Curb appeal/ugly house

[Redlarge]

Would an ugly house from the outside put you off? Think ex council house. Square box with little square box infront. Its really not attractive and not much that can be done to improve outside. But inside is perfect family home. With lots of storage and a large garden. Its probably about £30k less than others in area.. because... well its ugly. Would you?

The tiny windows would bother me more than the secure bin storage and porch would.

Lack of driveway would put me off more, I don’t want to battle it out with inconsiderate people for a parking space. There are enough threads on here about people parking in someone else’s numbered bay or taking up both visitor spaces or whatever, the outside of the actual building wouldn’t bother me because I wouldn’t stand outside looking at it very much.

Oh god there are loads your right, complete with diagrams

Crikey that is ugly.

I think that would put me off. The thing about my house is from the outside its very attractive. Corner plot overlooking a small green. When I turn the corner and see ‘home’ I still get a warm fussy feeling and we have been here 20 years.

On the inside , our house needs some serious money spent on it and really not at all comfortable . Its kind of shit but its my shit iykwim.

Kerb appeal. Not curb appeal.

The look of that house would curb its appeal.

Surely it all depends on the price? Area? VFM?

If I couldn’t afford a prettier house I’d make do. But it is not a nice looking house, and would yes put me off.

I think pretty on the outside is - nice to have if it’s affordable, but not a necessity.

I wouldn’t compromise on things that would affect my day to day life, like, area it’s in, room size, storage space or parking just for pretty on the outside.

What are those awful wooden doors at the front, is that the bins??

If it gets you on the property ladder when otherwise you couldn't, then it's fine.
Put some hanging baskets up.

I'd check if there's any problem with resale though.

Ha ha yeah

Agree with this,

I think it's really important to remember that you live INSIDE your house, not on the street looking at it! What are your priorities? For me:

1. Good location.
2. Layout suits my lifestyle.
3. Rooms have good dimensions.
4. The house is solidly build with the roof in good order.
5. Plenty of natural light in the house.

Outside areas can be cheered up and softened using potted plants, hanging baskets, trellis fencing etc. For the vast majority of people, purchasing a property involves compromise, so decide what's most important to you. IMO kerb (not curb!) appeal is overrated.

Thank you both. The actual house, garden and area are great for the money. And there arent a lot of houses in the area with a garden. One house in opposite road to this one sold for 30k more, but it was more of a traditional style with a lovely front garden. No driveway though.

My house isn't particularly pretty...1970s! Although we have a driveway and our on a very nice road. However we have two reception rooms, a huge kitchen, two bathrooms so I'm happy to forgo the kerb appeal. If my house was in the same area but was a Victorian house, it would probably be worth double!

Everything that you listed is more important to me. Particularly storage and decent sized rooms which ive struggled with in my current property. Ive previously had no outside space either.

I think it's really important to remember that you live INSIDE your house, not on the street looking at it!

Good point well made, but living in a hideous house often means that you will be spending years looking OUT of your windows at other people's monstrosities houses.

That would put me off, I'm sorry. It is very ugly.

But as others have said, lack of parking, lack of front garden/fence, proximity to neighbours - I used to live in a terraced house, but it was Victorian and honestly for some reason that one just feels far, far closer to your neighbours.

I think it might be the lack of outside space at the front that is defined as 'yours'.

Yes, that house is a charmless square box from the outside, but you will be living inside, in its decently sized rooms with plenty of storage. The house looks solid and well maintained. And here's the thing, unlike the Victorian and Edwardian properties (that look so charming) your house will have cavity walls, insulation and double glazing. The wooden doors at the front housing the bins, some might call them ugly, but better to have your bins hidden tidily away than left to litter the pavement or at the front of your house.

I've lived in older homes that had kerb appeal, but were damp, cold and had very little storage and huge wasted spaces taken up by chimney breasts in every room and with teeny tiny gardens and no parking. I now live in an ex-police house with big square rooms, cavity wall insulation, a lovely big garden and a driveway. It's no oil painting from the outside, but I love having the space, being warm and having off road parking.

Looks like a modern day accommodation in a stalag.

My concerns would be children playing outside and people living on top of each other. Parking?

My issue would be the windows or lack of. That is one thing that put me off when house searching.

It would depress me, driving home to that every day.

It would depend on my budget and circumstances. If I had lots of choice, I wouldn't choose it, but if it met my needs which couldn't be met with a different property then yes, I'd buy it.

Are you the buyer or the seller OP?

What's it like inside, OP?