home buying advice

oandmplus1 · September 2013

DH and I are buying a house. We owned before, but we never planned on staying there long, and this time we want it to last. We have 2 kids and 2 big dogs, so top on the list is a fenced in yard and 3 bedrooms with either a finished basement for play space or both a living room and family room on the main level.
The decor and style is something we can always change, but layout and functionality wise, What things about your house are must have's, or what things do you wish your house had?

oandmplus1 · September 2013

Also, secondary question, what things would you compromise on?

MamaAllison · September 2013

Having just gone through this I learned that it is very hard to find it all. We looked at quite a few houses (like 50) before we finally found one. We ended up compromising on the number of bathrooms (2.5 instead of 3.5) and the fact that the basement is currently unfinished (but it can be in the future). We paid a little more than we wanted to (if you don't then you definitely have more self-control then we do).

Here is why we love our new house - location. It's perfect for us. Equally split between work and family. I would NOT compromise on location. My SIL is buying a house that is going to make her commute (already an hour) 1/2 hour longer. I quite frankly just think that is not smart. First floor floor plan - this is where we spend most of our time and i love the fact that I can see the eating, playing, and family room areas from the kitchen. Fenced in yard for the dogs - an awesome bonus!

Keep an open mind when you are looking, and don't let your realtor show you things too far above your price range, otherwise the temptation is too great! You will probably know it when you find it.

ASmallWonder · September 2013

We had things we thought were non negotiable until we found our house

For us, number of bedrooms was firm - it had to be three or more. I absolutely had to have a fenced yard and didn't want a cape because the bedrooms are usually too small. Our house doesn't have a fenced yard and it's a cape

Those things only got negotiated out because it was a great house for our budget and the first floor had additions so we have a huge playroom, making the small bedrooms more tolerable.

Karla CS · September 2013

We bought our house knowing it was going to need some work, but excited to do it at the time... I wish I'd realized just how frustrating and expensive home renovations can be, especially when you're not handy and you're paying for someone to do EVERYTHING for you. (We know our weaknesses - us trying to do stuff would end in divorce).

The only thing I wish I could change about the house are two things I can't really change. Our neighborhood is nice, but not great, and the schools nearby are terrible.We also didn't realize that the location put us somewhat under the flight oath. And our 'two car' garage, which looked so big when we were buying, technically can fit two cars - but not if you want to open the doors and get in or out!

emberlee3 · September 2013

What I love most about my house is that we stayed below our budget, so our mortgage payment is very reasonable. I also live that we have tons if closet space. We don't have a garage or basement, though, so it is hard to store outside stuff, like bikes and sports equipment.

MoreThanABride · September 2013

I love that our master suite has room for an office and that the kids bedrooms are pretty big. I wish we had a dining room and more space on the main floor.

MoreThanABride · September 2013

I also really like that our laundry is on the main level and not in the basement. We have a basement, but we only use it for storage.

StayingSecret · September 2013

We're in the process of moving too.

Wish the next house had no mortgage, but we'll have one.

In this house that we're buying, I compromised on floor plan. Tri-level wasn't my #1 choice, but everything else was great.

Non-negotiable was a master bath (we don't have one now), 3 bedrooms, 2 car garage (we just have a 1 car now).

We also got it on a lot backing up to a trail, which meant a big wooded area behind us and no one behind us...that was a bonus since it wasn't on our list!

hst · September 2013

Location, location, location! At least two bathrooms, and stick to your budget.

jf198400 · September 2013

We bought our townhouse before we had kids. There is no garage or basement, although we do have 2 storage closets on the patio. I didn't realize then that there is really no place to store a stroller, so guess where our giant double stroller is permanently stored- the back of my mini-van. In our next house a garage is a Must have. For me, having all bedrooms on the same floor is a non-negotiable. As one poster said I would hate to be on a different floor from a baby. Other must haves are an open layout so I can see the kids playing from the kitchen, lots of storage, a big yard that is fairly flat. I need a fenced yard for the kids and dog, but adding a fence is easy so I can negotiate on that.

DaisyJanie · September 2013

sgreen13 said:

The toilet in the master bath in a separate room (we don't go to the bathroom in front of each other)

I looked at so many floor plans that had the master closet attached to the bathroom, so you had to walk through the bathroom (with toilet, not in a separate room) to get to the closet. Not negotiable. I could just see myself impatiently waiting to get my shoes while DH takes his time in the bathroom.

caladpi02 · September 2013

For us, we had some basic requirements on number of bedrooms and bathrooms. We also looked for homes in the best school districts. All our bedrooms are on the same floor and we have an open floor plan so our house flows and is great for entertaining.

iverske9 · September 2013

I personally would go for 4 bedrooms, and at least 2 bedrooms and a finished basement or somewhere that can. I also have a 2 car garage which is amazing! We never have to clean off our cars in snow which rocks when you have kids.

Mrs_Lady · September 2013

Location and costs. We were FTHB so anything was large compared to our apt:) we were looking at condos and got a TH.
Wanted to be able to afford on one person's salary.

Secondary was dishwasher, small yard and man room which we got.

jnnfrrose6 · September 2013

Location, Location, Location. You can't change this! We looked for over a year before finding our home (another thing, don't be rushed/pressured into buying if you can help it). We picked 3 neighborhoods we wanted to be in and stuck to them. We both knew that was something we couldn't compromise on (DH has a "thing" about suburbs, not an option!). He also was adamant about needing an office space and I was adamant that we need rooms for each child (only 1 right now, but planning on 2), so that meant either a 3+ or a 4 bedroom home. The home we found is 100 years old and has some great charm, but was also recently updated, so the kitchen is great. It's a 3+ with the master upstairs, but it has a space off of it that the previous owners used as a nursery. We'll do the same (one day), and then swap DH's office up there when it's time to sleep train that kiddo. A great backyard was also a priority and we got it too. I'm glad we took the time we need to find the home that it right for us. Of course there are a few things we'll want to change over time, but we can't change the location or the lot, and those are great for us.

financialdiva · September 2013

Everyone says location- I agree with them, but not in sense that it's close to your current places of employment (unless your current jobs are in a locations where a majority of the jobs are). We both commute to work, but have ample job opportunities since our house is more centralized and we rarely have to pass up a job opportunity b/c of location. I would rather know that I can commute 30 minutes in any direction, then commute 10 minutes for now, but an hour+ in the future. This has proven helpful with DH's job drama over the last two years.

As for the actual house- large living space is a must for us. SEPERATE playroom, for the kids. Office with doors. I would compromise number of bedrooms for a large open kitchen with family room. (but make sure you get a super quiet dishwasher if you do an open floor plan since you can't watch TV if it's on!) I would rather invest in an air matress then make sure I have a guest room.

GL! And have fun!

ccam · September 2013

Like the PPs said, location is key!! You can change a lot of things about a house, but you can not change that.

We just built last year and this is now our forever home. We built our first home as well, but knew that we wouldn't be there forever. Our house is in a great school district, set back off a quiet road and on a huge lot. Inside the house, it was important that we had - a mud room, a large pantry in the kitchen, lots of storage space, a large first floor master & bath, laundry on the main floor, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, open concept main floor and a separate room that will eventually be a playroom.

Good luck in your search!!

lujain · September 2013

We are looking now. We have many items on our wish list:

4 bedrooms, or 3 bedrooms with a downstairs study/loft for DH's man stuff.

at least 2 bathrooms.

attached 2-car garage (or bigger).

open floor plan.

walk-in pantry.

move-in condition: no tile countertops. newish cabinets.

quiet. not on a big street.

detached.

shady outdoor space.

close to work, the airport, and freeways.

walking distance to restaurants, stores, parks, and maybe schools.

community pool and fitness center.

no Mello-Roos (extra taxes).

no carpet.

lots of natural light.

kitchen island.

double oven.

DiveFrog · September 2013

When we bought a year ago we had a pretty specific list.. 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, good size laundry room(not a laundry closet), 2car attached garage, separate playroom space or living room and family room. Within 30min of both our works in 1 of 3 different school districts, a decent sized fenced yard for the dog and soon to be born DD, good storage, and I was more interested in single story or triplex/quads versus traditional 2 story. They tend to make better use of square footage and flow better. We wanted it to have a master suite, and preferably one bedroom (not the master) separated from the others to use as office/guest room. We were willing to buy a fixer upper since both DH and I are skilled DIYers including electrical and plumbing (DH used to build houses and is now a facility engineer). In the end the compromise we made was purchasing a house where we will need to convert the attached garage to living space to get the second living space we desire and build a new attached garage via a breezeway to the side of the house. Also add a few windows and skylights to bring in light. But we decided on a smaller home square footage wise due to a great location, great schools, and a fabulous yard with in ground pool. Plus the kitchen and bathrooms had all been updated in a style we like. Plus great storage and laundry room, pantry, and meeting all our other wish list items. We ended up paying more than I would have liked (top end of our budget) but it is still very manageable for us.

mrskelly731 · September 2013

catarntina said:

DaisyJanie said:

sgreen13 said:

The toilet in the master bath in a separate room (we don't go to the bathroom in front of each other)

I looked at so many floor plans that had the master closet attached to the bathroom, so you had to walk through the bathroom (with toilet, not in a separate room) to get to the closet. Not negotiable. I could just see myself impatiently waiting to get my shoes while DH takes his time in the bathroom.

I HATE this about my house!!

This is my house as well. It works for us (we also do not go to the bathroom in front of each other) I get up and shower/get ready right before DH wakes up. After I get out of the bathroom he wakes up and does his stuff while I'm in the kitchen making breakfast and getting DD ready. It is a pain on the rare occasion when I have to wait for him to be done.

mrskelly731 · September 2013

DH and I bought our house 4.5 years ago - it was our first home. Now that we know what we like and don't like our next house will be on a bigger lot. We think an acre would be perfect. We really want to have more outdoor space. A more open floor plan, our house has an odd layout between the kitchen/formal dining/living room. More windows. There are no windows in either bathroom (only the master bath is on an outside wall - could easily add a window). My favorite are the bedroom/closet sizes, I love having an indoor laundry room off the kitchen. In my forever home I'd like to have enough bedrooms each of our kids, the master, and a guest room. 3-4 bathrooms would be perfect. We'd also like to have a finish basement, and an additional shop for DH to work on his motorcycles.

aeh72 · September 2013

I'm way late to this discussion but this issue is near and dear to my heart! Before we had kids, we bought a nice house on a big lot, but a big lot with a crappy back yard. It's very sloped and just won't be a great place for DS to run around and play. And, our front yard, while flat, is on a street that can be busy so it's going to be a long time before I feel comfortable allowing him to play by himself in the front yard. I regret buying our house for these reasons. I would look at house buying so much differently now that we actually have a child.

Nechie122 · September 2013

Echoing what everyone else said: layout and location were two things where we didn't compromise, and I'm glad we didn't.

Where we did compromise was on "updated" and ended up buying a place where we had to gut the kitchen and refinish the floors. It was a pain, but now it's gorgeous, exactly how WE want it. We still need to redo the 1990s-era bathrooms at some point, which will no doubt be annoying, but if you consider how styles and tastes change over the many decades you'll live in a house, you'll probably end up renovating at some point in the future anyway, even with new construction.

ETA: Speaking of new construction, make sure you're getting a house with good "bones" and not one slapped together on the inside. It's really cheap to put up a home these days and some builders skimp on things like insulation or other interior materials that you don't see until your roof is leaking. BTDT.

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