What are your turn-offs when it comes to buying a house?

Bookworm105

less than 2 acres of own grounds - if you are going to get hit with capital gains tax for selling a garden bigger than the tax free threshold (1.25 acres) then why get hit for only a postage stamp sized extra bit of garden, 

neighbouring property closer than 100 meters

AlexMac

Semi derelict in a rough area, collapsing ceilings, needing a new roof, no C/H and lacking functional bathroom or kitchen… 

… oh hang on?  That’s just what I bought.  Twice. Once in 1975. Then in 1997…

The good news? #1 cost only £10k (in pre-trendy Brixton in Sarf London), # 2 £67k (in “pre-millennium” SE London). Toshed em both up to a decently habitable state. 

But then it gets silly; I’ve long moved on, but Zoopla says # 1 sold last year at just over £1 million and #2 in 2021 at £750k! Both subsequently blinged up beyond all recognition…  What was that someone said earlier? “You can’t change the location…?”

amandaleeds

No hall/enclosed porch to dump wet kit and muddy shoes.

AstroTurf

Totally paved over gardens with no greenery

Lack of back garden or having just a small concrete yard with no privacy from street.

Bedrooms that can't easily fit a king bed plus furniture 

En-suite bathroom where the space would have been better used for bedroom storage (I e. Bedroom too small)

Open plan kitchen and living room

Brand new modern glossy minimal kitchen units (I hate them but wouldn't be able to justify ripping them out, so the price would have to be low for me to live with them)

Lots of wallpaper (don't have the time to be stripping it)

Newly rennovated grey/black/white homes (usually someone just looking to flip a property and has done it on the cheap).

Kitchens without enough worktop space to prep food plus store a few appliances

Streets cluttered with parked cars, particularly where cars are on pavements (just looks messy and ugly)

Being on a busy through road where traffic noise would keep you awake

Not having secure cycle storage e.g. garage or purpose-built secure storage unit.

Long thin living rooms

No chimney breast in living room (flat wall with electric fire just looks weird to me)

Downstairs bathroom (no bathroom on the same floor as bedrooms)

Bungalows or ground floor bedrooms as I wouldn't feel safe opening bedroom windows at night.

No built in storage

Front door situated on pavement (needs to be set back a bit)

Small windows and not much natural light

Homes that feel or smell damp, especially when you can see signs of damp (particularly cellars as they're useless if damp)

Oil heating system

Council tax band above C

Leasehold 

Shared access back garden

amandaleeds

AlexMac said:

Semi derelict in a rough area, collapsing ceilings, needing a new roof, no C/H and lacking functional bathroom or kitchen… 

… oh hang on?  That’s just what I bought.  Twice. Once in 1975. Then in 1997…

The good news? #1 cost only £10k (in pre-trendy Brixton in Sarf London), # 2 £67k (in “pre-millennium” SE London). Toshed em both up to a decently habitable state. 

But then it gets silly; I’ve long moved on, but Zoopla says # 1 sold last year at just over £1 million and #2 in 2021 at £750k! Both subsequently blinged up beyond all recognition…  What was that someone said earlier? “You can’t change the location…?”

It feels like some of this is what's pushing up prices..People buying homes that are perfectly habitable and nice, then blinging them to oblivion pushing up the value. I've seen homes that were lovely when bought, and a year or so later on the market for double the price and uber clinical modern inside with the garden now AstroTurf or paving. I often think "I'd have loved that house before they gave it a makeover"

Teapot55

I think it was on one of the better house makeover tv programmes they mentioned that extensions and/ or conservatories are not always the way to go. 

I’ve seen otherwise quite nice houses for sale in my area where a rear reception room has effectively become just a corridor - as mentioned on the tv programmes - and a dark and uninspiring one at that. 

The worst I saw recently though was a house where the kitchen had no space for a table but in order to get to the ‘dining room’ it was necessary to negotiate several doors, up a few steps and through a utility room that must have once been the kitchen. Nightmare. 

BikingBud

Poorly conceived and executed extensions, especially kitchens that must have an island 😩.

Doesn't add any real utility, takes space from the garden or prevents side access to rear garden.

ss2020jd

Interesting to see that what would put one person off might (mostly) be a plus for someone else. Apart from the common dislikes, like noise etc. and major structural issues.

Saying that, my personal dislikes that would put me off are (in no particular order):

1. Noisy, busy road with no escape (eg no back living area or bedroom away from road noise)

2. Lack of privacy, being overlooked 
3. Shared driveway, or potential for right of way access issues 
4. Terraced house with poor soundproofing  (from experience)
5. Ultra-modern, open plan with no storage 
6. Garden that is all paved, all gravelled, or fake grass (although I accept fake lawns could always be removed)

7. New builds
8. Wood chip wallpaper or loud and busy feature wallpaper that would be a pain to remove
9. Artex ceilings  (although realise it can be skimmed or boarded over).
10. No downstairs loo

Bonniepurple

pieroabcd said:

twopenny said:

One thing I avoided but got here is no street lampost outside.

Turns out it's not such a bad thing. The house is illuminated so any burgulars etc would be highlighted which tends to put them off

I've just got thermal linings to keep the light out - but also don't need the cost of a light to door or in the bedroom.

The one major one I forgot was - not opposite a T junction.

Cars slowing and accellerating, headlights shining in randomly.

Or crashing against the house altogether  :'(  

My parents’ house was opposite a T junction, with my room at the front.  It never bothered me, although it was a quiet road.  I personally found living opposite a large supermarket and pedestrian crossing more annoying, especially when the lights ended up constantly cycling, even if there were no pedestrians (or indeed cars). Every 5 minutes, day and night.

WellKnownSid

I suppose it entirely depends what type of property you're going for - for me it's the dishonestly described properties...

1. "Detached" houses which are actually linked or where the next door neighbours are so close it might as well be a row of terraces
2. "Semi rural location" - which generally means "not quite in the centre of the town"
3. "2/3/4 bedroom" where the 2nd, 3rd and 4th bedrooms aren't really big enough for a single bed
4. "Modern method of auction" - run, run fast
5. "Garden easily maintained" - they concreted over the lot so it now floods annually from October to May
6. "Ideal first-time purchase" - because no-one would fall for it the second time
7. "Convenient for..." multiple uses - either it's right slap bang next door to the school / cinema complex / railway station / shopping centre or only possible via a 15 minute ride in a fast helicopter

YoungBlueEyes

WellKnownSid said:

I suppose it entirely depends what type of property you're going for - for me it's the dishonestly described properties...

1. "Detached" houses which are actually linked or where the next door neighbours are so close it might as well be a row of terraces
2. "Semi rural location" - which generally means "not quite in the centre of the town"
3. "2/3/4 bedroom" where the 2nd, 3rd and 4th bedrooms aren't really big enough for a single bed
4. "Modern method of auction" - run, run fast
5. "Garden easily maintained" - they concreted over the lot so it now floods annually from October to May
6. "Ideal first-time purchase" - because no-one would fall for it the second time
7. "Convenient for..." multiple uses - either it's right slap bang next door to the school / cinema complex / railway station / shopping centre or only possible via a 15 minute ride in a fast helicopter

^^^ This made me laugh! 

8. "2/3/4 bedroom" where one of the bedrooms is plenty big enough for a double bed and some furniture, because it's the dining room. Or, as seen once on here, the conservatory.