We can't find a house :(

We are currently waiting for our pre-approval letter - should only been about 2 weeks now. We don't have a huge price range either but what we did is said ok this is our NEED list and this is our WISH list.

we NEED single family within a certain distance from FH's work, 3 bedrooms, 1.5 bath, at least 1200 sq ft (depending on layout), a decent size yard, and a basement can be finished if its not.

Our want list is 1600+ sq ft, fenced in back yard, open concept main living area. 3 bdrms, finished basement, 2 full bath, laundry on first floor, very little if any cosmetic work needing to be done. I know this is not realistic in our price range so if we find it GREAT if not we won't be disappointed as long as it has all of our needs. You can always make a house your own over time.

We made list of must haves like the number of bedrooms and bathrooms and location. Then we made a list of wants, then we gave that list to the real estate agent and she showed us properties that were a mash of the two.

We had a really good real estate agent. My must haves were: open concept, high ceilings (I'm very claustrophobic), nice size kitchen with an island, outside deck or patio, master bedroom with master bath and walk-in closet, and 4 bedrooms and wood floors. FH's must have was just a finished basement. I found all of that in the house we bought, and the only things I compromised on were the countertops and wall colors. We've already repainted almost all of the rooms and I figured we could upgrade the countertops one day.

My advice is not to compromise on anything big. For example, if you want a finished basement or master bathroom DO NOT buy a house that doesn't have it. I've had friends that compromised (when I advised them not too) and they now regret buying their home. Cosmetic things like carpet color, wall color, countertops, fixtures etc. can be easily changes and affordable, but adding another bedroom and finishing a basement can be pretty costly.

We were so lucky with our house. When I met FH, I'd already decided to sell my condo and find a house. My place was being shown and even got an offer which was when I moved in with FH until I could find a place. When the sale fell thru, I decided not wait and then we started talking marriage and his house was way too small so we waited a while. The in April of last year, I was looking online and found a home for sail by owner that had just gone on the market that Monday. I got an appointment to see it on Tuesday and we put in an offer that next day. They countered and and we accepted by Saturday and the next month we closed. It's a big 5 bedroom 3 and half baths. Fully finished basement suite with a full kitchen. The only thing we both knew we didn't want was a new built and we wanted to stay under a set price. Good luck with your search. I doesn't hurt to make an offer especially when a house has been on the market for a while. It's still buyer's market.

We looked at dozens and dozens of houses before we found ours.

What we wanted: four bedrooms, master bathroom (preferably with a tub instead of a shower), good kitchen, finished basement, good backyard

What we got: four bedrooms (though one is in the basement), master bathroom with a shower, an ugly, difficult kitchen, finished basement, great backyard, all in an AWESOME neighborhood. We also got a super low interest rate right before rates started rising again.

So, I love the house, I really do. I HATE the kitchen, though. We'll be able to afford to remodel it this year if we want to, but here's the issue I'm having with FH: I point out a problem that I want changed ASA(reasonably)P. Instead of coming up with easy short-term solutions, he starts suggesting knocking out walls and things HE KNOWS we can't afford yet. GAH.

I had a big expectations list and FH wanted something for cheap that we could flip and make money off later on. It's hard because any houses in our price range were repo's and disgusting. I also grew up in a large house my whole life and FH lived in something a third of what I am used to. The house we are getting is ALOT smaller than I expected and not in the town I want to live in but it was a good deal (new roof, windows, siding, flooring, comes with stackable washer dryer set and fridge) I figured I could live with it for 5 years till We could afford to build what we want. It does not have a garage so FH comprimised on that since we can build one in a year or 2. It is really frustrating I know but just keep thinkign positive and know that you can always look for a short term house and get what you want down the road

FH and I had a long list of "must-haves" and had a hell of a time finding a house. We'd either find one we loved, in the right area, and as soon as we went to put an offer in, we found out someone else did and it was accepted OR we'd find the perfect size/house in an area we didn't like and that was something I wasn't willing to budge on; the area.

After MONTHS of looking for a house, we talked and decided since we only wanted to live in our first house for 5-7 years, and we plan on waiting for a few years to have kids, we could actually look at a bit smaller houses. When we started looking at some smaller houses we found the PERFECT one. Maybe re-evaluate your wants/needs and see where you can compromise.

My advice would be to make the list of must-haves, but if your realtor wants to take you to see houses that ALMOST meet the criteria, go. Sometimes a house will really surprise you and you're willing to do without that extra bedroom or a real foyer (or whatever it is you thought you MUST have) just to get it.

Candice is right not to compromise on anything big, but be willing to reevaluate how important those big things are as you look at houses. Sometimes the proximity to the elementary school or a fantastic neighborhood will overrule an extra bathroom.

I have to say, I only looked at one house, before I bought mine. I wasn't even really looking, but saw an Open House sign and drove up into the neighborhood. 20 homes for sale by the bank (builder was foreclosed on).

Great prices, brand new, beautiful floor plans. The only sacrifice I made was the kitchen. It is smaller than I would like it to be. But the rest was so "me" that I was okay with it.

I bought it in 2001. I have made one major change and that would be flooring. There was carpeting, I had wood put in. 2200 sq ft of new flooring (thank you to my neighbor who had a little mishap that caused insurance to say that my carpeting and vinyl was toast due to smoke damage. $11k of my own money, plus what insurance would pay, all new floors, light fixtures and a full interior paint job.)

We house hunted for 6 months before finding a house. We upped our budget and lowered our budget multiple times. The house we bought just felt homey to me. We've been working on it ever since we moved in almost two years ago. We did compromise on some things in order to end our search. When I watch HGTV and see other first time home buyers I always think they are being unrealistic for their budgets. Not saying that's you, but maybe re evaluate your must haves?

You need to get familiar with your area and the price range. You need to see what you get for your budget in your area. If you want a single family home, but realize you can't afford it in your dream area, consider changing location. The further out you are from a major city typically the more you get for your money.

Everything depends on your must haves. If your must have is brand new cabinets but an otherwise okay house has 10 year old cabinets in good working condition, maybe you should re-think what you can and cannot live without.

If you too picky you will never find somewhere.

have two lists - The musts and the wants.

have a top budget and stick to it

We live in a city so we wouldn't budge on: a house not a flat, somewhere to park the car (off road or on road), some sort of area outside (for the dog) and at least two bedrooms, and walking distance to public transport, somewhere walk able to coffeeshops/shops/bars, (the things you can't change) We weren't afraid of work ended up buying a house that needed a lot of tlc. Moved the bathroom from the ground floor to the 1st. Went into the attic, knocked down a wall, major work to the kitchen

I know not everyone wants to do that sort of work but it meant we got a bargain for the area.

Also get a map - we started off saying we didn't mind where we lived in the city but after looking at a few places online and saying "oh I don't want to live there" we got out a map and a crayon and started to colour in areas that we would live.

It took us 4 mnths to find somewhere

It took us about 6 months to find a house once we really started looking. We had very specific wants though- as he wanted to stay in our fire district and he wanted a lot of land. We had to make a list of what we needed, what we wanted but could do without, and what we did not wany

It took us a few months to find our house, and we weren't expecting to find a house as soon as we did.

Our wish list was:

*4 bedrooms (or 3 would be okay if we had a finished basement) because a guest room is a necessity for us due to being out of state from family

*At least 2 full baths

*In a town with a great school district

*Nice backyard for our dog, preferably fenced

*High ceilings

*Lots of natural light

*Must have an office for DH since he is a computer consultant who sometimes works from home

*Updated kitchen

*Nice Master BR with his & hers closets and en suite. NEED double vanities and preferred separate shower and tub

*Open concept main floor

*Back deck

*2-3 Car garage

*Laundry not in basement

*Overall move in ready

We did settle on some items for our house but it was at a $100k tradeoff, as we got our house at such an amazing price. We got our 4 bedrooms 2.5 bath house. Our town has an excellent school district. DH got a nice office. Kitchen is nice Got our back deck, high ceilings (with cathedral ceilings in MBR and family room) 2 car garage, laundry on main floor and completely move in ready.

So what did we settle on?

Our master bedroom has a combined shower and tub but it's a decent size as far shower tubs go. We have absolutely no back yard at all because our house is on a hill. We do have a nice sized front yard though which is still great for our dog to run around in. We don't have an open concept main floor. Our house is pretty traditional in that sense. However we do have an amazing bonus room over our garage (connects to kitchen) that is a great family room.

Most people rarely get everything on their list. So it is just a matter of prioritizing and seeing the "whole picture."

Thanks ladies!

We have our pre approval letter. Our Must have is a house built in past 7-8 yrs if not new construction, 2 car garage, modern kitchen, at least 3 bedrooms and 2 baths AND we want live in the same neighborhood we are in now.

Everything else is negotiable lol. The thing is ...our neighborhood is an up and coming popular area and we have a nice budget. Ppl are beginning to come to this area so its still a little hard to find what we want in our range.