https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 02 May 2026 14:42:45 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561461 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 14:25:04 +0000 nana87 2561461@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: @lawbee11: interesting! My house growing up was in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in my city, and has almost tripled in value since my parents bought it in the 80s </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561429 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 13:42:20 +0000 lawbee11 2561429@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@nana87: It's bad for resale value because of traffic and noise. Plus I hate people parking in front of my house! I prefer more privacy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561428 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 13:42:18 +0000 Anagram 2561428@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@nana87: my guess is traffic/noise. Twice a day, it will be hard to get in and out of your driveway/street. And noise--depending on how close the house is, I imagine a certain amount of noise from the playgrounds and outside sports fields will carry over. I work in a middle school and there are a couple of houses RIGHT next to our outdoor field, and when we have 100 kids outside at once, I often wonder if they hate the noise. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561407 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 13:19:29 +0000 Ajsmommy 2561407@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We gave up having a nice yard and storage (although we do have a garage). The basement is finished and not conducive to storage. BUT our neighborhood has playgrounds: one within walking distance, beaches, pools, hiking trails and basketball courts. So although I feel like we gave up the big yard there are plenty of places right nearby/within walking distance to go to play. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561405 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 13:18:03 +0000 nana87 2561405@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lawbee11: this is kind of a threadjack, but can I ask why not across/next to a school is on your list? I'm just curious because I grew up right next to my elementary school and it was great! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561400 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 13:13:45 +0000 PawPrints 2561400@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: We're probably talking about the same size yard that you are, I think. Our current one is a townhouse yard, so big enough for a swingset + play area would be a major increase. There is a trend in our area to build really big houses with tiny yards right on top of each other, so mainly I'm just trying to filter those out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561398 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 13:12:08 +0000 Chillybear 2561398@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>we were basically just looking to upgrade our house as much as possible. Our starter home is a 3 bdrm 1.5 bath house in a great school district on a busy street. shared drive way no garage but a basement and nice sized fenced yard. </p> <p>non negotiables: great school district, quiet street in a neighborhood, 4 bdrms, 2 baths, all bedrooms on one level, yard for the dog, easy commutes, fit comfortably in our budget, fairly turn key, as in livable until we had time money to do the project</p> <p>Would love to haves: storage - garage/basement/closets, master suite, office/playroom/sewing space, Nice large kitchen, fenced yard, main or upstairs laundry</p> <p>Things we ended up compromising on: 1 garage instead of 2, smaller kitchen with odd layout but still eat in, back of yard on busier road, not open floor plan.</p> <p>Bonus items: larger lot for the neighborhood, in ground pool, master suite with huge walk in closet, an office, a bonus room for playthings, basement area for sewing, great landscaping, can move right and no major projects on the horizon </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561392 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 13:09:42 +0000 Foodnerd81 2561392@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PawPrints: Our lists sound very very similar! Except I just want a decent size yard, big enough for the kids to play in, maybe a swing set, but I don't care if it's huge. The difference is our living situation is not going to cut it for much longer so we need a place fast (in my mind- DH is more patient since he isn't home all day!). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561386 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 13:06:45 +0000 PawPrints 2561386@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have A LOT of non-negotiables, which is why we've been in our "starter home" for seven years with no sign of moving anytime soon. :) A new place would need to be a clear step up from our current situation, which is tough to beat since it's such a great location. Stuff I have decided are must-have:</p> <p>-4 bedrooms (or 3 with a bonus space that could be used as an office)<br /> -2200+ sq ft<br /> -at least 2 showers<br /> -big yard that is easily accessible from the living/dining (or via deck is ok too) - I'm adamant that we are not moving until we can find a yard that is substantially more spacious/usable than our current one<br /> -awesome location, ideally with good transit access and walkable area and close to a great grocery and parks<br /> -not a lot of work that needs to be done<br /> -garage for at least one car</p> <p>Stuff I can compromise on:<br /> -luxurious master bath suite<br /> -big bedrooms<br /> -big kitchen (it has to be nice and functional and open to the living/dining but I can live with small)<br /> -contemporary updates, since I would rather put in my own choice of cabinets and appliances anyway<br /> -huge walls of windows - this is really popular in new construction in our area and drives up prices like crazy, but I would rather avoid the heat from the sun and the loss of privacy<br /> -views<br /> -extras like wet bars and theater rooms and saunas and MIL units; these are a turn-off for me since it's just wasted space<br /> -lots of storage, since I know we'd just fill it up with stuff anyway<br /> -2+ car garage </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561381 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 12:54:22 +0000 Foodnerd81 2561381@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: yeah I am discovering there are a lot of overlapping names for the different types of split level houses. The ones I see most around here are two levels where the main entrance is halfway between, kitchen, living room and bedrooms up, family room and garage down (or some variation). The listings specify split entry for those usually. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561379 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 12:53:21 +0000 Anagram 2561379@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: yeah, a playroom where you can just shut the door and other people don't see it seems pretty dreamy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561376 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 12:52:00 +0000 Foodnerd81 2561376@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: I've never lived in more space yet, but I think having more space means it's easier to put hints away since it isn't like a game of Tetris to make everything for just so. Like if I just have to open a cabinet and place the item on the shelve and close the cabinet, I can do it. If I open the cabinet, move these three items to get to where the other one goes then replace the items... I get lazy and it ends up on the counter with everything else. Same for putting away laundry. And I don't think I'll mind if toys are out in a playroom if that room isn't also my living room and kitchen. But that could be wishful thinking! But we do have a monthly cleaner who does the bathrooms and floors and everything. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561375 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 12:50:23 +0000 FancyGem 2561375@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our wishlist was basically the same. So we only compromised on price. He told me that he felt comfortable at a certain price point and I focused on being realistic. lol There were times when he had to realize that he couldn't get what he wanted for cheap, but we both managed to be reasonable. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561371 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 12:44:57 +0000 Tanjowen 2561371@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We just moved 6 months ago. Non negotiable for us both:<br /> - neighborhood with pool/amenities<br /> - Cul-de-sac (or anyplace off the main road)<br /> - 4 bedrooms<br /> - Open floor plan<br /> - Good elementary school option. Unfortunately, in our town, the good elementary school and high school are not in the same living areas, ugh.</p> <p>We compromised on the size of the lot. We are much closer to other houses than I like and mourn the lack of privacy, but after gaining everything else we wanted, it was no big deal. </p> <p>We also had bought a starter home we lived in the previous 8 years and fixed up, so we knew exactly what we wanted and didn't want. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561360 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 12:38:31 +0000 Modern Daisy 2561360@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Being in a real neighborhood on a non busy street were our main non negotiables. We also wanted a large flat rear yard. We got all those things and compromised on # of bedrooms - no regrets here!! Our neighbors are awesome and I love that I can safely back out of my driveway without cars whizzing by. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561358 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 12:34:22 +0000 agold 2561358@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I hate compromising! But for sure neighborhood in general is a deal breaker. Then there is the location of the house on the street - I will never want to be on a busy street, back up to a main road, have houses looking down on me, or (this is a biggie) be in a neighborhood that is close to the freeway on ramp. Beyond that I have tons of things I really want but they will be hard to get. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561357 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 12:33:49 +0000 Anagram 2561357@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: I honestly don't think I could clean more space. So then I wonder if we would finally shell out money for a cleaner, or if having more space means the mess is hidden more easily (so you don't have to clean more often), or if we would just live in a constantly messy house. I fear we would just live in a constantly messy house, haha. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561356 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 12:32:47 +0000 looch 2561356@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: I think what you call a tri-level I call a split level ranch, it's got bedrooms a few steps up and then the playroom or whatever is a few steps down. In the "center" is the living/kitchen, etc. </p> <p>We have a camera downstairs (a foscam) so I can see what my son is doing if I am not there. At first he didn't want to go down there alone, but all his toys are there so he goes willingly now. And i can watch him easily, plus I can hear him. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561353 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 12:29:48 +0000 Foodnerd81 2561353@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: I think both of us would be in for a shock especially coming from such small places now! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561351 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 12:25:08 +0000 Anagram 2561351@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: We looked at a 5-level split once, and I wondered a lot of the same things. Each level is only 5-7 steps away, but still...that's a lot if you are going from the top to the bottom! And all the staircases were in different places...but it was a beautiful house. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561349 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 12:24:06 +0000 caterw 2561349@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: My parents house is set up this way and they used to use the lower level a TON. Their house had 3 upstairs bedrooms, so they used the downstairs as their bedroom so all of us kids could have their own room. After I went to college, they moved their bedroom upstairs and put a TV and couches down there so my siblings could have a hangout space. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561348 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 12:22:52 +0000 Foodnerd81 2561348@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@T.H.O.U.: I like tri level better actually- I feel like we would use the space better. I just felt like being a full flight away from the kitchen and bedrooms we would never use the downstairs until the kids were a lot older. But maybe I am wrong, I bet its more about how you set it up. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561333 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 12:12:43 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2561333@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: My grandparents had a tri-level and it was great! Bedrooms were only up like a half flight (5 steps) and the main casual living area was down half a flight (5 steps). Much easier to call up/down or run up/down than a full flight of stairs. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561332 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 12:11:06 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2561332@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Zip code first I would say. For us this is school zones. </p> <p>Then I look at actual location of the house within the zone. This is more safety, neighborhood value, road/driving access, etc.<br /> - Over time our land/privacy size has decreased as a requirement. We are busy working and getting kids home, fed,and in bed. So we really only use the yard 2 times a week (weekends). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561330 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 12:08:48 +0000 looch 2561330@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: Yep, it does. It's basically living area and bedrooms on the top, garage and playroom on the bottom.<br /> We use the playroom a ton, actually. We don't have a TV in the living area downstairs, so we set up a playroom in the lower level. We also enter the house through the garage, so we have to go up both sets of stairs(about 5 each) to get to the main level. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561326 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 12:00:58 +0000 Foodnerd81 2561326@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: does your raised ranch have a split entry (like you walk in and there is a half flight up or down?) if so, do you actually use the lower level space? DH and I disagree with how much people actually use the lower level when it's split like that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561322 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 11:56:40 +0000 Foodnerd81 2561322@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: yes exactly- I want a neighborhood feel. Even though I know there is a chance I won't be BFFs with my neighbors. DH doesn't care as much but I'm the one home all day, and that's what I love about or current neighborhood even though it's in the city. </p> <p>@catlady: yeah living in the city requires a lot more compromises! In our current condo the biggest thing was stairs- we have two flights up and they are as annoying as I feared. But the trade off was indoor parking where I could leave the stroller so, worth it. If we had a third bedroom and no stairs we would stay. But we both are like, well if we are leaving the city, I have to have XYZ. Only each XYZ isn't the same. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561316 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 11:49:41 +0000 looch 2561316@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>You're right, no house is perfect, at least not in our price range! If we had unlimited funds, I know exactly which house I want. It's $3.5 million, so that's not happening, though!</p> <p>I wanted one thing, and that's "neighborhood feel." I grew up on a rather busy commercial street that has a lot of rentals on it and it showed. I specifically wanted a traditional center hall colonial, but then we found a raised ranch (my least favorite house style) that met all the other criteria so we went with it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561281 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 11:03:05 +0000 ocean81 2561281@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We will probably start looking in a year, but my big things are a quiet street and bedrooms on the same floor. I want a yard, but I don't care about the size, so I'm leaving that up to my husband. The commute is more important to him as he will be doing it, but I don't want him to waste hours in the car either... So basically we have to hit the lottery. Good luck on your search! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/house-hunting-compromises-and-deal-breakers#post-2561254 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 10:32:33 +0000 catlady 2561254@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This was hard for us, too. When we bought our townhouse, we both agreed we wanted:<br /> - Easy commutes for both of us<br /> - Either a house or a multi-level townhouse (we both agreed we would be ok sharing walls but no people above or below us)<br /> - One of two $$$ cities</p> <p>With our budget, those were really the only dealbreakers we could have. We ended up on a busy street, without off-street parking, with a tiny kitchen, and no bathroom on the first floor, which would probably all be deal-breakers if we were looking in a less expensive area.</p> <p>I have to admit, we were previously looking in less expensive towns, and with so many houses to choose from, we had a harder time coming to agreement. In a way, looking in places where we could barely afford anything helped us really hone in our priorities. Not sure if that helps you though! </p>