What compromises did you make?

We're starting to scope out different towns and home styles. Inventory is somewhat limited given our price range and the location we want. Ideally, we're looking at south-central Nassau, along the Babylon LIRR line. We have a list of must-haves, but we know we're going to have to compromise on something. The school districts in that area are all solid, so I'm not overly worried about that. If you had to prioritize, what else did you/would you put first, and why?

Message edited 6/11/2014 12:45:01 PM.

What compromises did you make?

We didn't really make any compromise when we bought. Our home had everything we wanted and more.

For your poll, I would never factor commute into home buying because jobs can always change. I chose a finished house because DH is not handy. And I have wild dreams and think I can do anything.

Message edited 6/11/2014 1:03:24 PM.

Re: What compromises did you make?

I went out further east- East Islip vs Babylon/West Islip

but I got much more for my money- the house is a total fixer- and I am in the middle of making it perfect

I found the even the "done" houses I was seeing - weren't too my taste and style so I changed directions and bought something less expensive that I loved the lay out of

Re: What compromises did you make?

For me - my commute was something that very much factored into our decision. Yes - jobs can always change....but I love mine, so it was important to find a house that didn't add significantly to my already long commute.

We compromised on storage space - we only have a partial basement.

I'd also say we compromised on our ideal floorplan.....but we've been able to work with it.

On the upside, our compromises enabled us to purchase on the water with easy access to boats, etc. Sacrifice little things, and we got a big thing (for us) in return.

(We're in a great school district - - - which was something neither of us were willing to compromise on.)

What compromises did you make?

I compromised on Commute. We have a house that had everything we wanted and more. The only catch was that I have a long commute..and DH has 15 min.

What compromises did you make?

i voted basement cause you really cant add a basement and if this is what you want in a house look for one there close second would be yard because you really cant expand a yard anything else can be done sure it will take time and money but eventually it will be done. we bought a house that I knew needed work and this is how I look at it I refused to pay a lot of money for a house so yes my house is not all up to date and I have work I have to do but I look at it this way my mortgage is what I would pay to rent the house I am in actually its probably less (and yes if I didn't buy I would have to rent a house the same size maybe a little smaller 3 bedroom vs 4) so rather pay rent at least I am getting equity in the house ant not just paying someone else's mortgage

What compromises did you make?

We wound up buying a house that needed much more work than we wanted. But we were not willing to compromise on garage, big yard, basement and/or storage space, #of bedrooms and bathrooms. We knew we were buying in Commack SD ( because my ss was already going to school there) so things like commute time etc weren't really a factor

What compromises did you make?

we compromised on no garage and no outside basement entrance. garages are very uncommon in our area. we were not flexible on location so we had to be flexible on other things. DH is planning to build a garage in the near future.

Re: What compromises did you make?

We didn't have to compromise in terms of a house because we haven't purchased one yet, however, we did have to compromise in terms of location.

DH works in the city and I work on LI so Queens was a happy medium for us. Before we moved, my commute was literally less than a minute and his was over an hour. Now mine is about 15-20 mins and we have a subway around the corner so his was cut in half. I think the commute to work definitely factors into the decision making process and is important.

I also think that I would need to have either a big basement or a big yard. If I had to pick one, I would pick basement because you can utilize it year round.

What compromises did you make?

from your list i chose basement. i cant imagine not having one.

when i bought, i bought the cleanest house but we still had to change everything cosmetically over the last 8 years. as long as the structure's good, "finished" or not wouldnt bother me.

Re: What compromises did you make?

We bought a house that fit your specs and we "compromised" on the size of the yard. I didn't really have to compromise because I could not care less about a yard but my husband kinda did. In the end we got a style house that we love, in our perfect area with great schools. We just barely have a yard, and that's A-OK by me.

We also had to buy a house that needed work-there was no way we could afford a "finished" house. That was 2 years ago and we are getting ready to do the updates. It took some time to get out act together but it hasn't been all that bad.

Re: What compromises did you make?

Went further east, spent more $ and bought a bigger house but one that has a small main living area/kitchen than we wanted.

What compromises did you make?

We did not compromise and found the perfect home for us.

Re: What compromises did you make?

For us, having a large yard was really important. We moved further east than we wanted and gave up a garage, but got everything else we wanted. Finding a "finished" home is difficult. No matter how finished it is, you'll likely still have things you'll want to change.

What compromises did you make?

we compromised on storage space and bought a fixer for a much better commute. Best decision ever....I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our home and have been really enjoying designing and remodeling it to our taste and lifestyle.

What compromises did you make?

We compromised on the finished home. What was important to us was a nice size house with a basement adults could walk in without ducking their head (finished or unfinished was fine), decent yard and easy commute for me into the city. I was not going to compromise more than a 45 minute LIRR ride, especially since I still had to take the subway.

What compromises did you make?

We compromised on size, in favor of location. We really wanted a 2000+ sq ft home, ours is 1800, smaller than we wanted, but we opted for this house (short sale too, great price) because it was on a quiet cul de sac. Our street is awesome, small kids, areas to play. We also said no short sales initially. But the price could not be beat, and allowed us to redo the entire home as we wished.

Re: What compromises did you make?

What compromises did you make?

We got lucky and made almost no compromises but the non negotiables were:

Location--I wanted one neighborhood. This was for many reasons including commute, family being near by etc.

Move in ready. We are not handy and did not want something that needed new everything. We got lucky bc we got new(ish) construction but so long as it was livable and not from 1950 we would have been okay with it.

Things we were willing to be flex on:

Home style--colonial, ranch, etc. we were open to all options. (although we prob wouldnt have gone for a cape...)

Garage--we got one but I didnt care

Finished basement--so long as there was one that COULD be finished we were happy. (we need to finish ours)

We bought a house with oil and just converted, that was a pricey compromise, I recommend gas heat lol

eta: we got a big yard and a pool--two total perks but the yard was something we thought we would have to compromise on bc in Queens big yards are very hard to come by, we were okay with that but now that we have the big yard we love it.

Message edited 6/12/2014 10:51:32 AM.

Re: What compromises did you make?

Size, style, not updated

Basically we purchased the location/neighborhood/school district & property size knowing we could change everything else later on.

What compromises did you make?

We got most of our must haves. We wanted a 3 or 4 bedroom that wasn't hit by the storm. A full finished basement and something that needed NO work. We were only willing to paint lolol. I sacrificed on home style / layout. I wanted all bedrooms on the same level. We have two upstairs and one on the main level. Quite a big sacrifice but other than that I love our house.

What compromises did you make?

Location was important, as was the size of the property

We ended up with quite a fixer upper, but DH is handy and I'm able to design everything exactly to my taste. It may take years, but it will be my dream house in a great location when it's all done

Re: What compromises did you make?

Re: What compromises did you make?

We compromised on commute. It's a crappy commute, but we think the trade off is worth it.

What compromises did you make?

We compromised on not having a basment and the upstairs bedrooms are smaller than I'd like.m