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

Honestly, this thread and the snobbery is horrendous. I'm so glad I live somewhere where people don't make the sign of the cross at social housing and/or blocks of flats. It's like stepping into Royston Vasey.

Well OP I guess this thread has answered your question - flats nearby would certainly put off a significant number of potential buyers if the posters on here are a representative selection of your prospective market.

Which is totally fucking shocking, by the way, but each to their own.

@Doingtheboxerbeat, my OP wasn't asking if all people who live in HA flats are scum bags!

Honestly, this thread and the snobbery is horrendous. I'm so glad I live somewhere where people don't make the sign of the cross at social housing and/or blocks of flats. It's like stepping into Royston Vasey.

This. Seriously. I've been agog at some of the incredible snobbery in this thread.

If the aesthetics bothers you OP, fair enough. But you thinking that blocks of flats mean ex-offenders implies to me that you live in one hell of a bubble.

*What's the problem with renters?g

Not all renters obviously. However, I owned a flat in a block of six some years ago. The other five flats were owner occupied and it was all very peaceful and civilised. Over the course of the next five years I ended up the only o/o and found myself surrounded by five rental flats.

The noise and disruption was a fucking nightmare. Tenants constantly changing as they were on six-month tenancies and say what you will but in many cases, tenants are not invested in their surrounding community and their behaviour is anti-social. We had noisy all-night parties, drunken rows and fights, people buzzing all six entryphones in the middle of the night to gain access because their friend was so drunk/stoned they were too out of it to hear their own buzzer. And if you had the effrontery to ask them to behave you were threatened with violence.

My experience wasn’t an isolated one.

Bloody hell, I didn't really know people thought like this either.. My street is a mix of period family homes, flat conversions, social housing, hmo, overlooked by shock horror... sheltered accommodation. There is a YMCA on the next road. People want to live here. Maybe city dwellers are used to a bit more diversity.

Living next to renters is actually quite helpful!

If they are fuckers you can complain to landlord. Hopefully get them evicted.

I wouldn't want to buy somewhere where the future price is affected by high rise but it sounds like this set up is quite old and it's still sold.

FWIW I live in a new build estate (now 12 years old). First 2-4 years that people moved in as each phase finished there were some very tricky families and children who resided in the street.

Most people blamed the HA tenants. I know because one neighbour spent ages telling me so.

She was when I pointed out I was HA and where the other HA properties were and which were the private residencies.

Oh yeah - they'd be the ones with the entitled PiTA families who's kids helped vandalise the park inside

And FWIW they tend to put ex offenders in more stable areas because they are less likely to re offend if they are away from low income areas with temptation and high numbers of disenfranchised people.

I'm Struggling to imagine a village that has huge blocks of flats behind rows of detached houses. Why on earth would you think that flats would be for ex offenders? That seems a huge leap.

I'm horrified by some of the views on this thread. People don't want to live near renters? Ridiculous snobbery.

Op, look on rightmove, ask in the post office, hang around outside the flats to see what the exterior is like and who's going in and out.

I've lived in the type of flats you're talking about as a renter when I first moved to London. There were no issues.

Fast forward many many years. I now live in the midlands and I'm a dog walker. I walk two dogs which live in a lovely little terraced street close to a block of flats.

Sadly there are a disproportionate amount of people who hang about outside these flats who are drunk, comatose and dealing drugs. It's worse at night (I've pet sat overnight for them on occasion). Parking near to them makes me feel uneasy, I've been approached several times by people begging aggressively.

The fact that other residents have said there are no issues is a great sign, I'd suggest you maybe have a drive around in the evening a few times to get a full picture.

@ButIGetUpAgain, I know you weren't. Your concerns were valid by the sounds of things. But comments by pp about renters were abhorrent.
But as I said before this thread is not for me and I will stay in my lane.

yes. wouldnt touch it

My area of semi & terraced two beds is filled mainly with renters, I think literally 6 of us own our property & everyone else rents including a couple of (gasp) social housing tenants & quite a few of the renters are (double gasp) forrin!!

We all get on well enough & the scruffiest house belongs to an owner occupier.

My mum & sister live in actual.... blocks of flats! Some of the worst residents actually own their flats.

But OP if you are put off the property by this small thing then don't buy it.

Yep. Off putting if you want to sell in a matter of months. Do you have a link to it?

Check the website that gives you crime figures by postcode. You can look up various crimes like burglary, anti-social behaviour etc. It gives you the stats per month and shows the number of incidents. I looked to buy somewhere a couple of years ago and found there was one house that had the police out 10 times in a month for anti-social behaviour so didn't buy it. The peak was the summer months so I just imagined BBQs in the garden turning into loud parties and arguments. It went quieter in the winter.

Even so, if it has crossed your mind it might be a problem it'll cross any buyers' minds after you so it might be difficult to sell on especially if they don't do their homework like you. They might just rule it out so that's a risk.

" 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."

Did I actually just read this!!

My home (mortgage, I am not a low life renter ) is non standard construction. Most of the city I live in is. I am anything but a chav. Good god some people actually astound me! At least my use of English is better than yours though.

OP, I live in an undesirable area with lots of flats and social housing. I won't lie and say I like it here. I don't and I am looking to move in a few years time. It is pretty rough and I don't like the DCs going out alone here. Next time I will be pickier about the area. However I've seen some nice blocks of flats so I wouldn't discount an area on that alone but I would want to try and find out as much as I could.

Look at police.net. There are big blocks of flats up the road from me and the crime statictics on that website for such a small area is staggering. A lot of antisocial behaviour.

It would put me off too.

"The day you buy is the day you sell". In other words: If you buy this property how hard would it be to sell again?
Try googling the area/addresses nearby. There may be court appearance detailed if undesirables live nearby. Go to the house

You could buy a lovely house in the middle of a field and they could build flats next door in a years time

..at different times of day/night. You could ask local police if it is a problematic area.

It would put me off OP

That's not me being snobby, it's speaking from experience

I've had spells where I been physically ill with the stress.

People just out of jail, drug addicts, feral kids and screaming fish wives in the council flats over the back. Stealing, trashing, intimidating.

I love my house but hate what's at the bottom of the garden

The biggest thing for me about your post OP is that you're looking to sell on within 3-5 years. That's no time at all, so whatever criteria you go by, you need to choose really wisely.

Anything you identify now as a potential negative impact will have to be taken into consideration for the future desirability and value of the property.

@Doingtheboxerbeat The whole hysteria about the younger generation never being able to own their own home is a load of bollocks. I know of plenty of couples in their late 20s who own.

Hi @LensGlans. I know loads of retirees and middle aged people who rent and will do, until the day they die - so it all balances out. Not being facetious honestly. It is a fact of life that so many people rent and not just people living inside the M25.