Apartment or Semi or Det?

gabyjane

We have a new build semi..we had the choice of 6 houses i immediately loved one and we went for it and got it!! it is on the end of 3 but has a gap betwen us and our neighbour as opposed to being on the end which i never fancied, it was more than the terraced ones but not too much and i love the fact we have side access to the garden too. We never hear either neighbours so all good!

toby3000

It depends on yourself really. I hate the suburbs and will never have children, so for me a flat would be fine for the rest of my life. But older ones can be noisy- I've never been in a new build flat so I don't know what modern sound proofing is like. The same applies to semis or terraces.

the_root_of_all_evil

there really is no argument, if you can afford a detached property then buy it.

every one i know who hasnt got one wants one, partying and watching movies full blast at 4am just cos you can.

detached houses generally are not in bad areas from my experience and are definatley not council stock.

can you really afford a detached though being a ftb?

westv

Dinah93 wrote: »

You'll find it easiest to resell a detached, then a semi, then a flat. Detached homes are aspirational, semi's are practical, flats are a negitive equity nightmare waiting to happen.

I would have thought the easiest property to sell would be the one with the biggest potential market. Wouldn't that be semis and (come the next housing bubble) 2 bed flats?

Greenr

As recent first time buyers, we went for a purpose built flat for the following reasons:

• Cheaper than a house (we didn't want to stretch ourselves straight away) in terms of mortgage, bills etc
• We have a communal garden which we don't have to look after (gardener does this).
• We're on the first floor and have far reaching panoramic views
• We feel very safe being higher than ground level
• The outside of the flat is maintained by the management company so we don't have to worry about the upkeep of the external walls/roof etc (although we pay a small amount towards this each month)
• We have a private car park so the cars are safe

It all depends on the area you want to live in... I do know people who have lived in terraced/semi detatched houses who have had terrible problems with neighbours re noise etc. If you live in a flat and there is a problem neighbour, there will generally be a group of flats who are not happy and you can all join forces to sort the problem out. If you live in a house and have a problem neightbour, you might have to try and sort the problem out alone.

superfran_uk

If you can afford a detached house as a FTB then most certainly you should go for it. They're unlikely to be in the undesireable areas as they price out the 'undesireables' and you have total freedom - no problems with neighbours etc. However if you can buy one for the same as a flat or a semi, i'd be asking why! Is it subsiding or something?!

thriftisthenewcool

Well to answer some of the questions... We are looking in and around cheltenham...

The flat is one of the poshest areas of cheltenham and is fully concrete - roof, floor and common walls. So noise Im hoping wouldnt be a big issue. I have a little boy... So Im more worried about our noise!! And good schools in the area. Semis and definitely dets in this area are way out of our budget!!

The semi and the det are in one of the better areas. Semi the same price as apt. Det considerably more. Maybe because of the fact that there arent a lot of them - as much as the semis. Wonderful schools in the area too. If we buy in this area it has to be a semi...

And we didnt like most of the new-builds - their completion date (we want to move asap - as my oh and i are living 150 miles apart right now!!) and also thanks to the lot of inputs about mortgages for new builds. And we do feel that the prices they are asking for them are a bit too much in cloud-cuckoo-land!

So the confusion. Posh area Vs Better area!!

Jan

superfran_uk

If you have a little boy, get a house with a garden. I don't like the idea of kids stuck in flats, it's not fair on them (and how do you wear them out?!). I'd say as FTB you have to make some sacrifices, and it shouldn't be the garden!

westv

I would always go for the best area you can afford whatever the property.

furndire

Don't forget you will have probably have to pay yearly maintainance fees for flats - someone has to pay for the communal areas to be sorted.
My ds & dil live in a lovely gated community with a gym/pool - for which they pay £1000+ a year maintainance. Its great, but needs to be factored in with your bills