Dream house on unsightly street, would you buy it?

[TuttleTree]

There is a house we have found in an area that we LOVE that is perfect for us. DREAM HOME with a super sized south facing garden. Bit of work needed to tidy inside but nothing major that scares us. The area is safe and family friendly.

The area is full of gorgeous period properties and lovely uniform streets... massive curb appeal everywhere you look. However this house is on a less attractive street, full of lots of odd houses - some modernised, some more dated with minimal upkeep, a couple of period properties dotted up and down but look a bit out of place. It has been on the market for some time and we think the look and feel of the road could be the reason that the house has not sold but can't be sure....

Our worry is that we might have trouble selling it in future if it's been so difficult to shift now and there is nothing you can really do about the road that it's on. Also, as much as it is our dream home, I don't think we'd pictured living on a road like that when we settled on the area. What would you do? Would you buy it?

I wouldn’t, if it bothers you, it’s not going to change.

You can change a house but you can't change the area. I wouldn't buy it.

Depends if your defiantly going to sell it vs a forever home. Our livingroom is at the back of then house over looking the garden. We have a formal dinning room and games room at the front downstairs so we rarely even see the street. I love it and wouldn't consider the street going forward if it had this layout.

There was a thread on here a few weeks ago. Lovely house but overpriced because of the street it was on. You shd have a look at that thread. You don't want the nicest house in a rubbish street it won't sell easily.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/property/4868308-whats-wrong-with-my-friends-house?page=7

Here's the link.

Is the road up and coming? So on its way to becoming better?

Thanks this is helpful but I would say its 'our' dream home rather than everyone's. It needs work doing to it and it's outside doesn't have the greatest curb appeal so we would change that also.

For us, it has the right number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and a perfect garden for us.

It's reasonably priced and we think for what it is marketed at that it is actually really good deal with bags of potential.

The road is more the issue for us but I would say that the road is only unsightly (I wouldn't describe it as a "rubbish" road) because it has lots of different styles of houses. No council houses or tower blocks or anything like that. Just not very attractive and also pavement and road a bit uneven/hilly. Pretty much every single house on the street is a different style. The roads off it are ok enough and the area as a whole is fantastic. It's just this little bit of it...

Is it at a better price in the less pretty street than it would be in the more attractive neighbouring streets? Ours is on a main road so we have a bit of traffic outside and houses in all different styles in sight but it would have cost us at least 25% more in the side streets with houses of similar age.

My friend lives in an ugly extended house on a street full of different houses. Inside its spacious, beautifully decorated and has a huge garden. Every time we visit I just think how ugly it is

I think in the more attractive neighbouring streets it could be priced higher but as I say, because it needs a little tidy up on exterior I'm not sure it would be too much higher. This little pocket of town that it is is I would say is kind of kit or miss with the houses. And this particular street is least desirable in the said pocket. It would need to be in the nicest part of the town overall in order to be priced much more than what it is now.

No. We’ve always went with “buy the ugliest house on the nicest street” approach and renovated. It’s worked very well for us. I wouldn’t buy a nice house on an ugly street and you may well have trouble selling.

How long are you planning on staying? Our first house we knew was a starter home in a town we planned to be in for 5 years max so we deliberately bought something we knew we could sell easily. If you plan to be there for 20 years plus I’d be more inclined to go for it

Trouble is, you can't change the street. So if its bothering you already, don't buy

The saying goes, you don't buy best house on the worst street. You buy the worst house on the best street.

The location will forever pick away at you and over time you'll probably end up hating it and finding it difficult to sell on.

Are we allowed to see a link? I would love to see this steeet?

@TuttleTree I think it also depends on whereabouts it is and whether you think there’s any chance that those houses will also be renovated at some point or whether it’s going to forever stay the way it is.

Sometimes it takes one house on a street to be tidied up and then the rest suddenly slowly follow. A friend of mine bought a good value house which had good bones and that’s about it.. on what I thought was the ugliest location, her house was decent but just found the street wonky, neglected, overgrown etc. I visited her a couple of years later and you could see the slow improvements being made around her, today about 7 years later and it looks very different. Not perfect but has turned into a much nicer area.

Go with your gut, and see if you think there’s potential in the house as well as the street.

Just how rubbish looking is this street if it's in a great area?

Buying a great house in a dodgy/up & coming area is always a risk and we're always told location, location, location but your potential house is in a great location so no risk from that aspect - I think it's worth further consideration!

I live in a great area and there are lots of streets which are better/worse than others but overall it's much sought-after, as the estate would say.

What are people like in those houses? I think it is all about who lives nearby. Uneven pavement won't bother me in the slightest. Bad neighbours. Definitely.

Op, please don’t do this. It’s not fair on the current owners.

It’s all about the neighbours. If people have replaced windows and have colour schemes that are not to your taste then that’s one thing. If a road looks rough that’s another. I bought one of the smallest houses on my road but it is a horrendously expensive road and in the 24 years we have lived in this house no problems.

We are looking to relocate when we retire and I have started to put feelers out. I saw the most gorgeous total box ticker ever yesterday, a half acre garden, double garage, great room sizes and amazing views over open countryside yesterday. I looked on street view, I have no idea how such a lovely house can be on such a grim looking road. They will struggle to sell. They have extended the original house and spent a lot of money, it really is beautiful, big mistake.

Can you link to the house,OP?

The saying goes, you don't buy best house on the worst street. You buy the worst house on the best street
That's not always wise advice.
Areas can change, a nice area can quickly become run down for a wide range of reasons, run down areas have become desirable places to live.
There's always change.

Can you link to the house,OP?
Terrible idea.
What you want your place picked apart on a public forum and critised?
I know the place is, in theory in the public domain by being up for sale but the owners wouldn't expect it to be shredded on a site like this as is likely to happen.
Sure they maybe not on mn but one if their friends and family may recognise it.

Is it just that the street scene (as the planners say) is disjointed? Some of the most in-demand high-priced roads around me are a mismatch of properties, but all are very desirable as standalone houses and on quiet roads. Part of the attraction is apparently having a house that isn't an identikit copy of the rest of the street.

What an absolutely stunning house 😍😍