QLD What attributes do you look for when buying a house for your family to live in?

Just bought our PPOR. We have young kids/ kids to be (baby on the way) so it factors in our decision making. I think it's different dependent on what stage of your life you are in. For me pre-kids and wife I wanted inner city, old art deco, older the better (I thought more character), trains/ buses close by, didn't mind the noise. I also played with the idea of having a tinyhouse off the grid in a deserted farmland for quite a long time (even looking at prefab kits etc.) Now with kids priorities have completely changed. Now it's:

1) Location. By that I mean in fantastic state school catchment areas and hope the catchment and standard of the schools stay the same. We cannot afford private school fees.
2.) Modern housing. I will prefer anything well-built in the 2000s onwards. And yes you can get well-built modern houses just as you can get crap built older houses and vice versa. Why modern? Less intensive renovations, hence less dust generation as my kid is extremely atopic. Minimal chance of asbestos and lead paint exposure that can affect their development in devastating and irreversible manners even in minute exposure.
3.) Close enough to public transport. I look back to my childhood of taking trains and buses independently to-fro school and relish in the independence, responsibility and trust. I hope my kids can experience the same, knowing that culture/ crime/ legislation has changed quite a lot in the recent decades.
4.) Crime-free area.
5.) Very close to large parks and facilities in an urban/ semi urban setting. A yard is not enough for kids. They need parks. They need swimming pools. They need all that sort of stuff to let them be kids. They need to socialise with other kids and I want my kids to also experience a more cosmopolitan lifestyle (this is individual preference).
6.) no stairs, no highset. my partner is lazy.

When kids are grown/ moved out, I want an old Queenslander- asbestos, lead paint, rotting wood and all- on a large plot in the middle of nowhere, not close to any schools or traffic.

A PPOR is a home, and home takes on different meaning at different times of your life.

 

re Home, what do you require the new PPOR to have? ( older parents living with you, young kids going to school, .....)

 

What about gas lighting? I think it would be pretty cool to have gas lighting - my insurance company may disagree.

I suspect my house may have originally been gas lit. I'm calling Australian Gas Light Company (now know as AGL) to see if they can reinstate it.

 

for PPOR,

north facing
single story
<1km to bus stop
<2km to shopping (for basic groceries)
not on main street
friendly OO neighbours
enough room/space for future reno.

these stuffs you can't change/renovate.

it will be good to have gas cooktop, LED lighting, shed/workshop, fancy kitchen/toilets and etc but those stuffs can be done after purchase.

Location/Aspect/Space is most important thing.

 

First home considerations:
* Is it in budget? (This was a single person first home budget so it was... buy something cheap in the area)
* Quiet street?
* Near to transport, convenient location?
* Car space?
* Has a balcony

Second home consideration:
* Good/great suburb - really green, friendly, quiet. No through traffic.
* Quiet Street
* Good size house; 2 living areas, very light and bright
* Nice outlook/views in yard
* In budget (Decent budget this time. But not paying more than the area median)
* Parks/green space
* Car space, no problems with car parking or storage
* Accessible to trains with a bike ride (or bus or walk if desperate)
* Very good deck, really spacious.
* No issues with west facing sun - house North south orientated.

Third home:
* Even better suburb
* Quiet and leafy street. Apparently one of the best streets in the suburb.
* Convenient location - even closer for buses and trains. Walk or bike ride
* Really nice views/outlook
* Corner block; huge 3 car garage, front and side street access
* Potential to add a granny flat/subdivide/airbnb some spaces
* 2 very good sized decks plus a front porch.
* Loads of storage space
* Bonus... stays very cool in summer and very comfortable in winter.
* House is North-South orientated but also open (no houses) on the east side. Only shaded (neighbouring house) to the west.
* Great price - I felt it was undervalued - and in budget. Btw somehow it was under the suburb median too. I'll call it timing - maybe it was a time nobody was buying anymore
* Wow factor (unique heritage house).

These 2 in bold were the main reason for buying it, but all the other factors absolutely helped seal the deal - without them we would have stayed at the other house (only 1.1km away) - it meant it was a trade up from the previous place.

There was a heck of a lot of stamp duty to pay etc... but the house was worth it!

Btw. Homes #2 and #3 have very well regarded primary and secondary schools nearby. They are in extremely high demand/highly sought after school catchment zones.

 

If you intend to live there for some time, then location is paramount as well as land size. Houses can be extended or even knocked down and rebuilt, but you can never change the location. Land size is also almost impossible to change unless you can buy the house next door.

Get the location right considering the factors that are important to you.
Marg

 

Eric I agree with you 100%.

What does OO neighbours mean?

 

What does 415V 3 phase power mean? what benefits does it give you over single phase?

 

Owner Occupier neighbors.
They tend to take care of their properties better and causes less troubles.

 

An incredibly bright christmas tree?