Ex council houses
4/7/08 19:22
4/7/08 19:21
A lot of houses from that era have their bathroom downstairs.
4/7/08 19:21
Ignore me, I misread your post lol.4/7/08 19:18
I've never been in a council house with a downstairs bathroom....is that a common thing where you live?4/7/08 19:14
I have bought an ex council house and it didn't take a lot of thinking about.
Not only is it a lovely 1930's cottage style (so has character as you put it) but the room proportions are fantastic and the garden is also huge. Two things you will usually find with an ex council property. Also it is very well built and was well looked after for the many years it was a council property. The only negative is the downstairs bathroom but that is manageable.
We could have bought a property in the neighbouring privately built estate but to be honest, I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole. You pay a premium just because of the area. The walls are paper thin and the whole estate is already looking very tired (only 20 or so years old). The houses are cramped in together, and a 2 bed house is a one bed house with a broom cupboard upstairs.
I am a chartered surveyor and depending on the location etc I would and obviously have no problem with buying ex council properties. It can be a fantastic move.
4/7/08 19:14
No, North London.
4/7/08 19:12
Jesus where do you live the bronx, i know tons of council estates that are nothing like that at al
4/7/08 18:58
There is an estate in this area that i wouldn't touch, they were built quickly and cheaply in the 30's and are known for damp and whatever the word is for describing when the house moves and the walls crack............. (dumb baby brain!) So i suppose it depends on the estate. Down the road however, there are 4 not obvious council houses with massive gardens that have veiws of fields and the sea, i would love one of those!
4/7/08 18:58
Id consider buying ex council on an estate where many have been sold off but I wouldnt live on a predominantly council estate because they are shít holes where crime is rife, there are gangs wandering around hurling abuse at people, many houses where no one works etc etc. Might sound stereotypical but ive never seen a council estate that did not fit the above description - regardless of how many people protest that not everyone in council accom is unemplyed/on drugs/anti social etc etc. I know not everyone fits that desciption but there are generally enough to make me never want to live on one.
I wouldnt be so sure about it being a solid investment either. That would depend on the individual estate. There are places round here you probably couldnt give away!
4/7/08 18:56
One of the downsides of council is repairs when private. A few years ago. the exterior was painted roof re-done, and a few other works. The bill was vast and the owners were lumbered with a massive bill. A block of 70 properties and 62 are owned.
Every time the communal stairs and areas are steamed which is regular as people use it as a toilet, they get billed. They are currently fighting with the council because we want the security doors and intercoms fitted, but they will pay part of the bill, even though it was worked out that it will be cheaper to do this and maintain this, than the current daily clean, and monthly steam.
4/7/08 18:54
There were 6 council houses in the village where I used to live and honestly - they were lovely. Really nice houses, huge gardens. They were eventually all sold off privately but they were loads bigger than our house at the time and I would have loved one.
4/7/08 18:50
my mum and dad live in an ex council house and they have made it so beautiful, lovely big garden, and a massive extension on the back.....when they moved there it was a dump, I wouldnt be picky about living in one. Think of the potential.
4/7/08 18:50
I just want a balanced view from both sides really - nothing to do with snobbery - though its the estate agents that have sorted of kicked me off in this debate - they sound a bit negative about these houses but anyways I know a lot of people think them very solid investments, I just kind of want to hear the other sides, as I know others wouldn't touch one (people have told me in rl) but I wonder if anyone here is brave enough to tell the truth about why they wouldn't touch one, and I hope they don't get shot down for saying it, as I'm asking genuine opinions for myself - I am considering moving and one of the biggest things you'll ever do so I want to get it right.
4/7/08 18:47
I wouldnt mind a property being ex council but I wouldnt buy on a predominantly council/HA estate.
4/7/08 18:47
It would depend entirely on what the estate was like. If it was a nice enough estate then yes. I think that ex-council houses are often really well built, spacious and have decent sized gardens.
4/7/08 18:47
Who said all council estates are bad?
4/7/08 18:45
Believe it or not you can have nice council houses in nice areas!
4/7/08 18:44
Not all council estates are bad though.
4/7/08 18:42
I would buy an ex-council house just to get on the property ladder, couldnt afford any other round here! Ex-counsil houses here sell for around £160,000 - £190,000, that may buy you a one bedroom flat elsewhere in the area if it was run-down and you were lucky to get an offer in before a property developer.
4/7/08 18:41
I'd rather have a not so nice house in a nice area tbh.
It all depends on the individual area and your circumstances. If you feel strongly about owning your own house and it's your only way onto the property ladder, AND you can be sure that you will be happy with the accomodation and your neighbours, then go for it. A big proportion of the council houses round here are now owned, probably bought from the council at some point for around £30 grand, and now worth around £250,000!
I personally, in my situation and area, would NOT buy an ex-council house. We are in the process of moving and it was one of our stipulations to all the Estate Agents we registered with. The reasons being that the house we currently own ( we bought it as a re-sale, it was previously bought from the Housing Assoc) is on an estate which is owned by a Housing Assoc, so basically most of the road round here are as good as Council housing, and we have had lots of problems and have seen the place and surrounding really decline as unfortunately that is often the way. There are some lovely people and families round here who try really hard, but there are also teenagers who trash things after dark, people who dump cars, grafitti and general disrepair in places. I'm sure people will disagree, but this does seem to go hand in hand with certain sectors of people in local authority housing. Not ALL, but SOME.
Thankfully we have managed to sell this place and are moving, not far away, but to an area we will be much happier with.
I know there are loads of places where the council housing is great, nice areas, schools etc, but round here that isn't the case. I also agree about the charges for work mentioned earlier, especially if you buy an ex-council flat. There are some near here that are being re-roofed and having new fronts put on and each of the owned properties will HAVE to pat 40 grand as their contribution!