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Purchasing a home

Here's a list of requirements and optional features a home would need to have for me to consider buying it.

Requirements​

  • ðŸŠī Garden/ outdoor area with plants/ grass without views blocked by other buildings.
  • 🚌 Not on a busy road (e.g. no bus stops/ busy traffic)
  • ðŸŒģ Maximum 20 minutes walk from large park (e.g. Hampstead Heath)
  • ðŸšī‍♂ïļ Space to store bicycle which is dry and secure. Easily accessible from ground floor.
  • 🔒 Freehold: I do not want inflation to prevent ownership of the house to be impossible for family/children.

Optional features​

  • Direction of sun:
    • Prefer sunrise in bedroom and living room (east)
    • Prefer sunset for bathroom and kitchen (west)
  • List development sites nearby.
    • How will they affect
      • living experience, in short term
      • value, in long term
  • If share of freehold:
    • The group of freeholders should be small to avoid arguments/politics
    • The politics in the group has to be fair: organised/democracy.
  • List neighbours:
    • Who is above, below and on same level.
    • They may make noise, have certain requirements, etc.
  • Rentable: able to rent to multiple lodgers
    • 2 to 4 bedrooms
    • Commutable location
    • Good rent-to-value ratio
  • Energy:
    • solar panels. What are the roof rules here?
    • Good energy rating (A or B)
    • Double glazing
    • Parking with option to add car charging
    • Boiler quality/efficiency. Hot water system
  • Kitchen
    • Space: enough space for cooking, machines, and pantry/fridges
      • Potential for even more space - you never know what machines you'll buy in the future
      • Open kitchen or large kitchen with modern equipment (e.g. induction, good fridge)
    • Connected to Garden
    • Machines:
      • Washer
      • Separate dryer
      • dish washer
  • Water pressure / boiler system - including tank for water
  • Internet: Fibre optic (100MB+), capable of Star Link
  • If furnished, modern furniture (nice floors, not worn out carpets, low quality curtains, beds, etc.)
  • Area criteria:
    • Connections with other regions (trains, flights)
    • Safety: research crime history in the are
    • Flight paths: FlightRadar
    • Population density and other useful maps: