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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

.....to think people are too bloody precious about being 'overlooked' when looking for a new house?

69 replies

deepheat · 10/02/2011 08:31

OK, this might just be me, but when you see people on those Property shows suddenly realise that they would have neighbours within 20 metres and start spouting about being "overlooked" and a lack of privacy, does anyone else get a little wound up?

I like chatting to my neighbours over the garden fence. In fact, I'm of the opinion that most people are generally quite nice actually. Why would being as far away from other humans as possible be a big selling point of a house to anyone other than an antisocial git? Or a naturist? Or a couple who just like to shag in the garden a lot?

OP posts:
poorbuthappy · 10/02/2011 09:24

It just makes me laugh when watching these property programmes:

The list of must haves:
4/5 bedrooms (at least 2 ensuite)
garage
kitchen/diner
dining room
living room
study

yadda yadda yadda

Oh we can not possibly live somewhere and be overlooked.
Oh yes we want to live in Surrey, and our budget is £150k.
HA HA HA HA as I switch the tele off Grin

so acutally I agree with you OP and would be quite happy to chat to you over your garden fence anytime...Wine

expatinscotland · 10/02/2011 09:26

I completely agree with noddy. I stopped watching those ridiculous shows years ago. I think a lot of them are stoogest, too. I mean, from these stupid shows, you'd think every 30-year-old in the UK is a millionnaire.

changeforthebetter · 10/02/2011 09:30

I find that the people on these programmes (which I rarely watch Wink) are usually witless twats with too much money quite demanding and I imagine that it is that aspect makes for so-called "good telly" Hmm

Heartfelt apologies if you or your loved ones have featured on one of these programmes and do not fit the description above. Like I say, I never watch them Grin. Anyway must go as I don't want to miss Jezza Grin

mamatomany · 10/02/2011 09:31

The budget is never £150k that's usually the man's salary whilst the wife knits breast from her kitchen and sells them over the internet for another £150k giving them a totally budget of £10000000000

noddyholder · 10/02/2011 09:34

I don't know where they get these people.I used to renovate properties for a living and interior design them and no one ever demanded a wish list and despite being mainly bog standard houses and flats in busy ish areas they all sold fairly easily to normal people with kids and real lives.

Honeybee79 · 10/02/2011 09:35

Some people enjoy the isolation and that's fair enough, assuming they have the budget to pay for it. I don't get it personally though, and I really don't get it when people insist on it (along with a whole load of other requirements) but have a limited budget - can't have it all.

BlueCollie · 10/02/2011 09:39

I bought my nana's bungalow when she died from the rest of the family and I must say the first thing I thought was to put up a 6 foot fence on the one side that doesn't have it.

I am so glad I didn't have the money to do so now as the neighours are lovely and chat to me and my son when we are out in the garden (but not for long be irritating) and also pass us veg from their veg patch.

The bloke that lives their is an oddjob man and because we have got to know each other over the fence he only charges me mates rates when he's done jobs Grin
I'm not so sure i'd be happy with the otherside peering over fence though! Luckily it is only one side that is not over 6 foot.

MorticiaAddams · 10/02/2011 09:40

LaurieFairyCake Having neighbours beside you is fine. Having neighbours built in a quad behind you like in very modern estates is not. Some back gardens are then overlooked by about 6 houses/bedrooms/conservatories.

This is exactly how I feel. When moving, we saw houses that almost made me feel claustrophobic in the garden with the amount of windows staring down at it! We have houses behind ours but they are lower down and we have trees at the end of the garden.

We have a high fence at the house end of the garden but a lower fence further down so we can chat and be friendly to the neighbours but still have privacy.

SexyDomesticatedDab · 10/02/2011 09:43

When we moved here the sheep in the field could not over look the garden, now there's horses there and they can overlook and make some very odd noises at night sometimes.

EdgarAleNPie · 10/02/2011 09:43

i love our garden. very private, and to my mind a 6 foot fence is only a temporary thing until you can grow a 10ft hedge.

i like my neighbours, but in a front door way.

expatinscotland · 10/02/2011 09:44

Oh, noddy, you forgot about 'Wow Factor', as in, 'Wow, this show is totally contrived!'

noddyholder · 10/02/2011 09:46

And when they say 'I want that inside outside feel'Grin.Get a bloody tent then

BitOfFun · 10/02/2011 09:47

Or stand in the shower with your clothes on.

dawntigga · 10/02/2011 09:53

Didn't you know these people are fabulously good looking and so damn interesting that everyone has to stop what they are doing and gawp. There's a law that says so.

FFSTheMoreILearnAboutPeopleTheMoreIMissMyUziTiggaxx

expatinscotland · 10/02/2011 09:53

The other good ones used to be when they were also looking for a 'crash pad'. Do they still have those?

And there seem to be an insane number of people on these shows who 'work from home' for millions of pounds/year.

noddyholder · 10/02/2011 09:57

Saw one the other day were they were looking for an investment in teh city for their kids.LET THEM MAKE THEIR OWN WAY!At least initially.The children were babies Hmm

expatinscotland · 10/02/2011 09:58

FFS, noddy. That's why I think a lot of these people are stooges.

KangarooCaught · 10/02/2011 09:58

Some developments are very packed together, no front garden, a slither of a gap so they can be called detached. My SIL lives opposite her best friend and they can see into each other's bedrooms, they even been known to hold up clothes and give the thumbs up/down!

noddyholder · 10/02/2011 10:00

I know if you have a house at all that will be something for your kids.You don't need to make the next generation anymore dependant and lazy than they already are becoming!

MackerelOfFact · 10/02/2011 10:00

They also seem oddly adverse to roads. I mean, obviously nobody wants to live on a motorway, but there will be this amazing, huge period thing with heaps of land, not overlooked, all the rooms, outbuildings (they always want outbuilding), etc they need. But no, they reject it because it's on a road. Clearly only sprawling driveways will do.

noddyholder · 10/02/2011 10:01

Dp always says if there were no roads how would they get to itGrin

UnseenAcademicalMum · 10/02/2011 10:02

It's the ones where they have a budget of say 2 million and the presenters say "oh, well for that money they are going to have to realise they'll need to make some compromises in this area" that get me.

PlanetEarth · 10/02/2011 10:03

Of course these people are demanding. That's why they haven't been able to find a house by themselves and have to go on a property show...

MackerelOfFact · 10/02/2011 10:03

Precisely, noddy! I don't quite know what they expect.

expatinscotland · 10/02/2011 10:04

Even Xenia won't buy her kids a house.