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Post by 950nancy on Mar 2, 2023 21:06:01 GMT
I feel like my list of must haves has grown exponentially lately. The thing I notice first is the kitchen. Having just remodeled ours, I want one that works for me. I also like a nice open(ish) floor plan on main level and I find that the lot must have trees and turkeys.
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Post by Linda on Mar 2, 2023 21:09:32 GMT
our dealbreakers (we bought in 2020) were:
un-permitted and not-to-code additions/renovations HOAs open floor plan - I like walls
our must-haves
ground floor bedroom/bathroom - shower only would have been a plus but we didn't get that and eventually we'll probably remodel but for now, I have a transfer bench.
in our current high school zone (not moving a high-school age student - did that with DS and never again)
a big room for DH's hobbies and a spot for mine (didn't have to be a room - but there needed to be a space at least) -I did end up with a craft room
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Deleted
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Jun 2, 2024 6:14:25 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2023 21:10:33 GMT
I wonder with some of the breaker deals.. what if you don't have the funds to have everything that is a deal breaker.. Let's say you live in an apartment and dying to get out. What if you can't afford everything you want? I'm still sitting at a non smoking home with decent bathrooms and kitchen.. Doesn't have to be top of the line.. just livable. Oh and location I will add.. I wouldn't want to buy a house in the middle of a drug infested area. I would stay in an apartment. My deal breakers and his come from experience. We've had the crappy driveways, the busy cross streets, and houses with major updates needed. We're at a point where we don't want to deal with that stuff anymore so those are deal breakers. Now if we found ourselves in a situation where we can't be picky, then we'll compromise on stuff.
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Post by Linda on Mar 2, 2023 21:13:06 GMT
I wonder with some of the breaker deals.. what if you don't have the funds to have everything that is a deal breaker.. Let's say you live in an apartment and dying to get out. What if you can't afford everything you want? I'm still sitting at a non smoking home with decent bathrooms and kitchen.. Doesn't have to be top of the line.. just livable. Oh and location I will add.. I wouldn't want to buy a house in the middle of a drug infested area. I would stay in an apartment. our first house was a mobile home on land - mortgage etc...was cheaper than our apartment rent. That was the big thing going for it -that and the kitchen, it had an awesome kitchen. we outgrew it and our second home was a nightmare tbh (we still own but no longer live in it) - it was a pre-owned mobile home on land and was a bit of a fixer upper (spoiler alert - dh is not handy and nor am I). We bought it for location and square footage and a decent floorplan at a price we could swing. The house we're in NOW 20+ years after house 1 - is pretty much a dream house.
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Post by myshelly on Mar 2, 2023 21:13:43 GMT
Smoke smells and pet smells are #1.
During our house hunting there were definitely houses where the realtor opened the door and I said nope, it’s not worth even touring the house.
Bathtubs. I have to have a tub.
Adequate counter space in bathrooms.
Built in storage, closet size.
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Mar 2, 2023 21:25:46 GMT
Tiny kitchens with inadequate countertop or cabinet space are not for me. A bad location is an immediate deal-breaker. Boring architecture and time-warped interiors are a no. Lack of closet space is a real downer - I like stuff put away and not visible. Dark interiors and small windows - yuck.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Mar 2, 2023 21:29:33 GMT
I'm definitely one who is open to changing quite a bit - projects don't really scare me. I agree on the non-smoking though or terrible pet smells, I just do not think you can ever truly get rid of them. Location first and foremost and I'm now at a point where mature trees are deal breakers. I've lived through watching the little baby trees grow up and I just don't have that kind of time. I doubt we'll ever move, but if we did we'd definitely be looking for houses with a first floor bathroom and guest room. That's been the biggest negative of our current house as our parents have aged.
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Post by birukitty on Mar 2, 2023 21:46:47 GMT
Location is everything to me. That comes first.
No's for me:
HOA Previous smokers or pet smells No garage or storage space (like attic or basement) Finished basement is a plus No fixer-uppers or additional work needed (DH is not handy and it will never get done) Lack of closet space
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Post by belgravia on Mar 2, 2023 22:16:35 GMT
I feel like my list of must haves has grown exponentially lately. The thing I notice first is the kitchen. Having just remodeled ours, I want one that works for me. I also like a nice open(ish) floor plan on main level and I find that the lot must have trees and turkeys. Turkeys? 🦃 I need more info 🤣
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Post by lisae on Mar 2, 2023 22:21:54 GMT
While I live in a multistory house, I would not buy another one at our ages.
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Post by Lexica on Mar 2, 2023 23:00:37 GMT
When looking for the house that I just bought, my immediate turnoffs were:
Smell. We looked at so many homes that smelled bad. I finally just started turning around when we opened the door if it stunk. Dark interior Dodgy neighborhood Too close to something that draws a lot of people like across from a school or shopping area
What made me buy the house that I did Single story Huge 3-car garage Large laundry room with tons of cabinets Wood flooring (although I had to have the carpets pulled to get them) Within walking distance to the clubhouse Huge windows Smaller back yard with a very nice pond and stream system put in. It will need to be cleaned out and the plants trimmed back, but I love yard work, other than mowing the lawn. The previous owner said she hadn’t run the ponds since her husband passed away so I may have to replace the pump. A price that would allow me to buy it outright with cash
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Post by crazy4scraps on Mar 2, 2023 23:56:56 GMT
DH and I had a huge laundry list of must haves which was why it took so long to find this house.
Top of my list: a big space for my studio *three bathrooms minimum *lots of closets and storage spaces big kitchen with double ovens and lots of cabinets guest room multiple spaces for entertaining (meaning if my kid has friends over I don’t have to listen to them or fight over who gets the tv) *master ensuite with a walk in shower good natural light *attached garage big lot with nice views good location close to shopping, health care, post office, gas station *Excellent school district
Top of his list: big lot with space for a garden (which he never tends, LOL) mature trees minimum 4 car garage updated electrical, plumbing, appliances, roof, windows fireplace (would have preferred wood burning but settled for natural gas) close to our other properties out of the city plus the starred things on my list
Deal breakers for us would be: too close to big overhead power lines corner lot (they are taxed higher) too close to anything that draws a lot of traffic no off street parking in the city/counties where the snow isn’t plowed curb to curb quickly didn’t want to be under airport flight paths or next to train tracks bad local school district cat pee smell tiny kitchen
DH compromised on not getting one level living, I compromised on not having a basement bathroom where my studio is and I also would have much preferred a walkout basement which I didn’t get.
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Post by whipea on Mar 3, 2023 0:12:56 GMT
Big no to; - Zero lot lines or any lot smaller than an acre - Road noise - No HOA (where I live it is risky to live in a non-HOA neighborhood) - Less than 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms - Cars parked on the street in neighborhoods with large driveways - Overhead power lines, buried only - Wood frame structure - Ganged up mailboxes or community post office
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Post by refugeepea on Mar 3, 2023 3:11:50 GMT
location
My budget is limited, so I'm realistic about the interior of homes.
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Post by AussieMeg on Mar 3, 2023 3:34:41 GMT
Interestingly, an out-of-date kitchen or bathroom wouldn't be a deal breaker for me, if I was able to buy the house for a good price. I'd renovate them, no big deal. I was actually thinking about this question when I was driving around my neighbourhood the other day. There is a big house nearby that is tudor style, which I despise! There is no way I could live in a house like that, even if the inside was stunning, because every day when I'd pull into the driveway, I'd be thinking YUK! This particular house nearby is so out of character for the area, it sticks out like dog's balls.
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Post by gorgeouskid on Mar 3, 2023 4:35:08 GMT
You know, I live in a 1011sf 2BR/1BA house (plus a new 1br/1ba 400sf guest house), and none of what I currently have is a dealbreaker.
Would I like more space? Sure. Not a dealbreaker. Would I like a bigger yard? Sure. Not a dealbreaker. Freeway in the almost back yard? Not a dealbreaker (I pretend it's the ocean).
One of the top elementary schools in LAUSD a 10 minute walk? Yes, and while that's not something we need anymore, it's an awesome selling point when we get to that point.
Trader Joe's a 3 minute walk? Who could hate that?
Dealbreakers would be a smoker house. Busy street. No parking. No garage. No storage. No yard. High crime. Poor layout. Bad windows. Poor natural light. Low ceilings.
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Post by snugglebutter on Mar 3, 2023 5:17:02 GMT
My only definite no is a pool.
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mom2tah
Shy Member
Posts: 28
Jun 27, 2014 0:43:51 GMT
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Post by mom2tah on Mar 3, 2023 7:12:05 GMT
Location is most important. Living in Southern California I'd rather live in a small house by the beach than a big house more inland. I just like the weather too much.
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Post by MZF on Mar 3, 2023 12:41:38 GMT
Deal breakers for me are things you can't change, or that are $$$$$ to change:
Multi-level--only single level for me, even when I was much younger. layout--has to have a good layout that makes sense. no garage--and at least 2 car. I have always parked in the garage. crappy neighborhood
We are in a 4/2, 2 car garage, single level on 1/4 acre, for 35 years, and will most likely die in this house. It's not the biggest, fanciest house, but we love it.
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Post by tealpaperowl on Mar 3, 2023 14:27:26 GMT
For me it's a few things that we must have (and do in our current home) Central A/C - must have Kitchen - size, updated cabinets, number of cabinets or pantry is a must Bathrooms - updated Finished Basement is a must Garage - must have at least one attached Ranch - all one level except for the finished basement Yard - big enough for or already has a pool
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Post by femalebusiness on Mar 3, 2023 16:09:52 GMT
Dark and lots of wood woodwork. I need light and bright and all baseboards, doors and trim painted. No wood doors and trim for me.
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Post by katlady on Mar 3, 2023 17:30:54 GMT
My first impression is if the house is dark inside, and if everything looks old and worn. I know those things can be changed, but that influences my initial reaction and would probably put the home at the bottom of my list. Also, location. I do not want a corner house.
I prefer a house with big rooms, especially the bedrooms. Many homes here have bedrooms that are 10x10 or smaller. I do arts and crafts, I need a bigger second bedroom than 10x10. The kitchen is also important. It is bright and modern? Would we need to put work into the cabinetry, etc. We did remodel our kitchen, and if we ever moved, I would want a kitchen that didn't need remodeling. Oh, and minimum two-car garage preferably attached.
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Post by originalvanillabean on Mar 3, 2023 18:09:59 GMT
Must have a lot of natural light One story, only. No smoker residue Attached garage Smart Driveway. (When the driveway area is so small you have to do micromovements to get ready to get out of it) Prefer open floorplans
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Post by lily on Mar 3, 2023 19:34:37 GMT
Bathrooms, kitchen size and cat trees are hard no's for me
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RosieKat
Drama Llama
PeaJect #12
Posts: 5,408
Jun 25, 2014 19:28:04 GMT
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Post by RosieKat on Mar 3, 2023 19:43:42 GMT
I've only ever bought one house, so I'm not 100% sure, this is going on gut.
Kitchen is #1. It doesn't have to be the newest or fanciest, but it has to have plenty of counter space, cabinets, and a pantry of some sort. We don't have basements here, and we get insane heat for months as well as short periods below freezing, so garage isn't a food storage possibility either. If food, appliances, occasionally-used items don't fit in the kitchen, there's no space elsewhere.
Must be a place for a litter box that is off the beaten path somewhat.
If I were buying a new (to us) house, I'd be looking for at least 2.5 baths. We have 2 but I'd like to be able to have an almost-always clean one for company.
Storage in general. The house we are in is better than some I've seen, but doesn't really have much. No linen closet, for example - there's only a coat closet and one general holds-everything household closet, with a laundry room that's only big enough for the washer and dryer and litter box.
A laundry room with enough room for a hamper. To be fair, we could put one in ours if we didn't have the litter box. But there is no extra space at all - as it is, the space you stand in while doing the laundry is a hallway.
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Anita
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,647
Location: Kansas City -ish
Jun 27, 2014 2:38:58 GMT
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Post by Anita on Mar 3, 2023 21:00:46 GMT
Stairs, and not regular flights, but those multi-level with a bunch of half flights between them all over. That was our last house, and never again. I even rejected homes with sunken living rooms or just a step or two down to another room. Just no. As for my other "never again" list... We bought what we hope is our last house ever just over a year ago. It wasn't our first rodeo and I knew what I wanted. Still, when we found this house and fell in love with it and the neighborhood, I was able to overlook one of my biggest turn-offs, which is an HOA. I loathe HOAs, but around here it is damn near impossible to find a neighborhood without one. Seriously, good luck. But it has turned out well, actually. This neighborhood is really involved in a lovely way, to the point that my DH has joined the board and I'm on the social committee, plus as of last month, I'm in charge of the pool. So never say never. Also, we did wind up with stairs, but we can put a chair lift here where we couldn't at the last place. I really wish they'd build more ranch homes. I get the larger footprint price of them, but housing is already so ridiculous it couldn't hurt. But nope, if you want one-level living around here, you either have to renovate something old, live in a maintenance-free attached home (UGH), or build it yourself, and prices went so high we were priced out of that option pretty quickly.
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Post by Gem Girl on Mar 3, 2023 23:12:10 GMT
We bought what we hope is our last house ever just over a year ago. It wasn't our first rodeo and I knew what I wanted. Still, when we found this house and fell in love with it and the neighborhood, I was able to overlook one of my biggest turn-offs, which is an HOA. I loathe HOAs, but around here it is damn near impossible to find a neighborhood without one. Seriously, good luck. But it has turned out well, actually. This neighborhood is really involved in a lovely way, to the point that my DH has joined the board and I'm on the social committee, plus as of last month, I'm in charge of the pool. So never say never. That's refreshing, that something one found objectionable turned out to be delightful!
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Post by Merge on Mar 3, 2023 23:15:12 GMT
We're on our 3rd house and the next will likely be a custom build. We've developed a long list of deal-breakers after experiencing three different houses, which is why we hope our next (and last) house will be custom.
1. Popcorn ceilings. Nope, nope, nope. Removing them is awful and expensive and makes an enormous mess. 2. Vaulted ceilings above a certain height. If I can't reach the highest part of the ceiling while standing on a reasonable step ladder, it's a no-go. Doubly so if that vaulted ceiling has popcorn on it. We were scarred by our first house in that regard. 3. Small kitchen, no storage. That's our current house. The kitchen is pretty and nicely outfitted, but it's just not set up for more than one person to be in it. And there's not enough storage or counter space. 4. Anything resembling a planned community where all the houses look the same. 5. Tract homes that are slapped together quickly, often with shoddy construction and subpar finishes (this and #4 were what we learned from house #2). 6. A pool. Nope, not maintaining it. 7. Large home with a zero lot line. I'm not spending a million plus to be right on top of the street and to be able to touch my neighbor's window ledge from my own. 8. Carpet. Large amounts of carpet are a deal breaker. Preferably no carpet at all. Wood and natural stone preferred. 9. Anything needing a lot of work. We put all our DIY effort into house #1 and all of our "get the builder in to take care of that" into houses number 2 and 3. I want turnkey.
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Post by 950nancy on Mar 4, 2023 4:55:11 GMT
I feel like my list of must haves has grown exponentially lately. The thing I notice first is the kitchen. Having just remodeled ours, I want one that works for me. I also like a nice open(ish) floor plan on main level and I find that the lot must have trees and turkeys. Turkeys? 🦃 I need more info 🤣 We live on the side of a mountain on the edge of town. When we pulled in to look at the house after seeing it listed, there were about a dozen turkeys just strolling about eating off the tree. They are so cute. When we met the inspector prior to closing at the house, there were a small herd of deer on the front lawn. He took pictures and put in his inspection that we had a "lawn mowers" on the property. I have decided that my life goal is to become Snow White and have all the small creatures as friends.
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Post by angel97701 on Mar 4, 2023 4:59:44 GMT
Well seeing as we have a home under contract and are trying to sell our current home . . . . Location was first--able to sail a boat on the Gull Lake, not just be on the chain I wanted at least 1 bathtub DH wanted garages, (double wide-and double deep) for me attached for MN weather Nice kitchen Lots of natural light Beautiful Lake View
What we have compromised on is the main room on the lower walk out level will need a wall for DH's work at home office. I will have to work through the process of making our sunroom into a craft space that can easily have in-process-project put away. Storage that will fit under the windows. See this thread for the home. The home has tons of white cabinets, newly remodeled 2022!, smaller lot, two bedrooms down, master upper level. Both DS's will be with us for awhile (DS23 will want his own place within 6 months, DS17 will finish his Sr. year--and yes it is a good idea see this thread)
Is it as perfect as our current home? Not really but I am ready to be in a smaller home with less acreage to maintain. Currently on 6.02 acres with 4 acres irrigation, 4000 sq ft, is a lot of house to keep clean, weird when it was only the two of us for 2 months! Was it great place to raise three kids? Yes! Raise our own beef and attempt to grow a garden (difficult in the High Desert of Central Oregon) Have free range chicken and a bunch of German Shepherds, yes to all of that. But am I ready to make a change for the health of our sons, allow my husband to pursue his passion of sailing boats before he is too old to do so? YES! Will I have my own old lady (meaning with suspension to ride on the lake in the winter) Yep! Will I go ski on the teeny tiny local hill less that 10 minutes away a day or two a week during the winter--sounds fun to me! Yes, I will have to have more warm winter clothes, but there is no bad weather, just poor clothing choices!
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