What made you choose your house?

Just as the title says: what made you choose the house you're in now?

Did you choose it because you love it? Or because it's all you could afford/you were desperate?

What did you like about it when you picked it, and if you had to choose again today, would you look for the same thing?

we chose our house because it was close to my dad who was quite ill. he's since passed but we're still here. hoping to move once i get back into paid work, whenever that may be :o

probably wouldn't choose the same house again but we do like it, just needs some work :/

We chose ours because of the location and price. I hadn't even seen inside it until the day we moved in. Worst mistake ever!

Can we talk about past houses as well? I'm renting at the moment so I don't really have a house.....thats mine that is.

We had our first house before DS was born and we picked it because it was in our price range, and it could be improved upon, and it felt right. It was the cutest little house with a big backyard and high fences. Loved it and miss it terribly.

Second house was in tassie, again, it was in our price range and it was brand new so we knew we didn't have to do anything to it, which we were too time poor to do. Little did we know that when we sold that place that the builders "forgot" to put down the waterproof membrane in the bathroom so all the wood was rotten and the plasterboard was absolutely buggered and took us ages to sort that out after settlement.

We choose our house because DH loved the back yard. It was supposed to be a stepping stone to our family house but 6 years on we're still here. If we could go back in time, I would not buy this same house again. But we have made it ours by renovating it and I have come to love it. I just wish it had a much bigger kitchen & bathroom.

I loved the look of it, it's kind of like a Victorian style on the outside but modern on the inside and out in the burbs not near the city. It had a great layout and a small block which is what we wanted after a big block. It is on a huge slope which can be a pain but we got used to the stairs pretty quickly. We are also in a good neighborhood for schools. It took a bit of negotiating for us to get the house, about 2 months so I didn't think we would get it so I was still looking but didnt like anything else.

It is a flat rather than a house but...

Did we love it, no - it was the right price in the right location, two reasonable size bedrooms with rental potential for the long term future. (To be honest I don't think I could ever love a house that much, and DH is the same - houses, furniture etc is not really something can get excited about - we view it as an investment)

If had to choose again today probably wouldn't choose quite the same (unless on exactly the same budget) as the four of us plus extended visitors from UK is a tight squeeze - but if had exactly same amount of money yes I probably would. It still wins on the original criteria. I would like to change the crazy neighbours - but that could happen anywhere. I would like more outdoor space but wouldn't get that on the same money. If had slightly more money would choose a 2 bed unit with a small yard in a block of three.

Sometimes I wonder what would have been liked if had moved from UK to different part of town, we chose to live here because was on right train line for my then work and the city, and because I had worked here for 1 week on a working holiday and it seemed nice and had lots of trams. Then you grow to love a place, and buy, and then you start looking at schools so become more and more entwined in the area which is unfortunately really way too expensive for us - but have no desire to live elsewhere. So maybe I do love this flat, but is not the flat it is where it is.

We wanted to move to acreage for lifestyle reasons, but weren't prepared to move the kids from their current school. It very much limited the areas we could look at! We loved the style of the house and the size of the land. If we were buying now, I would try to find something the same distance from school but a few more acres. It seemed so huge when we looked, but we use every inch of our land. I would like to be able to afford to do a few more things to the house, but that will come in time.

I would buy our house again, given we couldn't afford more land in this proximity to the city.

We built our house, but we scoured over plans for months prior before finally choosing this one. The layout is great and the size is good. There are some things we'd change in hindsight, but they are mainly little things like power point positions. If we were to choose again, we'd pick a 'normal' shaped block!! Ours is very oddly shaped and it's make landscaping quite hard.

Yes I would choose it again I can see us staying until we want a sea change once the kids finish school them we want to go near the beach. It has the space we need without needing too much work inside.

We chose our house for several reasons.
- desirable suburb
- well priced
- was built within last few years so we didn't need to spend any money on fixing, repairing, replacing or building fences
- could just move in and be comfortable
- the overall colours and style of the house suited our style
- believed would be good for resale

We didn't absolutely love the house it was just the right house for us at the time, especially being first home buyers.

Price.

The view. So that I could watch the NYE fireworks from my balcony.

Ours was to get us into the housing market so we built based on price in a new suburb and knew it was a stepping stone.

Our dream house has been on the cards for about four years. I loved the look of the outside, we went through the display and loved the floor plan and fit out. We haven't looked at another house since and we're crossing everything that we can move into it in the next few years.

In the suburb that we wanted, in our price range, right size and close to everything that we needed.

We wanted to get out of town. We wanted a big open plan house, with a lot of outdoor space, a big shed, in our price range and close enough to the towns we work in. This house ticks all those boxes and we'd definitely buy it again.

Ours was based on being in a nice suburb, within our price range, worst house in the 'best' street, looked like a cottage from the outside and, it had a tree. A proper tree, not a shrub, not a bush, but a tree! We'd come from a newish estate where the tallest tree was about 2m! It also backs onto a thick bush wildlife corridor area, so there are no neighbours behind and lots of wildlife - kangaroos, kookaburras and lots of other bird life. Ahhh, I miss our house (currently renting on the other side of the country)...I miss my tree :(

Not sure we'd buy it again....we spent a lot of money on renos and it always needs more. Having said that, we couldn't have afforded anything else in the same suburb and I'd have been really unhappy in a tiny block in a new estate...

We chose ours as the acres are amazing. The house is far from amazing but it was waaaay below our budget, we had signed contracts on our other house and so we thought why not. We have bought and sold plenty of times so it's not a big forever decision for us. But 4 years on we still really like it here crap house and all :)

This house ticked enough boxes.
Price
Size
Workable kitchen
Not too far from town.

I was so sick of looking, every night DH would drag out us looking at homes. It was the middle of winter with a new baby. We were spending a fortune on petrol and takeaway food (not time to cook as it was always after work). I was so afraid of we continued on for months that we would have no deposit left to buy with. I was also completely over his behaviour with the agents, tired of the stupid games. I would be in tears over so many houses as he always carried on that he was serious about buying, even if I hated it or it was completely out of our price range. He could never just look and go "no", then move on.

Would I buy it again? Honestly don't know. The internet is a real issue and enough to make me want to move. I think I had my way, I would have forced DH to stop looking so madly (we had a 2 year lease) or just plain left him over it all.

We built but I knew I had found the right design when I walked in to the display and saw the 7 metre long master bedroom followed by the exact kitchen design I wanted. It also had all the features we wanted (study, activity room etc)

If I had a bigger block I wouldn't hesitate to build this house again but as much as we love it DH and I now wish we had gone with a 2 storey design so we could have had more yard space. The only thing I would never ever do again is put polished porcelain tiles down as flooring. I now hate ours but they were far to expensive to just rip up and put new flooring down.

for us, it was about location and being able to feel comfy with it.

so i needed a place with loads of natural light. this place was the right price and ticked all of our boxes. have loved living here..i will actually be really really sad to leave it (we are selling up)

Land.

I would like to be closer to the station (but not so close as to be higher crime and vandalism rates!) and I would love a huge kitchen, and a big second living space, but the yard is about 650 squares, and with dogs (previously) and two sons, we heart the land.

We bid at an auction on a place we love love loved (but sold at literally 150% of the listed price), we put in an offer at tender, let a couple of other places which weren't quite right go, and then just bought this place. We were running out of time, and it was close enough, and ticked enough of our boxes, and wasn't right up to our maximum price.

I don't think it's out "forever" home, but it could be if it needed to be.

Good question! Location for us: near work, DH's parents and DH's hobby clubs. Nice area with good schools and local shops, friendly people, DH had friends here too.

This house in particular as we wanted detached, built pre-1990, walking distance of village centre, room to extend, decent size back garden and decor we can live with. Aside the bathroom, but DH sorts out boiler, heating and bathroom when we move in to a house, so that was fine.

It's open plan and space (we built) and we looked at every display home in SA (well it certainly felt like it), we kept coming back to this one. We dont regret it at all. I wish I'd put more power points in though LOL

We built it as an engaged couple - but built it to fill with a family, we anticipate being here until the kids grow and leave home, then we might downsize perhaps

It was cheap, really really cheap (wish I'd bought another at the same time), now it's valued at about 5-6 times what I purchased it for.

We chose our house for a number of reasons. Ultimately it ticked most of our must haves or wants. We wanted a rumpus room, flat backyard no smaller than 700 sq m minimum 3 bedrooms with a study or fourth bedroom, two living rooms, however we don't have a WIR in the master, although the wardrobe is still sufficient.
It was also affordable and in a suburb that we were happy with.
I would chose this house again, although I'd renovate it now (kitchen, bathrooms, new carpets and curtains) . I'd probably chose a different suburb though

Locality: good suburb, close to family, close to city and good schools.
Quality: we wanted an older house we could renovate and this was solid brick and great standard of work.
Block size: traditional sized block, could be subdivided but perfect as is for us
Price: it fitted into our price range and left money to renovate.

Amazing location. Right price, and stacks of potential for renovating/extending.

Also, the day we went to check it out, we were due to look at another a few hours later. We went home, put our DD1 down for a nap. She was an extremely routine chronic catnapper. So we put her down for her planned 30 minutes, thinking she'd wake, we'd chuck her in the car, and then go check out the next house. For the only time in her first year of life, she slept for an hour. So we joked that really, she chose the house. When we moved in, she started sleeping longer, and through the night. We joke that it's because the carpet is so hideous she can't bear to keep her eyes open, but really, it is worth dealing with all the horrid features of the house for that and the other things above.

hiccup

dh wanted a big shed, or room enough to build a big shed.
no stairs
out of Melbourne, but still accessible by public transport. (I used to work cbd).
prefer one big loungeroom to multiple living areas (thereis only one and its an ok size).
kitchen had to be good, or it got renovated before the shed. (luckily for dh, kitchen is ok).
land for chooks and dogs and kids to run around. (would like more now, but it's still ok).

choose this area because it's on Melbourne train line and about half way between dh and my folks. Although it took me a little while to get used to living here, i absolutely love it now and have no desire to move. We saw the house online first, and kept laughing at the ridiculous stained glass, and saying 'who would buy that?'. almost 9 years on and the kitchen pantry still has the stained glass. It took us 5 years to build the man shed, and couple years later we renovated bathroom, toilet, laundry, study (room only), and added linen cupboard. Want to build shelves and low cupboards to make study functional.

Now we have almost 3 kids, a rumpus room would come in handy, and it is a tossup whether to do another big reno or to look at buying another house in the area. for me, it would have to fit the criteria extremely well to feel ok about moving. we have done a lot of work in the yard and house to get it to where it is, and to devise plans for the future, and i would find it hard to leave. DH moved around alot as a child and young adult, and so he is more nonchalant about the idea of moving and trying something new.

The land. Internally the house isn't really like how it was when we bought it in April except the structural walls

Great thread!

I didn't choose our house, DH bought it before we met. At the time he was working as a contractor and wanted to be between the two major cities in victoria. The house was unfinished, had barely any flooring, no verandahs, no driveway, no carport or garage, bathrooms were basic and dreadful. There was no garden either. They basically built it to a point where they could sell it and so DH got a bargain!

So it was in the right area, co incidently in the town where he grew up, has 9 foot ceilings, floor to ceiling windows, timber window frames, a really nice vic ash kitchen, quiet court location, lots of potential, big enough block that he could build a massive shed! Close to the major highway. Although it was unfinished DH could do it up to what he wanted.

DH built his shed, did the driveway and built the carport. He also had the front verandah built. Then together we finished the flooring (because apparently sheds are more important than concrete floors!), ripped out the bathrooms and redid both of them, remodeled the walk in robe, painted the whole interior, landscaped the backyard and built the back verandah.

We now have plans for a second story but are undecided as to whether to continue on (thus making the commitment to stay here) or move to acerage. DH's work is very unstable at the moment so we have some time to think! Would I buy it again? Not sure. 12 months ago I loved the place and could never imagine moving, hence plans drawn up. Now I don't feel so attached.

We chose the suburb because it was on the same train line we were living on and we liked the area but it was further out... and as close in as we could get in our price range. The actual location of the home in terms of proximity to the shops and trains were a concern for me. It's a bit too far. This ended up being the one issue we debated on and my H was sure it was fine but I think it's still too far. WE want to sell and buy again in the next suburb over and closer to the train. This will mean a big jump in price so we couldn't have afforded that before anyway.

The actual house was a winner because of the floorplan. It's a very livable house and I love the flow, where the bedrooms/kitchen/laundry/living spaces are, where the carport is etc etc. It's all pretty great.

Location mostly. We bought this place pre-kids. DH was used to living in duplexes, I wanted land and gardens for any future kids. He wanted to stay in the areas he grew up in which weren't as affordable as where I'd built my house prior to meeting him. We had been looking for ages, came to this place and it was awful!! Horrid gardens (but it had them and on a big block which was not sub divisible so I was happy with that) horrible paintwork and filled with yucky 70's internal clinker brick!! But the kitchen had been done up (still not great but it wasn't original) as had the bathroom. It was on the market again after a deal had fallen through. We kind of bought it on impulse before we left the home open! was petrified as it was worth double what my house was worth, but it was the best thing we ever bought together! Local primary School is at the top of the hill, golf course filled with trees and wildlife at the bottom, city 15 mins away, major shopping centres close by, good high schools accessible by bus (none of these wonderful things were on my radar till kids came along), now we are about to bulldoze the house and utilise and improve our land more and build again. I love this place!!

The house we're currently in - because it was recommended by a friend who was renting it previously, good price, location and the landlord is s colleague. But mainly just because it was way easier than hunting around over the net from interstate.

The house we own - combination of location, price, being fairly newly renovated. The first time I saw it I hated the floor plan, still was unsure when we moved in, but it turned out to be fantastic for us. So sometimes your immediate reaction is wrong - that's my experience.