The 'snob' factor

Kruger

dander wrote:

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!

That'll be "Tin Town" then, lol

I'm not much of a snob, but I dont think anyone in Luton would describe that area as S!!!!!!, drop that S and I reckon you'd be closer to the mark.

Its when you look a bit closer and realise what they are covering up, temporary prefab concrete housing, clad in multi coloured tin!

InMyDreams

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??!!

Problem is, that she was probably quite right... doesn't make her a snob. The value of a house is only determined by what the market (snobs and all) is prepared to pay for it. She wasn't complaining that *she* didn't want to live there, just that it wasn't reflected in the price. She felt factors influencing the value of her property were withheld. I'd be bothered too. As everyone in this thread agrees, this snobbery can be used to people's advantage... you can get much more for your money if you aren't a snob. So you could argue that it's the non-snobs that win in the end, using these snobby attitudes to their advantage. Why shouldn't she have enjoyed the same?

IMD

Astaroth

The snobbery is great for when you are buying because of the cheaper property but bad for when your selling as an identical house a few streets away can sell for £20k or greater more simply because it isnt ex-council.

I think there is also a significant difference between a row of houses that happened to have been council owned and either a council estate or group of blocks of high rise flats. I have seen a fair number of small clutches of council (ex and not ex) properties that have been exceptionally nice but I have never driven around a large council estate and thought the same.

elona

Leftie

Go the the library and book "The millionaire Next Door" written by somebody Stanley - He makes the point that a millionaire in America is likely to be the person driving a beatup old car and living in a nice but modest house.

The person in a swanky neighbourhood driving a luxury car is just "renting the lifestyle" and does not actually own anything.

Really hope that you did not give that firm your business and that you wrote to the head of the firm explaining why and who was to blame.

silvercar

You probably got your house for a good price because it was ex-council and the same holds true when you come to sell it.

Spendless

There is barely a council owned house left in my village, on what was once the council estate, there are a handful of flats still council owned mainly occupied by the elderly or people with mobility problems. The only other big council estate we still do have around here is the old peoples bungalows. The ex council houses do sell for slightly less than the equivalent private houses, but I have always put this down to the rooms being slightly smaller in size and not as much space at the side of the houses. If yours in in a sort after area I would have thought many people would be interested as they may not be able to go to the price that the private houses are up for, but they still get to live in your area.

Good luck with it all.

NervousYetFeisty

dander wrote:

Obviously there is a price differential, but I don't mind that, because I got more for my money.

Exactly. And should you want to do a bit of work on your car, at least you don't have to worry what the neighbours will think...

We are about to move from a council flat to our first mortgaged house, which is ex-council on a different estate. As an early '50s build, it has large rooms and a great garden. The estate is actually quite attractive for what it is, but it also over looks a very pretty and very expensive village on the opposite side of the valley. So who has the best deal? Us with the space, the view and the half-price house - or them with the cachet looking out onto our estate :rotfl:

I've come up against snobbery living where we do. People would ask where I live and then say "oh well.." which used to really pee me off. Often though people end up really rating the place, once they've paid me a visit.

MortgageMamma

Well I think that you shouldnt really give a damn what others think of your home or where you choose to live as long as you love it. A homes not just about bricks mortar and a postcode, its about living your life in it and loving your life and your family. Stop worrying what others think and ignore narrowminded and discriminative behavior. anybody that will criticise because your house is ex council obviously isnt worth knowing anyway, so you've not lost anything.

Good luck with your move

Mrs_Optimist

We also live in an ex-council house and when we were considering moving a few years back the Estate Agent actually advised us to stay-put - he said that we would be shelling out shedloads of money for another property which wouldn't even be in the same league as the one we are in now. We are in a row of 10 council houses - 2 of which still belong to the council. All the other houses around us 10 are privately owned and built by builders, but they are TINY. The house next door to us is council-owned and whilst the gardens are somewhat unkempt (to say the least) our neighbours are very friendly and quiet. The plus part of having council tenants next door is that any problems with drains being blocked, rubbish not being collected etc - the council come out and deal with it - at no cost to us. They are obliged to do so because their tenants are living amongst private housing now. Our drains have blocked 3 times in the last 10 years and we have never had to shell out a penny to have them cleared. Likewise the rear garden fencing when it blew down in storms a few years back - the council came out and replaced the lot - at no cost to us but we benefited. We have fantasic views from our huge rear garden over the whole City, 3 large bedrooms etc. the property is structurally sound - built to last, according to my brother who incidentally is a builder by trade and has just bought an ex-council house himself. In fact my uncle and my brother who are both builders have said that they would NEVER contemplate buying a new-build house because of the cheap materials that goes into them for maximum profit. And who wants to live in LEGOLAND anyway!

MortgageMamma

I'd love to know who your estate agent was talking himself out of a sale like that!