Am I too snobbish if I say I don't like the outside of this maisonette?

[HolyParc]

SW London area, lovely neighbourhood and location is perfect, I just think it's looks really ugly and shabby on the outside, would I be mad to not consider it?

https://www.onthemarket.com/details/14443886/

No. It's very ugly.

The famous maxim 'form follows function' truly applies.

OP, it isn't shabby at all and the surrounding area is green and well maintained.
It is the outside aesthetic and architectural style that is bothering you, which i understand. But as a pp said, how much time will you spend outside staring at the building?

Over half a mil for a 2 bed maisonette you're not 100000% on, you'd be insane to go for it.

For goodness sake. You can buy a new front door you know.

It's not my sort of house, but I have lived in similar, in fact, same layout on first floor but ours had 3 bedrooms. Needs must. If the location is right, that counts for a lot. I think the outlook from the house is more important than the appearance of the house from the outside. I like the greenery around it, but I would worry about the shading from that beautiful but huge tree.

I wouldn't say you're "snobbish" to dislike a house worth over half a million quid OP! People like what they like.

Personally I prefer the flat you've posted compared with that conversion - for ten grand more yours has more space including an actual second bedroom (rather than a corridor with a bedroom door at the end of it), more light, better outdoor space and parking.

But, if your taste is different then there are plenty of conversions around.

I lived in Victorian properties when younger and they're shonky compared with post-war ones but they do seem to still be popular.

I'm not sniffy about 1960s/1970s properties. They generally have generous room sizes and large windows with reasonable size gardens and often a drive. Also they have cavity walls unlike pre WW2 properties so cheaper to get insulated.
Victorian properties may have nice period features, can be rather corridor like and dark at the back. Often have smaller garden and usually no driveway so there's parking issues. They are usually a money pit re energy efficiency.
I think if you look at conversion flats there could be issues with when , and how well the conversion was done and how far off it is from current building regulations.

It looks neat enough, just of a particular style that's definitely not to everybody's taste
Often get big rooms in this era though....

Well, I'd rather live in this and look out at that lawn and period properties, than live in a more expensive period property but see this out of my window!

It really is horses for courses. These properties tend to be sturdy, practical, utilitarian but quite small rooms. Period properties come with a million practical disadvantages, but better aesthetics. What do you value more highly?

And do you care if you appear snobbish when it comes to your mortgage payments?

I quite like it. Was expecting it to be much worse.

I don't think it's shabby- it looks well-maintained.

Most of us have to make some compromises with property. Flats like this tend to have good space and a good layout but are less visually appealing than a period conversion (obv subjective) so it's a question of which compromise you want to make, no right or wrong. A good period conversion with a balcony and two well-proportioned double beds would be another £100k on top.

Also, I wouldn't touch a Victorian period conversion with a bargepole. On a per-square-foot-of-useful-space basis; on a sound proofing basis; on a share of the freehold basis; on a noisy neighbours basis; on a small shared garden basis; on a high ceilings and higher heating costs basis; they're terrible. The only redeeming quality tends to be their windows, imo. Narrow corridors, narrow doorways, high ceilings; wonky floors and walls; creaking floorboard - not for me. Georgian or Edwardian, I would.

Yes, I know what you mean - they are quite appealing now in many ways. And if you buy one built in period generally on larger plots than nowadays, with larger rooms!!

I wouldn't say that the on in the OPs post looked shabby; it looks pretty well maintained to me, and certainly not as run down as some opost war mansion blocks can

I was in Chichester recently, and there's a lareg development of houses which to me definitely have a 1970's vivb about the aesthetic, and they looked far nicer, to me, than many new builds

It’s not pretty is it but is it ex local authority because if it is then it’s well built.

So much better.

A purpose built flat has a better use of space than a conversion. The layout of this is really good - how’s the storage space?

I don’t mind the outside. It’s nicely maintained. I’d buy it, if it met my other criteria: location, affordability etc

You can reject a property for any reason you like. No one will force you to buy it. If you can afford a period conversion instead and that’s your preference, then buy that!

That tree - yes it is beautiful but it is very close and very tall.
Would I buy this property ?
No for the reason of the tree .

We actually bought a house in a similar style to this, even though I wasn't in love with it (it ticked enough of all the other boxes). However I grew to really love it. It was so spacious and well designed, and reasonably low-maintenance. I think I didn't really realise how important things like that could be until I actually lived in it. Also there's lots of ways to make a place feel more homely and beautiful.

I mean, if you could find somewhere that you love the outside look of and can afford and meets all your other criteria then obviously go for that but then you wouldn't be asking about this one if you didn't need to compromise in some way I guess.

Really? That second bedroom makes me feel claustrophobic as a small office, it's certainly not a functional bedroom.

How often do you look at the outside of your home and how long do you spend inside your home ?

The inside is way more important and the general location is way more important than what the outside looks like

I would view it.
its good condition and good size lots of plus points.

the outside is IMO kinda ugly but 💯 not shabby. The communal lawns are very well maintained.

I think this bothers some people more than others. I don't care what the outside of a house looks like (and boy could you tell with the maisonette I bought in South London!) For me I loved it because it was home and it was the space and location inside I loved. My now DH is more bothered about what a house looks like. Weird to me, but y'know... people are different. 🤷‍♀️ (And he's wrong, obvs).

Not in my part of Devon that’s for sure, that wouldn’t even get you a detached house in Devon suburbia let alone acres of land. Maybe on a hilltop in Dartmoor with a nice view of the prison?

I love 60’s/70’s architecture, so I really like it. The mature landscaped setting and internal layout is really nice too. This is a period of property that has become fashionable again recently, for good reason.