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Original poster

Would you buy house with overlooked garden?

63 replies

Ozster · 03/04/2021 20:50

I have viewed a lovely house and will live in it for 10 years plus.

It has a nice big garden which is not overlooked at the back BUT...

On the left hand side there are houses on the next road over /around the bend and they directly overlook. Their gardens are small so the distance isn't that much.

The fence is quite high so they can't see into 'our' garden unless they are in their upstairs bedroom.

Would this put you off buying? The house is at the top end of our budget.

Should we offer below asking price stating this as a reason?

The house is great except for this. However I want to be able to sell in the future

Thank you

OP posts:

crimsonlake · 04/04/2021 19:05

Your best bet is a bungalow if you do not want to be overlooked in the back.

Mn753 · 04/04/2021 19:11

I wanted at least one area that wasn't at all overlooked, I would choose a smaller private garden than a bigger overlooked one but each to their own.

ChocolateHoneycomb · 05/04/2021 08:00

We live in suburbia - everyone has overlooked gardens. It is fine!

Bluntness100 · 05/04/2021 08:03

Are you just looking for a reason to ask for a reduction and this is all you could come up with?

You don’t need to give a reason. Make your offer, say that’s what it’s worth to you. They will say yes or no. But you don’t need to come up with reasons.

Jobsharenightmare · 05/04/2021 08:03

I wouldn't no buy it personally and having money off won't really make that much difference I think; someone will buy it off you who doesn't care. I would always prioritise a private garden over some other aspects when house hunting but as you can see here others aren't bothered.

lboogy · 05/04/2021 08:10

I can't see how any garden can avoid being overlooked unless ithe house is on acres of land. I'm detached but no one other than a park at the end of the garden. On either side the neighbour can see us if we stood at the bottom of the garden. It's cheeky asking for a price reduction

Lampan · 05/04/2021 08:13

Mine is very overlooked by neighbours on both sides and several shared houses at the back. They are very close but it doesn’t bother me at all. My garden is still very sunny (which is the main thing to me). It’s pretty standard if you want to live somewhere close to amenities.
I don’t think it’s a reason to ask for a reduction off the price cos it’s obvious from the outset. IMO asking for a reduction is for stuff like the survey telling you it needs a new roof or rewiring etc.

MattyGroves · 05/04/2021 08:15

I wouldn't even think about it, but we live in London, don't think anyone other than the Queen lives here and isn't overlooked.

The talk on mumsnet generally about needing privacy in the garden makes me wonder what people get up to in their garden! I don't really care who watches us sit and drink Pimms or the kids run around

bishbashbosh99 · 05/04/2021 08:24

Wait, what?

RoseMartha · 05/04/2021 08:46

In my old house the gardens which were small were over looked by at least 20 houses. I did feel like I was in a goldfish bowl. A few houses only would be a bonus.

What is the situation with the garden in your home now?

Because of a change in my circumstances we currently live in a flat which is in a much more open area.

whenwillthemadnessend · 05/04/2021 08:49

My old house was ok. We had neighbours all around but lots of young families. All lovely but the noise from trampolines. Kids shouting etc could be really annoying. Just playing but now mine are teens I want a peaceful life. Things and circumstances change.

In our budget we saw a range of houses some very over looked ie sloping gardens with other house towering over you or with neighbours but with the use of clever trees planting fencing etc felt very private.

Corner plots can be great.

One house had a lot of housing butted up against it but they were all retired people
Bungalows so I could have lived with that.

The ones that were very overlooked were a massive no.

In the end we found a fab house with huge fences. The previous owner had them shipped in from Australia. They are bloody amazing and I love love my garden now.

It all boils down to budget and what's more important to you. Moving cost a lot so it needs to be right.

Icenii · 05/04/2021 08:51

I just can't stand the noise. I'm an introvert and feel I can't relax with other people in their garden, and I like my neighbours very much.

We're here for at least another 5 years. We'll be downsizing the house and up sizing our garden next house. So while it didn't matter as much when we bought this house, it will be for our next.

mummabubs · 05/04/2021 09:06

I personally wouldn't cite it as a reason to reduce your offer for the reason others have said in that it's not like that's a unique down point to that property compared to 99% of other houses! To be honest if our buyers had said they wanted a reduction based on that we'd have raised our eyebrows a bit and wondered if they were then going to be difficult over other things as the sale progressed.

In terms of whether it would be a deal-breaker I guess for me it depends how overlooked it would be in reality- ie just by a couple of houses and whether all of the garden is visible. We're buying a house that backs onto woodland but the two houses either side will have some view into our garden (as expected), which we don't mind at all. By contrast we're currently on a new build development where all the houses are 3 storeys high and all gardens back onto eachother so our small garden is directly overlooked by 8-10 houses, which I don't particularly like.

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