Would you buy a house that...

[Luckyelephant1]

Has been renovated and extended throughout inside and is essentially exactly what you're looking for in terms of floor space/a blank canvas to decorate... But you just find the exterior so ugly?

A bit of background, we've been searching for a while for our long term home but we're in a very expensive area in the South East, so even though we have what many would call a decent budget, it doesn't stretch very far here so options are limited, but we really don't want to move out as we love the area and have a lot of ties to it.

We love properties with a lot of character, period homes etc. But also with the opportunity to give it a modern twist inside. A house has come up that is ready to move into inside, done to a high standard etc so we wouldn't need to renovate much at all, just paint and maybe replace the kitchen worktops at some point as I'm not a fan. It's rare at the price it's at to have a house that doesn't need a lot of work to get it to how we like. However, I just can't get over the exterior. I'm no expert on houses of certain eras but it's one of those boring, square houses built in maybe the 60's/70's? Very unremarkable, would be quite hard to make look nice. Ugly casement windows, but it would look ridiculous if you changed the windows to say, sash windows because that's the total opposite style of the house iyswim?

It has 'kerb appeal' in the sense that its very neat on the outside with a well maintained front lawn, path and front door etc. But I just don't like the style of house! Am I being too picky? Would you buy a house if the interior is perfect but the exterior not so much?

Also to add the house is in a perfect location for us with ample parking, etc. Literally a perfect house except for the way it looks on the outside.

Would you buy a house if the interior is perfect but the exterior not so much?

Yes I would. Whilst a lovely looking house is nice, you don't actually spend much time looking at the outside of your house. The inside space is so much more important as that's where you spend your time when you're at home.

Yes becayse a house done like you describe but also attractive from the outside would likely be outside your budget.

Being someone in a very expensive area of the South East too, I’d buy it! Properties here are so hard to find at the moment. We’re buying an ugly 80’s house with the vilest crisscross double glazed windows. The inside though has so much potential and I figured I’d spent more time looking at that. I’ll only see the exterior walking up to it.

In my head, I want a nice double fronted Georgian property or at least a 1930’s semi. Not this monstrosity. But it’s big, easy room sizes, there’s off street parking for two cars and a garage with a big garden in a quiet cul de sac, 5 minutes walk from an outstanding secondary school. There are more important things than the exterior

Yes we did. A house built in 1969. God awful ugly from the outside but was perfect inside. Never regretted it. We just told ourselves you pull up and go in, so see the outside for what, 20 seconds? A couple of times a day? Compare that to how long you'll enjoy the inside.

There are companies that can do up the front of your house OP and they make some hideous/plain houses look amazing! If it’s within budget and you could save a bit of cash to give it a facelift I would go for it. Even things like a nice front door, some nice potted trees etc make a huge difference. Shutters in the windows? Have you got a pic of the front or even a similar style house so we can see?

Unless you plan to spend a lot of time standing outside the house staring at it then you should go for it
The money you want need to spend on the inside can be spent on the outside instead

I wouldn't. I passed up a 1970's property in the right location for me for exactly this reason. The house was just so horrible looking, with weatherboards and pebble dash frontage to boot, I couldn't get past it.

I waited for a bit longer, and I'm now in the process of buying a 1930's semi which is also in the right location, and what I was originally looking for.

Are you me? I saw a house recently too SE and went through this. Decided to not go for it. All of the houses in the area looked the same too so I was just put off by the street tbh. I knew it would be something I always felt about it. And we plan to stay a very long time. However we said no as I just didn't get a good vibe from the house itself and couldn't picture us there. Is it something that could be improved? We're seeing a house this weekend which sounds similar however when looking at street view I can see the neighbors have improved the outside with some climbers up the property and lovely plants in the front garden. Could that be an option? In light of the market though, things are coming up few and far between so it really depends.

Yes I would. You said you have been looking for a while so likely a compromise is needed and ugly outside impacts so much less than location/ parking/ space.

Personally I’d be more then happy to buy the house. It offers what’s needed and the exterior might just need a bit of a makeover. Look at some of the professional exterior house make overs on the internet, they can be radical

I had a hard ‘no’ on anything newer than 50s and kind of regret it. The 60s houses near us definitely have some advantages over our 30s one.

Are you planning on sitting outside and looking at your house? If you’re not finding exactly what you want but the house ticks all your boxes except the outside, I’d go for it. We now love in a house we’d originally discounted but the area we live is very competitive (even more so now) and the space inside works brilliantly for us.

Depending on whether you've saved any money on it you could potentially give the house a face lift. Add cladding, climbing plants, enlarge windows. However if it's a semi or on a row of similar then I would pass.

Yes, in the SE with very high property prices, this is probably a sensible choice. As Kirsty and Phil would say, you need to find a compromise!

I would and like PP you can research some companies that tart up the outside of houses with cladding and bay window and such - makes it look totally different

Yes becayse a house done like you describe but also attractive from the outside would likely be outside your budget

This. You do say that you have a decent budget but that it doesn't stretch far where you are.

My one caveat would be, is the area/ location as good as you've been looking for? That's one thing that's not worth compromising for, IMO.

We have been looking for a lovely period home for 18mths with an extremely healthy budget; we have finally bought a modern but immaculate house in a great location. It's not the character gem I was hoping for but in every other way it's ideal.

You can do an enormous amount to make the outside more appealing, but my advice would be to forget all your sash windows and the period features you love and embrace the modern.

My head would say yes. Heart no. Seeing my pretty cottage makes me feel so happy every time I come home. But I know that layout wise the era you are looking at are fantastic and spacious and if you have no work to do that is a huge bonus too.

You can make the exterior look more pleasing plants etc and smarten up the drive

Also building work is hellishly expensive at the moment not to mention the upheaval of it. So if somewhere really is perfect inside that is a huge plus point.

I think it depends on more than just what it looks like. I love old properties and have had 2 period properties prior to the 1960s one I'm in now.

We bought this because as a family our internal layout needs and ease of use plus garden and parking were impossible to find with the added period property requirement.

We have never regretted moving here for a second. It's perfect for us. We have loads of pots and hanging baskets outside the front to give a bit more curb appeal. It still needs a bit more work and I'm thinking about what they will look like.

When the kids have grown and moved out the layout as it is now probably won't be so important and maybe we will look at an older property again. Because they are beautiful. But so often nowhere near as practical for a family

I also think you can make the exterior look better but cheaply. So for example an evergreen clematis growing round the front, which will flower prettily in spring of summer, depending on type. Some lovely olive trees in pots either side of the front door, some pretty plants, all can improve the look.

My house is lovely from the outside but I’ve grown wisteria round the front of it and an apple blossom clematis round the back door, which is currently flowing prettily and honestly they look lovely. You can also add a Pretty porch if it doesn’t have one already that’s in keeping with the house itself and that isn’t too expensive and can change the look drastically.

It’s always going to be what it is, and I doubt you’ve the budget to spend six figures doing the front up or you’d buy something that looked nicer, but you can improve it.

But as you’ve been looking a long time I’d advise you to jump or yoire going to be priced out and you won’t even be able to afford this one.

Probably not. Even if if doesn't matter to you there will be a lot of people who think it does matter. When it comes to re-selling it will be a problem. Unless the outside can be improved.

Yes. I did exactly that. Ugly outside (and in) but beautiful views and loads of ground floor space which we wanted. Dh didn't want to buy it but we are still here 10yrs on and love it. Grow something up the outside to soften it / hide it and think what will affect your quality of life. For me it was a choice between nicer looking but affordable 3 storey town house or much bigger mortgage on a prettier detatched version of what we bought. So glad I didn't opt for the stairs or the extra mortgage.

What are the other houses in the street like ?
Is it ugly because of the extensions?

YY to 'pretty-ing' it up , either a make-over (and there are some stunning transformations) or plants temporary .

The people across the road are the ones who have to look at it !
I drive down a road with a yellow house on one side and a lilac one opposite (other houses are bog standard white or grey )
Makes me wonder if there was a feud , or did one paint and the other thought Feck I'm not looking out at THAT monstrosity and went off to Wicks for the most garish paint they could find !