Concrete period houses - bad move?

wamadam

I'm on the brink of buying a house, built between 1905 and 1915, in Hitchin, Herts.

Unusually for the period, it's built of shuttered concrete. Had a survey done which says it's in good condition - no structural problems.

But concrete rings alarm bells. What are the pitfalls? What should I do?!

ben1985

Hi,

Are you buying for cash or with a mortgage

If cash then it's your money, if it's a mortgage then it has to be 'adequate security' to the lender. Concrete houses usually are not good security but I'm not a mortgage expert..

Regards

BW

jockosjungle

You will likely struggle to mortgage the house as its not traditional building materials, we shyed away from one when we found out it was concrete and the woman selling it gave a long list of problems selling it, usually to do with not getting a mortgage.

Some will consider lending to you but you may struggle (halifax possibly might lend) and anyone you sell it to may have similar problems getting a mortgage

R

AppleCore

I'm not an expert but I know that if it is considered to be of Non Standard Construction it will always be difficult to mortgage.

Badger_Lady

It is a non-standard construction... I was looking at a similar period shuttered concrete cottage a few years back and, even though it was non-standard, there were several mortgage companies that were happy to quote for it. I'm sure I would have gone through with the purchase (it was lovely, and much more affordable!) if I hadn't been offered a job 200 miles away at the last minute...

wamadam

Thanks for your advice all.

jockosjungle - was it a period concrete property? I was wondering if the stigma around concrete houses was restricted to post-war builds.

Badger Lady - we've got a mortgage sorted no problem but we're worried that when we come to sell up it will put other people off. Did you have no problems at all getting mortgage quotes?

Has anyone else had any experience? Am I being too cautious?

Or is concrete simply a dealbreaker for many future potential buyers?

Are problems with mortgages and building insurance restricted to post-war concrete houses or a period concrete houses tarred with the same brush?

Many thanks.