Golden Balls Posted 14 May, 2015 Share Posted 14 May, 2015 I'm on the road to buying my first house and starting viewings this weekend. I've noticed quite a few ex council houses up for sale and generally they seem a bit if a bargain. Big kitchens, big gardens etc. The one I'm looking at has been privately owned since 2007 but is one of only about 3 in the road that's private. My concern is the resale value. Is it a job to shift them or is the price just low because of snobbery? It's brick built, semi detached, off road parking and doesn't have that typical council "look" to it. Basically it would cost twice the money if I put it in a posh area. Any advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjwills Posted 14 May, 2015 Share Posted 14 May, 2015 Do not overextend yourself financially as it may be your downfall. I know rates are low at the moment, but work out how much more you will be paying if the motgage rates go up and have that in mind when you buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonnyboy Posted 14 May, 2015 Share Posted 14 May, 2015 I'm on the road to buying my first house and starting viewings this weekend. I've noticed quite a few ex council houses up for sale and generally they seem a bit if a bargain. Big kitchens, big gardens etc. The one I'm looking at has been privately owned since 2007 but is one of only about 3 in the road that's private. My concern is the resale value. Is it a job to shift them or is the price just low because of snobbery? It's brick built, semi detached, off road parking and doesn't have that typical council "look" to it. Basically it would cost twice the money if I put it in a posh area. Any advice? Quite a few like that in Merry Oak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Balls Posted 14 May, 2015 Author Share Posted 14 May, 2015 Do not overextend yourself financially as it may be your downfall. I know rates are low at the moment, but work out how much more you will be paying if the motgage rates go up and have that in mind when you buy. Thanks. Already sorted that. Made sure we could afford repayments even if one of us lost our job etc. The reason the ex council house is so appealing is because if the lower price so no chance of overextending ourselves. Just concerned about the potential cons of buying ex council on the edge of an estate. Mainly resale value. Don't want to be stuck. Not too fussed about neighbours as you can get c***s in private areas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Essruu Posted 14 May, 2015 Share Posted 14 May, 2015 Quite a few like that in Merry Oak. Where are there ANY in Merry Oak that don't scream 'council'?! [emoji38][emoji38][emoji38] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suewhistle Posted 15 May, 2015 Share Posted 15 May, 2015 Ex-council house here bought, from the people who got the discount, in 1983! Never moved although I did rent out for 7 years when I moved abroad for a bit. You could have problems, a few young scrotes in my road, for example, but the tough working class who bought their houses tend to keep them in check. Any problems by drunken kids on a Saturday night and everyone is on their doorsteps. My next door neighbour had her mum being a bit sniffy about being in an ex-council house - personally I'd have stroppily pointed out that the previous generation had it a bit easier - but my neighbour pointed out next door the systems analyst now teacher (me!), the archaeologists & senior trading standards officer and boat-builder opposite, forestry worker and sculptress ...etc. Mine is very well built so make sure you get a decent drill for making holes, but otherwise sod the resell value: these are places to live in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buctootim Posted 15 May, 2015 Share Posted 15 May, 2015 Go for it if you like it. Council houses, especially those built in the 1950s and 1960s tend to be well built and relatively spacious and that might well be a better choice for you than something small and grotty but in a 'private' area. Yes the market for them is more limited but someone will always be interested at the right price, just as you are. Obviously houses in small developments tend to be more desirable than in the middle of a big estate. Also check out your potential neighbours - whether their houses are well cared for or rundown / cars parked across the gardens etc. Ive got a feeling you can check with the council to see if there have been any complaints about noisy / problematic neighbours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special K Posted 15 May, 2015 Share Posted 15 May, 2015 Go for it if you like it. Council houses, especially those built in the 1950s and 1960s tend to be well built and relatively spacious and that might well be a better choice for you than something small and grotty but in a 'private' area. Yes the market for them is more limited but someone will always be interested at the right price, just as you are. Obviously houses in small developments tend to be more desirable than in the middle of a big estate. Also check out your potential neighbours - whether their houses are well cared for or rundown / cars parked across the gardens etc. Ive got a feeling you can check with the council to see if there have been any complaints about noisy / problematic neighbours. 'Tis true as the estates built in the post war period tend to have large gardens and good sized rooms, because space wasn't at a premium. My folks bought theirs when i was a lad and still live there today. Built quality wasn't bad at all, although avoid "prefab" structures (sounds like it's not a problem for you anyway). The estate remains quiet and decent today although a fair few of those who bought back in the 80's have passed on and the families have sold to landlords who rent out to students. The only real problems are the number of cars and vans parked up. As a general note, build quality of newer, private estates wasn't good in the late 80's and 90's, especially those churned out by the big housebuilders. Today, the Building Regulations are vastly improved and, as a general rule, build quality has improved quite a lot over the last 10 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecuk268 Posted 15 May, 2015 Share Posted 15 May, 2015 Depends where it is. There's a small estate at the back of Winchester Road (Seagarth Lane, Malwood Avenue) which is now a mixture of council and ex-council. It's always been a quiet area and well looked after and they all seem to co-exist perfectly happily. Any houses that are put up for sale seem to be snapped up pretty quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saint1977 Posted 15 May, 2015 Share Posted 15 May, 2015 'Tis true as the estates built in the post war period tend to have large gardens and good sized rooms, because space wasn't at a premium. My folks bought theirs when i was a lad and still live there today. Built quality wasn't bad at all, although avoid "prefab" structures (sounds like it's not a problem for you anyway). The estate remains quiet and decent today although a fair few of those who bought back in the 80's have passed on and the families have sold to landlords who rent out to students. The only real problems are the number of cars and vans parked up. As a general note, build quality of newer, private estates wasn't good in the late 80's and 90's, especially those churned out by the big housebuilders. Today, the Building Regulations are vastly improved and, as a general rule, build quality has improved quite a lot over the last 10 years. I'd broadly agree with this. Depends where he is buying, but generally agree that the 1950s and early 1960s stock was well built until the system builds of the later 1960s and early 1970s came in and cut loads of corners (see Ronan Point). Any non-standard construction houses need careful assessment - they may appear a bargain but can be much harder to mortgage. Living in a private new build here in Devon from 2011 from a regional builder, the quality of the actual build is very good but it's the trades element like plumbing and boilers which let it down. Standard of the local trades here are awful generally speaking although Devon makes up for it in so many other ways! One thing you might need to look out for though - as it is a specialist job to remove roofs etc made of it - is asbestos from that era. Many types of housing from that era used it. Much of it may now have been removed from recently renovated or overhauled properties but it can still be found in outbuildings, sheds, store rooms, porches, canopies, tiling etc. Generally, if it's intact and not damaged and you don't sand it/disturb it, it shouldn't pose a risk to you but follow the guidelines. In the actual house, some people leave it and decorate over it if it's in sound and undisturbed condition. In properties which haven't had an overhaul since the 1980s, you may find it more in fixtures, fittings, ceilings etc. Would agree with those saying that area and type of development it is on is key. Mixed is probably better for re-sell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ringwood Posted 15 May, 2015 Share Posted 15 May, 2015 spot on attitude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockey_saint Posted 15 May, 2015 Share Posted 15 May, 2015 Depends where it is. There's a small estate at the back of Winchester Road (Seagarth Lane, Malwood Avenue) which is now a mixture of council and ex-council. It's always been a quiet area and well looked after and they all seem to co-exist perfectly happily. Any houses that are put up for sale seem to be snapped up pretty quickly. They do (I don't live too far from there)....They also appear to co-exist very well with the rather large drug rehabilitation unit there too! (I only know this because sometimes round where I live you get people who are quite clearly crackheads asking how to get to seagarth lane). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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