Garages. Are. Everything. They keep your car cool and shaded in the summer. They ensure that you never have to scrape snow and ice off your car in the winter. And they protect your car which is a pretty major investment for most of us. I'd never live in a house without a garage. It's just too important.

Anonymous wrote:I don't see a scenario where I would ever buy a house without a garage

+2
One of my top requirements to buy or no buying for me. Op im not sure were you grew up or the type of home you were raised in, they are so many benefits to having a garage.

My husband is a car guy. He likes to rebuild old VWs. A garage is a must have when we house hunt.

Anonymous wrote:I don't see a scenario where I would ever buy a house without a garage

Me either. I've had an oversized 2 car garage for 25 years. That genie ain't going back in the bottle.

Anonymous wrote:Just wait until the first time you don't have to scrape your windshield in the winter, and you won't care one tiny bit about how the garage door makes your house look. Also, imagine driving home in the rain knowing you won't get wet when you get out of your car.

I guess these things don't mean a lot to some people because they fill their garages with overflow from the house and still park outside.

We have had a regular garage and a small garage used as shed. I really don't miss the garage during the winter. But then again I do have remote start.

Your car insurance is cheaper if you have a garage.

Anonymous wrote:I don't want to spend time scraping ice off of my windshield in the morning. I also don't really want to have to shovel out a parking space. I don't enjoy getting into blazing hot cars in the summer. When it's raining and I have things to unload from the car I'd rather do it where it's dry.

Pretty much it in a nutshell.

But don't you have to then shovel an extra several feet of snow to get the car out of the garage?

-Non-garage owner

Just wait until the first time you don't have to scrape your windshield in the winter, and you won't care one tiny bit about how the garage door makes your house look. Also, imagine driving home in the rain knowing you won't get wet when you get out of your car.

I guess these things don't mean a lot to some people because they fill their garages with overflow from the house and still park outside.

It's so much more convenient, and your house looks nicer.

Other posters have already explained how it helps to load kids/groceries/etc. and it's also nice to have a place to store the lawn mower, bikes, tools, etc. My neighborhood has garages and the houses all look nice and clean. Adjacent to us there's a similar neighborhood, but without garages. Those houses have ugly sheds in the back or tons of junk next to the houses. It looks terrible! No wonder those houses sell for 100k less than the ones in my neighborhood.

because i have 2 small kids

I don't have a garage and wish I did. It's no fun getting in and out of the car in pouring rain. I also feel uneasy leaving things in the car overnight, because of the car break-ins that happen periodically in our neighborhood (We live in a safe neighborhood and have a driveway, but it still happens). Finally, I would sometimes like some privacy around whether I'm home or not. When your car is either in the driveway or not, it's obvious.

I don't see a scenario where I would ever buy a house without a garage

Anonymous wrote:I don't like a prominent garage, but I do like either a detached garage or side-loading. A place to put cars during big storms, store bikes and tools, etc.

OP here. I share this with you. Part of the reason I asked this is that in looking at WOTP DC/inside-the-beltway MD new builds, the scale of the garage door(s) on a facade, especially on smaller homes, kills many homes' curb appeal for me.

Anonymous wrote:I love having a garage. House with no garage or tiny garage is a deal breaker for me.

Oops.. didn't answer OP's question.

I love having a garage because it keeps my car warmer in the winter, and cooler in the summer. I like that I can unload the groceries from my car when it's raining without getting everything soaked, and getting the kids in/out of the car without the inside of the car is easier when it's raining.

Plus, I like having the extra storage for outdoor stuff like bikes, skiis, my DH's tools, etc...

I love having a garage. House with no garage or tiny garage is a deal breaker for me.