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Mr. LK and I are working on our list of absolute non-negotiable must haves for our realtor. This got me wondering about what other Bees looked for when purchasing their forever home. What were your "must haves"?
Our list addresses price, school districts within our county, lot size, # of bedrooms, # of bathrooms, kitchen size, space for mancave, seperate laundry room, master bedroom with ensuite bath
counterspace! I cook & bake alot and needed the space. A garage & basement. At least a bath & a half and a fireplace(didn't care if it worked, just wanted the visual of it). Oh and two floors of living space (not a fan of ranches at all, I hate the feeling of being on top of everything all the time.
Price we were flexible on to a point so was location. We were willing to pay more for certain communties so we wouldn't have to send our kids to private school unless it was by choice. The other things didn't matter.
As you go through and look at houses, what you think you want/need ends up changing, at least it did for us.
Mine are strange things I've learned from living in my current house and living with my husband. We are very open to things like lots size (though we'd never live on less than an acre) and style of home. We'd definitely consider school district, though, and we'd prefer to get out of our city limits. The utilities here are so expensive compared to a few roads over which are county. These are some "forever home" wants, though.
I think that's my list so far. It's a bunch of stuff I don't really need, but hey, we're talking hypothetical forever homes, here!
@almostmrsc: I totally agree with you about the list changing. This is our second time house shopping, and we learned sooooo much the first time we went house shopping about what really mattered to us. Hopefully that experience and perspective will lead to success this time around. :)
2 bathrooms.
Finished basement.
large (preferably fenced) back yard for the mutts
At least 3 bedrooms
That's all I ask, not a lot.
Ditto on the counterspace! A yard is also important to us as we have a young child and 3 dogs. The school district and neighborhood in general. We're open to different styles of house but also looking for something that has flexibility...meaning that the layout could be altered (ie: knock down a wall here. Open up a closet there) without too much hassel. Even if we never made those changes, we both like the idea of having those types of options since who knows what we'll want after 10 or 15 years living somewhere. We tend to like to change things up a bit from time to time.
3 bedrooms, hardwood floors, updated kitchen, new/updated plumbing, heating, and electrical, new roof (my friends bought a house with an old roof and replacing it was a nightmare), BIG fenced backyard, porch, in a good school district, location/neighborhood
My list changed so many times over the years. The house we just bought is truly our forever house, so we had to get it right. Our rules were:
Our "wants" were smaller... they were a fireplace, hardwood floors, a finished basement, and a newer home.
We were so lucky in that we could all of our "must haves" and all of our "wants" (the kitchen definitely needs to be upgraded though.... it's only workable, not fantastic)!
My only must true haves was that it be a reasonable size and layout in a excellent area. The rest of the fluff was negotiable nice to haves. Location (and price of course) was the only real priority for me. And 3+ bedrooms. Unfortunately to stay in the neigborhoods I wanted and budget, I wasnt really in a position to ask for much.
I'm surprised how my list has changed over time. Things I have in my current home I thought were important aren't. And I miss some things I don't have but didn't think would be a big deal.
Master bedroom with its own bath
Fireplace
Laundry room on the same floor as the bedrooms
Front porch
Two-car garage, preferably with an outbuilding of some kind
One acre or larger lot
Eat-in kitchen
Lots of storage
We have a lot. We love our home (starter house), but we have definetly figured out what we want and don't want for our next house. some are:
Thats all I can think of now. But I'm sure there are more. We are picky I guess :)
Our next place must have (whether we rent or buy):
Washer & dryer, I hate shared facilities!
Dishwasher
Double kitchen sink - our apt only has a single and I hate it! If DH is prepping raw meat I can't use it for anything and you can't rinse while washing dishes.
A big enough kitchen for use to both move around in it easily.
Lots of kitchen counter space.
A basement so we have enough storage space.
A bathtub, I like the occassional soak!
Parking - for sure 2 plug ins, I would really like it to be covered and heated would be a bonus.
Our list of must haves changed as we were looking. It's weird when you start looking how you realize you can live w/o certain things.
School districts within our county, family friendly neighborhood, # of bedrooms, # of bathrooms, kitchen size and/or ability to convert to open kitchen/living space, basement, big backyard (existence of patio/deck unimportant we can build our own), layout/flow of living spaces, NO new builds/in a "development" cookie cutter area, has to be off a quiet street, separation of private/public spaces.
Overall with interior space we were flex as long as it had the ability to be converted into our must haves.
Our must haves was certain schools. Even though we didn't have kids at the time and wouldn't for many years it was our priority. We didn't want to have to move when we had kids to be in a better school district and living in a highly desired school area helps property values. I know school stats change every year, but so far it's changing in our favor.
The other things were kind of a given, it had to be a decent size, a good layout, 3 bedrooms. But with the price range we were working in the size and bedroom #s and size wasn't an issue so it didn't need to be put on a "must have" list as they'd meet that requirement.
Low taxes!
Safe
Fenced back yard, or one that can be fenced in
Hardwood or tile or combo- no carpeting
Central air- ( must in south Florida)
Hurricane windows/shutters
Green applicances
[would love solar power but doesn't Have to have]
We already bought a home in full 2 years ago which we rent out now. While it has alot of our must haves, we would like a fenced in yard and lower taxes! Plus solar power!
-A fireplace
-Fenced back yard for our dog
-Two stories
-Kitchen with lots of counter space
-Storage room for Christmas stuff and crafts
-At least 3 bedrooms
-A garden tub!! (okay...this one might be a "want" not a "must")
DH and I purchased a townhouse almost 2 years ago, but we were so close to putting in an offer for a gorgeous 3 bedroom, 2 bath single family house with a finished basement and 2 car garage. It even had a deck. It was truely our dream house we thought we could live in forever.
However, it was a good thing we brought my FIL along with us b/c he noticed step cracks in the foundation in the garage that the owners were trying to hide with shelfing. Also another downfall was there was barely a yard, just a deck, a few feet of grass then a steep hill, which likely pushed against the house causing the step cracks. We thought we could live with the hillside, but the damage it was causing to the house was the deal breaker. Be sure to check for structural integrity when looking for a house, not just "how pretty it is".
We live in a wonderful school district in a really nice neighborhood so we definetly sacraficed on the house but our must haves for our starter home was a yard, three bedrooms, at least 1.5 baths, and at least 1200 sq ft.
Now living there I do dream about my forever home which must have:
Double wall ovens and plenty of cabinet and drawer space. I have to put all of my utensils in one drawer now and I can never get it open. I fight with it daily. And I want a large eat in kitchen. With DH and I our immediate family is 22 people. It's so hard to have our siblings over nevermind a holiday.
Next is walk in closets- I can't wait to be able to hang up my clothes and put things in drawers without stuffing them to the max.
I do want 5 bedrooms. If we could afford our dream house we could afford 4 kids, and I don't want anyone to have to share a bedroom.
And DH loves his fireplace so that will be a must.
Large yard, I have two dogs and would also love the room to put in a pool.
The house we live in has gas heat, central air, laundry room, and all of the basics and is in a nice neighbordhood so I would just like basically more living space.
Of course I would like a lot of luxury items but my forever house must have large kitchen, closets, and land and be in a nice location and good schools.
At least 2.5 baths
Walk in closet in master
3 car garage, or space to build garage
1 acre of land
Views - preferably of mountains :)
Great kitchen. I love to cook and need space and appliances
Basement/storage
Workshop or space to build workshop (for both of us - me: jewelry, him: everything else)
Big master shower
To be completely honest, FI and I are getting an RV when we retire. We want to be nomads and not have a mortgage on top of it. It won't last forever, but for at least 5-10 years I imagine we'll be on the road :)
We're currently eyeballing this house in Estes Park, CO. And making plans that are terrifying and exciting all at once. This is our kind of Forever.
My Must Haves:
1) Quiet Neighborhood/street
2) Good structure/foundation
....everything else, to me, is changeable and customizable... but you it's hard to change the neighborhood and I hate living on a busy/noisy street!
@lovekiss: FI and I just built a house, but didn't have unlimited funds so we had to prioritize. My advice would be to think about things you can't change. Obviously, decorations, paint color, finishes, etc. can be changed so I wouldn't focus on that when you are house hunting.
A good example for me was putting 9' ceilings in the basement. It makes such as difference to have that extra food and something that can't be changed. I wanted this so I gave up a half bath. We can always add that later (we made sure we had space for it) and don't really need it now.
I could probably compromise on a lot of things, but I absolutely need:
1) Lots of counter space or an island in the kitchen
2) Lots of storage space like cabinets, closets, and/or an attic/basement
Clutter drives me batty!
Owning a forever home is probably my biggest dream in life (along with my family), so I am kind of picky and nervous about that. I'm sure we'll end up getting a starter home, and I think ultimately we'll build just because of my specifications.
I want:
*Enough bedrooms that all our kids have their own room with a spare for guests
*Good school district
*Master suite with walk in closet and our own bathroom
*Two stories *Mancave *Office/homework room for the kids
*Large, well equipped kitchen -- DH and I both enjoy cooking and do it a lot, and I can just see it being a central family hub
*Open layout between kitchen/family room area
*Dining room -- I really want to host holidays
*Garage
*"Enough land for a horse" and the barn that goes with it
*Hardwood
*Fire place
*MUDROOM -- Seriously, seriously, need a mudroom for DH to take his dirty gross work clothes off without messing up the house. (I'm talking farm manure, diesel fuel soaked, dirt encrusted boots and pants, etc.)
*Patio/Porch
*Secluded but close to town
*Central air
*Basement/storage
*I really want ALL windows to have the split panes, and I want the rooms to have windows all around. I hate it when you have those kind of pretty windows at the front and then a mismatched dinky little window off to the side. And a nice front door, while we're at it!Mixed stone/siding exterior
It's kind of a generic list, but let's be honest here, I'm just really picky. I also realize I'm probably going to need to win the lotto to make it happen as I envision it! I've thought about it a lot.
And my ultimate unrealistic but deseperately want it anyway: an acre or two of pond for fishing and swimming!
KristenGettingMarried, that place is stunning!
Here is my list:
I agree with other poster about picking things that you can't change later.
Must Haves
Must haves:
Garage (no one I know has a garage in the city, but DH is an athlete and we NEED a garage or at least a walk-out basement for his stinky, dirty gear)
4 bedrooms (master bedroom, girl room, boy room and guest room)
Huge kitchen with gas stove(!!!), double ovens and lots of counterspace
DH really wants a jacuzzi in the master bath to soak sore muscles and I'd love it!
Walk in master closet. I'm the most organized person ever so I love closets to organize!
My dog would really like a little patch of grass to pee on. She's pretty much an indoor dog, but she likes grass. I'd love a little backyard with a patch of fenced in grass so I don't have to walk her. Maybe TMI, but as a city dog she poos on concrete.
Our must haves were:
- 3 bedrooms
- at least 2 bathrooms, one with a bathtub
- a garage
- detached house
And our "preferred" things were:
- unfinished bsmt (FI is a contractor/carpenter and we want to put in a jacuzzi tub, giggity)
- 2 storeys (plus full basement)
- near the highway
Luckily, all of those things worked out and we love our house which is only a few steps from the lake! It's so good to make these lists, it really helped us save time and narrow things down.
- Close to the highway but not close enough to hear it!
- Two bathrooms
- Move in ready
- No carpets
- Drinkable tap water
- No weird quirks/floorplans/saunas in the basement that would make it hard to sell
I love our house right now... it would be my dream house, if it weren't for three things:
1. We need to be in a better school district eventually.
2. I wish I had a double oven.
3. I wish we had a fireplace.
Mine are weird, but I have owned a few homes now and I am done with compromise. 5 acres with water on the property (lake, pond, river, stream) 3 Bedroom 2 1/2 baths, Mud room, 2 car garage with enough room in the back to work on stuff, fireplaces, large main floor master, walk in closets, coat closet, office space, seperate dining room, laundry room with lots of counters
Kitchen
@tksjewelry:Ooooh I would LOVE it if my stove had a pot filler! Added to my list. :)
Here are our must haves:
All that in our price range is tough!!!
We thought our current house would be a 'starter' but the longer we are there, the more we are seeing that we might want to do what we can to make it our 'forever home'.
So...instead of finding a house with what we want, we are creating what we want with what we have. Including: updated kitchen (with a pantry - I want one so much!), hardwood flooring, and updating our current closet situation, where we might have a professional come in to do shelving in the master bedroom. We are pretty simple people...however, if we ever bought another house, the only thing on FI's list is a garage!
I forgot, basement with tornado shelter. Ugh, we have to walk outside to ours now and that will never happen again. Just freaks me out.
- kitchen island with range top (has to be gas) and sink, storage within and also can sit at one end
- double oven on the wall
- at least 3 bedrooms
- at least 2 car garage
- at least 2 full bathrooms
- at least a half acre of land
- master bathroom has a jacuzzi tub and a standing shower with at least 2 shower heads
- walk in closet
- laundry area has to be on the same floor as bedrooms (in the master bedroom would be ideal)
@vmec: Were you planning to cook on a firepit and use an outhouse if you didn't get a kitchen and bathroom?
Our wish list:
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