What are your feelings on high ranches?

We're seriously considering putting an offer on a home that is a high ranch. We've looked at a lot of homes and we like this one the best. After talking to my in laws they seem to think that high ranches aren't as desirable as other layouts and will be hard to sell. I never heard of this before. I understand colonials are more desirable but financially it's not affordable in LI for us. What are your thoughts on high ranches?

What are your feelings on high ranches?

I personally do not like them but I have friends that have them and they are happy.

Re: What are your feelings on high ranches?

Depends on what you like. I'm personally not a fan. I don't like the idea of my bathroom being the guest bathroom to everyone when you have company over. There is a nice size room on the lower level, but I find it never gets used bc the main focal point of a home when entertaining is around the kitchen and den area. No one goes downstairs.

Re: What are your feelings on high ranches?

While many people dont like them if it's a desirable area and nice house, it WILL sell. Location is still key. I am not a fan of them but never ruled them out.

What are your feelings on high ranches?

I personally like them. A few of my friends have them and made it into a nice den/family room. Some even have nice fireplaces and finished bathrooms and that where we always hang out when they have get togethers.

Re: What are your feelings on high ranches?

i grew up in one, the only thing that it doesn't have is a basement- but, we used the 4th bedroom downstairs as our playroom when we were kids. we would also watch tv/movies in the den area w/ the fireplace. i would buy one if the price was right.

Re: What are your feelings on high ranches?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what a high ranch is, but I "think" I live in one. I can't stand the way my house looks from the outside- a big box. But I have a great inside layout. You come in the front and walk upstairs. On this level is a big living room with 15ft ceilings, an attached/open dining room, and kitchen. Up the hall is a bathroom and 3 bedrooms and we have another bathroom in our bedroom. Downstairs is a full one bedroom apartment, which we use as income.

What are your feelings on high ranches?

I do not care for them. When we were looking, there were a lot of high ranches on the market (we were only looking in Commack SD - what I called the "land of the high ranch") and I would not look at them because I knew I wouldn't buy one. Our real estate agent said they can be somewhat more difficult to sell and my brother has had a hard time trying to sell his. My biggest issue with them is access to the backyard - having to down the stairs to reach the yard and then up the stairs to get from the yard to the kitchen. Even with a deck, that wouldn't work for me - I want to be able to access the yard directly from the main level of my house

Re: What are your feelings on high ranches?

We have a hi-ranch and I love it! For us I feel like you get a lot of space for your money. As opposed to a just a ranch we have a whole 2nd floor of living space. Our home met all of my musts including at least 2 living spaces, EIK, 2 bathrooms, 4 bedrooms, room for storage(attic and garage).

What are your feelings on high ranches?

I wasn't much of a fan but I bought one and I love it. Mine isn't a typical high ranch though since it's only 12-13 years old. I have a main level and a basement level that is finished w/ full bath and where the garage is. My deck is right off of the kitchen which is on the main level but there are only 3 steps to the grass because my property is on a hill.

Re: What are your feelings on high ranches?

We bought one and while it wasn't my first choice in style, it met our needs best for what we were looking for. We bought in a great school district and on a cul de sac so I hope when the time comes, it wont be overly difficult to sell. We wanted it for 2 living spaces, one for me and DH and one for income and the high ranch worked best for us. Some things i love about it is the amount of open room it allows for us in the entertaining area and we have a huge yard but some cons are, no basement, laundry on the bottom level, and only one bathroom on each floor. Knowing that this isnt our forever home though, I love my house for what it is right now and the area. I absolutely do not regret buying it.

Re: What are your feelings on high ranches?

Not a fan. I dont like the fact that of having a high deck off the back of the house or having to walk down a bunch of steps to get to the yard. Not very family friendly.

Re: What are your feelings on high ranches?

Re: What are your feelings on high ranches?

I don't care for high ranches. I prefer colonials and I do agree that colonials are more desirable and easier to sell right now. I would buy what makes you happy. If you really like the house and the location, go for it!

Re: What are your feelings on high ranches?

For us they were out because MIL has MS and eventually may not be able to do stairs so I feel like with a high ranch it would be next to impossible for her to come over.
Just something to consider

Re: What are your feelings on high ranches?

As an agent, I don't think a high ranch is any harder to sell than any other kind of house... in certain areas, certain homes are more desirable/less desirable. High ranches are fairly common down by the water, south of Merrick Rd., for example.

As far as resale value, certain buyers seek out a high ranch because they either have a large, extended family (and need a mother/daughter set up) or are looking for a home with income potential. A high ranch is ideal for that.

Of course, there are some negatives to this style of house -- some people don't like the fact that you need to walk up or down stairs when you walk in (and need to carry groceries up to your kitchen), that you can only access the yard from the lower level (or if you have a high deck with stairs leading down off your second level). Some think the high ranch style of home lacks character. Also, high ranches typically don't have basements, so that is a negative for some buyers.

But there are pros and cons to every style of house. You just need to decide what your personal preferences are (taking into account what is realistic with your budget).

Re: What are your feelings on high ranches?

we ruled out high ranches because we didnt like the layout, wanted the bedrooms separate and wanted a basement. but, i can see how a high ranch would be desirable for someone who has an older family member live in the lower level or who wants to rent it out.

Re: What are your feelings on high ranches?

I definitely would never rule one out. I like that all of the living space is on one floor, so we are always near all the kids and there is no up and down stairs all day. Plus, I like the extra space the downstairs affords, for a rec room etc.

It definitely would not be a negative to me. Now a cape on the other hand, wouldn't even consider it.

Re: What are your feelings on high ranches?

I've lived in a high ranch for 12 years now - about 10 years too long! Not a fan of the layout at all, especially now with kids. All the main living areas are on the upper floor.... It's not my forever home but we've been making it work. We have 4 bedrooms (3 up and 1 down), a 2 car garage, 3 full bathrooms (well, one has shower tub, the other two just showers), a family room with fireplace downstairs, etc..... I don't have an eat-in-kitchen (a big negative for me) but I do have a dining room. Our house is built into a hill, so the setting isn't typical.... Our upper level is close to, or nearly at grade in the back - meaning when you walk outside the upper level in the back of the house, there is a huge deck off the kitchen and it's only 3 steps down to the ground (not up high). So hard to explain, but our lower level is half underground and has no outside access to the back, only out through the front of the house.

Like I said, I think we grew into the house and grew out of it quickly once we had kids.

Re: What are your feelings on high ranches?

Honestly, it was the one style of home that I refused to even look at.

Re: What are your feelings on high ranches?

I grew up in a high ranch. I've seen ones that are really nice, and ones where the layout is not great. I would consider it, especially if there were bedrooms on both floors. You can do a lot with a high ranch. It really depends on the house and the area.

Re: What are your feelings on high ranches?

I wouldn't actively seek one out, but I wouldn't rule one out either. With the right location, condition of home, etc, I could be sold.

What are your feelings on high ranches?

we live in a 'raised ranch', very similar to a hi-ranch, but the bottom floor is more sunken into the ground.

they are GREAT first homes bc you can turn the downstairs into an apartment and get extra income.

i dont love the layout, but it works. i like that once we get rid of our apartment we will have an entire downstairs just for entertaining or we can turn it into a huge playroom/den and have our upstairs not look like toys r us exploded.

we HATED them when we were house hunting but our agent took us to see this one bc of the backyard and we started looking at the good points. every house is going to have its good and bad points, you just have to decide what is a deal breaker and what you can live with.

What are your feelings on high ranches?

I am not a fan of them. When we were first looking for a house, those seemed to pop up all the time. We looked at several of them thinking we could love them, but we couldn't.

Re: What are your feelings on high ranches?

We don't have one but our neighbors do. I think the biggest problem they have is they can't see when the kids are outside. I can open my front and side door and keep an eye on them. I wouldn't like it if I were high up and not able to see them at all.