Perfect House or is there always a compromise?

WallyBird

I think flexibility is always important, whether buying or selling. The more rigid you are, the more frustrating your search is likely to be. You might be lucky and get everything you want, but, unless you have unlimited resources, you are likely to have to compromise somewhere along the way.

We made loads of compromises last time we bought, yet have been here for almost 20 years, and have been very happy. There were loads of good things about the house and surrounding area, that we did not even notice when we bought it, and only found out later!

mlz1413

I don't have a list of boxes to check when I view a house, I just have an idea of what I'd like and know what I need, this means I'm quite open when viewing and buy a house that I will be happy in.

My current home needed a lot of work but had the garden I wanted - really difficult to find on a terrace area - by doing the work I have ended up with my perfect home.

The only reason I would move is for my own parking area as being terraced streets the parking is of a premium and I don't always get in my own street let alone near my house, or of course if I won a lot of money

Little_Vics

We had a list of 5 things we thought were essential, and looked at houses that had 3 or more. Long story, but we ended up with one that only had 2 (!), and 18 months down the line it's perfect....for now. We will end up moving again in a few years, but it fits us now and that's the main thing. Good luck!

Sammy85_2

As long as the house is in your preferred area and facing the right way, then most of the other things can be changed.

Squish_21

There is always a compromise, its just a case of deciding whats more important and what you'd be best off compromising on.

morg_monster

Our list for our first house was:
2 bedrooms with space for double bed: yes (we have 3)
within 10 min walk of a mainline station: yes (4mins!)
garden (not concreted or slabbed over): yes
bath in bathroom: yes
no major work needed: yes
either garage or offroad parking for 1 car (2 a bonus): yes (we have a garage plus space for 2 cars in front of the house)
2 toilets: yes
<=£250,000: yes (well, =£250,000)
loft: yes
Other things I would have liked which we don't have: to be on a less busy road, to have a porch or bigger entrance hallway.

There were quite a few houses that fit most of the criteria but most had just 2 bedrooms and were further from a station than we would have liked. We loooked at our house and lurrrved it, as you see it did fit all of our criteria and had some other plus points too, but it was sold before we could have a 2nd viewing. However after 2 weeks of realising that it really was the best house for us, nothing else approached it, the sale fell through and we weren't going to lose it again so snapped it up. We've been there nearly 4 months now.
I was expecting to have to compromise more tbh, i think we were very lucky to get everything we wanted (and it was only the 3rd house we viewed!).

Again this is a house we will probably live in for 5 years and then find our "forever" house; I should think the list of "must haves" for that one will be much longer!

tara747

What a great thread!!

My wish list is:

Nice area (non-negotiable)
Garden (non-negotiable - I don't care if it needs work)
Big kitchen
Bathroom big enough for a bath
Gas heating
At least 3 bedrooms of a decent size
Preferably semi detached
Walking distance to city centre (I walk/cycle to work)

I don't care about off-road parking, but if I lived in London I would.

London_Town

Yes, this is a great thread and I've enjoyed reading the responses. As someone has already said, unless you have an infinite amount of money and choice of geographical location, there will always have to be an element of compromise.

I'm currently researching my next move and I think the biggest challenge will be to manage my expectations properly. I can either have a terraced house in the best local area or a semi detached in a reasonable area. It comes down to space and privacy, against location.

That said, I'll go by instinct when I actually come to view properties again. Can I imagine myself living there as I look round the house? Do I feel safe? These things can be considered in addition to the factual information you gather.

So, yes, I don't think elements of compromise can be avoided. However, while you may select a house, you create a home.

Hailstorm

My checklist.

2 double bedrooms - Check
Decent area - Check
Off road parking - Check + bonus. I got a garage.
Within 1 mile of a train station that is within a 30 minute train journey from work - Check.
Space for a dining table that can comfortably sit 4 - Check.
Able to move in straight away without anything more than minor decorating - Check.

My house is a corner plot with the garage and driveway to the rear behind the garden, the same as how the OP describes it. I didn't see this as a compromise though as for my budget, properties with garages that ticked the other boxes were hard to come by.

The one thing I that I compromised on was a third bedroom to use as a study. Like a garage though, there were not many properties with a third bedroom that ticked all the other boxes for my budget. I certainly would not have got a third bedroom and a garage. I considered getting one of them a bonus.

property.advert

The answer is that even given unlimited money and time you could not design and build your perfect house. You will always want something different.

Just about the only thing you cannot do it increase the size of the plot and access to get those right. Then think about where you spend the most time and how much attention you need to pay to safety (kids etc.).

You might want a huge bathroom and a walk in wardrobe but the simple fact is that you only spend 20 minutes a day in the bathroom and maybe 6 hours a day in the lounge. So which should you pay more attention to ?