It’s been a while since I updated you guys on the house, heck, it’s been a while since I updated this space of the internet I call my own at all, but that’s another story! You may have seen from my first-time buyers house buying vlogs over on my YouTube channel that I have been sharing weekly updates about our house search, including our viewings, our mortgage updates and lots more.
It got me thinking, as time has gone on there’s been quite a few changes to our new home wish list and what we would love to have ticked off when we do finally get to own our own home! So, I wanted to share an update over here too in case you’re also first time buyers and are interested in our journey – I know I love reading this kind of thing because it gives me ideas and inspiration, so I hope it does that for you too!
Our New Home Wish List.
If you’re wondering what our first time buyers new home wish list you can check out my first post about it. A lot of the requirements have remained the same, such as an en suite, driveway and open plan entryway. These are really high on our wish list. Especially with 2 growing young boys – I think an en suite is one of my top priorities! Maybe I’ll relegate Stu to the family bathroom too and just have it as my own private sanctuary where I can sneak a few minutes peace ?
Garden: I mentioned previously about a nice sized garden, but I think if lockdown has taught me one thing it’s that we need outdoor space – a flat, large area for our growing boys to burn off their endless energy. This remains one of the top priorities that previously would have been a “nice to have” but has now been promoted to high up on our list.
Layout: In terms of the layout, I’m now quite certain I would love a large kitchen with additional space for a sofa rather than kitchen-dining room. So that we can have a really social space to entertain, spend time as a family, and have a little snug area at the end of it and then have a separate dining and living room from this. I would happily (ok, begrudgingly) sacrifice a separate dining room for this cosy, family hub of the home in a larger kitchen.
Utility: A utility room remains a high-ish priority because I love being able to hide away all of the mess and clutter that comes with family life. When I see a house has a utility room on the plans I squeal with delight. (I guess it might be a bit higher on my list than I thought!)
Extension: Having seen our fair share of properties already I am really drawn to those which have had an extension by way of a conservatory or family space to the rear. I’m a sucker for a bi-fold door – aren’t they just so heavenly! We’ve viewed a couple of properties with them and they are such a huge bonus. Although not essential on the list.
Location: Something I had not actually paid much thought to was the location. Yes, I knew the kind of area we liked, but since lockdown (I feel like it’s taught us a lot about ourselves!) I value the community so much more and having a safe, friendly little cul-de-sac style location now features on my wish list. Thinking back to D—Day and the street parties I saw, looking on social media whilst sitting alone in my little bubble and living so far removed from that kind of community really made me think that this, especially with the children wanting play mates, is definitely important to us.
We actually expanded our search area because of this, having seen what other areas of our town felt like whilst walking on the many “lockdown walks” we went on. It was great to open us up to a new area of the town which I didn’t think we would be interested in previously.
Open plan: I love the feel of having all that space, with a separate living room away from it all. These kind of homes appeal to me when we look around them. I am terrible with the “vision” I know we could create whatever we liked, within reason, in our own home, but when it’s done for me it’s so much easier to imagine us living somewhere!
Garage: I’m not particularly desperate for a garage to store a car in as such, but I am definitely starting to look at these more as a potential to renovate into a play room or utility room if the house doesn’t come with one, not something I’d paid much mind to before. Off street parking remains solidly high on the list though.
Detached: Not something I even thought about at first, and still not an absolute must have, but a detached home is definitely something that would be a nice feature!
So, just a few new ramblings from my mind as I document this crazy, roller-coaster journey into home ownership as first time buyers! If you want to hear my thoughts on what the pros and cons are of new build Vs Old build then have a look at the video.
I’m pleased to see the market has picked up a little after a very slow start to the year, but with that I seem to be getting pickier and pickier with the sort of home we want to buy! I guess after budgeting and saving so hard for it, it needs to be almost-perfect! As I said before, I would feel lucky to get just one of these amazing features, let alone all of them, that’s what makes it a wish list! Looking forward to updating you with more news soon.
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