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3 bedrooms and a garden in one of our preferred areas for under $800k. Property is very expensive in London so we were lucky to find our house.

On the wish list was south or west facing garden and an eat-in kitchen big enough for a table, we actually got both.

Our next house will have:
1. At least 4 bedrooms
2. A basement or a 5th bedroom (bonus room)
3. 2-car garage
4. Yard that backs up to woods
5. Window moldings.
6. Flat top range, unless it is gas.
7. Good schools around it.
8. At least 2.5 bathrooms.

We've been renting for a while so we have really been able to refine our must-haves list. I'm glad we weren't able to buy immediately because we would have compromised... now we can take our time and really try to get into a house we can stay in for more than 10 or 15 years.

Must haves:
at least 3 bedrooms + study (4 bedrooms is ideal)
finished or finishable basement
at least 1 car garage
open floor plan (ideal would be a great room kitchen/living combo)
on a quiet street
good sized yard
in a good school district

Wish list:
-3 bedrooms
-2 bathrooms
-A big yard (preferably fenced)
-Something that needed work
-Built in the 60's or the 2000's+
-One story
-Nice kitchen layout

We actually got our most of our list! A 3 bedroom, 2 bath house on 3/4th of an acre that was built in 2005, with an enormous kitchen.

We didn't get:
-A fenced in yard (it was only partially fenced but needed to be torn down)
-We have a bonus room, so it does have stairs
-No dining room, just an eat in kitchen.

@autumnlove: A pool was actually on our "no way" list! I grew up with an inground pool and cringe thinking about having to maintain one on my own!

Quiet neighborhood, good schools, 3 bedrooms and updated ac/heating/roof/windows. We initially wanted a starter home and wasn't that picky. Then we found our simple forever home. Ended up with everything we wanted and more. We did have to replace the roof and wi eventually replace the windows.

We are looking at houses now and our only requirements are a decent neighborhood, a garage, atleast 2 bedrooms and a basement or cellar (storm protection)

our forever home needs to have 3-4 bedrooms, a basement that can be finished, 2-2.5 baths, decent sized yard, garage and a shop or enough land to build a shop.

At least four bedrooms, double sinks in the master, big kitchen.

Next home - in addition to the above, I'd like a bonus room upstairs, an island in the kitchen, pedestal sink in the downstairs bathroom, & of course, good school district.

It could not be in town. at least 3 bedroom and at least on 2 acres.

We don't own yet but we'll be picky when we do!

1. 4 bedrooms. 3 would work for now but we plan to have at least two more kids.
2. 2 bathrooms
3. A decent sized kitchen with pantry and all appliances/hook ups
4. garage
5. At least 1/2 acre, but prefer 2-5 acres.
6. NO popcorn ceilings!
7. A lot of windows/natural light
8. 2,000 sq ft

Almost must-haves, but negotiable:
1. Hard wood floors
2. Big family room for holidays, get togethers, parties etc.

For my first house I was buying as a single woman with two dogs who played in dog sports, so my must-have list was:

A fenced in backyard that was level and had direct access from the house
2 bathrooms
AC

I ended up three bedrooms, finished third floor that could be turned into a fourth (which we did), in an excellent school district.

For our next house (if we can ever afford to move) I would want more cabinets/counter space in the kitchen and a garage

Our must haves were:
Double attached garage
Hardwood floors in the living room
Open floor plan
At least 4 bedrooms
Decent sized closets
Master ensuite

Initially, our must-have list looked like this:

1. Within 35 km from DH's work.
2. Cozy, quiet neighborhood feel in the boonies
3. At the opposite end of town from the IL's.
4. At least 3 bedrooms/2+ bath
5. Large kitchen at the center of the house (living room integrated with the kitchen)
6. Open plan
7. Ginormous backyard
8. At least 1500 sq ft
9. Older house that's newly renovated
10. Preferably a barn conversion

After extensively house-hunting, we fine tuned our preferences. We realized we didn't want to live out in the sticks and there was no way we'd be able to maintain a large yard. What we ended up with is this:

1. Within 35 km from DH's work.
2. Cozy, quiet, and established neighborhood
3. At the opposite end of town from the IL's.
4. 4 bedrooms/2.5 bath + sauna
5. Very small kitchen but with the possibility of (easy) expansion
6. Upstairs (our living area) is open plan
7. Large enough backyard 9709 sq ft with mature trees
8. 2217 sq ft living space
9. Older house but it has exposed beams reminiscent of the barn conversions I love so much

What surprised me:
How I was willing to overlook the small kitchen for the master bathroom! Ours is the only one I've ever found! Our house does need some updates - there's still some orange wallpaper I need to strip! But in time, it'll (hopefully) be done. I LOVE our location! Every time we take a walk, I fall in love with our little town all over again!

For our next home (which will be our forever home)
1. 4 bedrooms (3 and an office upstairs okay)
2. 3 bathrooms - Master must have bathtub with jets
3. Open floor plan - kitchen/dining room/living room
4. Island in kitchen
5. Walk in closet in master
6. Fireplace in both upstairs and basement
7. Family room & bonus bedroom in basement
8. Wet Bar in basement (at least roughed in to be done later)

Back when we bought our house, it was just the 2 of us, we weren't married, and kids were barely a though in our head. So our must-haves were:
-at least 2 bedrooms
-driveway and/or garage
-decent-sized kitchen
-not on a main road
-central air

If we were to start looking for a new house now, with 1 kid coming in 2 weeks and definite plans for at least a 2nd kid in the future, it would look pretty different:
-at least 4 bedrooms
-big kitchen with lots of storage/counter
-a master bath with DOUBLE vanity
-2 additional baths
-2-car garage
-fenced-in yard

We bought a house this summer and our requirements were pretty standard (location, school district, lots of space, decent condition, etc.).

I was surprised by how many houses we rejected because the yard was sloped, small, or awkward. A big selling point with our home was the big flat backyard.

Another deal maker/breaker was having office space for both DH and I. We ended up getting a house with 4 brs, a full unfinished basement, and a small isolated sitting room. Sitting room became my office and DH uses a bedroom, with plans to eventually finish the basement.

We wanted a house we could grow into, and we definitely got that!