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…

Solar panels?

Yeah I'd much rather pay £150 a month for electricity. 😳

Octopus are currently paying us for ours.

A shared drive.

i have downstairs loo in middle of house with no window. It obviously has an extractor fan and is not stinky!

I lived on a new build estate in the early 90s where the semis had their bathrooms backing onto each other and between the front and back bedrooms, so no windows. They did have fans but a lot had problems with damp (and smell I would imagine!).

When I was looking for a house the three dealbreakers were:

The upstairs toilet in a tiny room separate from the bath/ shower and sink. I want to be able to wash my hands after using the toilet without having to go to another room!

An open plan kitchen/ diner and living room with no other living space downstairs

An entrance that opens directly into the living space without a hallway.

We live in a lovely house with solar panels fitted to our garden house ( we added them!!)
We also have a air source heat pump. So on a nice bright sunny day, any season, all our power is free. What's not to like about it!!!
Our last house, we had a neighbour who did up old cars and previous to him our neighbour had about 14 minis!! They were both great neighbours. Personally I would never want to move into a new house. Unless I had bought a plot and designed it myself. I prefer a bit of age and character.

Loads already mentioned.

DH & I viewed our perfect house. It was immaculate & well looked after. We decided there and then we were putting in an offer. That was until we saw the garden. It was very obvious it was used as a dog toilet.🤢 We took one look & rushed out. Needless to say there was no offer from us.

I lived happily in my favourite house that was a two bedroomed terrace without a hall or side access. But I had decent neighbours and it was quiet.

Before buying this place I was happy to compromise on a lot of things as long as it was detached, had off road parking and it was quiet.

Yes a conservatory is a complete waste of space and a pain to maintain.

Ha! So many of the things that PP gave said they would never buy a house with I have as part of my property 🙈

No off Rd parking ( or space to put it)
Shared drive
Neighbours with a hot tub

Solar panels are amazing value, thanks Octopus. My never agains are: Victorian houses (mice running the tunnels in the walls and costs a fortune to heat)
houses near schools (school run parking wankers)
anywhere near a takeaway or student housing (litter and filth)

Well..... there's a lot that can be fixed really like dark grey or otherwise gross paint colours. Fit a shower, bath, remove an island etc.

For me I have to have private outside space and close to zero traffic noise.

I'd very very much prefer not to have open plan, stairs in the living room and walking straight into the lounge from the street.

In fact, lounge from the street goes up to can't have.

Why wouldn't you want double glazed windows?

You can add a sink 😂

No garden.
A main road within 1/4 mile.
Noisy dogs next door.

They still want something suitable though. DS is in the process of looking for somewhere to buy, and obviously he has criteria. It's quite reasonable for him to want (eg) somewhere he can park, or live without too much disturbance from neighbours.

@Wyr Why wouldn't you want solar panels, out of interest?

A shared drive - seems to be the cause of so many problems!

No outdoor space (a flat without a balcony)

Empty land next door - ripe for development

traffic noise

I would NEVER buy a house with…

A thatched roof - gorgeous to look at but expensive insurance and upkeep.

Busy roads close by

A factory, sewage works, abattoir, fish market, restaurant, school, pub, recycling centre, industrial estate, garage, close by

Neighbours who keep snakes

Any risk of flooding

A right of way across my garden

A swimming pool - too much upkeep needed

Black/grey window frames, they have ruined entire neighbourhoods.
Especially in rows of e.g period terraces/ cottages where random ones are " modernized " 🤮.
Worst look ever invented.
Solar panels, both often go
together, as do
astroturf and garden pods.
Anywhere where neighbouring houses have messy gardens ( front and back ) and/or all windows closed and covered with solid curtains.
Next to a school/nursery = parking issues/damage to residents cars/blocking in drives/noise
North facing garden

I can't stand media walls and wall panelling, but an easy fix surely?

Would avoid a house next to an HMO or social housing

Of course you can, lots of the things listed on this thread can be changed if you have the time and money to get someone in and renovate but I wanted a house where I could move in and wouldn’t have to do anything. Also, whilst in theory you can add a sink most of the toilet rooms are so tiny there wouldn’t really be room to add a proper one.