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Is it true Victorian houses are higher price & if so why?

84 replies

Ruralbliss · 19/11/2021 16:06

We went to view a nice house yesterday but it's considerably higher asking price than it's larger, well insulated, multi bathrooms modern counterparts.

A quick chat with the agent tells me this is definitely the case despite rooms being smaller, lower energy efficiency rating etc no garage.

I'm thinking of making an offer despite it meaning I'd have to get rid of loads of large pieces of furniture and belongings as like the location and garden

Just wondering if Mumsnet property board people have a view. Don't want to find out via a survey that it's priced more than current value.

OP posts:
SilverGlassHare · 21/11/2021 09:02

I was brought up in a large 3 bed Victorian terrace. I say large as most of the rooms were big, with high ceilings. It had a lot of the original features like crown moulding and ceiling roses, tiled hallway, fireplace etc. However - the kitchen was small and poky, the front and back gardens/yard were small, it was damp and had woodlice and slugs and silverfish. It was quite solid in some ways (thicker walls than a new build, floorboards didn’t creak etc) but when I was a teen, the outside layer of bricks of the front wall started leaning outwards, and we had to have the entire skin taken off and rebuilt. Admittedly, it wasn’t a gracious 19th century villa - it was cheap-ish northern terrace on a main road - but it put me off period properties.

We now live in a 4 bed house built in the late 1990s. It has a drive that fits 3 cars comfortably, largish front and back gardens, no damp, no insects, no structural issues (so far, touch wood!). Yes, the ceilings are lower, and the rooms are smaller (though there are more of them - we have a generous kitchen/diner/family room, a study, a playroom and a sitting room downstairs as well as more bedrooms and bathrooms) and there aren’t any period features (though there is a working fireplace, not that we use it because of particulates). We’re on the outskirts of town, walking distance from the centre but without any passing traffic.

I do get that I’m not comparing like with like - the house I grew up in would sell for about a quarter or less than our current house. But it’s hard to get the image of the slug trails out of my head when I think of period properties.

Looking at rightmove just now for our small town, house built in the last 50 years are generally on for more than the older houses, but there’s also a lot more of the newer homes for sale, so it’s hard to compare. There’s several 4 bedroom homes for sale built since 1970, but nothing older of that size.

SilverGlassHare · 21/11/2021 09:06

What I’d really like is a newish home built in the style of a Victorian or Georgian property, but with all modern conveniences like en-suite and utility and driveway (yes yes, lots of mumsnetters hate an en-suite but I love ours, probably a holdover from growing up in a house with only one toilet and a father who liked to spend 30 minutes in there doing a shit while the rest of us had to wait).

zafferana · 21/11/2021 09:10

There are A LOT of people who think all modern houses are soulless and ugly and would never buy anything but an old house with 'character and period features'.

I grew up in a Victorian house. It was very spacious and yes, it had high ceilings, which meant it too bloody ages for the rooms to get warm. It was also draughty, with several outside doors, single glazed sash windows (look lovely, but are bloody freezing), no insulation in the attic, rising damp and a huge family bathroom (no en suites), that was like an icebox. Give me a lovely modern house with super insulation and underfloor heating any day, although there are a lot of poky, poorly built modern houses too - those are to be avoided.

Matildatoldsuchdreadfullies · 21/11/2021 09:32

It varies. When we bought our (money pit) Victorian house, our surveyor told us not to touch it with a barge pole, and buy a nice, new build instead.

We pointed out that for the same price we were getting 5 double bedrooms, a huge kitchen diner, 2 good sized reception rooms and decent sized gardens, and as a bonus, a very large garage - whilst the new build had 2.5 bedrooms (all poky), tiny kitchen, pocket handkerchief back garden and small garage. Admittedly our house was (a) falling to pieces, and (b) terraced, when the new build was detached and… well, new.

Prices depend on so many factors.

Annabelle69 · 21/11/2021 09:41

I'm laying in bed reading this and staring up at my spacious 8ft (plus a bit) high ceilings and comparing how I feel visiting modern houses I.e. claustrophobic and hemmed in. When I visit newer houses there's no soul, I'd always pay more for a Victorian.

EarringsandLipstick · 21/11/2021 09:46

@Furzebush

I'm pretty sure I know where you live from your description. Two of my DC have a sports activity in that area once a week & I wander happily around admiring the lovely houses. Some are fab. Some look so run down.

A friend had a modest ex-Corpo house there once & it was just lovely inside, they'd really made the most of it & they had a fab long back garden. Then they moved to a 'better' period red brick that had been renovated before they moved in. All character was stripped out. A strange kitchen extension added on. Not my house but I hated it & genuinely mourned their previous house that I loved so much!

Furzebush · 21/11/2021 09:51

[quote EarringsandLipstick]@Furzebush

I'm pretty sure I know where you live from your description. Two of my DC have a sports activity in that area once a week & I wander happily around admiring the lovely houses. Some are fab. Some look so run down.

A friend had a modest ex-Corpo house there once & it was just lovely inside, they'd really made the most of it & they had a fab long back garden. Then they moved to a 'better' period red brick that had been renovated before they moved in. All character was stripped out. A strange kitchen extension added on. Not my house but I hated it & genuinely mourned their previous house that I loved so much! [/quote]
I’d say drop by for coffee, only you’d be sitting on a crate under a bare bulb, listening to Shite Taste Builder FM. Grin

And don’t start me on the mice.

(I wonder if you’re right about location! I didn’t think I was being that explicit!)

Bluntness100 · 21/11/2021 10:04

@Annabelle69

I'm laying in bed reading this and staring up at my spacious 8ft (plus a bit) high ceilings and comparing how I feel visiting modern houses I.e. claustrophobic and hemmed in. When I visit newer houses there's no soul, I'd always pay more for a Victorian.
I don’t feel like that. I live in an old listed building, the ceilings are very high, about twelve foot, and the rooms large, but one of my closest friends is in a new build. It’s absolutely lovely inside.

Yes it’s different, yes the rooms are small and the ceilings normal height bit I certainly never feel claustrophobic or hemmed in when I stay there.

It is a bit souless from the outside, typical new build but it’s not ugly and she’s in it, not standing outside looking at it.

Where as another friends house was built in the sixties, it’s massive but honestly I don’t think it’s that nice. Id have to completely gut it and move the rooms around, the layout is shocking, the new build by comparison is well designed and flows.

Ultimately I prefer character properties over a new build, but my last house was a new build. The house before that late Victorian, the house before that early Victorian and the house before that built in the eighties.

I don’t really have a snobbery, and take each house on its merit and what works for me, in budget, at that time in my life.

Ruralbliss · 21/11/2021 10:14

Thanks all. So much useful intel and opinions here. Very grateful.

It all boils down to taste and location.

I've lived in modern, Victorian villas and terraces plus 1960s bespoke detached.
All have their pros and cons and I suspect from reading this thread the agents view of period commanding a premium is incorrect but the house having huge garden, gorgeous location, modernised but yet charming and beautifully decorated means it's (estimated) value is more than the 1980s boxes down the road.

This thread has made me really consider what I like in a property and at the moment it is location, affordability, space to park three cars, insulation, nice garden and internal storage space over coving and original floor tiles.

OP posts:
Bluntness100 · 21/11/2021 10:19

I suspect from reading this thread the agents view of period commanding a premium is incorrect

Um what? Nearly every comment is telling you they do.

Confused
user0176 · 21/11/2021 10:41

I think it depends on the area. Where I'm from there is an abundance of Victorian homes and not many modern homes, as such the Victorian homes are very affordable (and not overly coveted, as such, not always maintained very well). You could easily pick up a 6 bed 3 floored Victorian town house for £150-£200k depending on condition, but a 4 bed new/ish build, despite being much less square footage, would cost more.

Where I live now, it's the opposite (with much higher figures for both!)

mrsnec · 21/11/2021 11:38

I'm in the process of buying a 2 bedroom renovated Victorian mid-terrace. I chose it because of the location and in the town where I want to live, everything in my budget is a Victorian mid-terrace. Parking issues don't bother me and I like the original features and some of the ones that have been added, range cooker, Belfast sink for example.

I could do more renovations and reveal more but I'm not going to. Having said that the property on the street that went one step further with the renovation was on the market for 75k more. (loft conversion, more fireplaces revealed)

Our survey picked up areas of concern. To get the house we had to go 10k over asking price but we were told we couldn't negotiate on the price because the vendors got higher offers after they'd accepted ours.

I don't know if it's the market in general or that people like Victorian properties.

SotonLass · 21/11/2021 11:50

Supply and demand. They will never build any more houses with Victorian proportions and detailing. And some of those existing are crumbling. A well looked after period property, or one with potential for refurb will always hold a decent amount of value. We live in an Edwardian with multiple reception rooms, grand hallway and staircase, 5 double bedrooms, and it’s the sense of space. Yes it’s cold, and costs a bomb to run, but that’s part of the decision you make.

Like some other posters, I too feel hemmed in and claustrophobic in new builds, with their lower ceilings, smaller windows, and lack of draughts. I’m sure you get used to it, but…

30whatacrock · 21/11/2021 11:54

Give me a spacious, beautifully proportioned, solid Victorian house rather than a modern generic box any day of the week.

user0176 · 21/11/2021 12:02

Maybe my experiences of Victorian homes is different, it's impossible to generalise after all, but I wouldn't call a galley kitchen, downstairs bathroom, courtyard backyard, no parking, and spread out over 3 (draughty, cold) floors generously proportioned, the space was in the wrong places, it was hugely impractical.

I'd take my double driveway, double garage, 3 reception rooms, 3 bathroomed, modern kitchen/diner/living room, energy efficient, "soulless box" over my childhood home any day.

Bluntness100 · 21/11/2021 12:11

I'd take my double driveway, double garage, 3 reception rooms, 3 bathroomed, modern kitchen/diner/living room, energy efficient, "soulless box" over my childhood home any day

Do you seriously think you cannot get period properties with these features? Seriously you think they are all the same layout as your child hood home?

How odd.

zafferana · 21/11/2021 12:45

@30whatacrock

Give me a spacious, beautifully proportioned, solid Victorian house rather than a modern generic box any day of the week.
The assumptions about modern homes are Hmm too. Yes, some are generic boxes, but we built our own, to our exact specifications and it is certainly not a generic modern box!
wonkylegs · 21/11/2021 14:37

@user0176
Our Victorian house has a massive kitchen breakfast room, lots of large well proportioned reception rooms (all on the ground floor) is now well insulated, has modern heating, ventilation and electrics, beautiful double glazed timber sashes, multiple bathrooms (bathrooms upstairs and WC & utility downstairs) and a huge triple garage (obviously added later, we think around 1920). Oh and our garden is a ridiculous size.
Some Victorian houses are crap (especially small terraces which were built on the cheap for workers) , so are some modern ones.
Ours still has character & proportion but has been given care and attention to bring the bones up to modern standards and make it comfortable as well as beautiful.
Downsides - There's not a straight wall in the place and hanging pictures/shelves is a nightmare, floorboards creak, nothing is a standard size and we get spiders galore.

I think the main difference between a lot of modern mainstream houses and a good period property like ours is that ours will still be standing in another 100yrs, the new housing estate they are building up the road is going to struggle to be in good nick in another 50 even though they are very expensive. (I've watched it go up and I work in construction so I'm fairly confident that they are not going to last without some major remedial work)

Glasspen · 21/11/2021 15:30

This thread has taken on an odd direction - not entirely pleasant - waiting for the Queen in the Victorian corner and someone from Grand Designs in the modern corner to come on next and bash it out in defense of their excessively large expensive houses. Jeez - people seem very touchy - even when they live in big houses. Shock

Ruralbliss · 21/11/2021 19:02

It's all really helpful though @Glasspen (but your comment did make me laugh)

Before this house I'd have put myself Camp Queen Vic but have got used to the triple glazing and good insulation of this (1960s) place so found myself buying a one-off high quality new build (before the sale fell through) which I'd gone to see to rule out but was wooed by huge rooms, many windows, underfloor heating, garage, 3 x en-suites etc etc etc so now have a very open mind.

Think the summary of this thread is that the estate agent was incorrect. There's no premium for Victorian houses as a house is a house. Might be good build quality or poor. Might be large and spacious or might be small & cosy. Might be central or edge of town.

It's all subjective when buying a house.

In the meantime since starting this thread I've decided I'd rather find a house that fits all my stuff than compromise for a place close to school with a huge garden etc. I definitely don't want to pay more than my own personal top price for something too small for us and our belongings.
Off to view exec homes this week

OP posts:
OnyxOryx · 21/11/2021 19:05

Like some other posters, I too feel hemmed in and claustrophobic in new builds, with their lower ceilings, smaller windows, and lack of draughts. I’m sure you get used to it, but…

This is an interesting take on it, I don't feel it's something I had to get used to. I grew up in a large home, (not Victorian) and lived in large homes all my life. I was forever hankering after something smaller and when I got it I loved the fact it took less time to clean and maintain, meaning I could get on with living. I loved the low ceilings which made the also smaller rooms feel cozy and heat up quickly, I love that I can change the lightbulb myself by reaching up or standing on a low table. One wall is 50% window and if it feels stuffy or airless, I open one! The carpet and flooring might not be reclaimed this or antique that, but it looks good and doesn't take special maintenance. I've a small garden which is a bonus because gardening is a chore so a big one would be my idea of hell and there's parking which is important to me and it's all mine, none of the shared drive nonsense which seemed to come with less modern houses I viewed and which is entirely useless if your neighbours turn out to be dicks. I don't see the point of owning a car if it ends up being parked 3 streets away, where's the convenience in that? Now that I've decorated it how I like, there's nothing soulless about it. I don't spend all my time going out or treating the place like it's little more than a hotel. I love the practicalities of it.

Bluntness100 · 22/11/2021 09:00

Think the summary of this thread is that the estate agent was incorrect

It’s really not

Furzebush · 22/11/2021 10:01

@Bluntness100

Think the summary of this thread is that the estate agent was incorrect

It’s really not

It’s probably fair to say the EA was incorrect to suggest that ALL Victorian houses everywhere command a premium. A tiny, terraced two-up two-down where you walk straight off the street into the living room isn’t going to compare with a big villa with enormous, high-ceilinged rooms and a coachhouse converted into a garage, or a roomy, we’ll-appointed new build.
Bluntness100 · 22/11/2021 10:07

True but as a generalisation then the agent was correct and the thread supports it, period properties generally command a premium over their newer counterparts,

Furzebush · 22/11/2021 10:10

Also true, but since when has anyone ever believed a word an estate agent said?

The one who sold us our grand Victorian wreck was a total snake. Perhaps there should be EA veritaserum. 😀