What do you look for in a house?
By sedel1027
@sedel1027 (17846)
Cupertino, California
July 7, 2012 6:40pm CST
In the next 6 months or so we will be moving - hopefully for the last time for several years- and are thinking about buying a house. We have very basic needs: large kitchen, 2 bathrooms, 4 bedrooms, 2 car garage, safe neighborhood - with kids preferably and good schools. That's it. I feel like we aren't picky enough.
What do you look for in a house?
5 people like this
13 responses
@OpinionatedLady (5966)
• United States
8 Jul 12
I do not feel you are asking too much.
We have found a rather large amount of homes in our price range which is pretty low with all of those needs. We too are looking for a new home and are looking for similar type of home but we need one more bedroom as we have 6 people and an extra room as I home school and need it for a classroom. we are also looking for a larger piece of property. We want more then 5 acres. As I am an avid gardener 
who cans or freezes most of our fruits and veggies for the whole year and could use the space. we also would have more animals with the land chickens and such. Also my husband and daughter hunt for most of our meat so the place to hunt would be appreciated.
We have found a rather large amount of homes in our price range which is pretty low with all of those needs. We too are looking for a new home and are looking for similar type of home but we need one more bedroom as we have 6 people and an extra room as I home school and need it for a classroom. we are also looking for a larger piece of property. We want more then 5 acres. As I am an avid gardener who cans or freezes most of our fruits and veggies for the whole year and could use the space. we also would have more animals with the land chickens and such. Also my husband and daughter hunt for most of our meat so the place to hunt would be appreciated.3 people like this
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
8 Jul 12
We are hoping to find a house with a large backyard so I can get back to gardening. We are trying to cut back on gas since my LO will be going to daycare (boo) and my son will no longer be no eschooled (my husband is retiring from the military and we are both going to school and/or working..or both), so we have to be in the city near by everything. Sounds like you guys really need a big place out in the country!
1 person likes this
@OpinionatedLady (5966)
• United States
8 Jul 12
We are pretty rural right now but when we bought the home we had one 10 month old baby and now have four daughters with only one bathroom 
..lol two full and maybe a half would be nice. We found a place we like that is huge and perfect but needs a lot of work and we are at a standstill until the government (FEMA) decides about buy outs in our area. We where badly flooded last September and are in what was declared a Federal Disaster area. So for now we wait.
..lol two full and maybe a half would be nice. We found a place we like that is huge and perfect but needs a lot of work and we are at a standstill until the government (FEMA) decides about buy outs in our area. We where badly flooded last September and are in what was declared a Federal Disaster area. So for now we wait.1 person likes this
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
8 Jul 12
Wow 1 bathroom. My mom grew up in house with her parents and 4 other kids and 1 bathroom. I recall her stories very vividly. To this day they still have more bathrooms than they need (its just her and my Dad at the house now) lol I wish you the best with FEMA. My family lost a lot during hurricane Katrina and dealing with FEMA was nothing short of a nightmare at times.
@PageTurner (2825)
• United States
7 Jul 12
Hello sedel1027
I mean no disrespect, but those sound like more than basic needs. Sure, I think in some respect they are the basic needs of any family, but on another level, it may be difficult to find all that. Well, unless money is no object, then it will be easy.
I recently bought a house. I considered my needs relatively basic -- could I pay cash for it and still live in it? Fortunately, I was able to find this and am living in a nice neighborhood, too.
Peace
3 people like this
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
8 Jul 12
Of course the garage isn't a necessity, but our current rental has the 2 car garage and it's very nice. With 4 people in the house we do need 2 bathrooms. We have 2.5 baths right now and they are often all full at once with all of us home (luckily my daughter has her kid potty stil lol). As far as the bedrooms, we have a 2 yr old and a 13 year old. The 4th bedroom would be an area for all of the computers plus an area for the guys to build their models/gaming room. We have pets as well. So, it may sounds like a lot, but as a famiily, it really isn't. This wouldn't be a forever home either. Just a place to stay for maybe 4-5 years before moving again. We would rather not rent again since we have found houses for sale - with what we want - for a reasonable ($120k) price tag. Not a brand new home by any means and we are willing to do a fixer upper. I wish we could just build but with the situation we will be going into that isn't an option.
If it was just husband and myself, we wouldn't need most of what is above. We'd be happy with a small 2 bedroom place with a nice kitchen.
1 person likes this
@PageTurner (2825)
• United States
8 Jul 12
Apparently this is a good time to buy a house if you have the means. I can see why you would want all of the things you have listed in a house, and I hope that you are able to find this at a reasonable price for your family. It certainly seems to make sense to buy instead of renting and hopefully, in a few years, you can make a good return on your investment.
Peace
2 people like this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
8 Jul 12
My husband and I bought a house a year and a half ago. Before we bought our house we looked at a lot of different houses. Our incomes are limited and we looked at many relatively cheap houses, but we didn't buy any of them because they were all in pretty bad shape and the renovation would have been too expensive. We finally found a relatively cheap house in a safe neighbourhood. It is a semi-detached house and it was smaller and less expensive than the other houses that we looked at.
We looked for a house with at least 3 rooms: A bedroom, a living room and an extra room and the house that we found had 4 rooms. We lived in the countryside in the past and we had to drive whenever we wanted to visit the nearby town. We spent quite a lot of money on gas when we lived in the countryside and we wanted to find a house that was relatively close to a town or in a town. The house that we bought is on an island and we live in the biggest town.
2 people like this
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
8 Jul 12
I don't know if I would want to live on an Island, at least not a small one. I enjoy being able to travel.
1 person likes this
@PageTurner (2825)
• United States
8 Jul 12
Sounds wonderful, Porcospino! We looked for houses on islands, but had no luck.
2 people like this
@dellessimon45 (710)
• United States
8 Jul 12
It will be some time before I get a house, let alone an apartment but some of basic things you should probably look for is the quality of the job done. Make sure to check everything you possibly can by hiring inspectors and just using your common knowledge to detect flaws in the architecture. Some of the problems will not evident and this is why hiring inspectors, especially ones that your friends recommend, to check out your soon-to-be property and investigate its blemishes. You should surely be more picky because being picky will ensure that you are the least amount of upset if something were to go wrong.
3 people like this
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
8 Jul 12
Oh yes! We have a few friends in the area we are moving to that recently purchased homes. So we are talking to their realtors. Deciding who to go with and that will, of course, include every inspection under the sun. I know we won't end up in a new home, but one that is probably 20 years old. I'm okay with that. Much better than renting a house.
1 person likes this
@ARIES1973 (11426)
• Legaspi, Philippines
7 Jul 12
If I could afford it, I want a house built several meters from the road wherein before you could reach the house, you could be able to see the whole structure. As to the structure, I want it simple as long it has a lively color.
@nyssa102 (748)
• United States
8 Jul 12
Wow, sedel1027, sounds like you have it all wrapped up. I think you have made some excellent choices so far. Well, aside from the infrastructure, and making sure that was sound, the foundation even, basement/roof leakage, etc. after all that, I'd tend to look at the pretty things. I'd like a nice large yard, with plenty of space for a pool, or other water feather (pond for koi). A place to grow vegetables and roses, etc. As for the interior, I'm very open. The kitchen is very important, so I'd like that to be of a good size. Other than that, I'm extremely open. Of course, there is a wish list, of 'luxury extras' so to speak, like room for a pony, LOL. Or at least, live in an area that had access to boarding facilities for a horse or pony. Other than that, the interior and outer design for me is up for grabs. Probably leave that up to my significant other. I just need a yard with a garden, room for a clothesline, roses, water feature/pool. The rest, I can leave up to my sig other.
1 person likes this
@chiyosan (30184)
• Philippines
8 Jul 12
we have moved a couple of times too and since we all are working now our priorit was to move near ou workplace. Lucky enough we foumf a good place with good neighborhood. The think is or priority is actually about oir safety because we cannot be sire as to what ime we can go home from work so we needed to find a good neighborhood.
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
8 Jul 12
When I look for a new home for my family it has to fit my budget. Our needs are three or four bedrooms, a level access bungalow, a disabled suitable wet room and a quiet location. We are so lovely because in 2010 I did buy a bungalow and it is ideal for my family. You see I have a disabled son in a wheelchair. My disabled son goes to a primary school and it is a fifteen minute walk away. I like that school and think it is wonderful.
My bungalow has three bedrooms, a disabled access wet room, a one car garage, it is in a quiet and safe neighborhood on flat ground. Recently a three bedroom bungalow was for sale and it was a bit nearer my disabled son's primary school. It was quickly sold and last week the new residents moved into it. There is a lovely three bedroom bungalow for sale at the moment close to the school. If I wished to move it would be almost perfect for my family.
Good luck choosing a new home in the next six months.
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
8 Jul 12
After living in my first home for over 20 years, I can tell you that I also would look for that, (except I only need a 3 bedroom)but I also would look for a basement and mostly importantly, CLOSET SPACE.. I didn't consider that only having closets in the bedrooms would be a problem, but it is. This eliminates any storage because a bedroom closest is not going to store extra clothing and seasonal equipment and using an attic to store large items is a joke.
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
10 Jul 12
That's a similar issue that my parents had (well sorta still do have). They use their attic and garage for storage. Problem is, in the south house do not have basements. You have your garage, attic and closets - that's it.
So I found a house (here in California) that if I could ever afford to rent (yeah right!) or build (even a bigger joke!) I would totally do so: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.323923004363583.73636.154571074632111&type=1
Actually, I would probably be pretty unhappy since this place isn't extremely kid friendly, but this is the type of house my husband wants to build in a few years.
1 person likes this
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
12 Jul 12
I meat there isn't an actual grass yard to play in. Thee is that cement area and San Diego doesn't get hot. Younger kids love grass though. In a few years when we are aiming to be able to do this, my 2.5 yr old would be at least 6 and a better fit for a house like this I think.
1 person likes this
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
10 Jul 12
Wow, I don't know what you mean by Kid friendly, other than the pool was not behind a secure fence, because this place obviously had kids. I drooled over the kitchen and master bedroom, and I can see why your husband would want to build a house like that..It's beautiful..
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
8 Jul 12
hi sedel What I would look for were I b u y a ho using are
spacious bedroom , modern kitchen, and everywhere storage.living in
apartments for years I long for more storage space always. also
the bathroom would have rails in the shower for this senior citizen so she would not fall while having a nice warm shower.And good
air conditioner too.
@wilsongoddard (7291)
• United States
8 Jul 12
At this point, I just want to be in a place that doesn't have neighbors right on the other side of the wall. Failing that, I'd be happy with just having non-psychotic neighbors.
A safe neighborhood, neighbors that don't seem like escapees from the psych ward or prison, 1-bedroom, 1-bath, office space and an okay-sized kitchen are all that my boyfriend and I really need at this point. Once we're ready to foster or adopt kids, we'll need a bedroom or two; yes, they can and will be sharing bedrooms in all likelihood. A garage is optional (actually, my boyfriend often feels that a car is optional, but I insist that we have one).
@sender621 (14894)
• United States
8 Jul 12
Househunting can be a loy of fun. It is an investment in your future and your family's as well. i always checked out what kind of neighborhood a house was in before I became committed to a buying choice. How much of a yard is also a good thing to check out. Of course the size of the rooms was something to consider. When all of these things come together it can make buying a house a dream come true.1 person likes this
