New kitchens and other features Long Island real estate buyers are compromising on
Robert Rios and Yesenia Cordova got the pool that was on their wish list in their new home in Coram, but their dream kitchen will have to wait. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
When Lauren Cantwell and her husband, Dennis Black, were house shopping earlier this year, they had a wish list for their dream home. They both agreed it had to be in Rockville Centre, where her family lives and she works. Cantwell, 33, a dentist, wanted an en-suite bath and Black, 45, a data analyst, wanted central air conditioning and a finished basement. They both envisioned a new kitchen and a nice yard for their two dogs. But when they started looking for that house, it became clear they’d have to make some compromises.
Finishing the basement in the new Rockville Centre home that Lauren Cantwell, above, and her husband recently bought is a project they will take on later. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
"The wish list helped us home in on what we were looking for to go see certain houses and then show us what our priorities were," Cantwell said. "I realized after looking for a month that in Rockville Centre a master bath wasn’t falling within our mortgage budget, so that was something I was going to have to compromise on."
The couple, who got married last week, paid $835,000 for a 1,700-square-foot house in Rockville Centre and moved in last April. And though it’s missing certain wish-list items, they’re happy with the trade-offs. While the basement is unfinished, Cantwell said that was trumped by the kitchen, bedroom sizes and two updated baths. It also has central air, a bonus for Black, and a nice-sized yard.
"We were excited to get what we got because it did have a lot of the stuff that we had wanted, and we can always finish the basement," Cantwell said.
The backyard of the Rockville Centre home that Lauren Cantwell and Dennis Black bought fit the bill for their dogs. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Adjusting goals
Robert Rios, 29, and Yesenia Cordova, 25, also had a wish list. They were hoping for a turnkey house with cathedral ceilings and a large kitchen with an island, because Cordova likes to bake, and solar panels, a priority for Rios. As they started to look, they added items to their list, like a pool and a large backyard.
"We passed on a lot of houses originally because the size of the kitchen was either too small or looked too outdated," Rios said. Then they lost out on the houses that did meet their checklist because they were outbid and wanted to avoid going over budget.
"That’s when we had to adjust our goals. We started asking ourselves, what's something that we could live without? What's something that we could buy after? And solar panels was one of those," Rios said.
The couple, who both work for the same car dealership, circled back to a house in Coram they had originally overlooked in part because they didn’t like the interior paint colors. They quickly realized paint can be changed.
After passing on houses or getting outbid, Yesenia Cordova and Robert Rios circled back to this home in Coram they had originally dismissed because they didn't like the interior paint colors. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
"The living room was a little smaller than we wanted, as is the kitchen, but all the other stuff, including cathedral ceilings, made up for it," Rios said. "Over time we could probably expand the house to put the kitchen exactly where we want it."
Meanwhile, the walk-in closet in the main bedroom, the large backyard, pool and finished basement sealed the deal. The couple closed on their $618,000, 2,800-square-foot Colonial in September.
Although the kitchen of the Coram home that Robert Rios and Yesenia Cordova purchased is smaller than they wanted, Rios said, "Over time we could probably expand the house to put the kitchen exactly where we want it." Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
A reality check
Every buyer sets out with a wish list for their dream house. Real estate agents said what currently tops nearly every buyer’s list are an updated kitchen, open floor plan, finished basement, home office, pool and backyard area, walk-in closets and en-suite bathrooms.
But, as these couples learned, while the list is a good place to start, it's probably not where the first-time homebuyer is going to end up, said Bonnie Williamson, an agent with Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty in Huntington. "Most will have to make concessions when the realities of their budget and available inventory set in," she said.
When Lauren Cantwell and Dennis Black started their search for a house in Rockville Centre they had envisioned getting an en-suite bath, central air, finished basement and new kitchen, but it became clear they'd have to make some compromises. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
"The thing about Long Island is you can look for something you think you want for a long time, like a master bath, and unfortunately that item gets squashed because of our prices," said Mary Darcy, an agent with Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty in Rockville Centre. "You have to be realistic about what the town you choose affords you. For instance, depending on the town, if you’re looking for central air conditioning in a home under $800,000, that’s not happening. But you could try the ductless units that are more cost-efficient and don’t take up closet space."
It’s all about the budget
Robin Bokor, an agent with Realty Connect USA in Long Beach, agreed that what ends up staying on the wish list all comes down to the buyer’s budget. But she doesn’t advise waiting until they get the majority of the things that they really want. "If you can get three out of the five things, I would say you might want to compromise if it's within a certain budget and as long as you have the one thing that's the most important to you."
Wilson Van Law, an agent with Douglas Elliman Real Estate in Smithtown, suggests that buyers try to accept what the market conditions are "and then from there you can make the decisions on what you really want. So, if you have an 80% reduced chance of finding your dream home because you're just stuck on natural gas, then maybe you need to rethink natural gas."
He said the best way to learn what you can and can’t accept is to walk through enough houses. "Often people wind up buying a house that is exactly what they say they don't want," he says. "They have this idea of this fantasy house, and then once they start looking, they realize that there are other things that are really important to them they weren't aware of."
7 wish list Items and alternatives
Here are the items that are topping buyers' wish lists, and options that real estate agents suggest buyers consider:
1. Updated kitchen The top item for first-time homebuyers is an updated kitchen, which they envision as their main living space, complete with stainless steel appliances and granite, quartz or marble countertops. It’s the most expensive room to update, and it can be a major renovation to live through.
Alternative: Live with it. As long as the kitchen is usable, you can work on it over time and appreciate that the purchase price of the house might have been less because of it.
2. Open floor plan Many buyers coming from apartments want to avoid feeling cramped and are opting for homes with open floor plans.
Alternative: Knock down a wall, even if it means giving up a formal dining room.
3. Finished basement With buyers spending more time at home with their families, many want a finished basement as playroom and a home office, as well as for storage.
Alternative: Renovate an unfinished basement in stages.
4. Home office Similarly, with many people working from home, having a comfortable work space has climbed the list.
Alternative: Transform space in the basement or convert an extra bedroom or even the dining room into a work zone.
5. Backyard entertainment area and pool Buyers are looking for inviting yards, pools, decks and patios where they can entertain, as well as fenced-in areas for pets and kids.
Alternative: If you're set on a pool, look for space to add one later. But don't forget Long Island's many options for swimming: beach clubs, town pools and numerous beaches — this can be a simple place to compromise. A fence around the yard is easy to add, and a yard can be made more inviting later with the addition of a deck or patio.
6. Walk-in closets Many older houses cannot serve up the dream of a large walk-in closet.
Alternative: Turn part of the main bedroom or even an entire extra bedroom into a closet.
7. En-suite bath This in-demand feature can be hard to come by.
Alternative: Add a door from the bathroom to the primary bedroom, creating a Jack and Jill setup.
