The Home Buying Points System

A foolproof plan to help you make the right choice.

Photo by Kostiantyn Li on Unsplash

I’ve decided to make this a FREE read today as this little not-yet patented system of ours has helped so much over the last 27 years of home buying and renovating. I want to share it with you all. It’s pretty universal and can be adapted for almost anywhere in the world and to suit your needs. Read on if you’re thinking of selling up anytime soon.

The Points System

In the first installment of my series on How To Design & Renovate Your Way Up The Housing Ladder, I talked about our points system for buying a house. Now, most people have a wish list when searching for a home, that’s nothing new. Our system goes through all the pros and cons and comes up with a mathematical answer, taking emotion out of the equation as much as possible. It’s a simple way to stay calm and keep focused. Some of the points are specific to our needs, so feel free to adapt it and create a list that suits you.

List every single thing that you want in a home, from views to proximity to schools and a train station. Then list all the things you definitely don’t want. Each pro is worth one point. Every con is a minus point. Take a property you are considering and apply this process adding points for every pro and removing a point for every con. The total at the end tells you how well the house fits the brief. So, if you have 40 on your pro wish list, then the closer to a figure of 40 at the end of the process, the better the house fits the bill. Simple.

Here’s our list. We’ve used it every time for every house we’ve looked at and it has worked in each case:

Pros

1. Detached or suitably beautiful to not need remodelling/given a face-lift from the outside if attached.

2. Does it make your heart sing? Even if it’s a mess, just the imagining of what it could be can create euphoria.

3. Three bedrooms or more, or ability to extend.

4. South/west-facing garden.

5. Garden big enough for all the family’s needs.

6. Period features, or suitably nondescript to be able to turn into something with character.

7. Near water – ie: river,stream, the sea.

8. Views.

9. Not downwind of a dual carriageway or motorway. You’d be astonished how much noise carries, even from miles away.

10. Near a shop and a pub.

11. Close to a train station.

12. Near good schools.

13. Easy access to a main highway.

14. Within five miles of a good supermarket.

15. Within ten miles of a Marks & Spencer, Waitrose. This sounds snobby, but these companies do their research when siting their stores and they opt for more affluent areas. You want that if you are climbing the housing ladder.

16. The neighbours have well maintained homes and take pride in their gardens.

17. Building works within a short distance of the house. If other people are renovating then it’s a good sign.

18. The house has not been recently renovated. We always buy a wreck. I’m not paying for someone else’s idea of design.

19. Large kitchen/diner area or space to build one.

20. Utility/boot room, or space to create one.

21. Space to add more bathrooms if only one exists.

22. A loft with good access.

23. Privacy.

24. Good access to day job locations.

25. Room for outbuildings in the garden.

26. A road with different types of property with many of them aesthetically pleasing.

27. A road where planning permission has been granted for neighbours in the past.

28. Not in the centre of a village or town, but within close proximity. This one was pertinent to us throughout the last two decades, but you might prefer a central location, as we do now.

29. Parking for at least two cars.

30. A garage.

31. Good dog walking locations nearby.

32. A choice of good pubs and restaurants within a few miles.

33. Close to a high-end shopping location/high street.

34. A good community – check websites and parish magazines etc.

35. Good proximity to friends and family.

36. No Tree Preservation Orders on the property.

37. No refused planning permission.

38. Not a listed property.

39. Not a thatched property.

40. Close proximity to a local councillor – wherever they live things seem to get done!

Cons

1. Thatched.

2. Listed property.

3. East or north-facing garden.

4. Little privacy.

5. In a street where all the houses are the same design (it makes it much harder to alter/redesign).

6. A semi/terraced property that isn’t pretty and can’t be altered due to the style of house it is attached to. If you’re in a row of semi’s and they all look the same, then standing out by remodeling the exterior and altering the style of yours is not going to bring in the big bucks.

7. Near an Asda or an Aldi – sorry, but it’s proven. I’m not meaning to be rude to anyone that shops there, I love a bit of Lidl, but if you’re serious about climbing the housing ladder then this matters. I know I’m going to get it in the neck for this!

8. On a main road, or in earshot of a busy road.

9. Near a large-scale housing development.

10. Planning refused in the past.

11. There is a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) on the property.

12. Extremely difficult to extend.

13. The house has been renovated but not to your taste.

14. Not near a pub or a shop.

15. Not near a train station.

16. Extensive structural faults.

17. Upvc windows.

18. It’s in the middle of nowhere.

19. No off-road parking.

20. It’s in a conservation area.

21. History of subsidence or flood.

22. Not near a good school.

23. The homes surrounding it are not maintained to a high standard.

So, there you have it, that’s our extensive list. I promise by using this process you will get a very clear idea of how close a property meets your requirements. It’s so easy to get caught up in the moment just because a house is pretty. Take a step back. It will pay dividends in the end.

Go on, if you liked this then please show it! PLEASE do leave a heart ♥️ and a comment if you want to. If you really want to make my day Restack it (that’s the recycle symbol below) as well. It’s so important and it only takes a mo.