I love that our house is 1200 sq feet on a big lot (66' x 130') in a lovely treed neighbourhood walking distance to shops and restaurants.

I don't like that if we were to sell, odds are that the house would be torn down and a monster home put up. So what I love about the house doesn't translate to potential buyers :(

I love the privacy and setting of our home, and the fact that my wife designed it to "fit" our unique setting.

I wish I would have built a three car garage vs. a two car. Even though I built a basement, I still miss the extra space for my outdoor tools that a three car garage would have given us.

I love the remodeled kitchen, bathrooms, and general overal appearence. Have gotten lots of compliments over the years, the house has a nice casual but dressy style to it.

Hate the tile floors, with dogs, very practical, but tile lacks the warmth and beauty of wood floors. My next house will have no tile, except the bathrooms. Looking forward to beautiful wood floors, everywhere in the house.

I generally love everything about our house. We were fortunate enough to build our "dream house" almost 20 years ago. The thing was, in 6 years the location, while loved by many, became less than our dream location. We decided to relocate to a new state, but we still loved our house. We re-built the same house with some tweaks and upgrades--the biggest being the location and the lot size. We went from .75 suburban acres to 30 plus semi-rural acres located less than 5 minutes from a highway. It allows us easy/quick access to shopping, etc.

I LOVE my kitchen still. It's large enough that I have room for everything, plus have a walk-in pantry and an adjacent mudroom with a full size freezer. It also works well for me on a daily basis. I love that it has 3 sets of windows for different views of the wooded property. I love the oversized island for setting up buffets for family. If we ever move, it's my kitchen I will miss most inside the house.

What I do love the most is the property. We essentially have our own forest as a backyard. At the very back of the property is a large creek. On the other side of the creek is a steep hill. We will never see a neighbor behind us. On both sides are ravines and woods so we don't see the neighbors generally. I love seeing the birds, the wildlife, the trees, the quiet and the privacy. When/if we ever move I will miss it a lot.

I do wish the house was slightly smaller now that our kids are out on their own. I recently told my husband that I wish we built a smaller house. The thing was when we built it 14 years ago we made a very FAST decision, were still in love with the house and didn't really take a lot of time to think about alternatives.

I love that we are on a lake with a very large lot 106' × 450'. Love the 3 season room we added on and the kitchen remodel we did.

I do miss having a basement and wish kitchen a bit larger.

But, we do have 2, yes 2, 2 1/2 car garages, but only one car (mine) fits! Boats and "stuff" are filling the other spaces.

This thread proves that old saying in real estate, "location, location, location!"

I love our LOCATION -- privacy on an acre on a heavily treed 'country lane' three minutes from town (and RR into the city); forty minute drive to ORD. We are the 'small fry', under 3K sq ft among homes up to 12K sq ft on five to ten acres, some historic. This is a nice lot, in a 'coveted' (RE-ese) neighborhood, in an affluent suburb with excellent schools, services and amenities. No re-sale problem with location.

love the SITING for the house on the lot: Rear is south-facing; Breakfast room is east; Screened porch is SE, with huge shade tree south; Garage is NE. I love the mature LANDSCAPING (bought a teardown). I love that we have only one neighbor within shouting distance -- and that they don't shout. I love the little creek along the east side and the open conservancy to the south.

I love the EXTERIOR. It's a pretty white brick and stucco, two gables with three large archtop windows, wide wooden archtop door with surround, angled garage. It fits in well, appearing to be 6K sq ft, with its full height attic -- there for some future buyer who wants a second floor. I love living in (and being taxed on) this single level home that's one step off the ground.

I love the INTERIOR with large rooms, 3.1 baths, storage, the light and the detail, with wide casings and mouldings; all hardwood floors (tile in back hall and baths); French doors south and east and arch top windows north; the nine-foot ceilings (some higher); the wide halls and doors; the heated floors in some rooms; the efficient HVAC with air cleaner and humidifier; the large kitchen with dish drawer DW; the central vacuum; the spacious MBA with two pedestal sinks, toilet room, shower and air-tub.

I DON'T LIKE the Swiss Cheese ceilings with can lights I never use. While I like the appearance of the green granite in the kitchen, I don't 'love' the cold stone. I'm sorry I saved two quiet, but water-hogging toilets and a noisy, takes-ages-to-fill whirlpool tub from the teardown. I'm sorry we kept the old foundation and basement (adding crawls). We only wanted a place for the mechanicals, but it's a resale minus for a larger family. The oversize two-car garage is plenty for us; there is room to add more spaces.

I've loved a NEW house -- clean and tight and no major expenses for many years. We have only had to replace a water heater, DW and washer in 14 years.

I love that our 125+ year old home is still in great condition. Excellent craftsmanship. Tin ceilings, real wood floors and moldings, built ins. And despite older homes not having much in storage space, ours has plenty. Full basement and walk up attic (previous owner had planned to change the attic into an apartment, they had finished off 2 rooms then stopped ). There is a small one bedroom apartment on the 2nd floor in the back of the house. I like that each room has an identity. There are walls and doors for closing off the kitchen and the mess if I don't want to clean right away. Don't care for the "open space" houses. Most realtors would say our location isn't the best. It is on the main street leading into the village and beach, not in a subdivision. It is a corner lot, large side yards almost no back yard. We think the location is just fine. We are walking distance to the elementary and middle schools, town hall, banks, shopping,etc. Close enough to the exit ramp off the high way to make it a short commute but far enough away to not hear all the traffic noise. Love old houses wouldn't want to live in anything else. NancyLouise

I love my neighborhood in the historic district of the city and being able to walk to restaurants, shopping and museums; love the character of the 110 years old house - 11 ft ceilings, original pine floors, pocket doors, transoms, stained glass, fireplaces, huge windows with so much light. It's amazingly well-built and though I've only lived here a few months it feels like home. I'm planning to add a second full bath to the master bedroom next month and I know I will love that too.

I don't love the kitchen - it was nicely planned for the space and very pretty and has a beautiful window and view to the backyard, so it's fine when I'm here alone - but there is nowhere for family or guests to sit and hang out. I also would love an actual laundry room. And more closets :).

Just finished a remodel on a house we bought and so far, I love everything about the house, except the pool, and the garage. It has a two car garage, and I'd prefer 3. I didn't want a pool, due to maintenance, but liked the house and location, so will deal with it. love that we have deer that sleep behind my back wall and wander the neighborhood regularly. They are often in my front yard, in spite of it being a residential neighborhood. Here's the remodel (and a pic of one of the deer!) if anyone is curious (first 11 pics are before) ... http://s1159.photobucket.com/user/Lindamcdani/library/

Like some others I really like our location: 3 acres lake front. It's close to town and all those conveniences but has that remote feel. I'm not thrilled that our home is built on a slab. I don't like having my plumbing entombed in concrete and my duct work in the attic. I said I'd never live on a slab but we'd probably have bought the place if it'd only had a trailer because we liked the lot so much.

I love that I have the largest lot (2 acres) and the smallest house in a very desirable neighborhood.

I love that I back up to woods.

I love my yard- my landscaping is finally maturing and my vision is becoming my reality.

I love that my home is extremely well insulated and economical to heat and cool.

I love my unfinished basement- hanging things from the joists is so handy and I have storage space to burn.

I love that said basement is a walk out with good light.

I love my 1950's kitchen that is truly functional and a joy to cook in.

I love that against all advice I painted my hardwood floors- I adore them.

And most of all I love that it is paid for.

Christopher, you must be in ME or NH!

This is an interesting thread.... I love the warmth of our old Cape with an ell with an ell. I love the old pine wainscoting, the old wood doors with porcelain knobs, the hardwood floors which are imperfect and show the history of the house in the dents and stains and nails. I love the way the house sits on the lot, creating a very private back yard with plenty of space for gardens and outdoor living. I love the breakfast nook overlooking a flower garden which draws the birds to the feeders year round. I love the laundry/mudroom which collects some of the dirt as we come in from gardening.

I do love the small town we live in, the fact the kids walk to school, walk down to the river to fish in the summer, and ride their bikes all over town with few worries. I love hearing the cheers from the town's baseball fields in the summer, and the fact I have a big veggie garden and hens in the backyard.

I don't love the fact that now the kids are gone, the house is too big for us, and the floor plan is becoming less sufficient for our needs. I don't like the fact that despite years of adding insulation and spray foam, the house is still leaky and expensive to heat in the winter. I don't like the fact that real estate values still haven't recovered, fearing we won't be able to sell our current home and/or the next home if we stay in our beloved little town in another house. Sigh.

I love the location and acre lot. We are on a dead end street that ends at a park four houses down. I love that the house is small enough at almost 1500 sq feet to keep clean but I have a full basement for storage. Love the breezeway, three bathrooms, hardwood and porcelaine tile floors and the two car garage. The house is quiet and stays warm in the winter, cool in the summer.

I wouldn't say I hate the following features but they would deter some buyer especially those with children. First is the layout of the first floor. There is no dining room and the bathroom is small. The kitchen layout makes it impossible for me to put a dishwasher in unless I basically tear out the existing cabinets and sink. The kitchen is big enough to only for a small table for three people. A bigger table would stick out. I don't have any problems with it myself but I am a clean freak so it is spotless. More appliances on the counter or dirty dishes in the rack would make the room look very cluttered. I think what happened is that the man who built the house sacrificed a larger kitchen or dining room for a third bedroom on the first floor.

Next is the driveway. The house is set 150 feet back and most of the driveway is gravel. The cement work by the house is cracked up and I will need to replace it. Lastly are the windows. I just got a quote to replace them and this will probably be my next project.

Less than 5 miles from my office. Safe quiet neighborhood. Direct access to back yard. Covered back porch. We built raised gardens as soon as we moved in last year and the garden Gods were good to us this summer, so good sun in the back yard. Soon to be rehabbed kitchen. Great flow for entertaining. Lots of room for overnight guests. We feel very lucky.

Mabeldingeldine

I live in Vermont. A state with more dirt roads than paves ones.

I love my home of three months (a condo, but free standing so no shared walls). Love the location--back borders a marsh with lots of wildlife, we have a boat slip across the street. Love that I have several (small) gardens so I didn't have to give up my passion. Love the "open concept" layout since there are just the two of us now. Love the new wood floor and the kitchen sink in a corner with Windows on two sides. Love the master bedroom and the "en suite" .

Not so crazy about the cheap kitchen appliances, the old, noisy whirlpool tub, tile floors in the bathrooms, and ww carpet in much of the house. And I'm still evaluating whether we need to add a skylight to the LR, and whether I enjoy being part of a small condo association/neighborhood without kids.

Love: privacy, Hate: the kitchen, the steepness of my driveway.

What I love; the front is oriented full south, and has a large picture window in the front living room which allows me to survive winter. It is compact and easy to keep clean (with a little self discipline!) Rooms are smallish (compared to modern design) but big enough for me. Because I have insulated (foam in the walls and lots in the attic) and replaced windows, heating/cooling costs are less than average for my neighborhood. Full basement, original wood floors, nice front porch, cement board/plaster walls, A good well kept neighborhood, walkable, schools and 3 parks within 1/4-1/2 mile, our little suburban downtown with library, coffee, restaurants also can be walked to (about 1.5 miles). Big window in the north family room addition that lets me gaze on my gardens. Excellent city services, pretty good county services also.

What I don't love so much: noisier than I'd like --under the flight approach for the local university airport (commercial traffic day and night); freight trains only a block away, even freeway noise from a mile away audible much of the time. (note -- I moved here from out of state 25 years ago and relied on the agent to alert me to those issues, but disclosure wasn't required back then and didn't happen) Big city neighborhoods surrounding my suburban paradise deteriorating. Property taxes are high -- paying for those good services. Not a large enough lot for the gardens that I want to have (although larger than average for the neighborhood's age). Poor draining soil that floods in spring and I am still remediating. Mosquito central. Only one bath, and because of the layout of an addition done in the 50's, no good place to add a half bath, or a screened back porch. The single car garage isn't big enough anymore for all my stuff. 1940s duct work really not efficient for cooling the upstairs. Aaand, when my neighbor goes outside to smoke on his patio, the smoke travels into my windows.

What I love: Lots of natural light!

What I don't like as much: Would like to be able to walk to restaurants and stores.

Love:

- Lots of light (but it will fade wood, pictures, etc., so it's always a trade-off)

- great urban location, convenient hop on the freeway to family & friends, every conceivable service easily available including fiber-optic broadband (a necessity for us geeks). 10 min from our doctors and hospital: my DH had a stroke at 50 and wouldn't be alive, talking and walking normally today, if we hadn't been able to get him ASAP into emergency. We are NEVER, EVER, going to live more than 20 minutes from a full-service hospital.

- Nice neighbors, big garden altho it's on a hill so it is EXERCISE taking care of it

- Small house but custom-designed so there is an extraordinary amount of storage space everywhere, and I do mean everywhere. Every woman who has come into our house, lusts after our total closet space....and that's just the total for the interior. Doesn't count the outside lanai with its own big storage area.

- My kitchen. My first and only attempt, came out pretty good for an amateur with only a few minor errors. I still love walking into it and using it, after 26 yrs. I feast my eyes on a glorious hillside view - oh, those colors as the light changes!

Don't love:

- Housecleaning. Ever. Yes, I'd like one more room. No, I wouldn't want to clean it, LOL.

- Gardening on a hill can be rough. I've fallen a few times, and did serious damage to myself once with a compound fracture and dislocated ankle, that will always give me problems.

- Heat spells. I loathe warm weather and nobody has air conditioning here, so even our temperate location is annoying when my house is 87 degrees inside in the summer....but fortunately, the fog eventually returns (yes, I live on the Pacific Coast) and eventually things cool off. But we definitely have seen the climate warm up over the years we've been here.

I have never liked the exterior of my house. I sent my DH out house hunting in the community where he wanted to live because we had a baby who did not like to sit in the car seat for hours. The house had to have bedrooms enough, be atop a slope looking out over the landscape, and it had to have a sunny kitchen that opened completely into a large, sunny family room. I also wanted excellent schools. This house does that in spades.

We don't like the orientation of the house; the back faces west. I would rather it face south, but that would not work on this hilltop. So the sun comes into the family room and fades things. The breeze blows right past the house and does not come in the windows. Our front yard is small because we are on a pie shaped lot at the closed end of a cul de sac. Overall, though, this has been a great house to raise a family. Now that our children are married and grandchildren are coming along, we are glad we have the 5 bedrooms upstairs so that everyone can stay over at holidays.

I love the size. I am semi-retired and DH still works. We bought this house about 4 years ago, downsizing about 1,500 square feet from our last house. I guess this house is about 1,600 square feet. We have 3 bedrooms, enough to have one for our son when he comes to stay and another for my office. Three bathrooms, one for me and one for DH and one in the basement as a spare.

We love the location on the golf course. We specifically purchased this house because of that, as we are avid golfers. This street dead-ends about 2 blocks down from us. Our lot is small and I can take care of it easily, unlike the 3 acres I mowed at our last house. And, on the back of our house overlooking the course, is a fairly large screened-in porch. Heaven!

I love the floors. When we purchased the house, we had white oak hardwoods installed and site-finished in about 60% of the house. They are perfect.

Not so much: one neighbor's house is VERY close, about 50 feet from ours. This was an adjustment for us, considering that our last house was in the middle of 130 acres of woods. Another thing - we have a three car garage, but it's in the basement. So every time we come into the house from the car/truck, we have to walk up a flight of stairs. We can both do it now, but I'm not so sure how many years DH can.

I just moved from a 43 year old single family house on a 1.5 acre wooded lot to a detached town home on a golf course. Though I loved the other place, after 23 years it was time for a change. I love that someone is outside right now doing my yard work. I love just about everything about this place - the floor plan with everything I need on main level including a spacious master suite, plus extra living space and guest room/bath on walkout lower level, light and bright with lots of high quality windows, nice blinds on every window, lovely exterior, beautiful backyard view including pond (water hazard), 3 car garage which we didn't have before, and the gas fireplace I didn't think I'd like. Though I liked my private wooded lot before, I do like my friendly neighbors even though they're much closer. The only thing I really don't like is the grungy beige carpet but that of course can be changed. I had nearly all wood and tile floors in my old house.