We live in New England (NE) where home prices have reached absolutely
crazy levels. We currently rent but have been actively looking for
the last 6 months. We've found a house that we both like but there
are some serious negatives about the house. I would like readers'
opinions on some of these.

1) We would like a 3/4 bdrms 2 full baths (in NE anything that has a
toilet and at least a shower stall is defined as a full bath). This
house has 3 Bdrms and 1.5 baths with the ability to convert to 2 full
baths with the main bathroom on the first level and the half a bath in
the finished basement.

2) It has a slightly odd floor plan (officially listed as a
contemporary style house) with the living room in a different level
(mezannine level) than the kitchen. The formal dining area is in a
separate room on the same level as the kitchen but not adjacent to it
(it is opposite the kitchen). The kitchen is large enough to be made
into an eat-in-kitchen.

2a) It has a finished basement with a really stylish usable family
room and an extra room (can be used as an office room).

3) No garage. This is a biggie for us given the awful winter we just
had. We checked the lot information from the town info and there is a
theoretical possibility to build a garage. However, the house sits on
a granite hill with boulders in the yard and it would be quite an
effort (cost and timewise) to put in a graded driveway leading to a
garage. The house is in a spectacular neighborhood and is probably
the cheapest on the street. Every other house on the street except
this and one other house has a garage. If another house on the street
would go on sale we would most likely not be able to afford it (at
least 60k price difference). We have concluded that it is
impractical to think about a garage for this house.

4) The back and front yards are to die for. The view from the front
of the house which is into the opposite guy's front yard and woods is
simply spectacular.

5) The house has been on the market for close to a year with
progressive price reductions and still no takers. The owner has
verbally agreed with us on a price which we think is fair.

6) No fireplaces.

This is absolutely the neighborhood we want to live in. The schools
are awesome and the neighbors really take care of their property. We
are immigrants from a different culture and would like to hear some
popular opinion.

Is the lack of a large formal dining area abutting the kitchen a huge
issue?

How about the lack of fireplaces?

How about the lack of a garage? I view this as mostly a nuisance but
one that I am ready to put up with. I think this is currently priced
into the house but does the rate of price appreciation depend on the
presence/absence of a garage?

The fact that the house has been on the market for over a year with
progressive price reductions with no takers scares us a lot. Why is
this house not selling?