Would this put you off buying a house? Please be honest

[ButIGetUpAgain]

Hello

I say "please be honest", because this could potentially be seen as a bit snobby or even elitist, but I'd still really appreciate honesty under the circumstances.

So we've (hopefully 🤞) sold our house after a long time on the market. It's been tough, as we've been desperate to move for 18 months!

Anyway, location was top of our list and we've found somewhere almost perfect, in a nice local village, 4 bed, end of terrace,
large living room and large kitchen/diner. However, at the back of this road, there are several large blocks of flats and I can't lie, it's giving me second thoughts on putting in an offer, which we were almost certainly going to do. At best, it's an eye sore, at worst, it's SH for ex offenders etc. I don't know how/if I can find this out.

I desperately don't want to offend anyone and I know how this could sound. Overall, I don't think I have a problem with it. I have driven round that road several times and I haven't seen anything worrying. I think I'm concerned more about selling it on, as this is a 3-5 year house, ideally, which is why I'm asking the question, would this put you off?...Honestly.

TIA

Can you do what my Dad did - park up in a car for an hour at random times through the day to observe - traffic levels, people leaving for work, late risers, visitors coming and going and so on?

Go for a coffee in a local cafe or village hall - get chatting to locals?

Check the local newspaper and FB pages etc To give you a flavour of things

Ask local estate agents in a roundabout way

Visit the local pub

Also heard of other people stopping someone in the street or knocking on a door to ask people “thinking of moving into the area...wondered if.....”

Me - I put a postcard up in the local pub to find my current house...

It wouldn't necessarily put me off but I would always have a good walk around the local area anyway. I went with my BIL to a second viewing on a house, it was gorgeous and in a nice seeming area. There was an alley along the side and when we went in to it we saw big piles of empty vodka bottles, beer cans and fag packets as well as drug paraphernalia. It was clearly a popular spot to hang out and on further inspection there were about 5 interconnecting alleys, meaning if police turned up people would be able to run.as you would need too many cars to cover all exits. He didnt put an offer in.

Use your common sense, nothing to do.with blocks of flats or council estates. Do people treat it like a shithole and is there loads of rubbish about, there is your answer. I've lived in wonderful council blocks and with the neighbours from hell in a exclusive professionals block.

Fucking hell at blocks of flats often house undesirables. I can't believe that was actually posted! Yes, much of this thread does sound like unbelievable snobbery.

No it wouldn’t put me off. Here in London houses and flats are side by side- Knowing an area is vital there are local flats I could easily live next to and ones I wouldn’t dare live next to.

If I could see them, and more importantly they could see me/my garden then yes it would, for purely aesthetic/privacy reasons. We discounted a house that had a high rise 500m away but that overlooked the garden. I work in social housing a spend a lot of time in high rise blocks, I can never resist a nose out of the windows when I’m high up. I’d rather not be nosed at.

If I couldn’t see them I wouldn’t be bothered.

Our friends live in an amazing house in a leafy part of London.
Last time we went down ( in the summer) we couldn’t go in their lovely garden or have the bifold doors to the kitchen extension open because the residents of the flats at the end of the garden were shouting obscenities at my 13 year old daughter. I asked them to stop and the residents of another flat offered to come round and smash my face in.
So be very careful and try and suss out who lives there.
( I believe these flats are owned by the church and are given to people short term who have substance abuse or MH issues)

Yes it would put me off.
I have never seen a village with any large blocks of flats though.

I wouldn’t want to back on to flats purely from a numbers point of view. I wouldn’t really want x number of households looking into my back windows. But you say this isn’t the case. I don’t think I would have a problem living near flats (actually I know I don’t because the end of our road has a couple of largeish blocks, all rented out, some student lets). It’s like everything. It depends on what people can afford and whether this compromise is worth it

Surrounded by rentals would put me off. And I speak as someone who rented for quite a while.

The problem is rental law. You have precisely 60 days notice of tenure. Here today, gone tomorrow. That doesn't encourage neighborliness, a pride in your surroundings, a sense of place and belonging; a desire to integrate in any way.

And like Mrs Thatcher said- a woman I loathed with every bone in my body- the problem for the working class is the underclass as they are housed among them.

I know you aren't allowed to say 'underclass' on MN; but there are people who you really, really don't want to share a neighbourhood with. We know that. But it's the less well off workers, who get up at 7, do a job- (or two) - take some pride in themselves, want better for their DC- who have to live among the families-from-hell, whom the council have to house somewhere.

Their front doors look all the same (by and large).

I'd do the 'visit for an hour', round the clock- thing.

Realistically it might take longer to sell. And the presence of the flats may affect the sale price (might affect your purchase price too).

In terms of what it is like to actually love there I don't think you can easily predict. I (and plenty of other young professionals) have lived in flats and been a quiet and respectful neighbor.

My parents live in a vast Victorian house in a very desirable area and a young couple (they think possibly lottery win or similar) moved in to another large house down the street and have loud parties and constant rows and park cars everywhere are generally just awful neighbours.

Yes it would me.

I sound snotty in saying but the one thing that really puts me off my current house is the fact the road opposite it all ‘non traditional construction ’ houses which just remind me of chavs. I think that’s just my opinion though as I lived on a really rough estate with many of these houses when I lived with my mum and her husband.

I hate getting a glimpse of the opposite side of the road whenever I take photos out of the window or outside it makes me cringe.

But we did when we were thinking of buying some at all different times and just hang about down the road to see if there was any disturbances at several times of the day and night. It’s a very quiet village it just doesn’t looks it’s best so we’re happy for now but looking to move in the not so distant future.

Just remember you’re buying an area not just a house.

Bail hostels are listed but HMO's that are privately operated you won't be able to tell

I think I now know who is going to sweep the polls - the party who 'isn't' promising to build more social housing. My goodness, genuinely shocked by some of these responses and had no idea people thought like this.

Google the address.
Ask in local corner shop who stays there. It could be a women’s refuge if it looks a bit security conscious?

Go to the local pub for a cola and see if you feel safe and if your cars still there when you get out it’s a good sign! It wouldn’t put me off. Id just invest in a ring doorbell and a couple of security cameras. Job done.

OP, if you think they look like "those sorts of flats" then you're never going to be happy there because no matter what anyone in the village says to you, you will always have that in the back of your mind.

I speak from experience of having a niggling thought about something near a house I once bought, dismissing it, then having it on my mind for the eight years I lived there!

It's just not worth it.

If I could see it , it would put me off x

doing I don't think that's the case. I am working hard in my job to provide more social housing and take huge pride in it. But op wants a realistic opinion about whether it will affect the ease of selling a property and the reality is that it is likely to affect value /speed of sale.

It would put me off, yes. We lived a couple of streets away from an estate that was mostly social housing in our last house. The people that lived there were just horrendous. I’m sure there are plenty of people in social housing who aren’t like that, but it’s too big a risk to take.

I'd go round and walk round the area at different times if the day including late in a Friday / Saturday night. We loved a derelict, empty house which had a large garden but that backed into a 3* quite large hotel. We went at various times of day and on a Saturday night we realised it was very noisy when there was any function there so we listened to our heads not our hearts and didn't buy it. Also, the local council should be able to help you as to percentage of the flats in private / public ownership.

Doing have you ever been unable to sell your house or been very lucky to get what you paid for it Due to social housing nearby?
Have you had the Police out regularly because the social housing opposite was being used to house families who had been evicted from elsewhere for anti social behaviour?
I know these things can happen in areas with no social housing and the majority of people in social housing are no trouble BUT we have had 3 houses and only had issues when we lived opposite social housing, which is why based on personal experience I would avoid it if possible.

Put the postcode in checkmystreet.co.uk and you can see the crime figures.

@NeverTwerkNaked, I was being honest myself and I have never heard of people not wanting to be surrounded by renters.
Are people really so unaware that there is a whole generation worth of people who will never hope to own their own property, ever?
Way to separate yourselves .

So I’m wondering whether your ‘village’ isn’t actually code for ‘small area in big city’. And that you may be actually talking about a house for sale on our road... anyway! We just bought ours. Exactly the same dilemma. But the flats are actually now 60% privately owned, v quiet, well maintained and although ugly (tower blocks, grey etc) it’s quieter and more pleasant than our old house in a far more £££ area! I spoke to friends and local people, came back at night, during the day, weekends. Yes it may put people off - but we’re here for the long term and everyone has to live somewhere. PM me if you want if it’s likely to be the same road 🤣

@Hoppinggreen, please forgive my sensitivety, as I am one of those renters and in social housing no less.
This thread was obviously not for me, so, as you were .

You do realise that a lot of single people buy or rent flats because houses are so expensive and having one income is a bit limiting. And retiring downsizers too. And I'm sure lots of other perfectly normal people.
However, in answer to your question then, whilst it wouldn't put me off, there is clearly a lot of narrow minded snobbery out there so you may be right to be concerned.