If you do a search on this topic you will encounter varying opinions about what rope to buy. You will also find descriptions about rope features, size, length, etc. I get into some of these details, but mostly in the context of "buy this feature and why."
 
On what do I base these statements? Having purchased and used (until retirement) lots of ropes. My first rope purchase was my worst. It was a mistake - a waste of money. Here I list the three most important features to consider when buying your first rope. Beware, this is not a "go cheap" dictum. In fact, it is the opposite. I advocate "buy right the first time, save money in the long run." Do the math – a $100 mistake that you will likely “grow out of” within a year or two is a $100 loss. A $250 rope that will stay with you for 4-5+ years and be usable as you progress in your climbing is a great investment. This investment might also keep you safer - which is priceless.
 
The Three Most Important Features

  • COLOR: No, I'm not talking about get the coolest looking rope. Get a bi-pattern or bi-color rope. This means that one half of the rope looks noticeably different than the other half.
    • Why: Knowing (without a doubt) the half-way point of your rope is critical and helps with safety. Marks in the middle of a single-color rope often fade or get dirty. My first rope was blue with black marking in the middle. At one time the marking was large and obvious. Eventually it became invisible, even after washing. One time when I was on a big trad multi-pitch climb (that had no pre-set anchors so there were no set distances between pitches), I realized I wasn’t sure if the mid-point had already passed through my belay device. For many reasons, knowing the midpoint is helpful to inform the lead climber. On that same climb, when setting up a rappel, we were frustratingly unable to find the middle. Ultimately we held the two ends of the rope together  and worked upward towards the center,  but this was a time-sink. The sun was already getting low on the horizon and there was still a long, complicated walk-off after multiple rappels. I was so frustrated by that experience, I decided  to purchase a new bi-colored rope the next day and retire that solid blue rope.
  • LENGTH: Buy a 70m rope.
    • Why: You will read comments like “save money and weight with a 60 m” or “a 60 m is good for most routes.” Screw that. The weight savings is small, about 1-1.5 pounds. But, more importantly, there are just too many routes that require a 70 m (remember, with a 70 m rope your max route length is 35m or 114 ft in order to be safely lowered back down). The risk of running out of rope on a rappel or lower is too high if you don’t know the route length or forgot to check. If you tie knots on the ends of the rope, at least you won’t rap off the end or drop your climber, but it is a pain in the ass to get out of that situation! Even if your local crag only has short routes, one day you will likely road trip and there WILL be routes your 60 m won’t work on. Don't miss out on some awesome climbs. In addition, there are numerous multi-pitch climbs where, if you use a 60 m you have to bring two ropes to rappel, whereas, with a 70 m you only need one. Talk about weight savings.
  • ROPE STRETCH: For rock climbing you want a dynamic, not static rope.
    • Why: Dynamic ropes absorb the energy of the fall, rather than transferring it to your body in a big jolt. Dynamic ropes do have different levels of stretchiness, and personal preference comes into play here. There are two types of stretch – dynamic elongation (the stretch in a fall) and static elongation (the stretch when you are sitting and weighting the rope). Many ropes have similar dynamic elongation, hovering around 30-35%, although some can be much smaller, in the 20-25% range. Static elongation ranges from 5-10%. Here is a way to think about it:
      • Ever been top-roping a climb, asked the belayer to take in slack, then let go of the rock and now you are way below where you let go? That is static rope stretch. I personally get frustrated with too much static rope stretch. If I am working through a crux on top rope I don’t want to jug up or re-climb the stuff I did already because my rope is stretching. I’ve also had climbers get frustrated with me as a belayer, thinking I’m not taking in enough rope to keep them tight, when, in reality, I have it in as tight as possible. A larger static rope stretch is preventing that “tight-rope" feeling.
      • With dynamic rope elongation, more stretch softens the falls, but it also increases the length of the fall. I prefer to have a little more jolt from the rope than a much harder jolt from a ledge below because the stretch on my rope was large. Some argue with trad climbing you want a larger dynamic elongation to be softer on the gear. (1) If this is your first rope you probably aren’t climbing trad; (2) I climb trad and don’t worry about this argument because I do not run out my protection (shorter falls equals a decreased fall factor which equals less wear and tear on you and the gear).
 
How do you find out the rope stretch? Look online and click on “rope specs,” dynamic and static elongation should be listed. If you don’t like rope stretch either, then choose on the smaller side (but don't go less than 10% for dynamic elongation, that is no longer considered a dynamic rope.)
 
 
Other Features Worth Considering
  • DRY SHEATH: Go ahead, get it.
    • Why: Yes, it increases the price, but it doesn’t just waterproof your rope, it protects it from other environmental traumas, such as dirt and grit. This will increase the lifetime of your rope. Plus, if you get caught in the rain, it won't be that big of a deal.
    • NOTE: The strength rating of wet ropes does decrease, and according to one research study it decreases significantly (a wet rope being able to hold 2 large dynamic falls versus the normal 4-5 falls for a dry rope - reference provided below).
 
The Rest
 
Quite frankly, the rest doesn’t matter too much. After experiencing enough ropes you will discover your own personal preferences. But I list them here in case you are curious.

  • THICKNESS: 8.9-10.2 mm is the thickness range of your everyday climbing rope. Some basic things to remember: (1) Thick ropes may not feed as smoothly through a belay device. (2) Conversely they tend to last longer and have more friction in the belay device, so lowering a heavier person is easier and more controlled.
  • “SMOOTHNESS/SUPPLENESS/FEEL”: Different ropes have different feels with respect to how they move through the belay device, bend in the hand, move through the hand, etc. This is individual preference and, frankly, small beans compared to the three most important features listed above. 
  • UIAA FALLS: This is the number of factor 1.77 falls a rope can take before it has to be retired. Basically the more falls listed, the longer your rope will last, in theory. Most lead falls do not reach these levels.
  • ROPE WEIGHT: This spec is pretty obvious and unless you are doing major alpine adventures, which you’d use a different rope for anyway, this just shouldn’t impact your decision on which rope to buy.

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