Stigma attached to former Council Houses?
Discussion
I'm looking at a house on Friday in a little village in North Lincolnshire - the house (and it's neighbours) look like they might have been council houses at one time (it's a 50-60's build house) - clearly not been a council house recently (about 5-7 years) - they've all had proper work done to them (none of this "done by the cheapest bloke" nonsense) and it's a nice looking house.
However - is there still a stigma attached to former council houses? It's priced well and we like it, but resale is, of course, in the forefront of our minds.
More importantly, it won't over stretch us and we can afford it - unlike the house we really like which would have bankrupted us....
However - is there still a stigma attached to former council houses? It's priced well and we like it, but resale is, of course, in the forefront of our minds.
More importantly, it won't over stretch us and we can afford it - unlike the house we really like which would have bankrupted us....
It's priced well, you like it, you can afford it.
That's all you need to know surely. There may be 'stigma' attached by some of the chattering classes but if the house suits your needs then it's a good buy. There will always be a market for well proportioned, maintainable, affordable, solid little family homes.
My sister bought a former council house when she was 19 and whilst there may some stigma attached, it hasn't stopped it going up in value over the three years she has lived in it.
That's all you need to know surely. There may be 'stigma' attached by some of the chattering classes but if the house suits your needs then it's a good buy. There will always be a market for well proportioned, maintainable, affordable, solid little family homes.
My sister bought a former council house when she was 19 and whilst there may some stigma attached, it hasn't stopped it going up in value over the three years she has lived in it.
The major stigma attached to them is the locality. Many of them are in the less desirable areas of town where you might gat away with an unmarked 52 plate Focus outside but your R plate MX5 will have it's roof slashed and tyres let down on a weekly basis.
Mosy council estates are fairly okay in the main but for all the ones which were bought on the Right to Buy there are still a few owned by the Council and inhabited by wasters who are on their 5th house in as many years due to being chucked out of the last one.
If you are going to buy one they can be bloofy good value but make sure to spend a few hours around the area first at different times to get a proper feel for the place.
Mosy council estates are fairly okay in the main but for all the ones which were bought on the Right to Buy there are still a few owned by the Council and inhabited by wasters who are on their 5th house in as many years due to being chucked out of the last one.
If you are going to buy one they can be bloofy good value but make sure to spend a few hours around the area first at different times to get a proper feel for the place.
from the 60's council houses that I viewed last month, most are better built than new homes. Large spacious rooms and usually huge gardens!
The only thing I found was that most needed modernisation in the form of central heating, double glazing etc as the majority seemed to use electric storage heaters.
I don't see anything wrong with them, just a bargain for folk after a new home who are not snobbish about the history of their home
The only thing I found was that most needed modernisation in the form of central heating, double glazing etc as the majority seemed to use electric storage heaters.
I don't see anything wrong with them, just a bargain for folk after a new home who are not snobbish about the history of their home
Part of the problem is that some of the housing stock built by the local authorities after WW2 was thrown up quickly and made of concrete or steel. These are often not mortgageable (remember mortgages ??!!) through major lenders. This is partly the reason they are viewed with suspicion by the market. Not really fair because the majority are brick and tile and quite well put together.
Easy_Targa said:
Part of the problem is that some of the housing stock built by the local authorities after WW2 was thrown up quickly and made of concrete or steel. These are often not mortgageable (remember mortgages ??!!) through major lenders. This is partly the reason they are viewed with suspicion by the market. Not really fair because the majority are brick and tile and quite well put together.
Lending on concrete construction is all dependant on type, there are some that they simply will not lend on.Some lenders also won't lend on ex council irresepctive of construction type, although this is less prevalent than it was.
rude-boy said:
If you are going to buy one they can be bloofy good value but make sure to spend a few hours around the area first at different times to get a proper feel for the place.
Correct.Problem is not the houses, it the inhabitants of the area.
Surveillance needed for a long period.
I am on my second ex council house now.
First one was onto the main road and surrounded by other privately owned property and was a really big three bedroom house for not a lot of money. Other parts of the estate were a bit rough but where we were was not bad.
The current one is similar. We back onto and sit opposite 1 bedroom old folks bungalows. Next door on one side is a young couple who bought at the same time as us. Neighbours on the other side are a bit ropy but pleasant enough, further up the street is a bit dodgy. However it is not an estate, just one long Cul de Sac.
I wouldn't buy in the middle of a large estate but have had no problems with crime at all in either over the last 5 years. If it is right for you then go for it. Prices tend to be a bit lower than the equivalent private stock, but they tend to be larger houses for less money.
First one was onto the main road and surrounded by other privately owned property and was a really big three bedroom house for not a lot of money. Other parts of the estate were a bit rough but where we were was not bad.
The current one is similar. We back onto and sit opposite 1 bedroom old folks bungalows. Next door on one side is a young couple who bought at the same time as us. Neighbours on the other side are a bit ropy but pleasant enough, further up the street is a bit dodgy. However it is not an estate, just one long Cul de Sac.
I wouldn't buy in the middle of a large estate but have had no problems with crime at all in either over the last 5 years. If it is right for you then go for it. Prices tend to be a bit lower than the equivalent private stock, but they tend to be larger houses for less money.
Here seems to be some strange form of benefit scum hierarchy when it comes to council and housing association dwelling, as I found out when two women were arguing, the one saying that her quarry had a council house, and she was better because she was in a housing association house! That was quite surreal to watch and hear.
So, council houses = lowest of the low.
So, council houses = lowest of the low.
rude-boy said:
The major stigma attached to them is the locality. Many of them are in the less desirable areas of town where you might gat away with an unmarked 52 plate Focus outside but your R plate MX5 will have it's roof slashed and tyres let down on a weekly basis.
Mosy council estates are fairly okay in the main but for all the ones which were bought on the Right to Buy there are still a few owned by the Council and inhabited by wasters who are on their 5th house in as many years due to being chucked out of the last one.
If you are going to buy one they can be bloofy good value but make sure to spend a few hours around the area first at different times to get a proper feel for the place.
AgreedMosy council estates are fairly okay in the main but for all the ones which were bought on the Right to Buy there are still a few owned by the Council and inhabited by wasters who are on their 5th house in as many years due to being chucked out of the last one.
If you are going to buy one they can be bloofy good value but make sure to spend a few hours around the area first at different times to get a proper feel for the place.
It is not the house which may be a problem but the location.
i think there's a huge spread.
some bits of london and towns like mine are all mixed up.
but then you could be on a large estate of hideous monotony and scums. presumably you know if you think the area is okay and if you do then there is no real problem.
in a way it's easier for pikeys to be moved out of council than it is if you lived next to some d1ckhead who's paying a mortgage... (although obviously i guess it's easier for some turd to be moved in next door to you).
personally if it were a choice between blue collar ex council small house (as opposed to sink estate) or flimsy s
t new 'build' flimsy flimsy crap 'apartment'. i'd take the ex council. i'd hazard a guess that decent ex council house in a decent area will perform better than a crappy new build over the next couple of years. a poor one will obviosuly do hideously badly. but will it half in 'value' like a new nottingham apartment..???
some bits of london and towns like mine are all mixed up.
but then you could be on a large estate of hideous monotony and scums. presumably you know if you think the area is okay and if you do then there is no real problem.
in a way it's easier for pikeys to be moved out of council than it is if you lived next to some d1ckhead who's paying a mortgage... (although obviously i guess it's easier for some turd to be moved in next door to you).
personally if it were a choice between blue collar ex council small house (as opposed to sink estate) or flimsy s
t new 'build' flimsy flimsy crap 'apartment'. i'd take the ex council. i'd hazard a guess that decent ex council house in a decent area will perform better than a crappy new build over the next couple of years. a poor one will obviosuly do hideously badly. but will it half in 'value' like a new nottingham apartment..??? Depends how long ago it was a council house, did you say 5 years? are they all privately owned or are you surrounded by people renting their council houses?. My nana owns an ex council house but were talking 10 - 15 years ago they were all sold and the area has improved dramatically so much less stigma attached to these.
Of course not.
Joking apart, how much would the house you love cost you in reality? You need to think about whether you'll always regret not buying a house that you love. It's actually quite rare to love a house; most people tend to find one that is a best fit in the absence of finding their dream house.
Joking apart, how much would the house you love cost you in reality? You need to think about whether you'll always regret not buying a house that you love. It's actually quite rare to love a house; most people tend to find one that is a best fit in the absence of finding their dream house.
We bought an ex-council house 4 years ago on the basis that we got much more for our money and all of the points above are valid.
- it's not the end of the world if some of the neighbours are still council but you just need to apply a bit of common sense when viewing- if the road is full of toys, caravans, burnt out cars etc then probably best to stay away. Ours is in a council estate in a little Berks village and it's actually quite pleasant
- it's possible that some modernisation will be required. For example we have had a large amount of work done on the central heating, replaced the bathroom and kitchen and done a lot of work on all of the other rooms. Again, a little common sense on viewing
- most of the work done by the council under their ownership should have been done quite well. However, given that the first private owners may, ahem, have been of limited means, it's worth paying close attention to any work that they had done (or did themselves)
- it's not the end of the world if some of the neighbours are still council but you just need to apply a bit of common sense when viewing- if the road is full of toys, caravans, burnt out cars etc then probably best to stay away. Ours is in a council estate in a little Berks village and it's actually quite pleasant
- it's possible that some modernisation will be required. For example we have had a large amount of work done on the central heating, replaced the bathroom and kitchen and done a lot of work on all of the other rooms. Again, a little common sense on viewing
- most of the work done by the council under their ownership should have been done quite well. However, given that the first private owners may, ahem, have been of limited means, it's worth paying close attention to any work that they had done (or did themselves)
Our house is ex council, the previous occupants bought it under the right to buy scheme ten years before selling to us.
Built in the 50's, large three bed semi, two proper double bedrooms and a decent sized single.
large living room, seperate dining room and decent sized kitchen.
front wall is red brick, side and rear is block, rough-cast render painted white.
Rear garden is 20m long and near 10m wide, driveway up side of house 3.10m wide and long enough for three cars.
Within commuting distance of Belfast (30mins in car during peak hours, or 10min walk to train station and 30min train journey to city centre!)
We back onto a small private housing development (handful of large detached houses) so no overlooking issues etc.
Lived here for nearly five years, absolutely no trouble whatsoever. Most of the houses around us are privately owned, young familes like ourselves. A few un-desirables living locally but have never had any bother.
Ironically the only disturbance we ever had was a house party held by some kids in one of the more upmarket houses behind us (in the private housing estate).
Having said that we dont have anything really flashy on the drive, and im not sure if drawing attention to ourselves with an expensive motor would change things? I have secure garage space at my folks house anyway if I ever bought a weekend toy...
But on the whole, when we bought we had a choice to either buy this house and stay well within budget, or push ourselves to the limit buying a tiny two bed townhouse which wasnt ex council. No brainer really.
Now we both earn near double what we did when we bought the place (wife was still at uni, I was still a trainee). so we are in a position to move somewhere more upmarket, but we are happy here so why bother?
Instead we are going to put the cash into a sun-room, attic conversion and garage.
Basically the stigma doesnt bother us, and as a result we own a house with a tiny mortgage, bags of space and handy to work - the reality kinda outweighs any petty snobbery people might direct your way.
BUT!!!
Make sure you know the area - like others have said there is a massive difference between a decent council estate and a scummy gang filled hole....
Built in the 50's, large three bed semi, two proper double bedrooms and a decent sized single.
large living room, seperate dining room and decent sized kitchen.
front wall is red brick, side and rear is block, rough-cast render painted white.
Rear garden is 20m long and near 10m wide, driveway up side of house 3.10m wide and long enough for three cars.
Within commuting distance of Belfast (30mins in car during peak hours, or 10min walk to train station and 30min train journey to city centre!)
We back onto a small private housing development (handful of large detached houses) so no overlooking issues etc.
Lived here for nearly five years, absolutely no trouble whatsoever. Most of the houses around us are privately owned, young familes like ourselves. A few un-desirables living locally but have never had any bother.
Ironically the only disturbance we ever had was a house party held by some kids in one of the more upmarket houses behind us (in the private housing estate).
Having said that we dont have anything really flashy on the drive, and im not sure if drawing attention to ourselves with an expensive motor would change things? I have secure garage space at my folks house anyway if I ever bought a weekend toy...
But on the whole, when we bought we had a choice to either buy this house and stay well within budget, or push ourselves to the limit buying a tiny two bed townhouse which wasnt ex council. No brainer really.
Now we both earn near double what we did when we bought the place (wife was still at uni, I was still a trainee). so we are in a position to move somewhere more upmarket, but we are happy here so why bother?
Instead we are going to put the cash into a sun-room, attic conversion and garage.
Basically the stigma doesnt bother us, and as a result we own a house with a tiny mortgage, bags of space and handy to work - the reality kinda outweighs any petty snobbery people might direct your way.
BUT!!!
Make sure you know the area - like others have said there is a massive difference between a decent council estate and a scummy gang filled hole....
My first place was an ex-council house in KT3. It's worth a fair bit now, or was. The street was very tidy, better than some private neighbourhoods, and most of the people were ok - my only issues were 1) harder to resell - but as long you take this into account when purchasing it will even out - i bought it solely because it was near the station and next to a posh bit of town 2) some of the neighbours were a bit 'common' - not a problem unless you are Hyacinth Bucket 3) separating walls are quite thin on this 60s semi, so put on your earplugs when the neighbours wife is bonking the husbands brother [and i'm not making this one up].
Edited by fido on Tuesday 30th September 13:16
Our house is an ex Council House. About 50% of the houses in our road are privately owned and the rest are still owned by the local authority.
We didn't have any trouble getting a mortgage on it even thought it's built out of concrete. The only problem the concrete causes is when trying to put up curtain rails!!
On the plus side, we have a very solidly built, well proportioned house with a large rear garden (approx 140'X50')and good neighbours either side and a great view over open fields at the back.
The downside is that we are located in the "scruffy" part of the village and some of the other residents are rather unsalubrious. (Having said that, there's some real oiks living in the £1million plus houses nearby too)
While the price of the house has risen massively over the 10 years we've lived there, it will always be worth less than a smaller more modern house in a "nicer area"
The best bit though, is that we live less than a 5 minute walk from my favourite pub.
We didn't have any trouble getting a mortgage on it even thought it's built out of concrete. The only problem the concrete causes is when trying to put up curtain rails!!
On the plus side, we have a very solidly built, well proportioned house with a large rear garden (approx 140'X50')and good neighbours either side and a great view over open fields at the back.
The downside is that we are located in the "scruffy" part of the village and some of the other residents are rather unsalubrious. (Having said that, there's some real oiks living in the £1million plus houses nearby too)
While the price of the house has risen massively over the 10 years we've lived there, it will always be worth less than a smaller more modern house in a "nicer area"
The best bit though, is that we live less than a 5 minute walk from my favourite pub.
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