Was there anything you didn't notice as quite common until looking to buy?

moneyistooshorttomention

Slinky wrote: »

Oh that's a delight isn't it!

I've come to the conclusion I want the bedrooms to be separate from the rest of the living area so you don't have to always keep the bedroom doors shut all the time away from prying eyes if you have visitors. So for me I'd be looking at having bedrooms at the front of the house, entrance at the side of the house with the kitchen, lounge etc at the back. Doesn't work if it's the other way round as a conservatory would have to come off a bedroom. Have seen that and it's odd to say the least!

Well...some things are down to personal tastes.

Personally...my ideal house is a Riad I would think. I want an internal and totally private garden area with a fountain and some plants in the middle of it.

Add in - that I would like the outside/public-facing part of the house to have a covered verandah with Adirondack type chairs there and prairie-style outside. Add the Mediterranean style courtyard garden somewhere and a permaculture nod to the 21st century.

Has to admit my house would be a bit of a hodge-podge of all the different styles I like ideally.

I think that, if I had to have just one style though, then it would probably be Moroccan-style.

I definitely do NOT want bedrooms at the front of the house. Privacy is high priority to me personally. Errrm....and what has my current house got? You got it - a bedroom with window at front of house and its the main bedroom at that.....the darn compromises one has to make when buying a house...

moneyistooshorttomention

DaftyDuck wrote: »

Money...

Of course we do just that, but that's why we manage to sell two houses this year, one within three days of going on sale, one within a week. I knew they had three kids, got the Mamod steam train out for the little boy ('s father), knew she was a keen gardener, so had my plant books and tea out on the potting bench, knew he wanted a home-office, so had some obvious work out in my office....

Of course there was coffee on, but also a trug of soft fruit and herbs from the garden, right by the back door. And a sandy surf board... tossed casually, as one does, when one is as rugged and, well, just so darn manly... as anyone buying that house would be (come)... {breathe in D, there, see those? They're your toes! Still there... now, breathe out before you collape...}


I even confess to having a "Jamie Oliver" and "Huge Furry Wotsitsname" pair of books. Can't stand the celebrity t0ssers, but they do help me sell houses.

We buyers (such as I am now) are incredibly shallow!

Sad to say, it works... But, I can assure you, it does!

Oh yes...I know it does....and my EA told me the exact moment the buyer for my last house "fell in love" with it and we both sat back and waited for the offer to be made...

bouicca21

Ooh I've always wanted a verandah - at the back though ...

What I noticed was the (badly laid and ugly) concrete gardens and bridged DPCs. Plus internally the total absence of books.

moneyistooshorttomention

bouicca21 wrote: »

Ooh I've always wanted a verandah - at the back though ...

What I noticed was the (badly laid and ugly) concrete gardens and bridged DPCs. Plus internally the total absence of books.

Yep...agreed:T

I hadn't thought to mention the absence of books - but I am often surprised at how few people seem to have books in their homes. To me - I don't wonder "whether" but "where" and expect to have bookcases dotted around in peoples homes that I will peruse when I look at them.

Landings are for bookcases - right?:rotfl: and sitting rooms and dining rooms etc etc....

Last home had them in sitting room/dining room/my bedroom. I've decluttered and changed things a bit - but there's still books in my study and my sitting room in this house....plus the ones scattered around on the floor near my bed...

How CAN people not have books in their home?....and that is one thing where I differ from my pretty automatic assumptions that a home "should" be similar in many ways to my parents' one. Their home has darn all books...but I've learnt, over the years, that I expect homes to have loads of them...

I think I've probably come to equate having loads of books around (other than the most "lightweight" variety) as meaning that the house-owner is an independent thinker.

GoldenShadow

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Yep...agreed:T

I hadn't thought to mention the absence of books - but I am often surprised at how few people seem to have books in their homes. To me - I don't wonder "whether" but "where" and expect to have bookcases dotted around in peoples homes that I will peruse when I look at them.

Landings are for bookcases - right?:rotfl: and sitting rooms and dining rooms etc etc....

Last home had them in sitting room/dining room/my bedroom. I've decluttered and changed things a bit - but there's still books in my study and my sitting room in this house....plus the ones scattered around on the floor near my bed...

How CAN people not have books in their home?....and that is one thing where I differ from my pretty automatic assumptions that a home "should" be similar in many ways to my parents' one. Their home has darn all books...but I've learnt, over the years, that I expect homes to have loads of them...

But..yep...the concrete gardens probably rate as my biggest hates personally....

What about kindles, though?

I keep books in the loft. I don't tend to re read and if I want to refer to them I can go up and get what I need

Gorg

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Looked at that one and thought "Doesn't look bad - but I'd forgotten just how many people seem to think its acceptable to have the boiler/bits of it on show". In that case - boiler pipes coming up out of a cabinet in the kitchen.

In my starter house - I made sure the boiler/all its pipes were hidden away in airing cupboard in the bathroom. In my current house - the original boiler was in a "boiler room" and I replaced the boiler, but kept it out there in the boiler room. Its a pain having the hot water take a while to get hot - but, in my book, boilers and all their pipework are obviously hidden.

Am now trying to think just where the boiler is for my parents' house - and I think it must be in a cupboard on the landing and all the pipework is hidden away. To me - its just obvious you don't have that sort of "functional" type of stuff on show in your home.

This as well - I really didn't want the boiler anywhere except for a boiler room/airing cupboard type thing. Definitely didn't want it taking up space in a kitchen.

Jon_B_2

Gorg wrote: »

Sizeable houses with tiny box kitchens. Almost every house we looked at had the same thing, which was a deal breaker for me.

Although new builds are so often derided, IMO this is where they come up top trumps in big 3 beds and above. Large kitchens with sizable dining/family room. Ideal for entertaining and those who like to cook like myself.

I think it's a reflection in how times have changed and cooking has become a much more family event.

moneyistooshorttomention

Jon_B wrote: »

Although new builds are so often derided, IMO this is where they come up top trumps in big 3 beds and above. Large kitchens with sizable dining/family room. Ideal for entertaining and those who like to cook like myself.

I think it's a reflection in how times have changed and cooking has become a much more family event.

There is a point there. I've noticed that it tends to be the thing for brand new houses (at least in this area) to have decent size kitchen/diners. So I think its possible that the days of minute kitchens may have gone...fingers crossed.

I tend to think of these minute kitchens as popty-ping kitchens. That is - they are only about big enough for a kettle/toaster and taking a ready meal straight out of the freezer and popping into a microwave.:eek::(

I sympathise - as my current kitchen is big enough basically - but it had a popty-pinger as last owner of my house and she put in such a small amount of units/work surface space that I am obviously going to be struggling until I can afford my new "kitchen".

Winter_Phoenix

One thing I shall never understand, is why so many vendors don't make the beds neatly before allowing the estate agent in to take photographs.

It's not that much of an effort, but makes such a difference to the pictures!

bouicca21

No JonB I don't think that explains it. When I was young ready meals were only just being invented (anyone remember Vesta?) and cooking from scratch was commonplace. Today lots of people can't, don't or won't cook without ready made sauces, microwave ready meals etc. What's changed (I think) is the attitude to women and the nature of family life. Mum isn't expected to slave away over the stove on her own, and produce fabulous meal for hubby and kids sitting at the table in the dining room anymore (ah that's another missing item - lots of places I looked at didn't have a dining table). It's all being together.