What would you change about your home purchase?

[talisman]

We could talk about upgrading or remodeling all day, but as I search for another place to buy, I'm marking off a mental checklist of past mistakes I want to avoid. What did you guys look for when you were shopping for your home? What were deal enders? What was the most important thing you looked for? I've owned a condo and a house, and both have a lot of upsides and downsides, and I haven't decided which route I'm going to go this time yet. Looking at some this weekend. Let the games begin.

[Baron Von Crowder]

I might have looked for more upgrades, tile, etc. Upside to mine was that it was much cheaper and I get to do it my way, downside is I dont WANT a remodeling project anytime soon.

[hunt4m3x]

Neighbors

[Ruffdaddy]

Good realtor, neighbors, study the area, nearby activities,

Really get a feel for how the parking/streets get. I hate subdivisions that are one lane because the roads aren't wide enough when everyone is parked on the side.

[GrayStangGT]

Unless I get married, my ideal house would be a town house/patio home with just enough back yard for the dog, grilling and drinking. 3 car garage, 2-3 bedroom. Not a duplex type, one where the houses don't touch each other.

I bought my current house which is a 4/2/2 just because it was too good of a deal to pass up. I plan on making a change in the next 2 years if I ever find what I'm looking for and sell my house for a profit. Based on what my neighbors houses have sold for this year I'm already up 50k.

[CWO]

location location location

You can change a lot of things about the physical, you can't change where it is. After that I look at layout/floorplan. Again, you can change a lot of things, but that one isn't very easy to do.

look at traffic patterns, road construction (short term and long term), proximity to local hangouts and grocery stores, and school zones, etc

[Matt]

Good realtor, neighbors, study the area, nearby activities,

Really get a feel for how the parking/streets get. I hate subdivisions that are one lane because the roads aren't wide enough when everyone is parked on the side.

This. And since I chose a neighborhood that has deep houses instead of wide. There is only enough parking for one car in front of the house.

[Rlhay2]

If it had it do over again, I would have opted for a bigger garage.

[347Mike]

A little more square feet. A two or three car garage without a pillar dividing the garage. A rear entry garage.

[Baron Von Crowder]

A little more square feet. A two or three car garage without a pillar dividing the garage. A rear entry garage.

Oh yes, I HATE the pillar in the center for moving cars in and out. It works well for the bikes, and my whole garage isnt open for everyone to see when I open one side.

[talisman]

Yeah, already had to scrap a house I was in love with because of location. With you guys on the no garage pillar too. I actually want LESS square feet. Last house was 2100, and it was way overkill. Trying to find a place with very close park proximity.

[Ruffdaddy]

My fiancé would tell you no ally. We have both really wide Streets and allies, and I love both. But my fiancé sucks at parking and hate driving behind the house for the ally.

[347Mike]

I have friend who recently purchased a home off Harwood and Norwood. It is an older home but I love it. The selling point for me was rear entry two car garage with no pillar. It hid everything from your neighbors and he has a huge driveway. You could probably park 6 - 7 cars behind the gate.

[BradM]

I wouldn't have bought in 2005, the height of the housing market. Fuck me.

[talisman]

The last thing I need is room to park 6 or 7 cars. don't want my house to look like a chop shop like Danny or Whiteboy!