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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask would you buy a fab house in a crap area?

166 replies

BebeRainbow · 22/09/2018 23:08

Or would you rather buy an average house in a naice area ? Just looking for the General consensus really

Looking at moving house, as ours is too small and I don’t like the area, it really is a shit hole. if we move to a better area we won’t get much at all for our money

But in areas that are ... less nice (but probably slightly better than where we are) you can get something pretty special fairly affordably.

We are in the midlands

OP posts:
missperegrinespeculiar · 23/09/2018 15:00

we have gone for a compromise, not the poshest area in our city, but a nice, inner city suburb which has been described as an "hidden gem", so this hints to possible gentrification, we picked this area because even though it is not trendy as others around it, it has good public transport, a nice library and a shopping centre we can walk to in 5 minutes. It has also been recently re-zoned for the bet two public high-schools in the city, and the real estate agent that sold us the house did not know this...

KatieKittens · 23/09/2018 16:16

So you are actually asking if you should buy a house in a ‘desirable’ area where you won’t get much for your money, or buy a fab house in a ‘less desirable’ but not ‘crap’ area?

Decide based on quality of life for your family and what amenities the areas can offer.

On location location location, Kirsty and Phill show people houses in areas where they can get more for their money. Often their heads are turned! The ‘worst house on the best street’ advice is no use if the property is too small for you.

Sounds like you are in a good position anyway as you are able to afford to move to a better area regardless, the decision is about whether or not you will compromise on space or postcode.

Personally I would move to the less desirable area if it suited my families needs.

flirtygirl · 23/09/2018 16:22

I didn't choose the naice area as 1) couldn't afford it and 2) the crime stats were not actually as good as the house prices lead you to believe.

I chose a low crime area in the suburbs with a mix of demographics, good solid houses and nice gardens, I was looking at 3 parts of the same area and all had lovely houses in lovely streets.

I ended up with a decent size house in one of the better postcodes in the area. Not the best area on paper but in person, it trumps so many of the more desirable areas which I had started off with viewing.

I'm happy the whole process took so long as it meant I had to keep looking and re-evaluating the areas I had picked first. These were next to naice areas but I'm actually happy I didn't get anything, as the area I have chosen suits my lifestyle better.

This area is often overlooked as it is mixed and so many want more white areas. I think naice is sometimes code for white and middle class but there are so many good areas with mixed demographics which are equally as safe. And as I found with burglaries and car crime, some are actually safer than the naice ones.

Camomila · 23/09/2018 16:24

Rubbish house in a nice area! You can do a lot more to fix the house than the area.

Plus if you have DC you'd want to think about the schools and if its safe for them to go to the playground by themselves etc.
Unfairly, public services also tend to be better in richer areas (maybe because of more council tax?)

Jackietheduck · 23/09/2018 16:28

Schools will play a big factor too if you have school age children? It would probably be my main priority tbh.

whatshappenednow · 23/09/2018 16:32

My last house was the smallest in a fantastic area. Not the “worst” as it was a pretty cottage, but certainly the cheapest. Crucially there is no new building In the area as it is an area of outstanding beauty and mountainous anyway!

We improved, extended, sorted out the inside which was a weird combination of rooms and although still the smallest it was really sought after. When I had to sell (moved for schools) it went to auction and made over double what I had paid and spent.

Location every time.

ChiaraRimini · 23/09/2018 19:36

We chose location based on where the good schools were as we had small DC. Since then many people from London have followed in our footsteps. My BIL and wife chose to live in a dicey area with bad schools and it's definitely affected their kids life choices in a bad way as their aspirations were set low along with their peer group. I know this will not be a popular point of view...

Pebblesandfriends · 23/09/2018 19:40

Area every time. We made the mistake of going for house once.....an expensive mistake, we only broke even on the house and had to fork out for the cost of moving in the process. Now much happier in average house in nice area.

Lookingforadvice123 · 23/09/2018 19:47

Nope, worst house on the best street, location location location etc. My house is lovely now but needed some serious modernisation when we bought it 15 months ago. It's in a naice area and I never regretted it for a second, even when we moved in to black mortar dust everywhere and holes in the walls after a rewire!

Mrsharper88 · 23/09/2018 20:29

How do you define what a "nice" or "desirable" area is?

EvenTheQueenShits · 23/09/2018 21:10

It’s the Op. I fancied a name change 😆 Yep I wouldn’t live anywhere unsafe

Our area is a council estate and has a really bad rep but in reality actually it is a lovely little community, dc and I have lots of friends and support. and there is next to no crime. The crime tends to happen in the posher areas surrounding. The schools are pretty good too ( I have 3 dc and they’re all doing fairly ok academically)

I wouldn’t live in an unsafe area and this area isn’t unsafe. It’s fairly quiet as well as most people have families

Thanks everyone for all the advice x

EvenTheQueenShits · 23/09/2018 21:11

how do you define what a nice or desirable area is

Seemingly by the high house prices 😆😩

foodiefil · 23/09/2018 21:13

In my dream house in the wrong town. Love the house. Not in love with the town. My eye is always on the move but I love my house.

reallyanotherone · 23/09/2018 21:14

I bought a house in a fairly shitty area with a terrible reputatation.

It was what i needed, transport wise, facilities wise, and budget wise.

15 years later the area had been through “up and coming” and into desirable. I sold the house for 6 times what i paid for it.

NotMeNoNo · 23/09/2018 21:44

To clarify, I think we compromised on a good enough house in good enough area and it's turned out to work. There's enough space, it's not crime central. If we'd lived in the nearby naice area (I cannot get Schmest Shmidgford out of my head) we'd have had a tiny cramped semi miles from school, or a dated 80s box. And I don't think it would have been worth it for the postcode.

TheSageofOnions · 23/09/2018 22:11

Area first, house second.

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