wrong with stairs in the middle of the house? Ours are and I'm not sure why it would be an issue?

As an aside, our ensuite is used for all functions that a toilet is generally used for!
I would definitely be put off by an open plan ensuite, that is a big no no!

(I once read on another thread someone objected to her DH brushing his teeth in their e/s which begged the question what would be ok to do there?)

Could you not just redecorate rather than refuse a gorgeous looking house?

An unadopted private road is the responsibility of all the homeowners in the road to maintain. So if one or two don't want to pay up, either others end up paying more, or, more commonly, the work doesn't get done as nobody can agree, and the road deteriorates. There are a couple near us which are like cart tracks, some of the houses worth over a million with the owners driving their super expensive cars over huge ruts and potholes.

What's a solar panel gate that everyone wants, is it the ones in the garden, we have a large garden but I'm not sure I would want solar panels in it, I suppose if you had a couple of acres it would be ok

I think they mean things like original coving / details being removed

Redecorate, yes. Replace every original feature that has been ripped out, no. I love the history of older houses, and "restoring" it by putting in reproduction items, or stuff from reclamation yards, creating an artificial "stage set" would never sit right.

Bloody hell sounds a nightmare, sometimes the richest people are also the tightest 🤣

No water bills in Scotland either.

What!!

Council tax includes water bills in some areas.

Wow really, which areas? Never heard of this.

I also HATE the look of them! Maybe I’m being silly.

@Wyr Yes, you are being silly. Due to the lovely spring weather we have had this year out energy provider has deposited over £300 into our bank account recently because of the amount of energy our panels have generated.

During the lighter months we don't pay for energy. Our provider pays us. We only pay in winter when we use more than we generate. We own our panels outright. I think the scams you have read about are about companies that rent your roof and provide the panels free of charge.

My deal breakers are:

No off road parking
No garden
Artificial grass
Only one loo
Tiny kitchen
Busy main road
Next to a pub