Semi or detached?!

[KateGrey]

We’ve put in a 500k offer (had it accepted) on a detached house locally. Needs about 20k worth of work. It’s on an estate (nothing wrong with that) but we currently live non estate. It’s not my ideal location but another house has come on in a nicer location but it is a semi. Needs everything doing to it and still has a big garden. But it’s on for 450k. I don’t know if I’m just having a wobble. Obviously detached is better (I think) but I’m now unsure. Agent won’t let us view as he says he’d have to tell person whose house we’ve had an offer accepted on. I should say neither area is awful. Town itself is nice so is more about prefer over anything else.

I think I’d knock on the door of the semi and explain the position to them. Unless the owner has died of course.

It really depends if you think the semi will be worth the investment of the work because it’s in a better location. Around here detached on an estate isn’t always better. Established premier roads and older semis are often preferred. If you could get a peek then it might crystallise your thinking about what to do. I would feel sorry for your vendors though.

When was the semi built?
How sensitive are you to noise?
What can you find out about the residents of the other half of the semi?

I don't think I would ever buy a new-build semi - the noise transfer is far too high. I'd consider an older semi (pre-WWII) so long as the other half were nice-seeming owner-occupiers who didn't seem likely to need to move any time soon (not so young as to still be procreating, not so old as to be likely to die or need a retirement home in the next few years) and didn't seem particularly mad wtr things like parking, hedges and small yappy dogs that might cause neighbour issues.

Generally a detached property is going to be better by most measures though.

It’s an older semi. We’re currently in a terrace used to noise. That’s said we have a professional couple one side and an older man the other. The semi is probably in a better area and has a better value. We’re paying ceiling price for the detached as there’s nothing else on that fits the bill.

Having lived in a terrace house with good and bad neighbours then a semi, with good neighbours then bad ones, I would opt for a detached every time. We've now moved to a detached and it is blissful. Worth every penny.

We were looking for a detached house, so we thought, but ended up in an Edwardian semi because we fell in love with the house which is a real one-off. No regrets.

I’d go for detached every time!

It's not really a detached v semi is it?

It's detached on an estate v non-estate semi isn't it? I wouldn't live on an estate again (think there's much less privacy than non-estate and plot sizes are generally smaller). So yes, you might occasionally hear noise through the wall of a semi (depends on layout) but garden noise etc will travel on an estate.

It probably is more estate v non estate. We’ve not lived on an estate before. It’s quite a big one. It’s 1500 sq ft for the detached and similar for the semi. I suppose the location is the part that is making me a bit edgy. No real reason outside of that. We can noway afford a detached in a location we’d really like we’d have to compromise which we are prepared to do.

Detached without any hesitation at all.

I live in a semi and it’s a real worry when someone moves as to what kind of neighbour will end up there.

Not to mention noise - you can hear other people’s noise in a semi.

Yes, go for the detached and don’t look back.

Good luck

I would pick a detached over semi everytime.
But really you have to go with your heart on what you want.

I would go for the location you like.

There's a reason why the show is called Location Location Location . If the house isn't in a good location, it makes no difference in my view whether it's detached or semi.

We had a similar choice and went for the semi because of the location. I'm not a fan if estates.

Tricky - I'm in a semi and our neighbours are nightmares so I long for a detached.

But I love the period features in our Victorian semi and the location is great so I'd find it hard to move to a location I didn't like as much, even though I'd love the peace and freedom.

Each of your options has a compromise, so your challenge is to work out which aspect you're most happy to compromise on.

Semis really do require good relationships with the wall sharing neighbour.

Period semi rather than modern detached in a heartbeat!

I would go for the semi detached in the nicer area.

Location trumps semi/ detached eveytime

There are horrible detached houses, beautiful semi-detached houses, and vice versa. I'd judge each on its merits I wouldn't automatically think detached is better than semi-detached.

Having lived in two semis - one 1930s the other 1960s - I would choose detached every time.

Until you move into a semi you have no idea how thin or thick the party wall is and how the sounds of your neighbours will affect your life.

Both of ours were bad. The 1930s was the worst though. We could hear the neighbours gently singing lullabys to their baby, the walls were that thin.

In the 1960s the swearing and stamping when the football was on TV made it seem like the neighbours were in the same room as us.

Just normal families doing normal stuff. But it can really get on your nerves after a while.

Semis are a gamble. You may get lovely, quiet neighbours or the shouty family from hell.

If you’re lucky enough to afford a detached house in a workable location, grab it with both hands.