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Original poster

Would you live in an ex-council house if it meant being mortgage free?

89 replies

huffpuff75 · 10/01/2013 20:35

Just wondering what other people's perspective is on this. Basically my question is as above, ex-council house on a small estate in a desirable (to us anyway) rural village, with very good primary school nearby, good but not outstanding secondary, large garden, much larger house than we would get for the same money in non ex LA properties. There are a handful of properties fitting that description available in our two target villages, some we'd be completely mortgage free, others would require a small mortgage. Thanks for reading!

OP posts:
PureQuintessence · 10/01/2013 22:16

Goodwordguide Sounds like you describe our neighbourhood. Grin The development has a war related nick name due to the types of people who first moved in, and the nearby hospitals specialty.

McNo · 10/01/2013 22:19

We also live in ex council house, lovely neighbours who have all purchased their properties. Bigger bedrooms and a big kitchen compared to new build properties in the area.

It works for us Grin

Goodwordguide · 10/01/2013 22:23

Not quite - I think from your other posts that you're a bit further west than us - we're on the estate of an old house and have that name (though we are also very close to the hospital that I think we both mean!).

We are about to move though as our small ex-council house is just a bit too small for us but we do love it here!

PureQuintessence · 10/01/2013 22:24

That place further west was a rented property while waiting for our tenants contracts to expire.... We would seem to be neighbours! Grin

2kidsintow · 10/01/2013 22:25

We do.
And we are.

Original poster
huffpuff75 · 10/01/2013 22:26

THanks everyone - we wouldn't be in the middle of mansions, but would be in a beautiful rural area with great countryside to explore. Many of the other houses we can afford have pretty small or non-existent gardens so the extra outside space is really important. We've had appalling neighbours in other houses we've lived in including this one on one side , so you run that risk wherever you move.

OP posts:
Jojay · 10/01/2013 22:26

Do it, we did Grin

Not quite mortgage free sadly but we've never regretted buying this house.

Goodwordguide · 10/01/2013 22:33

We're on DHR in SW15 - I thought you were ES or B?

Excuse hijack as I pin down quint - we are moving soon so you won't bump into me (I'm sure I don't know anyone who lived near the Arctic circle in RL!)

TheFallenNinja · 10/01/2013 22:36

If you don't want to. I willSmile

PureQuintessence · 10/01/2013 22:39

See, that is where we are too! Smile

We rented short term in B (just a week when we returned from Norway), then a year lease in ES, before returning home to SW15.

Would not live in any other area.

Are you going far?

PootlePosyPerkin · 10/01/2013 22:43

Yes - in a heartbeat! My DDad always insisted that Council houses were built to higher specifications than those intended for private sale. Not sure about that, but they certainly have larger rooms and gardens! Round here anyway.

I wouldn't think twice about buying ex-LA in a nice village (in fact we have) Grin.

munchkinmaster · 10/01/2013 22:45

We live in ex council in a fab area. Huge flat but are aware that it won't appreciate in the same way the other flats on the street will.

Your potential house sounds nice.

Goodwordguide · 10/01/2013 22:49

Yes, to Suffolk, where DH is from (outing myself here) - it's amazing what you can swap a London ex-council house for Wink plus I really couldn't face going through the secondary schools hassle of SW15.

I'm on loads of the property threads, agonising over buying a big old house with big old problems.... Will definitely miss our small comfortable, well-built 1920s semi.

PureQuintessence · 10/01/2013 23:04

Not that far then! Grin I dont know anybody from Suffolk, and you dont know anybody from the Arctic, shame!

ouryve · 11/01/2013 10:17

As long as the area is good. Our house is ex National Coal Board - lots of land (all of these houses were built with decent South facing gardens so their tenants could grow their own veg), decent sized rooms and cheap mortgage which is almost paid off after 9 years. We looked at a couple of 1930s ex council houses when we looked for this one and the rooms were a really good size in one of them - we just decided against it because there was ongoing demolition and re-building work nearby and I was expecting DS1 and didn't think I could cope with the disruption.

You couldn't pay me to live on the estate I walk through to take the boys to school, though. Too much joy riding.

ouryve · 11/01/2013 10:25

Not all of them, Pootle! My dad helped my sis and BIL build a loft extension in theirs. Their street was built on a shoestring in the 50s. The ceilings turned out to be a patchwork of different grades of plasterboard and the "solid" upstairs wall was just breezeblocks built straight onto unsupported floorboardsShock

Trills · 11/01/2013 10:27

How is an ex council house different to any other house? Confused

IrnBruTheNoo · 11/01/2013 10:31

You'll find it a struggle getting a detached ex LA house, tbh... But you can find plenty semi-detached or terraced housing available! We live in an ex LA house and it's huge and we don't have large mortgage - plenty disposable income to do with as we please, compared to buying a new build.

Ours has lots of storage space, and the bedrooms are all large.

DomesticCEO · 11/01/2013 10:34

Trills, it's not about the house and its about the estate it's on surely?

DomesticCEO · 11/01/2013 10:35

Sorry, stray "and" in there!

MaryPoppinsBag · 11/01/2013 10:50

Yes I would (and do).
The area probably isn't right for some - ex mining town, with some deprivation.
We live on a main road On the edge of the estate with mixed semis and detached. But i would live on the actual estate because it is full of hard working people, probably because the houses are mainly owner occupied. Our road is one of the most sort after in our town) it is near to family with beautiful countryside on our doorstep. With great transport links.

The schools in my town are all Good or Outstanding. And the Academy has been graded as good with Outstanding Management.

We have a big house and large garden, even with a conservatory on. Parking for two cars and a garage / utility.

I would love a more rural location but I am quite happy with our £72k mortgage.

MadBusLady · 11/01/2013 10:51

I find most 1930s-1950s council houses quite beautiful. In some old pictures you can see them with the original crittal windows, which are lovely. They are just updated English vernacular cottages really. I truly think they will become a highly prized and desirable part of building history in another 50-100 years or so. Think of rows of sixteenth-to-eighteenth century terraced beamed cottages you find in the centres of many old villages - again, just solidly built dwellings for working people.

IrnBruTheNoo · 11/01/2013 10:55

"How is an ex council house different to any other house? "

They tend to have larger bedrooms, more cupboard space. Well thought out, compared to new builds (well, the ones I've seen so far!).

ethelb · 11/01/2013 11:00

yes. Ex council houses are often a lot bigger (bigger rooms anyway) than non-council new builds. Plus the rent you can get on them is no less than a different home ( I rent).

IrnBruTheNoo · 11/01/2013 11:01

If we'd went for the same size of house but in the style of new build, we would be talking somewhere in the region of £250,000. Way out of our price league!

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