Homeowners Are Pointing Out Frustrating Features They Overlooked Until After Moving In

Recently, we compiled a list of things homeowners despise about their houses that they only discovered after settling in. In the comments, members of the Mytour Community shared even more exasperating home quirks that leave them baffled daily. Here's what they revealed:

1. "As a first-time homeowner, I purchased a house from an elderly couple who had inherited it and partially renovated it. Everything seemed fine for a few months until the brand-new dishwasher suddenly stopped working. My dad came over to inspect it and was completely puzzled. He called his electrician/handyman friend, who also couldn’t figure it out—and this guy repairs discarded appliances for fun! We ended up buying a new dishwasher, and the old one was removed. The new one was installed, but it still didn’t work. The technicians were baffled, and the kitchen was a mess with tools everywhere. I was trying to stay helpful but out of the way when I accidentally flipped a different light switch."

2. "During my time in Copenhagen, I’ve lived in some less-than-ideal apartments. They were old, compact, but still cozy. One place, however, had a bathroom so tiny that I had to shower with the toilet inside the shower curtain. On the flip side, the kitchen was enormous — a common feature in homes from the 1930s."

—leab4e4c406db

3. "My mom bought my great aunt’s house after she passed away in the late '90s. My great aunt had been widowed for years and lived a somewhat secluded life, only really welcoming one of my uncles. Her home, likely built in the 1930s, was a time capsule of her life. When my mom moved in, it felt like stepping into a museum. The house had never seen any repairs, and one of the most striking features was the lighting fixtures attached directly to the gas lines on the walls, which still had old wallpaper and drywall."

"To light the room, you’d turn a valve to release gas and then ignite it. I was shocked that such a clear fire hazard ever existed. Some walls even had visible burn marks! The house was filled with outdated features — too many to list here — but it made for a fascinating family adventure."

—mizztina

4. "On my first night in the house, I was jolted awake by the blaring sound of a train horn that felt like it was echoing right through my living room. This happens multiple times every single night."

5. "My first home, built in 1913, had two closets added at some point. When I decided to remove the hideous '70s shag carpet to restore the original hardwood floors, I found out that the person who installed the closets had built them directly on top of the carpet."

—kbbpll

6. "Having never lived near a busy road before, we didn’t think to check for noise issues. I suspect the realtor intentionally scheduled viewings during quieter times to keep us from noticing. While I adore everything else about our home, the constant traffic noise is a daily frustration."

—axj66

7. "We purchased a house built in 1947 and were initially enamored by its so-called 'character' and the 'upgrades' made by previous owners. One such feature was a spiral staircase connecting a room to the converted attic. Over time, I realized the staircase wasn’t an asset but a potential death trap, which significantly diminished its charm."

8. "I rent what’s marketed as a luxury apartment in a high-end neighborhood. First, the breakfast bar has a mere four-inch overhang, making it impossible to sit under comfortably—I have to sit sideways. The bedroom barely gets any heating or cooling, forcing me to keep the door open. The window screens have tiny holes that let in small bugs. The cable jacks in both the bedroom and living room aren’t even connected. To top it off, the parking garage roof leaks badly, despite paying for a parking spot."

"The dishwasher leaked behind the walls, causing the sheetrock to crumble and the kitchen floor to warp. The gas log fireplace emitted fumes that made me feel ill, yet the built-in carbon monoxide detector never activated. Former neighbors in the adjacent building illegally grilled on their balcony, and a neighbor’s guard dog attacked me in the shared hallway."

—mpotter1024

9. "We purchased a home on a stunning wooded lot with a quiet two-lane country road at the back. After installing a pool and a lovely screened porch, we discovered the hill behind us was a main route for construction traffic. The constant noise of trucks shifting gears uphill, school buses, and other vehicles made it impossible to enjoy the porch or have peaceful conversations by the pool and gazebo. I had spent hours listening for noise before buying the house, but this was unexpected."

—jewp1405

10. "My previous home was a maze of light switches. Half of them seemed to serve no purpose. Every room had a two-switch panel, but only one was connected to anything. The other switch did absolutely nothing. The kitchen and living room had three-switch plates, and again, most were useless. I used to joke that I was probably turning off my neighbor’s home dialysis machine or something equally absurd."

11. "Our kitchen sink is a nightmare. It’s divided into three sections: a smaller-than-average left basin, a tiny square middle sink with a disposal, and a smaller-than-average right basin. While the total size is slightly larger than a standard double sink, it’s far less functional. The house was built before the city was incorporated, so the builder ignored standard rules and installed only one trap. If you’re washing something soapy in one basin, the other two fill up with suds."

"Washing large items like pots, pans, or fridge parts is a disaster. You have to use the sprayer, and you’ll end up mopping the counter and floor afterward. I’ve wanted to remodel this kitchen since the day we moved in."

—chisti

12. "My parents expanded our 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom single-story home with an addition designed and built by my dad, intended for a family of five. However, he added two floors with identical communal rooms stacked on top of each other, without adding extra bathrooms or private living spaces. As a result, we remained cramped in the original part of the house while half of the addition went unused for years."

—goldenlion71

13. "In 2006, I bought a three-level, three-bedroom rooftop penthouse at auction for two-thirds of its original price. It was a former model unit, and I didn’t have much time to inspect it. After moving in, I noticed the constant noise of the elevator starting and stopping. It turned out the elevator machine room was right next to my top floor, sharing a concrete slab that acted like a speaker, amplifying the noise. Despite my efforts, I could never silence the elevator sounds during my time there."

14. "I purchased a home from the 1970s, and the guest bathroom toilet seems designed for children. Using it feels like sitting on the floor!"

—sillysealion42

15. "We instantly adored our 1916 Victorian home—it was perfect, met all our needs, and the price was incredible. However, six months after moving in, we realized the living room has no natural light or windows, and there’s no way to add any (the room is in the center of the house after the previous owner added a primary suite right off the living room)."

"The original built-ins in the living room, which we loved during the walkthrough, now feel like a burden. The room is already small, and the built-ins take up valuable space. We’re torn between removing them or the stunning Victorian fireplace and mantle (we don’t use the fireplace, but it’s too beautiful to demolish). The living room has become our biggest challenge."

—georgiajaymes

16. "The lack of outlets in older homes is so frustrating! Our house was built in 1929, and things were definitely different during the Depression Era. Closets were small, doors were narrow, and outlets were scarce—maybe one per room. Rewiring the entire electrical system to accommodate modern needs like lamps and computers wasn’t charming or cute. It was expensive!"

17. "There are so many issues, it’s hard to know where to begin. The basement light fixture is positioned over the stairs, not the landing at the top. Changing that bulb feels like a life-threatening task. The basement has multiple rooms on either side of the staircase, and the light switch is on the back left side of the room to the right. You have to navigate through the dark basement just to turn on the light."

"The kitchen light fixture uses fluorescent tube bulbs, and replacing them requires two people. The cover must be unscrewed at both ends, and there’s no way to secure it or prevent it from falling. It takes two people to hold it in place and reattach it. And who thought pale beige carpet over hardwood floors throughout the house was a good idea?"

—grouchycoach226

18. "Every outlet in our 1964 house is installed upside down, like in hospitals. I’m sure it’s for grounding purposes, but it’s incredibly annoying. I have to flip plugs every time, and I still can’t get used to it!"

—nurseynurse

19. "Those trees! We loved the shaded yard, but we didn’t realize the hassle of dealing with the leaves or the cost of maintenance. Every week for a month, we filled 12 large paper bags with leaves, and last fall, we spent $4,000 trimming two trees. Never again!"

20. "The light switches in this house are a mess. Two bedrooms have switches that don’t control anything. Others are oddly placed, like around a corner after you enter a room instead of next to the door, or several feet away, forcing you to walk into a dark room to turn on the light."

—fabtooth34

21. "Our old house had a laundry closet right behind the only spot in the living room where you could place a TV. If you wanted to hear the TV, you couldn’t do laundry. There was also an air vent in the floor directly in front of the washing machine, so it only cooled the machine. Worse, if you needed to drain the filter (we had a front loader), you had to be extremely careful or water would spill directly into the vent."

"Our new house has just one air vent in both my son’s room and our home office. Even with a new HVAC system, these rooms feel like saunas in the summer because they face the front of the house and have a metal overhang. Meanwhile, my bedroom closet has THREE air vents. We’ve nicknamed it the meat locker."

—j4287b3497

22. "When we purchased our house, there was a lovely pergola over the back patio. Unfortunately, the previous owner drilled a hole in the roof to attach the pergola, which caused a leak. Now we need to replace the entire roof."

23. "What I dislike most about my home is the lack of storage. It has three bathrooms but no closets. The attic has a small usable area where we keep our limited Christmas decorations. There’s a narrow cupboard meant to be a linen closet, but it only fits towels, so I bought an ottoman bed to store bed linens and winter coats."

"If I owned the house, I’d fully floor the attic and turn the downstairs bathroom into a pantry or storage space. The builders must have assumed people value multiple toilets over storage. Seriously, there’s not even a spot for a dustpan and brush!"

—laurarosek

24. "My current home is in a rural area with few trees. The back of the house faces the setting sun, which significantly raises the indoor temperature. I’ve had to cover the large living room window with foil-covered cardboard because the sun burned and melted my blinds. The kitchen door wall is draped with blackout curtains, leaving almost no natural light in the house."

—bloobeebloobeeblooblooblooo

25. "I adore my apartment, but I overlooked so much during my two visits! I have four closets, but they’re so narrow that my hangers don’t fit. The kitchen cabinets are too high—I can’t reach the top two shelves, so they’re empty. Meanwhile, the bathroom vanity is uncomfortably low. It’s like the kitchen was designed for giants and the bathroom for little people. Plus, the floors are slanted, so my office chair rolls away if I don’t keep my feet planted. I still love it, but how did I miss all these quirks?"

26. "Lastly, the fridge in my kitchen is right next to the hallway door. The fridge door and the hall door constantly collide. To make matters worse, all the doors in the house swing open at the slightest touch. I have to keep the kitchen door open while cooking to keep an eye on my young kids. I’ve resorted to using a doorstop, but it still prevents the fridge door from opening fully. Who thought this kitchen layout was a good idea?! (The fridge is in a recessed area, so fixing it would require a complete kitchen remodel.)"

—emmac4cd1af4e7