What would you filter on to find the perfect home if Rightmove had more search criteria?

Doozergirl

hazyjo said:

PS if you're asking what questions you think you should ask these people, I'd include the following:

Downstairs bathroom - yes or no. If no, what if there was an en suite or loo upstairs?

Shared drives? If no, what if a shared area like on a modern estate?

Age of house

Maintenance charges for new estate - yes or no.

Near a river etc. Yes or no.

Main roads. How quiet do they want.

How many storeys. Some write off townhouses or bungalows. What if one of their bedrooms is a loft conversion? If yes to a townhouse, would a first floor lounge be acceptable?

Outside of house: does it have to be brick. What about painted/rendered, pebbledash, etc. 

Thatched roofs

Parking

Layout (if can't be changed) e.g. would they consider a separate kitchen or does it have to have a dining space in it

Heating

Garden (and front garden - many won't consider a house with a door straight onto the pavement)

Some won't buy a house with no hallway

The list goes on and on lol

Keep going 😂

Doozergirl

eddddy said:

I suspect a lot of people end-up buying a property which doesn't match what they stated in their original requirements.

For example, they say they want a separate dining room, a kitchen island, a patio etc - but then find a property in their price range with a wonderful conservatory (with no separate dining room, kitchen island or patio) and fall in love with it.

TBH, I think criteria like

• "it has a bit of a country feel, but not too far from a supermarket" or
• "a nice open space nearby for children to play without needing to cross any busy roads" or
• "less than 45 minutes commute to x - by bike, or by bike and train, or by bus" or
• "reasonable driving distance from a golf course that isn't too expensive"

would be more useful search criteria. But much harder to do.

I love those, because it gives a real sense of who those people might be.   Not perfect, but home is where the heart is and making things that you enjoy easier Is probably the thing that satisfies your soul, not the square feet. 

Doozergirl

Thank you so much, people!  

I've loved these replies and they've been so personal without me asking too many questions!  

Very valuable.  🎈

Getting_greyer

Maybe house built by decade selection.  At my budget I know anything built in last 10 years will be very limited greenery, parking and probably very congested.

enthusiasticsaver

I have always found that considerate neighbours are one of the most important things when buying a new house but sadly that is so subjective I think Rightmove would struggle to have a filter for this. 
The principle we have always gone on when buying property is that it is all about the area and not the actual house which can be altered. So we have always done our research on the area, crime stats, local school reports, how busy the road is, whether there is a strong community feel, neighbours, condition of other houses in the street and last but not least how principled the seller is as we have been gazumped several times in the past and now walk away from any dithering sellers or ones who try and put the price up after agreement been reached.  Again I am not sure if any filter on right move would help with that one and for us we go with gut instinct rather than any EA speak on a website. 

ForestBluebells

I’d love a rural filter. I hate properties in towns. The more rural the better but it’s hard to look through all the properties to find one rural enough. 

Thrugelmir

ForestBluebells said:

I’d love a rural filter. I hate properties in towns. The more rural the better but it’s hard to look through all the properties to find one rural enough. 

Use the map option.  Easy enough on Rightmove to pick a county for example and then zoom in. Listed properties are all displayed. 
When they look to good to be true. Normally will be as the location is adjacent to an A road or close proximity to water !

70Jenny2184

Bath tub for me. I see so many nice houses where the owners have swapped the bath tub for a walk-in shower. I shower if I'm in a rush but generally even in the morning before work I like to have a bath so I wouldn't last a week in these houses. 

YoungGentry

Wow everyone is so practical.

I would add:

- number of kids nearby

- how many are noisy or miss behave.

- how many neighbours are rude, inconsiderate, or unfriendly.

- Number of people who loiter

- Important house stuff

hazyjo

Bath is a really good one Jenny! I'd not buy with just a shower.

Some won't buy if no shower anywhere, so add that too.

Someone mentioned a downstairs loo. Some class that as essential.

I'm currently looking for a friend. Some of the reasons she's given for rejecting are:

Top of budget and needs work. It really was perfectly liveable, but she either wants it perfect, or cheap enough to do up while staying elsewhere.

One had a north facing garden.

Another was seriously perfect, even had a garage and drive, but she said the (newish) estate felt claustrophobic. (It looked fine to me!)

She also said she wants to add a dressing room and en suite to whatever she buys.

She's given me a handful of tube stations she would want to be near (any one).

The area she currently lives in is also out as she wants out as her husband left her. So perhaps ask if there are any definite no-go areas for any other reasons.

One poster here once said he'd not buy in an area as they used sacks instead of wheelie bins! (May have been the other way round, I forget).

Some want side access which may rule out a link semi. There's a detached house next door but one to me with no side access! Fences for both their neighbours run along their boundary so both their neighbours get the side access. I'd have ruled that house out for that reason.

I've ruled a house out for being too dark and it stank (of dog mainly). Things like that rarely put me off but it was a combination of everything.

I ruled one out as it backed onto a massive council estate. High rises, the lot.

I used to know someone who's currently selling and I'd have rejected his as there's a highrise in the street (maybe 10-20 doors down).

Paved gardens can put people off. As can size - too big, too small, faces wrong way, overlooked, etc. 

Some won't buy if near a pub, or light industrial like a small yard or garden centre, petrol garages are a big no with me. I'd not buy if one was really near.