I love having french doors from my bedroom to a brick patio. I am having it redone in a couple of weeks and once it is clean, level and weed free I hope to having my morning coffee out there as it is very private. Also love being on one floor and I love the built in bookcases on either side of the fireplace in the livingroom.

The position. 10 minute walk to countryside. 10 minute walk to the town.

My house was built in 1940. I love its plaster walls and woodwork, and that it has plenty of windows on all four sides for light and cross ventilation. And it's just the right size for me and DH, we're not heating/cooling a bunch of mostly empty space.

Not a whole lot to get excited about, living in a 1984 house trailer, but we bought this place for the barn, and planned to build a house....so I will tell you about the barn. It has 12 stalls, a vet area with a stock and wash area for bathing horses, a feed room and tack room, and an office. The office has washer and dryer hook ups....which were for horse blankets (washer and dryer for the humans in the house trailer). It also has a bathroom and a big built in desk and book shelves that takes up most of one wall. I have my computer in there, and a refrigerator and a twin bed and I stay out there most of the day.

There is a paddock that runs down the length of one side of the barn....and two other large paddocks not attached to the barn. It sits on 34 acres and there are 2 large pastures and a hay field, plus 2 more barns. And......it is paid for. The picture the feed and tack rooms. The office is at the far end. Not shown is the vet area and 5 more stalls.

With location out of the OP question, there is several things I love about my house. I love we still have the original well hooked up to an outside faucet and can water as much as we want. I love that the livingroom and dining room is open, but the kitchen is closed. I love that the previous owner left the pool table. We don't play pool, but like Fun2BHere it is a great space to wrap presents, paint items, cut material, etc. I love the bedroom and main space windows are higher up and we don't have to close and lock the window when we go out in the summer. I love having a man door in the garage.

It's the best of both worlds, old enough to have its own distinct character, but updated enough to be comfortable. Except the windows. Someday, I'll do them. It has new appliances, ample closet and bathroom space. Still has the original windows that need storm windows to cover them, the original fireplace, original outer facade (but not floor plan). No cookie cutter houses in my neighborhood (that's location, and you said I couldn't say it ;)

The 2.5 acres we live on up in the Santa Cruz Mts and distance from neighbors. That is why we bought it. The house wasn't anything special but we have constantly worked on remodeling it for 35 years. Now it is so much better.

I re-read the question. Sorry, but location is what we like the most.

Live on an end unit makes it so enjoyable sitting on front porch and back deck. Front I'm on walk in level, back deck I'm in the trees.

So close and convenient to everything.

As a gardener I love the land! I have room to grow fruit trees, roses and flowers!

Marilyn, love your barn! It would cost a fortune to build one like that these days.

Oh, I guess I also misunderstood the question.

We love the view from our home. we are ocean front and watching the sunrise and sunsets. Would make no change to our layout. The pool is a plus. As the weather gets warmer we move to our home in the mountains for two to three months. Leave before the snow starts falling.

My back patio and deck. Very peaceful, quiet with lots of birds.

The convenience - both inside and outside. Although I'm not sure that would be considered a feature. When we downsized we only moved 8 miles from our family home of 35 years so the location hasn't changed much. The convenience extends to our lot with woods in the back and lots of privacy and the perfect spot to walk the dog or sit on the bench in our secret garden or on the bluestone patio. We're also near our adult children and grandchildren.

I love the floorplan. Since it's an over 55 it was designed for one floor living with plenty of storage. We have a second floor with a third guest room, full bath and DH's office and getaway. The layout works perfectly for the two of us yet we have room for company too.

It is paid off and our climate is great

Nice neighbors

I LOVE our apartment! It's in a huge, pre-war art deco building that's well-staffed and beautifully maintained, with some really nice neighbors, a gorgeous private garden just for our building and a rooftop lounge, too. I love my view from the 11th floor, looking south, I can see all the way downtown, yet I'm close enough to the street to look down and see if there's a line at the gelato place down the block. We renovated the kitchen and it has too many great features to mention. My kitchen is tiny, but I love having a totally separate dining room. Also I love that there is unlimited hot water and it gets hot right away. Really, it's my dream home, and that's without even mentioning the fabulous neighborhood.

Well if location is the criteria, I love where I live. I live at the top of 50 ft cliff, and at the bottom is a 50-ft deep lake. Actually, it's across the street from me. I live at the bottom of the hill. Which is even better. I don't have to worry about the backside of my more than a million dollar house sliding off into the lake. I live close enough to the beautiful water, with the shimmering lights at night, and the sun shining off the waves in the morning, to enjoy it. At a fraction of the cost. My house has more than doubled in worth in 6 years, so I must not be the only person to understand location.

I thought we were talking about the 2nd most important feature of our house?

I thought we were talking about the 2nd most important feature of our house?

Yeah.....the question was liking a feature of your actual home...but the location kept coming up. So maybe...just maybe....the house isn't that important to some people. If the location is perfect....some just make do.

I second the "it's paid off" post! My large yard is what keeps me in an old neighbourhood. The new ones now all look like garages with a house attached and little to no backyard. Instead everyone has a deck. Not for me.

For years my house was tiny, but he location was perfect, so yup, we made do, quite happily. If I had answered this question 10 years ago, location would have been the only thing I liked about my house..

I sadly can't take the altitude where I now live. I'm not adjusting. I can't walk up the stairs without being winded. The elevation map says were @ 7580'. The area is BEAUTIFUL!

I like having the 2nd stairway, in-law apt. Guests can have their own space, and we can rent it out if we want to.

Wow, 7,580'! That's really higher up in the mountains.

summer.......that's what's so amazing.....we're nowhere near the mountains. I used to be @ 6400' / near the mountains and I was fine. This is really too much!

Nicole, I hope you will get used to it soon. I know how much you love your new home, it could be an easy adjustment, you just need some time.

The compact size of the house (easy cleaning, heating, cooling etc) and its good sized windows - especially the front, full south picture window which lets in lots of sun in winter, yet there is a slight overhang from the 2nd story which prevents the summer sun from bathing the room in heat. Oh, and the back yard which is large enough for my experiments in suburban orcharding (I wouldn't mind if it were a bit larger, though.)

Nicole- where are you located at 7500 altitude, if you don't mind me asking? I can't take high altitudes. I got sick at Santa Fe and Taos altitudes. We live at 600 on the CA coast.

caflowerluver...Northern Colorado Springs. It's a wooded area.

We like the size of our house which is comfortable for us and not overly large. We have made changes to our home to fit our preferences but its biggest advantage is location! It's a lovely neighborhood, walking trails, shopping, doctors, and library within walking distance. Yet it's a secluded, quiet spot. It's an area that is sought-after and any homes that come up for sale are sold very quickly. Another advantage is that while I don't have a green thumb, our neighbor is a wonderful gardener and I get to admire her handiwork. She is part of a fundraising garden tour that hopefully won't get cancelled because of our current restrictions.

I love that my house is a ranch, so a one floor plan and quite open. I love the thick carpeting throughout the house. I love my front yard full of trees where I get to enjoy seeing all the birds and squirrels at the many feeders.

the location - in the desert. I see mountains in front of me, behind me and to the west of me. I liked it more before a ton of city folks moved out here tho. but still, about a week ago I was sitting out back with my dog and a deer walked within about 12' of me. I've never seen a deer here before. It saw me and made a quick exit to the south into the brush. I have seen coyotes, but not much since the influx of people here. I used to hear them almost every night, now very seldom. the house - the half I 'live' in is open, my bedroom and bath (that has a separate shower) are large and i have 2 large closets. the other half (3 bedrooms and bath) I use as a work room and storage.

The feature I love most is the entire back wall is windowed, with a 180-degree view of the eastern hills. Beautiful sun- and moonrises, and the colors that the sky and hills turn at sunset are often stunning.

We live in a crowded metropolitan area, but due to sheer luck the window wall is completely private - no window coverings necessary; no one can see inside.

On the bad side, we learned some hard lessons about the damage 365 days every year of high UV light can wreck on a home's interior, LOL! Can we say the phrase "remediation is expensive" !!

We really like our house and location. We are on a dead end street with just 5 houses--lots of trees and large lots. We had it built for our retirement. The only draw back is we're about 2 miles from town so nothing close by. As long as we can drive we're ok but it would be nice to walk to a store.

I live in the city but I have a really big yard for urban living. That was huge for me! I also really enjoy my floor plan. I live in a semi-detached home but it's very spacious with an open feeling to it.

We love our wooded 2 acres, but the screened porch is wonderful. It is elevated with views of the woods, flowers , birds , the pond, etc.

We moved partly to escape noise, and that is one of the best features of our location, along with a mature neighborhood. We only own 1.3 acres, but there is only one close neighbor and one across the street. (Unfortunately, both have recently added all-night 'decorative' lighting!) There's a big conservancy to our south and a wide creek to the east. We got instant mature landscaping with the teardown -- including a 100-year-old American Elm that we have kept alive with injections.

Two things I enjoy that I never had are a powerful and quiet central vacuum and a pump on the hot water line that delivers hot water to every faucet in the house in seconds. We also put in four outdoor spigots. I hadn't had an irrigation system before, although it doesn't cover the whole property. (The city water bill would be outrageous! It's going to be bad enough this Drought Summer.) I like our two-story screened porch (SE), shaded by a giant Sycamore. I like how *tight* the house is, and the many big windows. The one-floor living has been wonderful for two retired seniors.

Chisue, doesn’t landscape lighting have to be off by 10 or 11?

I have never heard of this rule for landscaping lights. Mine are all solar, I can‘t turn them off.

I like a lot of things about my house, but the absolute BEST is that it is paid for! No mortgage payment for close to twenty years now!

Rusty

Rusty.....what feature about the bones of your house do you like? ♥

A couple of things…our big bathroom with large shower and split sinks (his and hers, one on each side), covered back porch, overall size. And the fact we have enough acreage we dont see any neighbors and over half is wooded.

My fave is the sitting room off the master bedroom where I sit in the morning to read next to double windows that look out onto a garden that backs up to woods. Love listening to the birds (about which I know nothing) and watching the bunnies, squirrels, and occasional foxes and kits.

I'm with Rusty. The very best thing is that it is ours, not ours and the mortgage company.

Whether one has a house worth 100 and no other assets or liabilities, or a house worth 100, a mortgage of 50, and another asset of 50 which can appreciate in addition, the house is entirely owned by its owner all the same.

The negative of having no loan on real estate is that it prevents the diversification and additional amounts of investments that would be possible if the money that was otherwise used to repay the loan were invested separately in other investments.

Borrowing money for real estate has nothing at all to do with living beyond one's means if the payments can be afforded. Those who are the most sophisticated with financial matters, that being large business and companies actually in the finance industry, borrow money. Those least knowledgeable, mostly individuals with no finance experience or knowledge, think of paying off a mortgage as a desirable goal. Take that truthful observation and reach your own conclusions.

There is a big benefit to being debt free - the current pandemic has shown us how quickly our circumstances can charge. What had been affordable payments on a mortgage might suddenly become not affordable any more, through no fault of your own. The idea that it's good to take on debt to use other people's money are relying on conditions not changing (or at least not worsening, at least not for long)......these last several years, with the pandemic and with worsening climate catastrophes, has shown us that can't be relied on.

I'm glad my home is paid off ;)

I have 2 favourite features about my home, the reason that I bought it: 1) it's 19 floors up, with lots and lots of beautiful sky (and light!), and 2) there's a charger for my electric car (those aren't easy to find in condo buildings).

If you have the money to repay a mortgage but don't do so and instead use it for another investment, it's always there to repay the mortgage if your circumstances change. As above, this is a concept that those without a basic understanding of finance and investment may not understand.

Everyone with a mortgage should have refinanced it in the past 18 months with interest rates being as low as they are. Another reason to have debt, money is cheap and rates of return on investment alternatives are higher.

This thread is about the FEATURES you LIKE about your HOME. IF you want to talk about investing or your finances....that would be another topic for another thread. Please feel free to start that conversation........ elsewhere. ♥ Thank you!

No reason to go off rail here....were just having a convo @ the kitchen table. ♥

nicole, those 14" insulated walls sound heavenly! :) I live in an older home so insulation isn't so great but it's pretty good since another layer was blown into the attic...however, the outside walls still have the old thin stuff. I guess my favorite feature of this house is the big basement...what did I do before I had a basement? I love it!

Chisue, about decorative lighting . . . For years we used to say we loved that was had no visible neighbors. There was a house--a big one--diagonally across the road, but it was set back, and there were so many trees between us that it really didn't count. Then the house was sold, and the new owner, who also owned a lighting company, had all the trees cut down and lit up the place like a prison yard all night. That's when I had to put room-darkening shades on my bedroom windows.

I love my house's antiquity, but that comes with a downside. So I guess my favorite thing is the exposed beams. And the posts. And the hemlock plank walls. The wood.