Ex-council house

[Loopyteddy]

We have sold our rural 2 bed bungalow recently and are looking to move to a 3 bed house local to us but into a village.
We recently looked at a property that has been renovated in the last 2 years. The price of it means we will not be borrowing the maximum amount and can keep a little cash back from the sale of our house to make the new house our own. Basically we will be in a better financial position then if we went to the top of our budget.

This house isn't very big but the layout is great for a family with 2 small children as it has a space for a playroom that is joined on to the kitchen diner.

However it is an ex-council house and 3 different people (friends and family) have told us not to buy it because of this.
When questioned as to why, they just say they're not built great, we will have trouble selling it if we want to later on etc

Can anyone tell me is there an issue with ex-council houses that I'm not aware of? We haven't had the survey done yet but will see if that flags anything up.

Thanks is advance

Well I bought an ex LA house last year and wasn't the only buyer interested. No issues on survey. The opposite in fact as these properties are often solidly built if standard construction. Is it the area they're judging? Most council house estates are largely owner occupied these days. My house isn't particularly characterful I'd agree, but you get what you see.

We bought an ex council house as our first home. It was very well built, far more spacious then new builds and we sold it for twice what we paid for it only 4 years later. We had more than one person make an offer, so we were able to chose to accept the offer from the buyer in the strongest position.

Is the one you're looking at non standard construction?

I guess it depends on area / age but ex council houses in our area are pretty sought after because of the build quality & room sizes.

On the contrary I would say they are generally well built and very well maintained, the original interiors might not be very inspiring but definitely built to last.
Far better than most new builds.
Just be guided by your survey if I was you

They're popular family homes around here. I've got friends who live in them and I've looked at a few that are on the market. I find them to be well built and really well thought out. Housing stock near me is generally either ex council semis or back to back Victorian terraces. The terraces have the character and sometimes period features, the ex council properties have more space, bigger gardens, more built in storage, often driveways, certainly more spaced out on the streets so more parking available. So in this area they're certainly worth considering. I wonder if your friends might just be being a bit snobbish?

No it's not the area as they all live in the same village but in large detached houses.
To be honest they can't seem to understand why we don't want to borrow the maximum amount we can and stretch ourselves to pay each month just so we're not in an ex LA house.
I'm a SAHM so obviously finding a house we like which is at a much more affordable price is obviously the better financial decision.

I think they've put doubt in my mind that we would have problems further down the line and might regret buying it. Which is why I wanted to ask if there were any known issues about these types of properties?

I think the complete opposite, I've always lived in ex council houses, they are solidly built - the council want them to last and have much thicker walls than the majority of new builds and generous room sizes too. They normally have some form of storage built in and tend to come with a garden.

Your friends might be negative about living on a council estate:
I've never had any problems living on a council estate, we still have corner shops and a parade of shops which none of the newly built estates have which is super handy if you want to pop to the shop without going to a supermarket. They are likely to have other facilities such as parks and school nearby as the estates were purpose built and not addons.

In terms of neighbours, most people on my road are either elderly or young families and homes are about 50:50 bought:council tenants. I guess if you are looking at inner city areas where gang crime etc is an issue you may have more of that if more people are struggling financially.

Ex council houses in my area go for just as much as houses that weren't council. Wouldn't put me off.

Well we are moving from a detached 2 bed with largish rooms. However it is not even in a village and we cannot walk anywhere.
The village we want to move to we can walk to my sons Pre school. So it just makes sense for us.

I'm wondering whether they see it as a 'backwards' step to go from a detached to semi detached?

I'm thinking maybe it's just snobbery, given what you have all said.

If you aren't stretching yourself you can spend more on decor or going on holidays and being mortgage free sooner.

I think there can be a unwarranted
snobbishness regarding buying ex LA houses. Is that possibly the reason behind those who are trying to put you off?

My house is ex council. I've been here over 20 years and can honestly say it's very well built. I've had builders etc comment on how much better built council houses were than new builds, so my experience is previously the opposite of what you've been told.

Sounds like snobbery to me. Ex-council houses are usually built to last the councils wanted low maintenance. And decent room sizes.

It wouldn’t put me off if it’s a well gentrified area where they have all been sold off and then sold one a few times.

@Justmuddlingalong
I am now wondering if that is the case.

Although one person who has said it is actually my parent. Which has really cast doubt on our decision. However when I have tried to ask why they feel we shouldn't purchase it they are being very vague with their answers.

Thank you everybody you have helped me to see that it's probably just snobbery and not issues with the property.

Like I said we have still got to have the survey done so will just be guided by that.

I think it's more difficult to sell as semi than a detached. But if the location suits then why not

Vague reasons behind their opinion does smack of snobbery.

Yes there can be some perceived snobbery but there are many ex council properties that have been purchased over time with the right to buy.
I bought one in London and they are solidly built and frankly sell at only a smidgen less than a standard Victorian terrace etc depending upon the area. Often good garden size as well. I had absolutely no trouble selling mine in the £800k bracket. (Those that have extended into the loft and extended the back with bifolds now sell at over £980k - ex council.)

Pure snobbery.
As other posters have said most ex LA houses are well built and have massive gardens.
If you like the house ignore everyone else.

I live in an ex-council semi with three bedrooms and it's really solidly built. It became too small for two adults, two children and a big dog so we've extended. As the plot was much larger than any new builds around here we had much more scope for a large extension, and saved a fair bit towards it by not having bought at our maximum budget.

Ex LA houses are usually a decent size on a good plot of land and well built. I think the Cornish style houses have had construction issues in the past which might be what your friends are making a comment about but other than those style of houses they're usually pretty robust. It might just be a snobbery thing. It certainly wouldn't put me off buying a house, especially if its in a good location!

It's a 3 bed with a family bathroom, downstairs toilet, large lounge, new kitchen and diner and utility room plus a small room that we would use for a playroom. A large garden to the front and back and a large decking area.

We have a 3 year old and 4 month old, so I think the size will be ok for a while.

The village it's in, people tend to stick around for years so when a property does come up they are quite sought after.

I was really excited about it, so I will go back to feeling like that again!

It sounds great. Yes you go back to being really excited about it as it seems absolutely ideal for what you want and in a good location.
If you don't snap it up somebody else surely will with all that space.