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Definitely! We just bought our dream location/lot but the home... meh. Needs work. I can totally relate to your issue with the stairs at the entrance. Ours are the same. Only thing is here it doesn't matter because there's no walkway to the front door (in 25 years, no one thought to build one?) so it doesn't get used anyway. LOL
Prior to buying our current home, one of our supposed "deal breakers" was having the kids' rooms on the main floor and master bedroom up. Guess what? Turns out it's nice to retreat to our own spot at the end of the day and it's great that the kids have their rooms, and all their toys, easily accessible all the time. Point being, you'll adjust, and maybe even end up liking it.
If you have a good location, schools are good, etc. the rest can be worked around. There is no perfect home!
We've been waiting a couple of years to buy a house in a specific neighbourhood, one that we didn't think we could get into on our modest budget. When a house in that area came up, we were so excited! Our offer was accepted, and pending the inspection, it's going to be ours.
There are many things we don't specifically like about the house though: the bathrooms are small, the main floor is kind of choppy, the stairs are almost literally in the entrance.
But the location is one we've dreamed about for awhile. The school we want to send our son to when he's older is at the end of our street. His daycare is a 15 minute WALK from the house.
Did we make the right decision? Anyone else buy a house for its location?
Location is the number one reason to buy any home. Everything else can be improved.
But it's much easier to sell a house with a fantastic kitchen and bathrooms even if the location stinks. Go figure.
Definitely! We just bought our dream location/lot but the home... meh. Needs work. I can totally relate to your issue with the stairs at the entrance. Ours are the same. Only thing is here it doesn't matter because there's no walkway to the front door (in 25 years, no one thought to build one?) so it doesn't get used anyway. LOL
Prior to buying our current home, one of our supposed "deal breakers" was having the kids' rooms on the main floor and master bedroom up. Guess what? Turns out it's nice to retreat to our own spot at the end of the day and it's great that the kids have their rooms, and all their toys, easily accessible all the time. Point being, you'll adjust, and maybe even end up liking it.
If you have a good location, schools are good, etc. the rest can be worked around. There is no perfect home!
Wow, same for us! We bought a pretty house in a dream location with a big front door and NO front walkway!! So strange. So one of the projects we've done so far is to extend the drive to the front of the house and build a walkway to the front door!
Same, too, for wanting the bedrooms all on one floor (it was an absolute must have), and agreeing that --surprise-- kids get bigger, don't need us right there, and having the master downstairs is kind of nice in many ways. Though still not my preference, it has its upsides.
As for revising the entryway/stairway issue, we have a version of that issue too. I like an entryway--even if it's not the way we come into the house most often. Our stairs are in an odd position and will be difficult to move without making changes to the roofline itself. In 3 1/2 years in this house. I've gone through several different "solutions" that will work for the way we live. We will probably bump out the front door as far as we can and leave the stairs where they are....not perfect but better.
Bathrooms might be a bit tougher, but sometimes just updating them makes the smaller size less objectionable.
Sometimes you have to live in a place for awhile before you know what you can just live with (that you thought you couldn't at first) and what's really worth fixing/changing. As above, my vote is for adding an entryway if that's possible rather than moving stairs, but you never know!
Our house is not only NOT my dreamhouse, but we bought it one week before we were supposed to break ground to build my perfect dreamhouse. This location is FAR superior and we never dreamed we would be able to buy in this area. The house itself is very odd, very quirky (not just not my dreamhouse, but apparently not anyone's dreamhouse based on how long it sat on the market).
So location has trumped everything else for us, and little by little we have dealt with the issues we can't live with, and learned to get used to the others. Driving home to this location wipes a lot of the other "downsides" away!
I think you have done the smart, practical thing as long as the house is livable as-is. Congratulations on getting into the location you had wanted, and for recognizing it's a smart move!
Take your time in deciding what changes to make so that you make smart decisions that will increase your enjoyment of the home as well as its resale value.
Adding a front walkway is beneficial in several ways...including curb appeal and security. Curve it a little if you can; it's more attractive that a dead straight on (IMO).
I *always* buy houses for their location and never regret it! A house is so much more than the walls around you, you are creating a new life for your family. Its typical to feel some (TONS!) of anxiety and second guessing when buying a house. Neighborhood first, house second; every time for me.
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