Am I being a snob?

[fireflyzer]

Hi,

We are looking to relocate to due to work commitments etc. We are looking at properties that we can afford in the new area that we will be moving to. DH has found an ex council house that is well within our budget. DH's thinks that we need to think of this house as a serious contender due to the following -

solid built
big rooms
fully removated - nice kitchen and bathroom etc
Large garden
Private driveway

I have never considered living in an ex local authority property. The estate looks nice and we think that most of it has been privately bought.

Am I being a snob for not being sure if this is good enough?

I understand your thought, but lots of private houses are rented now, so it’s really no different.

Yes you are being a snob

You are being a bit of a snob, you're also really limiting yourself. As you've seen some ex authority houses are very good purchases, they are often very well built, big rooms, good garden space, built in storage.

Yes

Yes you sound a bit snobby... ex council houses are brilliant buys and get snapped up immediately where I am.

Yes

Ours is ex local authority, 1950s. Much better quality build than new builds, good sized rooms and was already extended. Ours were built for MoD keyworkers- they used to actually build social housing for all sorts of reasons because it was good for society, and housing was in short supply.

I rented a privately bought ex-council estate. It was a truly lovely estate. Don't rule it out.

Older council housing stock is often excellent. I’d spend a couple of days in the area and wander about the estate at different times of day to get a feel for it (which I’d do with any house).

Yes

He is right they are usually very well built and often have larger gardens. Yes you are being a snob.

To be honest OP I haven't heard the term "ex local authority" house for a very, very long time. These days they are just houses like any other as most of them were privately bought years ago.

They are usually much more bang for your buck as well with driveways, big gardens, solid brick built etc. You are being old fashioned and short sighted.

New build houses go through no real quality control in comparison to old council houses. You're husband is absolutely right. Many of these areas were bought privately and since sold on. Many of the areas go through a gentrification making them desirable. Often in very convenient areas too. Get your offer in.

Why would being ex council automatically rule it out? if it is a good house, it is a good house - and it sounds like an excellent house!

Hard no

Are you worried there might still be poor people nearby?

I’m not even sure it’s snobbery tbh.

Is the reason purely because it used to be social housing? If so what are you worried about? That people may think that you are poor?

Council houses were built for purpose and they were very well made and solid.

in contrast you can buy a new build and have no end of problems and postage stamp sized garden.

I wouldn’t rule it out just for being council, but I would look at all the options too. I’ve bought a house before when I was 100% sure and was never really happy there. So check all your options, and look really seriously at this house and imagine living there

Yes, YABU.
If the house is perfect and has potential, buy it. The house will have been maintained, probably have an up to date boiler, be solidly built etc.

If the house otherwise suits your needs and you like the area, then yes it is snobbish for reasons outlined above

It won't have been a council house for 30-40 years!

Have you really only ever lived in new builds or very old houses?

You can tell if an estate is mostly owned if all the windows/ doors are different.

We live on a 1930s ex-council home. It’s great, better value than many other homes. We have good sized rooms, a good garden, solid construction (even block internal walls so very little noise transfer). It has had three owners; the lady who first lived in it and bought it through the right to buy scheme, the second owners who bought it when she died and raised there family here, and now us. It’s grown with the owners and is a wonderful family home.

We bought an ex-council house - its not on an 'estate' as our area has had new roads etc built over the past 50 years so lots of the roads look completely different.
We also looked at new builds and older private built houses and

• new builds in our prices range were flimsy, parking was awful as weird windy roads, no storage, small rooms. were marketed as 4 beds but 1 of the beds was downstairs and then just an open plan kitchen/lounge etc, tiny garden and the latest estate built in our town is by the river on an area that has been known to flood (measures put in place but you never know!)
• older private built houses - way more expensive due to streets they were in but only 1 bath room and a downstairs toilet for a 4 bed etc
• ex-council - we found one that had been extended, large garden, 2 full bathrooms, massive modern conservatory, study, etc.

My sister’s first flat was ex-local authority in London. She made a fortune on it and moved to a new build in a very swanky postcode. Now has a house worth about £1.6m in a lovely zone 2 suburb.

All before she was 40.

I imagine that if she’d waited until she could afford something not ex-LA she’d still be renting.