GTKY: Home requirements

AppleGrapeMSTK · January 2015

We are looking to buy our first house this year, so DH and I are putting together our lists of Must Haves.

DH wants central air, a garage, and a patio (a slab of concrete will do).

I want a front porch/step wide enough to put a jack-o-lantern on and still be able to open the door, and NO window in the shower.

What would you require to seal the deal when looking for a new home?

Emerald27 · January 2015

Dream home:

Big backyard
Updated kitchen with double wall oven
Butler's Pantry
Hardwood floors
Wood-burning fireplace
Master bedroom and other bedrooms (3 minimum) on same floor
Basement and/or garage

Emerald27 · January 2015

We are also looking to buy our first house this coming summer, and that's our wish list (our realtor will laugh out loud). It also must be within 1/2 hour of DH's work because he doesn't want to spend lots and lots of time commuting each day.

AppleGrapeMSTK · January 2015

Oh yeah, and I would kill for a master bath.

staryb · January 2015

A private porch or patio area is pretty high on my list. Not on a busy street. A flat yard. A dining room separate from the kitchen. At least 4 bedrooms or 3 bedrooms w/den, office or family room. Lots of windows. Off street parking. Storage space. No mold or moisture issues!

DH is pretty insistent on a 2 car garage as well.

Unknown · January 2015

This content has been removed.

Emerald27 · January 2015

AppleGrapeMSTK said:
Oh yeah, and I would kill for a master bath.

As far as resale goes, having a double vanity in the master bath (and having a master bath in the first place!) is really important. At least it is here.

staryb · January 2015

Oh I forgot about bathrooms! We NEED at least 2 bathrooms, would prefer at least 2.5! 1 bathroom homes are a deal breaker!

victoria+james · January 2015

When we bought this house a few years ago our list was:

2 story
3 bedrooms all upstairs
Master suite
2 1/2 bath
Small no maintenance yard
Updated kitchen
Washer dryer upstairs

The things I would add or change now would be:

4 bedrooms upstairs
In law suite downstairs
Driveway
Bigger yard
More space between us and neighbors
Large pantry

MuffinMom14 · January 2015

I'm practical, so I wanted to know when the roof had been replaced, when the water heater was updated, when the furnace was bought. I wanted to know I'd get a house that wouldn't turn into a lemon. We've been here 5 years now, and everything's still good. We renovated the kitchen to our liking, but you can always do those things. I didn't want to HAVE to spend $20K on something. I wanted to CHOOSE to do it.

Right now, because we love our house and the area, we're considering removing the roof and adding 3 bedrooms and two baths upstairs (right now it's 2 bedrooms and 1 bath upstairs with 2 bedrooms and a bath downstairs), so we'd have a total of 5 bedrooms and 3 baths. So, in reality, you can probably change a ton about the house if you really wanted to. Focus on location, schools, lot size, and the big stuff you can't change.

Jesslynnsell · January 2015

We are looking to buy a house this spring. I'm actually calling a realtor tomorrow

. Our must-haves are:
Garage or carport
3 bed/ 2 bath
1300+ sq ft
Master bath
Spacious kitchen
Open layout
NO wood paneling (we live in GA…lots of houses have this)

ETA: and a porch!

bumpuser10309732 · January 2015

We bought our first house a year ago. I love the massive bedrooms (i needed one for my King Size canopy bed) but I wish we had another one on the same floor (only 2) I also wish we had a master suite. Otherwise we just need some updating here! We would like to build in the country in the next 10 years

shannonshare · January 2015

Big bathtub, big walk-in closet, and big kitchen. That's all I care about, ha.

AmandaJean12 · January 2015

We bought our first house in June and what sold us were:
- plenty of kitchen storage
- jacuzzi in the master bath
- second floor laundry (amazing)
- big yard
- cheapest house in a nice neighborhood with a basement that could be finished later

Things I'd like in the next one:
- bigger "great" room for entertaining
- separate dining room

angeltennis3 · January 2015

Must Haves:

Lots of storage on all levels

2.5+ bathrooms, 4+ bedrooms

Safe neighborhood with good amenities (neighborhood pool, park, etc)

Ideally on a culdesac to avoid as much traffic

Very good public school system

Nice to haves:

Finished basement (with lots of storage, again!)

Room for play space on main floor that is easy to be monitored from kitchen, but separate from the TV room.

Spacious garage (all of those kid toys yo!)

sabby2 · January 2015

We wanted 3 bedrooms, 1 full bath and at least another half bath, basement, a 2 stall garage, and something we wouldn't need to put a ton of work into. The other important thing was the neighborhood. We have a sweet park a couple blocks from our home and when we came to visit there were tons of kids out playing in their yards.

MrMrsandBaby · January 2015

If a garage is important make sure you measure it or put your car in it if you can. We have a 3 car garage but DH has to park at an angle because the steps leading into the garage from the house are right in the middle. He can't park straight and get around the car in the Acadia and I have a Malibu and can just barely squeeze around it when I park. Not great with two kids in car seats.

Raesofsunshine1 · January 2015

I have been looking at tons of house plans lately because we plan to build or buy this year. We have an old house from the '40s that we completely gutted and finished after our house fire about two years ago.

At least 3 BR/2 BA

Central air/heat

Pantry

Large kitchen (I have a big kitchen now and couldnt stand downsizing)

Separate laundry room off kitchen or near it

Basement/bonus room/something to finish down the road for extra BRs. I have out of state family and a small 860 sq ft home with 2 BR/1 BA. Nowhere for them to stay.

Oh, and lots if storage space.

ETA: something built in the past 15 years max. Im sick of old house problems.

persephonerose · January 2015

Our list was pretty basic. The house had to be at least 2000 sqft, two car garage, open kitchen(no galley kitchens), 2 bathrooms, a well maintained HVAC, and a reasonable HOA.

AppleGrapeMSTK · January 2015

persephonerose said:

Our list was pretty basic. The house had to be at least 2000 sqft, two car garage, open kitchen(no galley kitchens), 2 bathrooms, a well maintained HVAC, and a reasonable HOA.

We were pretty adamant about no homes with HOA fees. We didn't like the idea of the houses looking so similar in the covenant homes in our area and having to continue paying on a home we already own. But in the end, we decided we didn't matter because the covenant homes are much nicer and give a better sense of community, which we are lacking in our current situation.

JJsMum · January 2015

We bought our house 2 years ago and, for the most part, love it. We have started talking about what we want in the next house though.

Must Haves:

Double wall oven and 5 burner gas range
Open kitchen with window to back yard
Open concept kitchen, dining, family room
Powder room on main level NO WHERE NEAR THE KITCHEN/DINING! our downstairs bath is right next to our dining room table. Major ew!
Laundry upstairs
3 car extended garage
4 bedrooms upstairs
Great school district

Nice to have:

Walk out basement w/ bedroom and bathroom
Office/den on main level
Patio/Deck
Room for a hot tub
Flat, fenced yard

TheFutureMrs.O · January 2015

We are going to be putting our house on the market around Easter and hoping to move in fall at the latest.

Our must haves
Location/schools
4 bedrooms
Master has 5 piece en suite
Bonus room
2 story
3000+sq ft
Updated spacious kitchen
Nice yard

There are a million extras we would be happy with but the above is non negotiable.

Klavanga74 · January 2015

We are on house number 3. We were really lucky to hit the market at a low with our first house and then took advantage of the boom two years later to make a huge profit. We did a lot to our last two houses and we built this one - not custom, but we got to pick the house type and everything inside. Do you have pets? If so, think about the floors...we chose dark wood floors and they're beautiful...when they are clean, which is NEVER. We have a lab (ish) dog who is 80 pounds and a little Boston Terrier(ish) dog. The floors have gotten really scratched up. It was a big upgrade and wasn't a cheap one, so I'm kind of mad at myself for not considering the maintenance because they make me crazy on a daily basis.

Storage - people have mentioned that...especially garage or carport storage. As the kids get bigger, so does their outdoor stuff. If you won't have those things, will you have room for a shed or does it have a shed and is it practical to store kids stuff in it?

AmandaJean12 · January 2015

AppleGrapeMSTK said:

persephonerose said:

Our list was pretty basic. The house had to be at least 2000 sqft, two car garage, open kitchen(no galley kitchens), 2 bathrooms, a well maintained HVAC, and a reasonable HOA.

We were pretty adamant about no homes with HOA fees. We didn't like the idea of the houses looking so similar in the covenant homes in our area and having to continue paying on a home we already own. But in the end, we decided we didn't matter because the covenant homes are much nicer and give a better sense of community, which we are lacking in our current situation.

We were anti HOA until we found our house. $100 a month gets our lawn care, snow removal and trash. Totally worth it!

MrsTinMKE · January 2015

We wanted a large master bedroom and walk in closet

Overall square footage was huge for us because we wanted the extra space

2 car garage minimum and at least 3 bedrooms

We ended up completely gutting our kitchen and its not very large - wishing we would have went with something that had a larger kitchen. We were ok going with an older home that needed updates with the hope that we can turn a profit and hopefully build our next home.

swise22 · January 2015

Hopefully we'll be able to build our dream home in the next 5-10 years if all goes well with our jobs. My wish list for our dream home is a 2 story foyer/great room with a cat walk, fireplace in the great room, large kitchen, a wooded lot, and 4 bedrooms. I've found my perfect floor plan and a brand new subdivision with all wooded lots that just started building right in our perfect neighborhood (MIL is an elementary school principal and it's in that school district). Now I just have to save up the money for the down payment. Realistically though my plans will probably change by the time I have the money for that.

vrj0522 · January 2015

AppleGrapeMSTK said:

persephonerose said:

Our list was pretty basic. The house had to be at least 2000 sqft, two car garage, open kitchen(no galley kitchens), 2 bathrooms, a well maintained HVAC, and a reasonable HOA.

We were pretty adamant about no homes with HOA fees. We didn't like the idea of the houses looking so similar in the covenant homes in our area and having to continue paying on a home we already own. But in the end, we decided we didn't matter because the covenant homes are much nicer and give a better sense of community, which we are lacking in our current situation.

We didn't want an HOA for the same reason but ended up with one. I'd say just make sure that you are getting something for your money.

vrj0522 · January 2015

We just did this just a few months ago and these were our must haves:

-At least 2-car garage

-Lots of storage space

-4 or 5 bedrooms

-Good lighting

-Good-sized kitchen

-No carpet on the main living areas

-No HOA

We got most of the things we wanted except for the no HOA but we are okay with it. Our HOA fee is small and it includes a community pool and trash. We also have carpet in the living room but the rest of the main living area has hardwood or tile flooring and the carpet is darker so it won't be as easily damaged with stains, which was our biggest concern with kids.

2goingon3 · January 2015

Good neighborhood, room to grow, his and hers bathrooms, I really want all the kids bedrooms upstairs with the master on the main floor. Open kitchen/great room plus a separate family room in the basement. And somewhere for a wine cellar (pretentious, but I don't care!!)

AppleGrapeMSTK · January 2015

@vrj0522 Does your home have central air? We are having a hard time finding a home in our area with a cooling system of some sort, and I'm wondering if it's our price range or if Colorado is just crazy and doesn't believe in central air.

vrj0522 · January 2015

AppleGrapeMSTK said:

@vrj0522 Does your home have central air? We are having a hard time finding a home in our area with a cooling system of some sort, and I'm wondering if it's our price range or if Colorado is just crazy and doesn't believe in central air.

It does have central air and most of the homes that we saw did but a few did not. However, we actually got away from central Denver because it was really hard to get what you wanted the closer you got to downtown. We started looking in Englewood and slowly moved farther and farther away because it got us more for our buck and had more of the features we wanted.

NavyFlyer · January 2015

I must have dual sinks in the master bath. No way I'm sharing. And a big bath tub.

AppleGrapeMSTK · January 2015

vrj0522 said:

AppleGrapeMSTK said:

@vrj0522 Does your home have central air? We are having a hard time finding a home in our area with a cooling system of some sort, and I'm wondering if it's our price range or if Colorado is just crazy and doesn't believe in central air.

It does have central air and most of the homes that we saw did but a few did not. However, we actually got away from central Denver because it was really hard to get what you wanted the closer you got to downtown. We started looking in Englewood and slowly moved farther and farther away because it got us more for our buck and had more of the features we wanted.

We're looking in the Aurora, Montbello area. DH works in Montbello, so we want to stay close for him, but I work in Lakewood, so I wouldn't mind looking on the west of Denver.

silliegirlie143 · January 2015

With all the moves we've made in the last 5 years we learned some VERY important things about picking neighborhoods:

City dwellers MUST MUST MUST have a decent grocery store in the vicinity, bonus points for the store being in walking distance

(When you have to plan your grocery runs due to a 40minute round trip drive time... You go crazy)

Look at the schools and their ratings/reviews on greatschools.org in you're in the US

We require outdoor green space for the dogs and kids... A yard, a nearby park, something

Crime statistics, employment opportunities, air quality, road traffic/ noise, transit access

These are all things to consider, not just the guts of the house itself

Good luck in your search!

pnwlover12 · January 2015

We bought our first house November 2013. We were first time buyers with a budget on the low end (home values/price are through the roof here), so we knew we would be getting a fixer-upper.
Our wish list (not deal breakers) for our first home included:
at least 3bed/2ba
Hardwood floors in at least a portion of the home
Garage
Gas Heat
good sized yard

We ended up getting all of those things in the home we purchased, but we settled (big time) on our location, which is a lot more rural than we would prefer. We plan on staying in this home for up to five years.

For our next home, we want the upgrades: a nice kitchen, nice bathrooms, and good flooring. We also want all 3 bedrooms to be on the same level (we do not currently have that and it sucks), a way better location, and for it to be move in ready.

vrj0522 · January 2015

AppleGrapeMSTK said:

vrj0522 said:

AppleGrapeMSTK said:

@vrj0522 Does your home have central air? We are having a hard time finding a home in our area with a cooling system of some sort, and I'm wondering if it's our price range or if Colorado is just crazy and doesn't believe in central air.

It does have central air and most of the homes that we saw did but a few did not. However, we actually got away from central Denver because it was really hard to get what you wanted the closer you got to downtown. We started looking in Englewood and slowly moved farther and farther away because it got us more for our buck and had more of the features we wanted.

We're looking in the Aurora, Montbello area. DH works in Montbello, so we want to stay close for him, but I work in Lakewood, so I wouldn't mind looking on the west of Denver.

Yeah, we used to live in the west and loved that area. Ideally we'd live in Arvada or Golden, but DH works all the way to Parker so that wouldn't make any sense for us right now. We were hoping to find something in Centennial or east Littleton but Parker just gave us the best options so we are all the way over here now.

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