Should I buy an ex council house in didsbury in manchester? I’m not sure if I’m making the right decision…

[smileandshinefortomorrow]

Hi!
I’m a first time buyer and I was super excited that I found a house I like in a nice town called didsbury in Manchester.
The house is 10 min walk away from outstanding primary schools and 15min walk to the didsbury town which is very lively with lovely restaurants.
When I was viewing the house, the agent told me the house was an ex-council house many years ago . I asked what was the implication of this, and the agent said not much. In fact he said he prefers ex council houses as they tend to be more sturdy.
There were some nearby roads that looked rather dodgy… but also some nearby streets with very lovely and expensive houses.
I made an offer, and I got the valuation for the house today for my mortgage but I’m now worried after reading the report. It says the property is in an area of predominately social housing( which I did not know), and that some lenders do not let on properties of this type of construction which may affect future saleability! ( what?!!)
It also says the property has suffered previous movements but no evidence to suggest this is ongoing.
I looked up online and I realised ex-council houses are often built with unusual materials that apparently are not that good?
It says
Walls: coralite blocks
Roof: pitched tile
Would these construction materials cause problem for me in future?
Arghh my parents never owned a house before and I have no family members or friends to ask for any advice :(
I worked very hard to save deposits and thought I was finally about to get on to the property ladder… but I don’t want to make the mistake of buying a wrong house.
What should I do?
Ex council house
Previous movement
Lenders may not lend for this type of constructions
Unusual construction? ( I don’t even know if these materials are actually unusual and I couldn’t figure it out from googling either ).
Help please 🙄😞😣

No issues with an extra council house, there’s some by me which are lovely. I’d be v concerned about the non standard construction though. I think it may be a remortgage and resale nightmare so you may be best passing this one up sadly

Ex council houses are often better than new builds in terms of room size and construction , imo. Location sounds fine; not sure why you’d have a problem with adjacent ‘social housing’. People do rent everywhere in all sorts of situations/properties, you know. 😊 The big red flag for me would be the non standard construction. Have a conversation with your proposed lender about it if you’re keen on the house, but in your shoes I’d be inclined to walk away especially as it sounds like you’re already nervous about this property. Good luck with finding your new home.

I live nearby and know the area well. I would have a look on Zoopla so you can see if other identical houses are being bought and sold regularly. I would also speak to mortgage lenders, and ask questions. I know on some 'non standard' builds is difficult to obtain a mortgage.

Non-standard is an initial red flag, not so much the other stuff. I recommend a discussion with your lender and also phone local surveyors asking for advice-they are likely to have encountered the different sorts of local NSC and will be able to say don’t touch it (often the case with prefab steel frame/concrete panel construction) or that it’s absolutely fine.
Don’t give up without checking!

Whereabouts is it? Didsbury isn’t abound with social housing - are you more toward Stockport or the other side of the river toward northenden?
Non standard construction is often a red flag. But as long as it’s not unrepaired concrete Id not panic.

ours is an ex council house and also of non standard construction. A good friend of ours is a surveyor so he looked at it for us and the sort of construction was not one of the ones that is a big issue. Our bank also did not have any problem lending either (one of the big high street ones so not a specialist lender or anything). In our town there are streets and streets of similar houses and they are bought and sold all the time (not the same exact houses that woudl be concerning!) but obviously there are not many issues with the build construct of them otherwise the local facebook page would be in uproar about it!)

Thank you everyone for the reply
I've been doing lots of reading about non conventional houses and ex council houses on internet and how lenders are not keen on such properties.

Despite the no fines concrete construction and historic movement, my mortgage was somehow approved quite easily by a mainstream bank.

The house I'm thinking of buying is in a predominantly social housing area; about 15min walk away from the didsbury tram, and 10 min walk from outstanding primary schools.

It's not the nicest part of didsbury but for the price I can afford, it's the best location I can buy in didsbury. Hence the compromises!

However I don't want the property value to go down if I have to re-sell the property so I'm not sure if these compromises are worth it.. what would you do if you were in my situation?

Ohhh it's so difficult to make a decision.

There are other ex council houses nearby that look exactly like the house I'm hoping to buy being sold, and some actually being sold for higher price than what I offered so maybe it's a sign that selling won't be an issue?? (Or am I just being optimistic or doing wishful thinking?)

catterick road

If other houses of the same construction are being regularly bought/sold and your bank has no issues with the mortgage, I think that's your answer. It's all good

I know the area. There are a lot of council houses, probably many privately owned now. Many are covered in rendering which personally I know to be expensive to redo which it will need at some point. Yes, it's basically edging towards Parrswood, Burnage and is as you describe surrounded by very expensive housing and social housing. I wouldn't have an issue with that as it's a great mixed neighbourhood but would with the red flag re materials and possible future sale of the property. It will have been well maintained though as ex council stock.

Is the house nearer the parrs wood road end or the school Lane end? If closer to School Lane then it's fine. The Parrs Wood road end would be too close to Burnage for me. I rented one of the ex council houses in a street off Parrs Wood Road a few years ago and honestly it was hideous. Noisy neighbours, drug dealers in the street, someone attacking a neighbour with a pitchfork, the list goes on. I'd do very careful research on local crime for the street and drive round at different times of day before you commit.

We're not far from there and Catterick Road is fine. Very close to tram/bus and Didsbury Village and several good schools around.

Non standard construction for an ex council house turned into an absolute nightmare last year for my cousin when selling.

The best bit was it wasn't even his house that caused problems but the next door neighbours (attached, semi).

Please excuse the vagueness because I don't know the specifics. However both houses were non standard construction. My cousin several years ago spent £££ in changing his house to meet 'standard construction' specs - something like adding a brick layer so it wasn't just concrete. So done.

When selling last year his house was fine. But he had four buyers drop out when their mortgages were declined because the attached neighbours house was non standard construction. He ended up selling to a cash BTL invester and lost a fair amount.

Non standard construction would have me running for the hills.

In addition to my last post I'd also be wary of your mortgage company being 'fine' and mortgage approved. Two of my cousins buyers had that and were FAR down the line before their bank withdrew their mortgage. Mortgage offers can be withdrawn at surprisingly late times.

Check you can get buildings insurance, non standard construction can affect this

Go for it! I love ex council. And you'll be in a great spot.

I’m surprised Theres any council stuff left near fog lane park. I’d think you were fine round there. But have a good look into non standard construction. I think a lot of people who bought unrepaired concrete have since been stung

OP you didn’t actually say in your post that your house was non standard construction you said the mortgage lender said ex council houses CAN be non standard construction. Is there a local Facebook or WhatsApp group where you can get advise on a good surveyor? Sounds like you are comitted enough to pay for a survey and a decent one will help you. For what it’s worth my house is ex council and happy with it as other posters have said got more for my money than could otherwise afford.

I've just "gone down" Catterick Road on Streetview and, apart from the bungalows, they all look like standard brick construction. Did you just get a valuation or a survey? I'd ring the company who did the survey and ask for more information.

I just had a valuation from the bank and that's what it said. I guess I just have to wait for my proper survey result.

Thank you everyone for all the advice!

Call fhe surveyor. Ask for their advice

To a first time buyer, surveys can be daunting as tney mention every tiny detail which is often a
Non issue

Perhaps they can talk through the issues and help you understand the implications more clearly