View Full Version : What do you look for??
I've just been browsing the estate agents pages and wondered: Whats the most important thing you would look for if buying a new house?
I'm not thinking about it myself ....... yet, but everyone has different ideas. I imagine hubby would want a huge garage. Me, I'd want a huge kitchen. I hate the tiny kitchen I have just now and its probably the 1 thing that would make me consider moving.
I guess the question could be : whats the one thing you'd change about your current home to make it the ideal home?
I'd also like a 2nd bathroom and bigger garden, but I'd settle for a bigger kitchen. :lol:
Surely a bigger kitchen means more cleaning, more gadgets so more expense in time/money?:)
But you can never have enough kitchen gadgets! ;) Plus, hubby could get the dishwasher he so desperately wants!!
Surely a bigger kitchen means more cleaning, more gadgets so more expense in time/money?:)
you are so obviously a man!
This is my 11th home as an adult....only 3 of these had decent sized kitchens.
I think it's the idea of a bigger kitchen I like though, rather than the reality!
I never used to think this, but recently I find myself considering something smaller and easier to manage -with lower ceilings so I can change my own lightbulbs :roll:
percy toboggan
23-Apr-07, 17:45
Our nineteen seventies ex-council house is superb. Ample rooms and ingenious storage facilities, a large dining kitchen , three beds, gardens and a garage. I wouldnae want to swap it but if I could only move it 400 or so miles north. This would be the ideal solution. The only thing it lacks is a view. The view is a bit like a mirror image ' although w ehave fields and woods very close.I must like it - been here 30 odd years. Some of them were odd indeed !
Open country or distant sea view that's what I'll be looking for when I finally follow my instincts.
big 4 acre garden,sea views,good size lounge & at least five bedrooms, tons of storage space, attic space for loft coversion,and a car drive right away round the house, four car garage plus workshop. central heating and a massive kitchen. i might as well throw in a lamborgini and a huge lottery win as well.
nd i,ll keep dreaming . lol [lol] [lol]
Valerie Campbell
23-Apr-07, 18:51
Dream home would have a big dining kitchen and a bathroom with enough space for a seperate shower cubicle. An acre of land and a sea view would be the icing on the cake.
North Rhins
23-Apr-07, 19:04
Having moved from a town, the location was very important to us. We have lovely views and we are only ¾ mile from the sea. It’s very peaceful and it’s a wonderful place for our three wee dogs. I just wish there wasn’t quite as much renovating to do. Still it keeps me busy. :D
A private road with mountain views to see what weather is coming, no public roads or traffic, no neighbours in sight and lots of space for sheds and junk.
Don't think I'm likely to move until they carry me out!
I wouldn't change anything I'd just get rid. For a modern, open plan penthouse with lots of slick built in storage so things are hidden away and I'd have a room just for my clothes. I'm sick of never having enough space.:(
all of the above..but lets be honest...
wouldn't two toilets be nice?
Just that ,two toilets!...don't even mind if I get the basic one!
cuddlepop
23-Apr-07, 21:16
I love a big kitchen,one thats nice and welcoming.Many a problem gets sorted in a kitchen with a cuppa to hand.
I also would want a large bathroom and big garden.Must be an old build,dont like these new personless houses
Dont want much,do I?;)
Alice in Blunderland
23-Apr-07, 21:22
Hoping to start the dream house this month....large sitting dining room, big kitchen, utility,computer room study, wetroom, five bedrooms three are ensuite, dressing room and bathroom.
Silliest thing I picked for the new house would be the built in deep fat frier....found out it was costing almost six hundred pounds :eek: so it was the first thing to be cut from plan .
The first thing I look for is if its in the highlands!
We live in a 2 bed flat 2 minutes from the town centre at the moment so anything larger than that which is rural gets my vote.
Jeemag_USA
23-Apr-07, 21:57
Most important things for me!
1. its not attached to another house
2. the property boundaries are clearly defined
3. The roof is in good to very good condition or new.
4. Plenty of space in each room.
5. If looking for a two car garage, make sure you can get two in and still get out of the car ;)
6. Make sure windows are new enough to not need replaced, good new vinyl or aluminum double glazed windows, if a house doesn't have that it can knock a lot of the price but not usually the same as the cost of renewing them all.
7. I like the front of my house facing south, that was a must when we bought ours, the weather here is much like Caithness it mostly comes from the N to NW, so in the winter you don't want a howlin gael and snow driving in your door every time you open it. Plus I like to have a nice front garden and to site out the front of the house, so if its facing south it gets more shelter and most of the sun each day.
Everything else is pretty much visual, its how you feel when your viewing it, does it feel like it could be yours. Obviously make sure there is no damp or rot or anything like that, there shouldn't be unless they are selling it for buttons.
North Rhins
23-Apr-07, 22:17
We had to get upvc double glazing fitted to our cottage. We used a local tradesman, try to keep the money in the community etc. In fact he was a double glaze salesman up in Caithness some years ago. To cut a long story short he did such an appalling job that we had to get trading standards involved. Better not name names, he might still have friends up there. ;)
rockchick
23-Apr-07, 22:23
My house needs lots of light. Doesn't need to be big, but need to have space for everything, and character is a big bonus. I like open space, but cozy bits as well...like a window seat where you can sip a cup of tea and watch the world. The kitchen has to be functional as well as welcoming. My hubby and I both like to cook so the kitchen needs to cater to that.
The back garden needs to have privacy - no one overlooking ideally.
Most important things for me!
1. its not attached to another house
2. the property boundaries are clearly defined
I agree that these would be my 2 priorities as well, I have shared a yard with another house next door before and it was an absolute nightmare. It took me 6 years to sell the property.
Jeemag_USA
23-Apr-07, 23:56
I agree that these would be my 2 priorities as well, I have shared a yard with another house next door before and it was an absolute nightmare. It took me 6 years to sell the property.
The worst thing about adjoining properties or land is people, the ones there when you move might be great, but they may move and sell it to a shower of idiots. Avoid flats, apartments, semi detached anything like that at all costs, some people may get lucky and say its great, but its like a box of chocolates as Gump woudl say. Get your own house on your own clearly defined plot, I would actually buy a house that already has a fence up that way you easily see what you have.
I go for 'feel'. A house has to feel right. We looked for about a year before going to view our current house - walked through the door and thought "this is it!". Some houses we looked at had dreadful neighbours (they were evident right away), some very squashed into one of those modern estates, some had DIY nightmare (I took one look at the homemade wiring nests and left again) and some were just plain disgusting. This one had a nice smell, big lounge overlooking the back garden, nice kitchen and the garden is a haven (I'll post a picture soon). The bathroom was dodgy because the lady of the house was handicapped and it had one of those step in 'washing machine' baths - all in peach.
North Rhins
24-Apr-07, 20:24
Mmmm! peach, second only to avocado!
chocolatechip
24-Apr-07, 22:38
my dream house would be near the country and near the town so you can have the best of both worlds, i would have a large kitchen 2 reception rooms and 4 beds and good sized garden....
and i would have a conservetray and i would also have a summer hpuse and green house to grow my own veggies
I've moved around a fair bit too but some places gave me the creeps. A lot is about the feel of a place and having vision. Sometimes you end up in a house you love the atmosphere in but hate the lay out or thigns about it. If I only was allowed one thing which is hard to do. I'd have to go with a room for all my bits or area separate from where I sleep.
North Rhins
24-Apr-07, 23:53
On the subject of ‘houses,’ I’ve been working outdoors all day, weathers a bit pooh but hey. I spent a lot of time watching two House Martins building their little mud house over our kitchen window. Like two little black and white bricklayers, they were at it non stop all day. It sort of puts things into perspective somehow. :)
I would look for a house in a nice area with good neighbours, double glazing, must have gas central heating, small garden, 2 bedrooms, and office, seperate dining room, downstairs wc, plenty storage, and must be near to a hospital. Most important must have sun lounge.Im happy where i am!
The worst thing about adjoining properties or land is people, the ones there when you move might be great, but they may move and sell it to a shower of idiots. Avoid flats, apartments, semi detached anything like that at all costs, some people may get lucky and say its great, but its like a box of chocolates as Gump woudl say. Get your own house on your own clearly defined plot, I would actually buy a house that already has a fence up that way you easily see what you have.
That is what we are in the process of doing now. We live in the ground floor flat with a garden and the people above have a little bit of garden fenced off at the end of our garden - only problem is, they have to have right of way through ours to get to theirs! We're trying to put fences and gates up at the moment so that all of our bit is secure and private even though its costing us to loose some of our land.
Me well thats an easy one to answer, Its got to be in the highlands ( when him in doors actually say yes to moving ) 4+ bedrooms, very large garden, garage, shed/out building, a brill veiw, and near the sea. To be honest iv had my eye on a house up there for a while now, just need to get him in doors to say yes !! Hope it doesnt sell before then ! lol jan x
I love my house but - would like a smaller garden, nearer the sea, also near bus route, second bathroom and the best possible insulation and double glazing so it didn't need heating. My garage is very near the house but my last house had one adjoining with a door into the kitchen - so handy in winter. It also had a smallish kitchen so I opened up the wall into the living dining area and that made it perfect. Kitchen is so important - mine now is large but impossible to design sensibly. Facing south would be good and views are vital. Also good neighbours but you can never guarantee that, even if you are surrounded by your own fenced plot. Bad neighbours can cause problems over a wide area if they try hard enough.
As promised, a photo of my wee bit of heaven:
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h288/Ricco_T/P4160202.jpg
cuddlepop
25-Apr-07, 21:30
What a beautiful garden Ricco:D I'd be reluctant to spend anytime indoors,it looks so "chilled"
Thank you - it is very peaceful and restful. Lovely on a warm summer's afternoon with a glass of chilled wine or a cool beer.:cool:
Thank you - it is very peaceful and restful. Lovely on a warm summer's afternoon with a glass of chilled wine or a cool beer.:cool:
Ricco, why make it complicated? Descisions, Descisions, Chilled Wine.....mmmmm, Cool Beer ....MMMMMMM[lol]
Awww, Ricco, your garden does indeed look lovely! It's very quaint and picturesque! :) Do you have any goldfish in the pond?
Four golden rudd and two green tench. Used to have koi but the local herons kept eating them. Once had a sturgeon but a falling cooking apple from the tree overhead killed him.
Ricco, why make it complicated? Descisions, Descisions, Chilled Wine.....mmmmm, Cool Beer ....MMMMMMM[lol]
Sorry, I meant to say... a glass of chilled wine AND a cold beer. (slurp!):D
goldenguernsey
28-Apr-07, 01:40
We moved here from a big 4 bedroomed farmhouse with a huge kitchen/dining room and a massive bathroom. My main concern here was the land for my livestock, once that was deemed more than adequate we looked at the croft house.
It could have been derelict or delapidated and we would still have bought the place. Luckily it was in cracking order and although it is smaller than we had before, it's everything we need. We get up every morning and look out to sea, the sun just bouces off the water and straight into our house. On a clear day we can see right past the oil rigs to Banff. I love to be outside even just pegging out the washing, watching the boats out fishing, listening to the seagulls and looking at our stock enjoying this beautiful weather. We lived in a pretty remote and isolated place before this and when people said to us "how will you cope up here?" it was difficult to explain that things were not so bleak as they imagined. For instance, we could be totally cut off for weeks at a time due to snow as we were just on 1000 ft above sea level, and we didn't have electricity or water quite often when the weather was bad.
Caithness has the wind I'll agree, and when it comes in that art it takes no prisoners BUT it's a wonderful place to live and each and every one of us here should be thankful for the beauty and serenity that come with the territory, there's nowhere else like it.
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