The 'snob' factor

leftieM

4 years ago we bought an ex-council house in a nice part of the city. We want more room now as we have 2 kids and we can afford to double our mortgage. We've been looking for a week and, as our house is ex-council, it is worth way less than smaller private houses. So we may have to move to a new area further out of town to get a big enough house or buy a house near us that is a bit bigger but way more expensive.
I love our house. The area is amazing, we have great schools and people are paying big money to move to this area. However when some people find out exactly where we live we get treated differently. This culminated in an incident last week where a financial adviser I was giving details to left the room and sent a junior member of staff in to deal with me when I told him where I lived.
I wonder will moving house sort this out or is there always snobbery? Will my children have an easier life if we move from our house to a more 'acceptable' address? Am I wasting my money moving rather than extending?

dander

Gosh, I live in an ex-council house, and before this and ex-council flat, but never noticed people treating me badly because of it. I wouldn't have thought most people know the exact status of houses at most addresses - I could point out where the biggest council estate near me is, but I wouldn't know road names to recognise if someone said they lived there. And I certainly wouldn't know which houses are still council and which privately owned. Obviously there is a price differential, but I don't mind that, because I got more for my money.

MortgageMamma

That advisor was well out of order. I take it you complained? Talk about up his own @rse.

I lived in an actual council rented house for years before relocating two years ago. It was a large three bed semi opposite an open field with a little park for the kids, and just 15 mins walk from town. The street was tree lined and there was never so much as a squabble seen in 3 years. My street and area was tidy and clean. I'm not ashamed of it, but its sad to say, people do treat you differently I noticed that too.

I had friends privately renting hovels that thought they were better than me, despite the fact I had a bigger house in a nicer area and paid half the price?!

Don't let that incident get you down, sometimes you just have to accept things in life can be unfair, and move on. Good luck with your move.

blue_haddock

I think one problem with ex-council houses is that whilst 19 of the 20 house on the street are all private and well looked after it only needs 1 house to still be a council property with 3 half dismanted cars on the drive etc etc.

Yes there is an element of snob factor to it and yes it is possible to get a similar situation in a private house but thats life.

Menna

I think the advisors repsonse was disgraceful, and you would be better served going to a broker who will value you as a client, irrespective of your postcode.

It is true that there will always be a certain snobbery attached to ex council properties, you just have to be confident in the fact that you are getting more house for your money.

It is also worth bearing in mind that today, if you move onto what is supposedly a swanky new site, that a proportion of those house usually have to be ringfenced for allocation to various local housing authorities. It is some kind of trade off for the planning permissions.

Ultimately you should do whatever is right for you and your family, and if you are happy, then extend to your hearts content and have the last laugh.

There's a good programme on ITV1 in the afternoons at the mo, about extending instead of moving house. Us advisors have too much time on our hands!! One of the pitfalls of working form home!

calleyw

We live in an ex-council house. I never think of it like that. And there are still only a few in the street that are. And the only reason I twigged that was because they all have the same type of front door.

The reason our house is ex-council is we where told that that the company that was building them went bankrupt and they council took over. Not sure if that is true or not.

In our road I reckon that is the more of the private ones who gardens are a tip. And that includes mine as we are on the process of having a dropped curb being putting in and having a good old sort out.

I would not worry about the snob factor. People who that are small minded are just not worth getting upset about.

All the best in the hunt for your new home.


Yours


Calley

kit

I am in the process of buying an ex LA house. For the size of the property, I am getting a good deal purely due to the area its in.

The area is not a bad area but there is still some LA owned property there - mainly elderly in the road I am moving to but the next road along is family housing and there are a few cars on ramps etc.

I think there are always going to be 'snobs' around that ensure the house prices stay lower in LA areas. I overheard a lady talking in a resturant once.... she was telling her friend how she had written to the builders of her new home complaining because they did not let her know that the houses in the next road were shared ownership. She felt that her house was devalued because of this........ some people huh??!!

lizzyb_3

if you love where you live why not extend instead of doubling your mortgage. I wouldnt worry about d*ck heads like the financial advisor you were unfortunate to meet (I hope you didn't give the company your business). There will always be idiots like him but with regards to easier lives for your children bring them up to judge people on who they are, not which street they live in & I'm sure they will grow up to be a much better person than he is. If somebody is going to judge you on where you live then they are not worth knowing or doing business with anyway. Good luck

calleyw

kit wrote:

I overheard a lady talking in a resturant once.... she was telling her friend how she had written to the builders of her new home complaining because they did not let her know that the houses in the next road were shared ownership. She felt that her house was devalued because of this........ some people huh??!!

:rotfl: think I need a tena please. That is just so funny.

We looked at other houses on the same estate where we live. And the others that where built by private companies. Well lets just say for extra £2.5k that we spend on this place it was worth every penny. We have an end of terrace which means we can bung some parking in. The bedrooms are so much bigger and so is the garden. I mean in the other place the master bedroom if you can call it that. Would just about fit a double bed in it with a little bit either side. A door and behind the door was a wardrobe. That was smaller than the one bedroom flat I was selling :eek:

The building quality is normally very good od ex-council houses.

Yours


Calley

leftieM

It's a pain - in my last job I overheard someone talk about how they had to lock their doors when they drove through our estate. These people were using it as a rat run! I'm always annoyed with myself that I didn't say something at the time.
Part of me really wants to stay here and ignore the snobbery. We have always been treated courteously by our neighbours although we have different backgrounds and not much in common.
I'm sure we will make the right decision about moving/ improving in time as long as we don't rush things. I've only viewed 2 houses so far and I already appreciate far more what we've got here.

dander

I love this perception that council tenants want to put tatty old cars in their front gardens! Why does renting a house from the council make you do that for heavens sake!

I was driving along a road in Luton a little while back - near the airport - and there was a string of 1950s style houses, presumably non-traditional construction getting a major makover. New fake brick cladding, smart porches etc. Drove down there again this week and it's all finished - you can tell which ones are the council houses because they look dead swanky - and the privately owned ones all look like they're about to fall down!

Reckon you need to work out what is important to you. I chose an ex-council because I could get a gorgeous, architect designed, spacious home, with nice gardens in a conservation area within walking distance of town and transport. Choosing private build would have pushed me further out of town into a much smaller house on a smaller plot, in an off-the-peg, bog-standard design. Or if I wanted new build, or to be as convenient as I am now in private built, I'd be into a flat with no garden at all. Ok, so those would give me 'snob value' but I don't think it's worth it.

I say when the snobs laugh at you for living where you do, laugh right back at them for living in their pokey little houses, with none of the amenities, and thinking they've got it so good. :rotfl: