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/

I don't think the outside matters much. It's worse for those across the road who have to look at it. Once you're inside it's of no importance.

I get you Op!
These sorts of houses make my heart sing though!

[[https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/145681322#/?channel=RES_BUY%0A%0Awww.rightmove.co.uk/properties/143982647%23/?channel=RES_BUY www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/145681322#/?channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/143982647#/?channel=RES_BUY]]

I love the two bed terraced house a pp posted, it’s so pretty! To me how a house looks is really important so I would discount the flat, I know practical has its advantages but a home needs to provide more than that for me, walking up that little path I would find it very pleasing indeed.

Maple Road is gorgeous and (even for Surbiton) is so visually lovely, with the trees etc. I personally like that it’s a mix of this kind of block of flats, the period terrace conversions and the fancy big houses. So when you come off the flat you’re not surrounded exclusively by other properties of this type - makes a big difference to the overall vibe / appearance I think.

and there are practical advantages of a flat like this compared to a period conversion. We lived in a flat similar to this on the other side of Surbiton for a while, and absolutely loved it.

One of the best houses I owned had an awful 1950s exterior. But it was fabulous inside - the previous owners worked in film design and had made it look great. I made 25% in two years and only had it repainted! So the buyers didn't care what it looked like either!

I lived in a similar flat, theyre quite common here. The rooms are a great size, with straight walls unlike my house now where we have small rooms and have do all sorts of inventive shit to put a book case or hang a picture.

I wouldn't discount it but if you don't like it you don't like it. Not snobbish just preference.

@Devonisheaven the 2 bed cottage linked above is unfortunately in a terrible location right next to the highway, marked as Surbiton on RM but miles away from the property I linked and in a very un-desirable location. Which explains the difference in price vs property type :(

Oh that’s a shame! I was hoping the poster had found you a hidden gem. I’ve lived in practical properties and you can certainly make them nice and comfortable and easy to run and maintain which can also make your lifestyle so much easier and cheaper when you don’t have to worry about high heating bills and expensive maintenance, maybe try and reframe the flat in your head as to the lifestyle it could provide you rather than the aesthetics it lacks?

Our house doesn't have good kerb appeal. But the rooms are huge compared to similar priced houses, and we have a big garden.

there are always compromises with houses. I can't see the outside when I'm in my house, so I don't care!

I think the exterior is really nice. It looks mid century.

The grounds are lovely, the interior looks great, lovely kitchen, and a little outdoor deck.

To me it depends on what other choices you have. If there is a house that ticks all of the boxes, then it'd make sense to to forget about this one. However if you are going to have to make a compromise, perhaps it's better to compromise on that feature than on others?

Ps. After all, it's like a bad haircut, you are not the one looking at it ;)

Yes indeed!
Good design only gets better as the years go on.

Soulless it might be but Maple Road is highly desirable. The school on the same road is very highly regarded.

I agree with this. I would definitely prioritise what it's like inside
If it means paying an extra 50k just for a nicer looking outside or a smaller and less attractive interior I would always choose the one with the less so called kerb appeal.

@HolyParc it's also on a very lovely road- I think it's a decent buy- and I'm I a right snob when it comes to houses!!

I used to live in a flat in Windsor that must have been built by the same developers as that one, because it was identical inside and out. The fairly bland outside never bothered me and I liked sitting out on the balcony looking at the lovely maintained communal gardens that took no effort from me! The interior was really well sized and laid out. Although a period conversion has a bit more kerb appeal at first, every one I’ve viewed has always been weirdly laid out and impractical with wasted space, because the building wasn’t originally designed to be used that way.

Tidy well kept flat with a better spec and quality of build than most period conversions. Given it's a block of flats I wouldn't be bothered. No block of flats ever looks nice!

You don't have to look at it once you're inside though, in fact from the windows you can see the rather lovely buildings opposite.

I had an uncle ex council house but it had lovely spacious rooms and was well laid out. All the prettier houses in my budget were way smaller. We stayed there 14 years in spite of its ugliness.

I have made this mistake. I bought a house in a decent area but wanted a nice looking one and paid a premium for it. My friends who have bought in slightly less nice areas nearby (and for far far less money), have houses that actually look quite similar to that but have large spacious rooms and much more space than I've got in mine. I wish I'd been less sniffy about it if I'm honest. The interior is really nice and that is what you'll be looking at. If it ticks all the boxes 🤷🏻‍♀️

Yes that was my thought too, council flat. Which i know in some areas is perfectly ok but, when your abiding experience of council estates is where your rough relatives lived and the rioting in East Lancs in the 90's which made the national headlines then it's a no from me.

The patio doors in the flat look out onto a balcony with a bamboo screen, but there are no balconies in the outside photos of the building 🧐

If you’re after a period conversation flat then this one is likely to be too big a compromise.

The balcony is at the back. The pictures look like they're just looking at the fronts

I have lived in both an ugly on the outside house and a pretty one. In all honesty it did make a difference to me. Just seeing the outside of the old house when I was coming home from work depressed me. It wasn't a great house so I'm sure that didn't help but I still love coming home now and putting my key in the door!

For that amount of money, if you're so unsure you're posting about it, I wouldn't buy it. Wait for something that makes you feel happy when you see it.