Rich area vs Poor area

[ermopoli]

Would you rather live in a rich area or a poor area?

Say a 3 bedroom terraced house in a rich area or a 5 bedroom detached house with a swimming pool in a poor area?

This is what I was thinking. This imaginary area isn't going to be that bad

I live in a technically ‘deprived’ town, but I also live on a completely beautiful street with parks, bowling green and tennis club. It’s a conservation area because of the Edwardian houses and history. It’s quite a sought after street in the area and I feel like I’m million miles from the rough estates on the other side of town. My street is very quiet, no crime that I’m aware of either. I’ve left my car unlocked several times, and Amazon parcels never go missing from the front of the house!

I don’t think it’s as clear cut as ‘nice house in a shit town’ or vice versa.

I definitely think house prices are comparatively cheaper/ more expensive for a reason. You get what you pay for.

so it would be 3 bed in rich area, but then I don’t need a 4 bed which may change my view.

Rich area usually means better facilities, nicer surroundings.

the only exception is if it’s in the catchment area of a good school. That is worthless if you don’t have kids, and you’ll pay over the odds when you could have a similar standard of house with similar amenities nearby for much less.

I wouldn't say our area is rich but it has some big old houses on smart streets that sell well, lots of parks, is at the seaside, and countryside, excellent schools, good for small town/large village shops. There are some less expensive bits and certainly not everyone is very comfortably off but there is a sense of a community and of it feels safe. We look after it- lots of community groups set up to do so. It gets tourists, has attractions.

But about 4-5 miles away is a much poorer and run-down small town (some beautiful old buildings) with a 'sink' area (the south and west of the town) that has been like that for at least 40 + years. I wouldn't live in that 'sink' area if it had the nicest house ever in it (it has no nice housing). It's crime-ridden, has every effect of ingrained, long-term poverty, low-achieving schools, is dirty and poorly looked after, really run-down streets, high levels of addiction, high unemployment, poor health statistics, high social services input, lots of anti-social behaviour, the metro station is regularly subject to police 'operations', the area is worrying to walk around. The local council throw money at it but economic and social forces keep it in the state it is. An old area of the town centre has been restored- lovely buildings, Georgian houses - it felt like they stood a chance of balancing the scales a bit and attracting some more wealthy people in which would have a knock on effect on money spent locally- but whilst that was happening the Tory government arrived and hacked council budgets, the pandemic hit and the effects on the economy mean the town centre has barely a reasonable shop left (there's a small ADSA and the rest are poor stuff- Heron's, charity shops, vape shop) and is mostly empty and boarded up.

The people who live in the the lovely old houses (and there are those in the north and east of the town) don't use the town centre- they shop and socialise in other small places in driving distance. The 'sink' bit is increasingly isolated by poverty. People investing won't take risks with money there because of what it is and has been.

I don't know how you change that.

My sister lives in a rich area right opposite a drug dealer. Don't assume all people who live in rich areas are nice MC folk. She has also been burgled.

Outdoor or indoor swimming pool?

I'm puzzled at how a 5 bed detached house with a pool would be in a poor area. Who would think to build one there?

I already live in a poor area and it doesn't bother me so if 5 bed houses existed here and I could afford one I'd live in it! As it is, I'm in a housing association flat.

I'm puzzled at how a 5 bed detached house with a pool would be in a poor area. Who would think to build one there?
If it's like some of the properties we saw on our house hunt it's probably due to cheaper land, cheaper house to extend, someone wants more space but isn't bothered about being on the fringes of the not so nice area.

Different people have different priorities. If I had the same amount of money available then in two areas near me I could have:

• 1930s-1970s 3-4 bedroom house, one bathroom, average sized reception rooms and small kitchen by modern standards on nice plots with nice gardens
• 00s new build 4-5 bedroom house with ensuite, more modern internal layout and postage stamp garden with 'detached' houses being so close together they don't feel detached
• 5 bed house with gym room, fancy technological renovations, home spa in the bathroom, kitchen is one of those nice but cookie cutter open plan kitchen diners with on trend units, high spec integrated appliances and black framed bifold doors.

Depending on what we needed in terms of amenities, I'd consider either option 1 or 2. 1 is the nicer area, but 2 is still nice. I'd not choose option 3 at all because the area isn't very nice.

Edit to add - the not so nice area isn't not so nice because it's poor. It's not so nice because of a mix of antisocial behaviour, higher crime than other areas, parks aren't well looked after, and the schools aren't as good. There are other areas that are poorer but well looked after and nice.